It's my pleasure to welcome back Patty Smith Hall to Ink Dots. We're celebrating the release of her latest Heartsong Presents book, The Doctor's Bride.
Patty's made up stories since being forced on boring drives into the Georgia countryside when she was too young to stay home by herself. Now she's happy to share her wild imagination and love of history with others, including her husband, Danny, two smart and gorgeous daughters, and a Yorkie she spoils like a baby. She resides in North Georgia. You can find her at www.pattysmithall.com
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| Patty Smith Hall ~ The Doctor's Bride |
The Doctor’s Bride
Dr. Joshua McClain is headed west
First stop: Hillsdale, Michigan, to break the marriage contract his late mother arranged between him and Katie Clark. Years ago, Katie left him behind in Charleston. But after a train crash, he comes face-to-face with Dr. Kathleen Clark, his childhood friend all grown up.
When Josh shows up in town, claiming they're betrothed, Katie refuses to consider an arranged marriage. She'll marry for love or not at all. Besides, he's headed for Kansas Territory; her practice is here in Hillsdale. So why are they both finding it hard to break their betrothal and say goodbye?
Patty Says...
If I could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, it would be...my office. The last few weeks have been difficult with the loss of my much-loved grandma in September following by the unexpected passing of my father-in-law the first week of November. So right now, I crave the normalcy of the every day. I'm so sorry for your family's loss, Patty. I pray you'll be comforted and find your way back to normal life soon.
One thing I enjoyed today is...reading the comics over breakfast. I'm a newshound--I read six newspapers a day--but just that brief moment of silliness lifts my spirits no matter how bad the news is.
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| Patty Smith Hall |
A secret pleasure of mine is...fried eggs over medium and grits with butter. But I only have them when I'm on vacation or out of town. This dish reminds me of trips I took with my family as a little girl--Daddy would always order this combination and for some odd reason, I thought it looked fantastic. I was right! Ok this grits thing is something I haven't managed to taste, even after 4 trips to the US. A must for next time. :)
A moment that changed my life is... was when I let go of my anger at God after an attack left me physically disabled. In giving up that anger, I not only found peace, but saw God use me in ways I never would have dreamed of, one of those things being my writing. And He taught me that holding on to that anger hurt no one as much as it hurt myself. I've learned to deal with anger differently now. That's beautiful, Patty. Thanks for sharing such a deeply life changing milestone.
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| Patty Smith Hall ~ Ballerina |
When I was a child I wanted to... be the President of the United States! But as I got older, my artistic side came out and I thought about majoring in dance. (See picture) I even taught ballet for a couple of years and helped started a dance program at the college I attended.
I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but...I quit my first job as a balloon girl at a local amusement park by releasing 250 balloons into the air. I was fifteen and my boss refused to give me a break...so I took a permanent one! LOL! Ha, what a moment that must have been, you storming off, all those balloons filling the sky! I bet you wish there were cell phones back then... that would have been some clip. :)
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I love Patty's tantrum story. I guess we've all spat the dummy, but she did it real style when she worked at the amusement park!
Are you game enough to share about a time you let the balloons go like Patty? Or perhaps you've seen someone stomp their foot in spectacular fashion. Tell us in the comments below, and you'll be in the draw to win The Doctor's Bride in e-book format. I'll announce the winner on Friday.
Good luck and happy reading,
