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Catherine Castle

~ Romance for the Ages

Catherine Castle

Category Archives: non-fiction

Musings from a Writer’s Brain—What’s Next by Linda Wood Rondeau

31 Monday May 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in books, Christian Living, essay, Guest Authors, Musings from a Writer's Brain, non-fiction

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bible Study, Christian growth non-fiction, Christian non-fiction, Essay about Writing, LInda Wood Rondeau, Musings from a Writer’s Brain, Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt?

This is the question I ask after each THE END I write on a manuscript. So, I’ve completed my book, edited it a gazillion times, sent it off to my publisher, more edits, galleys, and a note , “Your book is now live.”

Yes, there are a ton of marketing needs. But my creative spirit needs to be refueled with the next big project. So what should I write about now? I find myself facing the great unknown. Since all my contractual requirements are now met, how do I decide on what I should write next?

Do I work on unfinished concepts?

Or does God have something else for me to do?

Should I keep all my eggs in one basket or branch out?

Is now the time to try self-publishing?

Do I want to be a hybrid author?

Certainly, I’m not bored. I am also a freelance editor in addition to editing for my publisher. I’m also a Project Manager and my days are filled.

How do I predict what the market will need in a year and half from now?

Busyness is no excuse to starve the creative spirit.

Our pastor’s recent sermon was aimed at graduates: high school, college, postgraduate, and military. However, his message spoke to me, a woman in my seventies, as I thought on my next writing goal.

He reminded the grads to surrender their future to God. I believe this is true for writers as well.

Be Constantly in Prayer

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7 KJV)

The Lord has promised to hear and answer. Most Christians agree with this. However, when the answer seems slow to come, we will fall back to seeking our own answers which may be contrary to what God has in mind. Seek him diligently, knock on heaven’s door for as long as it takes. Pastor Kevin also said to not be afraid to ask others to pray with you. As writers, our readers and colleagues may have ideas we had not even considered. Then go back and pray some more.

Trust God Completely

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5 – 6 KJV).

Abandoning our preconceived ideas of our next steps may be very difficult. We are anxious to get started. We hear our inner creative voice saying, “Now! Move on your idea or it will go away.” As I hear the words above, I’m reminded God’s idea may be different than mine.

Live Faithfully

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NIV).

Said Pastor Kevin, “He wants you to say ‘yes’ before he will give you your ‘what.’”

God wants us to love him with all our heart, mind, and soul. Living faithfully and staying near to God allows us to align our will with his. He has a plan and wants to guide us in the right direction.

When we pray, trust, and walk with God, he not only leads us in our walk with him, but will center our desires with his. For the writer, this means, he will make clear our next big step in our careers.

WHO PUT THE VINEGAR IN THE SALT

By Linda Wood Rondeau

The world offers much beneficial self-help advice. Shouldn’t the Christian seek to be the best possible version of themselves? Aren’t we supposed to be good people?

Why not look to the world to solve life’s problems?

Because God has called us to be salt.

While there is much good to be found, like vinegar, the world’s best advice falls short of God’s recipe to live a victorious Christian life.

In a down-home, friendly manner, the author provides analogies, inspirational stories, anecdotes, a wealth of Scripture, and optional study guides for both individuals and groups, inviting the believer to discover God’s desires for his salt.

Buy Link

By the author of I Prayed for Patience, God Gave Me Children.

ABOUT LINDA WOOD RONDEAU

Linda Wood Rondeau

A veteran social worker, Linda Wood Rondeau’s varied church experience and professional career affords a unique perspective into the Christian life. When not writing or speaking, she enjoys the occasional round of golf, visiting museums, and taking walks with her best friend in life, her husband of over forty years. The couple resides in Hagerstown, Maryland where both are active in their local church. Readers may learn more about the author, read her blog, or sign up for her newsletter by visiting www.lindarondeau.com.

Connect with Linda on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

Tasty Tuesdays–Il Cibo è Amore (Food is Love) from Rose Spiller

23 Tuesday Feb 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in books, Devotions, food, non-fiction, Recipes

≈ Comments Off on Tasty Tuesdays–Il Cibo è Amore (Food is Love) from Rose Spiller

Tags

Bible Study, Chicken and crepes, Chis Paxton and Rose Spiller, food, food blog, Italian crepe soup, No Half Truths Allowed, recipe, Scarpell, Tasty Tuesdays

Il Cibo è Amore – Food is Love. Growing up in a very large and very Italian family, this was our creed. We were poor by American standards for sure, but there was always fantastic food to eat! Soups, casseroles, stews, meats, and of course, pasta! Whenever anyone showed up at our home, whether expected or unexpected, a feast was put before them. Friends and extended family knew Sunday was spaghetti and meatballs day. Every Sunday morning, my mother would fry dozens and dozens of homemade meatballs to put into her “gravy” (Real Italians call spaghetti sauce gravy), while we begged for a few to eat for breakfast. It seemed my mom was always cooking something! But the incredible thing is, she never acted like it was an imposition. She showed people her love through the food she served them; and felt their love was returned by their enjoying what she prepared.

What I learned growing up in this crazy, loud, delicious environment was the importance of showing people that they are special; making a fuss over someone by serving them a wonderful meal is showing love to them. I have also learned that this can be a great opportunity to share the Gospel with people. Jesus’ pattern was to fulfill a person’s physical need, and then fill their more important Spiritual need. When people feel like their physical needs matter to you, i.e. you feed them a good meal, they will be much more receptive to you telling them of their deep need for a Savior to save them and reconcile them to God. Being told you are a sinner who is under God’s wrath may go down a little easier when it is preceded by a delicious bowl of scarpell soup – one of my mom’s most famous dishes, and now mine, too. Please also check out our book below, No Half Truths Allowed – Understanding the Complete Gospel Message. Armed with our book and a hot, steaming bowl of scarpell soup, you will be ready to witness to anyone!

Scarpell Soup (Italian Crepe Soup)

Ingredients:

Chicken Broth – Made by boiling and then simmering a whole chicken, chicken stock, onions, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper for about 3 hours.

Scarpells:

Whisk together

  • 10 eggs
  • 3 cups of flour
  • 4 ½ cups of water
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Black pepper

Directions:

  • Using a very hot non-stick frying pan, pour a little of the batter in, swish it around by moving the pan so batter covers the entire bottom.
  • Cook about 15 seconds then using a fork or your finger, flip it over to cook 15 seconds on the other side.
  • Lay the scarpell out flat, sprinkle parmesan cheese and black pepper on it. Roll it up.

When you serve, cut the scarpell tubes in pieces, place in a bowl and cover with chicken broth.

Note: You can make scarpells and freeze for later! Just leave them flat, with no filling, and put a piece of wax paper between each one.

While you’re waiting for the chicken broth to cook for this delicious soup, check out Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller’s book.

No Half-Truths Allowed – Understanding the Complete Gospel Message

by Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller

Authors Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller were frustrated at the fluff and heresy being pedaled as “Women’s Bible Studies.” Many studies are shallow and emotion-based, not grounded in the truth of Scripture, and they found this particularly true in regard to the Gospel Message. Because of a genuine concern for salvation and what was being witnessed, they wrote their Bible study, No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Full Gospel Message (Ambassador International, May 8, 2020, $15.99) to teach the women of our church. Originally used with just their church, the response was exciting! They saw women’s lives change as they became excited and hungry for the Word of God. Paxson and Spiller felt led to branch out beyond just their church and community by turning their study into their new book, No Half-Truth’s Allowed: Understanding the Full Gospel Message.

About the Book: When it comes to proclaiming the Gospel message, half-truths, vague notions, and generalizations can be dangerous. What are the important truths we need to know and share with others?

• Is it enough to believe that God loves us and wants a relationship with us?

• Is it enough to “ask Jesus into our hearts”?

• Is it enough to recite the “sinner’s prayer,” or do we need to repent of our sin?

• Is going to church and serving others enough?

• Is what Jesus suffered more than just a gruesome death on a cross?

• If Jesus, who is fully God, was crucified, did God die on Good Friday?

• Is God mad at us when we sin and happy when we’re behaving?

• Can we lose our salvation?

If you’re not sure of the answers to any of these questions, you are not alone. There are a lot of false ideas out there about Christianity and the Gospel. Join Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller as they explore the answers to these and many other questions about the true Gospel message in No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Complete Gospel Message. Learn what Jesus did for you, why He did it, and how you can articulate the Gospel to others. Also available is the companionNo Half-Truths Allowed Study Guide, an interactive study guide with questions and Scriptures to help readers delve even deeper into understanding the complete Gospel message.

About the Authors:    

Chris Paxson & Rose Spiller are co-founders of Proverbs 9:10 Ministries and co-hosts of the No Trash, Just Truth Podcast. They have been teaching Bible Studies for over 20 years and have written many of their own studies. Along with teaching together, they speak at conferences and retreats together.

Chris resides in Lancaster County with her husband, John, of over 31 years. They have twin sons in the USAF. Rose and her husband, Ed, have recently sold their home and now live full-time in their RV to travel between their four children and eight grandchildren.

Besides their first book, No Half-Truths Allowed, Chris and Rose have a second book, The Bible Blueprint – A Guide to Better Understanding the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, due out in spring  2021. They are in the process of writing their third book. Connect with Chris and Rose:

Links toProverbs 9:10 Ministries&No Half Truths Allowed

Website:  https://proverbs910ministries.com

Proverbs 9:10 Ministries on MeWe:  https://mewe.com/p/proverbs910ministries

Instagram: proverbs910ministries

No Trash, Just Truth! Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/615385 can also be found on all major podcasting sites, Rumble, & YouTube

Musings from a Writer’s Brain–Musings Then and Now by Gail Kittleson

22 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in essay, Guest Authors, Musings from a Writer's Brain, non-fiction

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Tags

biography, Country music, Country Music's Hidden Gem: The Redd Stewart Story, Gail Kittleson, Musings from a Writer's Brain, Redd Stewart., Tennessee Waltz

Wondering about my musings often leads me to other authors. J. M. Barrie, the enormously creative writer who gave us Peter Pan, provided insights into his Muse in an address to future clerics at the University of St. Andrew in Scotland in 1922.

In post World War I times, his perspective must have refreshed his audience, and his ability to laugh at himself is priceless. Several portions of this speech qualify as quotable, but here, he addresses his inner musings.

“M’Connachie, I should explain, as I have undertaken to open the innermost doors, is the name I give to the unruly half of myself: the writing half. We are complement and supplement. I am the half that is dour and practical and canny, he is the fanciful half; my desire is to be the family solicitor, standing firm on my hearthrug among the harsh realities of the office furniture; while he prefers to fly around on one wing. I should not mind him doing that, but he drags me with him. I have sworn that M’Connachie shall not interfere with this address to-day; but there is no telling. I might have done things worth while if it had not been for M’Connachie, and my first piece of advice to you at any rate shall be sound: don’t copy me.

“Courage”, J.M. Barrie Rectorial Address, St. Andrews University, May 3, 1922

Don’t we love it when writers “let down their hair”? Barrie uses humor and creativity to describe his mind’s musings. His last sentence makes me smile: of course this suggestion has not been used yet!

In the solemn halls of the scholarly, few individuals would bare their souls as Barrie was doing. Oh, to interview some students from his audience! His transparent, humble honesty surely fell on eager ears.

Barrie also mentioned pertinent societal events—the devastation of World War I still reverberated. His mix of utter seriousness with self-deprecating humor touches me even now. We can all be grateful that, at least some of the time, he let M’Connachie take the lead.

The next time I wonder about the state of my mind, hopefully I’ll remember the delights J. M. Barrie brought to his era and bequeathed to future generations. I daresay he would never have imagined the extent of his influence.

(If you’d like to read the full speech, it’s here

If you’d like to read about other persons whose Muses have inspired Gail, check out her book about Billy Rae Stewart, Country Music’s Hidden Gem: The Redd Stewart Story.

Available on Amazon

Country Music’s Hidden Gem: The Redd Stewart Story,

by Gail Kittleson

Redd Stewart’s journey began as more than just another rags-to-riches story, but with an essential heritage of family love and music that would later shape him into one of the music world’s greatest ‘unsung heroes.’

His life inspired others to do better, to be better, to love unconditionally, and to share with others the blessing of God-given talent. He was a man who never asked for personal praise, but whose individual contribution to the Country and Pop music industries is still alive throughout the world today.

Many of the songs written by Redd have been performed and recorded by such entertainment legends as Patti Page, Hank Williams, Roy Rogers, Dean Martin, Michael Bublé, and the list goes on. He was heard to say in all humility, “I don’t deserve any of this.”

Follow these pages of heartfelt thoughts about our subject as explored in detail by the musician, author, and loving son of this sincere man, revealed for the first time is the real-life love story that inspired the lyrics to the world’s most famous Country music song; the beautiful Tennessee Waltz.

About the Author:

Writing has always been Gail’s passion. Her Women of the Heartland series honors make-do Greatest Generation women who sacrificed so much for the cause of freedom.

Gail and her husband live in northern Iowa and retreat to Arizona’s Mogollon Rim Country in winter. They also enjoy grandchildren and gardening. It’s no secret why this late-bloomer calls her website DARE TO BLOOM, and she loves to encourage other writers through facilitating workshops.

Connect with Gail on her Website: Facebook or Twitter or Instagram @gailkittlesonauthor \

@GailGkittleson

Musings from a Writer’s Brain–Marketing with Linda Wood Rondeau

01 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in Devotions, essay, Musings from a Writer's Brain, non-fiction

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

devotional, essay about book marketing, humor essay, LInda Wood Rondeau, Musings from a Writer's Brain, self help, Who put the Vinegar in the Salt

MARKETING IS NOT LIKE YOUR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY MEAL

by Linda Wood Rondeau

I’m an intuitive type of person. While I’ve always had a sense of doing things in an orderly fashion, I don’t like to think about what I’m doing when. I tend to approach nearly every area of my life with a “shoot from the hip” attitude.  I’ve discovered, much to my chagrin, successful marketing requires much more than an intuitive approach.

When it comes to Holiday meals, my daughter told me, “You make it look so easy.” I’ve always managed to finagle the menu and spend time with the family. Pies and more complicated dishes were prepared ahead. Intuition told me when to start boiling the potatoes, put side dishes in the oven, or start the crockpot.

In the homemaking department, intuition has served me well because this sense has been developed through years of experience. My homemaking skills were honed over time, and I really didn’t have to spend hours “thinking” about how to manage Thanksgiving dinner—not even when I’ve had over twenty guests.

The marketing nightmare however leaves me wanting. I haven’t had the luxury of years of experience because the publishing demands and marketing strategies are too fluid. The fact a turkey takes x amount of time per pound has not changed in forty years. Marketing approaches seem to change with the blink of an eye.

A marketing guru said authors should spend 80 percent of their time writing. To this I say a hearty, “Ha!” Perhaps for someone who has worked in marketing. For the average author, the “to do” list keeps growing and the menu is ever changing. How do we lopsided-brain people balance marketing with writing?

When I attend workshops and seminars, the reality I see is the presentation is mostly provided by marketing experts. Duh! They aren’t writers! They are sellers. With me, my brain spheres are in constant warfare. Writing and marketing duties are constantly clashing for dominance.

I did receive one excellent kernel of advice in a recent workshop. “Don’t camp out in the overwhelmed pit.” I think that’s where I’ve been most of the time. My “to do” list far exceeds my energy and desire. I can’t focus because I feel too overwhelmed. Because I can’t do it all, I do nothing.

For the next several months, I’m going to adapt The Power of Three principle, like a three-course meal … meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Instead of trying to prioritize multiple priorities, I’ll choose three projects each of writing and marketing and vary them for maximum nutrition, simplicity, and interest.

Think I can do it?

About the Author:

By the author of I Prayed for Patience, God Gave Me Children.

Linda Wood Rondeau

A veteran social worker, Linda Wood Rondeau’s varied church experience and professional career affords a unique perspective into the Christian life. When not writing or speaking, she enjoys the occasional round of golf, visiting museums, and taking walks with her best friend in life, her husband of over forty years. The couple resides in Hagerstown, Maryland where both are active in their local church. Readers may learn more about the author, read her blog, or sign up for her newsletter by visiting www.lindarondeau.com.

WHO PUT THE VINEGAR IN THE SALT

by Linda Wood Rondeau

The world offers much beneficial self-help advice. Shouldn’t the Christian seek to be the best possible version of themselves? Aren’t we supposed to be good people?
Why not look to the world to solve life’s problems?
Because God has called us to be salt.
While there is much good to be found, like vinegar, the world’s best advice falls short of God’s recipe to live a victorious Christian life.
In a down-home, friendly manner, the author provides analogies, inspirational stories, anecdotes, a wealth of Scripture, and optional study guides for both individuals and groups, inviting the believer to discover God’s desires for his salt.

Buy Link

Musings from a Writer’s Brain-Co-authors Chris Paxson and Rose Spiller

25 Monday Jan 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in Christian Living, essay, Musings from a Writer's Brain, non-fiction

≈ Comments Off on Musings from a Writer’s Brain-Co-authors Chris Paxson and Rose Spiller

Tags

co-authors Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller, Musings from a Writer’s Brain, No Half Truths Allowed-Understanding the Full Gospel Message, Proverbs 9:10 Ministries, Women’s Bibles Studies

Two Friends, Four Cats, & 2,500 Miles

            God is sovereign over our circumstances; whether our feet are firmly planted in the rich soil of Pennsylvania farmland, or whether we’re rolling along from state to state in an RV. Some days, knowing He’s sovereign is the only thing that keeps us sane.

            Doing ministry work can be challenging. When we started this journey, we had no idea that writing to prepare for teaching Bible study would lead to starting a ministry, writing books and co-hosting a podcast, all of which have come with their own set of obstacles, hurdles and at times a steep learning curve amidst all the blessings. At the beginning of it all, we lived close to each other, and one of us was blessed with great internet. But things change, and now most of our ministry work is done from remote locations, internet is sketchy at times, and then there’s that curve …

            Our first book had 6,000 edits. Who knew you no longer put two spaces between sentences? Who knew that skype video isn’t going to show exactly what you’re seeing on your end of the screen when you’re doing a podcast interview? And who knew that you can actually do a pretty good first book launch, virtually, with the help of a few good friends, in the middle of a pandemic, with a brown and white boxer named Boomer waiting in the wings?

            Other obstacles and blessings come with four legs too. It doesn’t take as long as you’d think to learn how to type a podcast script, do an Instagram Story clip, and drink a cup of coffee all while holding a 15-pound cat on your lap, or to learn how to actually get some work done with four cats who think of you as the “doormen” who let them in or out of the house at will.

            Nonetheless, by the time we reached the end of 2020, our collective learning taught us not only these things, but how to use a leaf blower to dry your hair as well as blow leaves off the top of an RV; that birds and wind are not conducive to videotaping outside, and that a chain gas and grocery store can make a really great sandwich! We live and learn, and God uses it for our good and for His glory. We don’t know where God is going to take us, but He does. So we move on, doing

what He puts in front of us as faithfully as we can and trusting Him to work out the details of what needs to happen, in His timing. We hope and pray that 2021 draws us all closer to Him in reliance and trust. He is sovereign and He is faithful.

Have a blessed day, everyone!

Chris and Rose

Chris Paxson and Rose Spiller, Co-founders

Proverbs 9:10 Ministries

About the Authors:

            Chris Paxson & Rose Spiller are co-founders of Proverbs 9:10 Ministries and co-hosts of the No Trash, Just Truth Podcast. They have been teaching Bible Studies for over 20 years and have written many of their own studies. Along with teaching together, they speak at conferences and retreats together.

Chris resides in Lancaster County PA with her husband, John, of over 31 years. They have twin sons in the USAF. Rose and her husband, Ed, have recently sold their home and now live full-time in their RV to travel between their four children and eight grandchildren.

Besides their first book, No Half-Truths Allowed, Chris and Rose have a second book, The Bible Blueprint: A Guide to Better Understanding the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, due out in March 2021. They are in the process of writing their third book.

Connect with Chris and Rose at their website: on Facebook: Proverbs 9:10 Ministry page or No Trash, Just Truth!  No Trash, Just Truth! Podcast can also be found on all major podcasting sites.

No Half-Truths Allowed – Understanding the Complete Gospel Message

Authors Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller were frustrated at the fluff and heresy being pedaled as “Women’s Bible Studies.” Many studies are shallow and emotion-based, not grounded in the truth of Scripture, and they found this particularly true in regard to the Gospel Message. Because of a genuine concern for salvation and what was being witnessed, they wrote their Bible study, No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Full Gospel Message (Ambassador International, May 8, 2020, $15.99) to teach the women of our church. Originally used with just their church, the response was exciting! They saw women’s lives change as they became excited and hungry for the Word of God. Paxson and Spiller felt led to branch out beyond just their church and community by turning their study into their new book, No Half-Truth’s Allowed: Understanding the Full Gospel Message.

About the Book: When it comes to proclaiming the Gospel message, half-truths, vague notions, and generalizations can be dangerous. What are the important truths we need to know and share with others?

• Is it enough to believe that God loves us and wants a relationship with us?

• Is it enough to “ask Jesus into our hearts”?

• Is it enough to recite the “sinner’s prayer,” or do we need to repent of our sin?

• Is going to church and serving others enough?

• Is what Jesus suffered more than just a gruesome death on a cross?

• If Jesus, who is fully God, was crucified, did God die on Good Friday?

• Is God mad at us when we sin and happy when we’re behaving?

• Can we lose our salvation?

If you’re not sure of the answers to any of these questions, you are not alone. There are a lot of false ideas out there about Christianity and the Gospel. Join Christine Paxson and Rose Spiller as they explore the answers to these and many other questions about the true Gospel message in No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Complete Gospel Message. Learn what Jesus did for you, why He did it, and how you can articulate the Gospel to others. Also available is the companionNo Half-Truths Allowed Study Guide, an interactive study guide with questions and Scriptures to help readers delve even deeper into understanding the complete Gospel message.

You can find No Half Truths Allowed on Amazon

Wednesday Writers—Ely Air Lines by Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

09 Wednesday Dec 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in non-fiction, Short stories, Wednesday Writers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Ely Air Lines, husband and wife writing teams, Mike Ely and Linda Stree-Ely, non-fiction, Short stories, Wednesday Writers

Welcome to Wednesday Writers! Today I’m featuring a husband and wife writing team with a unique spin on what they do for work and fun—flying. This talented team is opening up the world of aviation to the general public in their collection of short stories about flying, the pilots who love to fly, and the adventures we non-pilots know nothing about. I think you’ll find their story interesting. So, here’s Linda Street-Ely to tell us about writing and flying adventures. Welcome, Linda!

Delightful stories of flying adventures

By Linda Street-Ely

My husband and I are co-pilots and co-authors. We’re in our fourteenth year now as columnists in our local newspaper, with a unique topic. We write about aviation, but we write for the non-flying general public. We aim to put a face to a world that’s unfamiliar to many, with exciting stories about people, places, and adventures.

About two months before the tenth anniversary of “Ely Air Lines,” I got the wild idea to select our top stories since day one of the column and put them into a book. Thinking we could have a book out in two months was not a realistic goal, but two and a half years and thousands of edits later, a two-volume set emerged. One hundred stories selected from 520 written to inform, entertain, and delight readers from all walks of life.

About half the stories are of our own flying adventures in our Grumman Cheetah, including cross-country air racing, fly-in campouts, and a punkin-chunkin’ contest. The rest cover a wide variety of perspectives and the many faces of aviation: a grandma who learned to fly after her husband’s heart attack made him medically unfit to exercise the privileges of his pilot certificate; a professional percussionist from the Houston Symphony who loves to fly rescue pets to new forever homes; a world-class artist who traded in flying for art (and we’re all better off for it). There’s adorable little Lauren (now grown up and teaching others how to fly) who we met when she was eight years old and flying with her dad in their family Bonanza; a wounded warrior shot in the neck in Iraq whose determination brought him to air racing; mission flying in Mexico and Africa. There’s even a beautiful sample of a pilot’s letters home while flying in Burma at the end of WWII.

We selected stories of crop dusters, corporate pilots, aerobatics, and even some with arts and culinary themes. Basketball players, a NASA statistician, a jockey, farmers, and priests show the wide reach of aviation. And there are many stories of triumph. We love those best, the story of the human spirit, created by God.

We recently started a publishing company, Paper Airplane Publishing, LLC, and are looking forward to signing up new authors. Meanwhile, our weekly column continues, and we each have our own writing projects, while also employed full time in aviation. Mike is working on his next book that compares flying of forty years ago with today. I just finished my first play, a story about a notorious ancestor in medieval Scotland, and I am now working on a sequel. My testimony of faith in the midst of tragedy is what got me started writing books, and a short children’s book came after that.

Writing the two volumes of Ely Air Lines: Select Stories from 10 Years of a Weekly Column was an adventure in itself, which we think is reflected in the stories.

Ely Air Lines: Select Stories from 10 Years of a Weekly Column

Volumes 1 and 2

by Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Delightful stories of flying adventures from around the globe. Adventurous and heartwarming. Written by pilots.

Ely Air Lines is a captivating 2-volume set of 100 short stories that inspire and educate, written by pilots Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely. Step aboard to enjoy a collection of stories that explore the vast realm of the flyer’s world.

Buckle up and fly with Mike and Linda to discover amazing people, interesting places, and the conquest of flight. 

EXCERPT

A Picture of Courage

Linda: I met Chris Sullivan as a fellow cross-country air racer in 2016. It was his first race, and he was admittedly nervous.

“I’d always wanted to learn to fly. When I discovered Able Flight, I submitted my application for a scholarship and was selected to come to Purdue University for training.”

Chris’ first flight was in May 2014 in a Sky Arrow, an aircraft equipped with adaptive rudder controls, when he entered Able Flight’s intensive training course nine years after being hit by sniper fire.

It was May 21, 2005. The 256th Infantry Brigade, Louisiana Army National Guard, had been tasked with locating and disarming IEDs just outside Baghdad Airport. As the team worked carefully, the enemy watched. Suddenly, bullets flew, one entering Chris’ neck and exiting his back.

Nobody else was hit. Sergeant Sullivan lay on the ground, bleeding from his neck. He couldn’t move or speak. His vocal cords burned but he felt no pain; the sniper’s bullet had severed his spine. His squad frantically laid down suppression fire and attempted to evacuate him. They were doing their job, just as they had been trained.

Carried to safety behind a Humvee, Chris could hear the radio. Apache helicopters were needed to blanket the area with more suppression fire for Blackhawk helicopters to swoop in for the rescue, but the Apaches were on other missions. He knew they were too far to reach him before he bled to death, but he wasn’t afraid.

He prayed, “Lord, if it’s time to bring me home, I’m okay with that, but I will fight it as long as I can because I have so much more to do.” Unable to speak well, he smiled, hoping it would calm his buddies as his blood spilled out.

Then, over the radio squelched the news: two Apaches were within three miles and on their way, hot and heavy—fully loaded with ammo!

God didn’t bring Chris home to heaven that day, and so began the long, painful road to recovery. Knowing his company would return from deployment in three-and-a-half months, he wanted to greet them, so he asked the doctors for an aggressive rehab plan. That reunion stateside was a great motivator, but once back home in Mire, Louisiana, doubt and fear prowled around him as he fought against post-traumatic stress. What was his purpose, now that he was paralyzed?

Chris found his purpose in helping veterans through the Veterans Administration, with empathy that only someone who has been there can have. Four years later, he joined Louisiana State Representative Rodney Alexander’s staff as a caseworker for wounded warriors.

He shared his story at fundraisers and despite his paralysis, he learned to scuba dive, went skydiving, and became a National Veterans Wheelchair Games silver medalist in snow skiing. And on the second anniversary of being wounded, our hero began dating his future wife, later witnessing another miracle—the birth of their son.

Chris worked hard at Able Flight, in ground school several hours a day and flying twice daily. Then, the night before his check ride, he fell ill with an infection that spread to his bones. Courageously, he fought back for a month and after a full recovery, he returned to Purdue to earn his wings.

Only two years after his first flight, he climbed out of his wheelchair and into the cockpit. The day was hot, so friends helped drape ice-cold cloths on his neck because his body couldn’t regulate temperature.

Engines started, props turned, and airplanes taxied to the runway. There in the Sky Arrow, eleven years after facing death in war, Chris Sullivan taxied in line and looked down the row of race planes. A tear came as he took the starting line, throttled up, and became: a race pilot. The trophy awarded to him symbolizes so much more than finishing first in his class in that race. It is the fight he wins every day and, “as long as I can, because I have so much more to do.”

Want to read more aviation stories?

You can find Ely Air Lines Volume 1 at Amazon  

and Ely Air Lines Volume 2 at Amazon

About the Authors:

Mike Ely has logged thousands of hours over more than forty years as a professional pilot. He holds an airline transport pilot certificate with multiple type ratings and a flight instructor certificate. Mike has taught people to fly in small single engine airplanes, gliders, turboprops, and corporate jets. As a freight pilot and an international corporate pilot, he has flown through all kinds of weather, to many places, both exotic and boring. His love for writing was instilled by his father at an early age.

Linda Street-Ely is an award-winning, multi-genre author. She also holds an airline transport pilot certificate, a commercial seaplane certificate and a tailwheel endorsement. She has air raced all over the U.S., including four times in the historic all-women’s transcontinental Air Race Classic. Besides flying, Linda has a keen appreciation for great storytelling. She loves to travel the world, meet people, and learn about other cultures because she believes great stories are everywhere.

Together, Linda and Mike are “Team Ely,” five-time National Champions of the Sport Air Racing League, racing their Grumman Cheetah, named the “Elyminator,” and dubbed “The Fastest Cheetah in the Known Universe.” They live in Liberty, Texas.

Connect with Team Ely at

Website: Paper Airplane Publishing

Facebook: Paper Airplane Publishing

Twitter: Paper Airplane Publishing

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