PLEASE WELCOME
AMY ANGUISH
TO
FICTION FRIDAY
Writing Love Letters/the story behind the story
Have you ever had a pen pal? For anyone who has, it’s probably been a long time, right? More of something people participate in when in elementary school. Well, for some reason, this author thought it would be fun to make my characters pen pals.
Maybe because of my grandparents. You see, during the Korean war, my Grandpa was there and Grandma was still in Arkansas. They kept their love alive through the mail, sending letters and recordings of their voices, even the announcement of my aunt’s birth. And when Grandpa died, back in 2013, Grandma clung to those old letters when she could no longer cling to him.
Maybe because all during high school, I had my own long-distance relationship with a boy in Oklahoma. And every now and then I wonder what would have happened if we’d stayed together instead of dating and marrying the people we ended up with (don’t get me wrong—I adore my husband am so very glad to be his wife, but there’s always a “What if” going in this author brain).
For whatever reason, this story started forming in my head and wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote it. So, Writing Home gained a life during Nanowrimo 2018, although it was originally called Old-school Romance. Christiana Jones and Jordan White have letters back and forth to each other all the way through the book, as their relationship grows and changes and becomes even more.
Was it a challenge? Yes. How can it not be challenging to write a romance where the characters don’t even live in the same town? But was it worth it? I think so.
So many people want everything to happen quickly, as fast as heating something in the microwave—or faster. They want the instant gratification of social media posts and text messages. There’s no time to wait for the post office to deliver a letter. But what if they had to?
Does it make things mean more? Does it give you an extra appreciation for it when you have been longing to receive it for over a week? When you have to think about what you say before you write it out long-hand? When you have to pay for a stamp and envelope to get it where it’s going?
Sure, a pen pal-ship today wouldn’t be the same as what my grandparents had back in the 50s or even the same as what I had in high school. But I think it’s still a fun idea. Enough that I wrote a whole book about it!
So, I’d love to hear. Have you ever had a pen pal? Do you think you could handle it today?
MORE ABOUT WRITING HOME
Can letters from the past spur a couple on to the future of their dreams?
Christiana Jones dreamed her whole life of living in Huntsville, Alabama, so she can’t figure out why it doesn’t feel like home. Her relationships—on social media and in real life—seem shallow and empty. When she unearths a stack of her grandparents’ letters, it spurs an idea. Could she find something deeper with a penpal?
Jordan White is taken aback when his cousin Tina suggests he become penpals with her childhood best friend. What could a Louisiana boy have in common with a girl two states away? After all, he’s happily settled on his family’s property and working the job he always wanted. But every letter they exchange has him wishing for more.
As they grow closer through their written words, the miles between them seem to grow wider.
Can love cross the distance and bring them home?
Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Home-Amy-R-Anguish-ebook/dp/B08RHN7T2W
ABOUT AMY ANGUISH
Author of An Unexpected Legacy, Faith and Hope, and Saving Grace
Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher's kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.
Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor
Or https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish
Learn more about my books at https://www.pinterest.com/msguish/my-books/
And check out the YouTube channel she does with two other authors, Once Upon a Page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiu-jq-KE-VMIjbtmGLbJA)
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JUSTICE FOR ELIZABETH
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WHEN HEARTS ENTWINE
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ROLL BACK THE CLOUDS
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RIVEN
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RED LETTER DAY
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THE LOST COAST
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THE CABIN
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OUT OF THE EMBERS
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UNDER GROUND
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AN UNEXPECTED FAMILY
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WHEN VALLEYS BLOOM AGAIN
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MISSING DEPOSITS
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IN AN INSTANT
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THE PURPOSE REVEALED
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IMPERFECT SNOWFLAKES
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THREE FRENCH HENS
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RESTORING CHRISTMAS
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SARA'S SURPRISE
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FOREVER LATELY
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THE TICKET
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MISSING PIECES
11/8/2019 1:00:00 AM by: LINSEY BRACKETT
CONFLICT AVOIDANCE
11/1/2019 1:00:00 AM by: SUSAN G. MATHIAS
PRACTICALLY MARRIED
10/30/2019 1:00:00 AM by: KARIN BEERY
CASSANDRA AND THE COWBOY
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UNWRAPPING HOPE
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FOOTPRINTS ON HER HEART
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"Indian Attack"
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Dreams Deferred
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A NEW YORK YANKEE ON STINKING CREEK
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JOY AFTER NOON
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Match Made in Heaven: A Novella
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THE MASTER'S PLAN
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SONG OF SUGAR SANDS
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LOVE'S ALLEGIANCE
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WRITING THE PAST: THE DUST BOWL
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THE STREET SINGER
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JANUS JOURNALS
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TO THE RESCUE A SHORT STORY
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THE LEAST OF THESE
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SUMMER PLANS AND OTHER DISASTERS
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AND THEN BLOOMS LOVE
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IN THE MONEY
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AMMO (An Original Shorty Story)
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POWER UP
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THE PINK BONNET
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KATELYN'S CHOICE
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HOSEA'S HEART
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FAITH AND HOPE
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FALLEN LEAF
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GRACE & LAVENDER
5/3/2019 1:00:00 AM by: HEATHER NORMAN SMITH
JULIA
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AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE
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KATELYN'S CHOICE
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When Valleys Bloom Again
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You Asked for It
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One Door Between Us
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BURIED MOUNTAIN SECRETS
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CAPTURE ME
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UNDER PRAIRIE SKIES
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A Tender Hope
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PARHELION
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CAROLINA GRACE
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A LOVE MOST WORTHY
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YOU'RE AMAZING
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LOVE'S RESCUE
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COURTING DANGER
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JOHN ALDEN ... A SHORT STORY
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THE OTHER NEIGHBOR
1/11/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Gail Sattler
NO TURNING BACK
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ALLEY'S PERFECT ANGEL
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A SILVER MEDALLION
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THE AMISH MIDWIFE'S SECRET
12/14/2018 1:00:00 AM by: Rachel Good
CHRISTMAS WITH THE ENEMY
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RETURN TO WALHALLA
11/30/2018 1:00:00 AM by: LAURA HODGES POOLE
HOMELESS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
11/16/2018 1:00:00 AM by: PeggySue Wells and Marsha Wright
HAIR CALAMITIES AND HOT CASH
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MEET ME IN GALVESTON
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HARVEST OF BLESSINGS
10/19/2018 1:05:00 AM by: JUNE FOSTER
MEET JENNIFER SLATTERY
10/5/2018 1:05:00 AM by: Jennifer Slattery
He Passes By
6/15/2018 8:50:00 PM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
Bryan's Homecoming
6/8/2018 1:11:00 AM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
EMERGENCE
6/1/2018 1:31:00 AM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
Antiquainted Man
5/11/2018 1:06:00 AM by: LINDA WOOD RONDEAU
SOMETHING NEW
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