The Mystery Behind My Name

Butch and Susie

Right now, I'm simultaneously submitting my Contemporary YA novel, Unleashed! to literary agents and publishers, editing Courting Disaster, and co-authoring Define Normal with three of my sisters.

A current topic for me and my sisters is my name.

If you asked my mother how she and Dad chose my name, she would say it was because her childhood nickname was Susie.  Her brother's nickname was Butch.  So her parents would call them Butch and Susie.  Mom said her nickname never stuck when she grew older, but she always loved the name, and therefore wanted to name one of her daughters Susan.

If you ask my father, the story is considerably different.  He wanted a daughter named Susan Age. That way, he could nickname her sewage.  And that, my friend, is my father's humor in a nutshell.

To add a another dimension of interest, here's a crazy little fact:  My middle name is Lee.  Lee is my father-in-law, my mother-in-law, and brother-in-law's middle name.  Needless to say, they welcomed me with open arms when they realized I, too, was a Lee!  But wait! It doesn't stop there. One of my daughters married a boy whose last name is Lee.  His grandfather, and my father-in-law are cousins!

Somewhere, somehow, we are related. Don't worry. My daughter was very thorough about making sure she wasn't too related before she married.

In my next blog, I will begin discussing the significance of specific character names in Unleashed! You'll learn who the characters are named after, and why I chose them. Starting with the main character, Aleasha Summers.

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*This Blog was cross-posted on the CrazyCadySisters blog located at http://crazycadysisters.blogspot.com/

Book Review: Bridges of the Heart

I had the opportunity to read a book called Bridges of the Heart by author Joan Sowards this weekend.  She and I became acquainted through the ANWA Writer's group and she sent me a copy for review.  

I've never been a big historical romance reader, but I gave it a try and was impressed with the story.  Maybe it's because I have a soft spot in my heart for family history and genealogy.  My parents and a few sisters are/were avid genealogists.  We estimate my parents submitted more than 300,000 names before they passed.  Imagine THAT welcoming committee on the other side! ;)

Or maybe it's because the story line was different from so many that I've read in recent months.  I don't know.  Except that over the couple of days I spent reading this book, my mind would often wander back to the place I was at, wondering what would happen next and pondering the turn of events in the story.  

It was easy to get lost in the pages and the time period with the less-than perfect (although spot-on for that time period) dialogue, and little reminders that life in the 1800's were so very different from today.  At times I'd catch myself smiling at the pages, and toward the end there were tears steaming down my cheeks.  

I think what I enjoyed about this book, though, was the gentle reminder of how intertwined our destinies are with one another in our families.  I love how the author illustrates that who we are is because of our ancestors, and how those same ancestors depend on us, their future generations, to cement in heaven what was started here on earth. 

I was enlightened, inspired, and finished the book feeling a strong sense of belonging in the universe. If you are looking for a book that encourages and uplifts, mingled with a dose of gospel doctrine and a look into the eternities, this is the book for you.   I highly recommend it. 

~Susan

Click on the picture to go to the Amazon Page

Synopsis:

Bridges of the Heart is about the power of love and forgiveness and the eternal nature of families. Twenty-one-year-old Rachel's life falls apart when her mother becomes ill and passes away. To add to her confusion, Maxson proposes on the evening of the funeral. Rachel escapes to Utah to think and take time off from the relationship. After returning to Arizona, Rachel finds Maxson in a relationship with Paige—Rachel's rival throughout high school. With time, Rachel convinces herself she is over Maxson, but a strange Southern visitor named Jonathan tells her that in the eternal scheme of life, she was always meant to marry Maxson. Jonathan insists it is her responsibility to apologize to Maxson and set things straight. But Rachel refuses, and because of her stubbornness, she is whirled back in time to 1820 to learn that families are eternal—not only through time forward, but also the past. Latter-day Saint women of all ages will enjoy Bridges of the Heart. With a heart-warming, unique perspective of the early-nineteenth-century American South, Bridges of the Heart is a story about the power of love and forgiveness.