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Beside Still Waters, book excerpt from Beside Still Waters, Catherine Castle's Wednesday Writers blog series, Christian Romance fiction, inspiration behind the story of Beside Still Waters, Ryan Jo Summers
Hello, everyone! Today I’m welcoming back Ryan Jo Summers to Wednesday Writers. Today, Ryan Jo will be sharing about her Christian Romance Fiction book entitled Beside Still Waters.
To whet your appetite, here’s the blurb.
Beside Still Waters
Top Journalist and corporate climber, McKayla Buchanan, is sent to a remote California mountain camp for inner-city, at-risk teens. Accustomed to political corruption and high-society drama assignments, she is suddenly a fish out of water. At Camp In As Much, she meets eight hostile and distrustful teens, assorted volunteers and rescued horses—and Clay.
Clay Michaels is the man who founded Camp In As Much and made it the success it is now. His hope for the highly recommended journalist is to come and write a feature to send seeds out to form other camps like his nationwide. He never considered the reporter would turn out to be a lovely woman, or for him to have such an attraction to her.
Between McKayla’s worldly experience and Clay’s strong faith, they form a partnership to help with the endless challenges of the kids. While McKayla’s assignment is supposed to be temporary, it isn’t long before she and Clay are each wishing it could last longer. A serious situation will force McKayla to decide if she can give up her worldly ways and place her faith in the same higher source that earthy and godly Clay does.
Ryan Jo, tell us about the inspiration behind this story.
I’d love to, Catherine,
The inspiration for this novel is rooted in a single catalogue photo. I work for a high fashion clothing retailer. A few years ago I was browsing through the latest style guide and one image caught my attention—and imagination. A handsome guy reclined comfortably in a high-back chair, modeling corduroy pants. He was holding a tome of literature, pretending to be reading, while soft light spilled out over him from the vintage lamp on the table. Literary classics are piled around him. The scene was peaceful and provocative, stirring something within me.
And the scene is replicated in “Beside Still Waters”. The hero, Clay Michaels, retreats to his den after a precarious situation with the kids at the camp. The heroine, McKayla Buchanan, finds him, and the camp dog, there. Clay is reading a copy of “Pilgrim’s Progress”, looking for insight to the circumstances. Her heart melts at the tenderness of the picture he makes. They chat a bit and then they go out to the labyrinth. With the full moon watching, they begin a walk that will bring them closer together.
Ooh, he sounds interesting. And now for a sneak peek at an excerpt from
Beside Still Waters
By Ryan Jo Summers
“I’d say you’re there now. At least Heather and Amanda and Herb think so.”
He smiled, a warm, real smile that touched her heart. “Thank you. But I also want to be remembered as a man who gave love and forgiveness to everyone I met. That is what I am trying to show these kids, by being a good example. And suggesting they forgive their transgressors.”
She looked out the window for a moment. “Would you like to take a walk with me? To the labyrinth?”
“I’d love to.” Climbing out of the chair, he brought her up with him.
“All right,” she laughed, “Let’s go then, Captain Ahab.”
“Bligh,” he corrected, keeping her hand in his. “Bligh was commander on The Bounty. Ahab chased the whale in Moby Dick.
“Oh.” That sounded right. She needed to brush up on her literature.
Walking hand in hand through the darkness, following the path illuminated by the moon overheard, McKayla was keenly aware of so many things she never used to notice. The dewy grass beneath her feet, the scent of wildflowers and horses on the air, distant lapping of the lake, crickets chirping, and horses snorting. As they moved away from the house, the grass turned to thick moss. The cool, pine-scented wind whispered softly through the treetops, and night birds called. Overhead countless stars twinkled and sparkled, and the moon glow filtered through the tree branches.
In a word: Idyllic. In a feeling: Perfect. In a heartbeat: She was in love with the man beside her.
Standing on the mossy ground, hands still linked, bathed in moonlight, they stared at each other, hearts in their throats and on their sleeves.
Want to read more? Check out the book on the Amazon buy link
About the Author:
Ryan Jo Summers writes romance across the genres. Her books contain love stories blended with any combination of mystery, paranormal, time travel, shape shifting, Christian and humor elements. She comes from a family of wordsmiths. Her dad is a songwriter and his aunt wrote poetry. Ryan Jo dabbles in poetry, short stories and non-fiction articles.
In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and baking, reading, spending time with friends, growing plants, playing chess, mah jongg, and wiggly word find puzzles and exploring the great outdoors. She lives in the heart of Appalachia in Western North Carolina in a charming old cottage with a menagerie of rescue pets
Connect with Ryan Jo on her social media at: Website: Blog: FB: Twitter:
To learn more about Ryan Jo and her book featured on this blog, go to the search box and type in Ryan Jo Summers to find all the other posts by her.
Catherine Castle 