Bøger af Mary Lu Warstler

December 2, 1859 John Brown is hanged for treason. The mayor of Richmond wants Will Brunner, minister and physician, in the Richmond Volunteers. Will refuses and knows the mayor will not give up. Olivia promises him that if war comes to Richmond and he is out of the picture, she will take the children and do her best to get them to safety.Because of their views on war and slavery, Will and five friends are harassed almost daily and when they still refuse to join the Richmond Volunteers, they are imprisoned. Olivia waits, trying to carry on as if all is normal. But things are far from normal. She is also harassed by Sergeant Parker who wants her to make Will change his mind. She learns that the children are also taunted at school.Samuel and Rosy, freed slaves who work for the Brunners help them cope. Rosy, friend and worker, helps Olivia with the children. Samuel takes care of the animals. While Will is in Libby Prison, Samuel makes daily trips to the back window where he can lower food to the men. Finally, the day comes when Will sends word by Samuel that it is time for Olivia to keep her promise.She gathers the wives of the other five men and tells them she is going North to the Kanawha Valley. She invites them to go with her, knowing that their husbands have already told them they should go. However, the mayor had assured them that the men are well cared for and are in no discomfort. When Will signs the papers putting him in the Volunteers, they will be released. Olivia tells them the mayor is lying. She tells them the truth and says she is leaving in two days. They can either stay or go with her. They all go - six women including an eighty-year old and children all under twelve.With heavy hearts on March 20, 1861, Olivia and her friends climb into their covered wagons and leave their men in Libby Prison, not knowing if they will ever see them again.

This collection of short stories are a part of a greater collection that I have accumulated over the years. I started writing short stories for fun, for contests, and for the joy of learning to do something new. Some of them have won prizes, some have been learning tools, and some were simply fun to do.I have tried many different genres from mystery, to romance to ghost stories to animal stories to fantasy. Some are not my favorite reading material, but I had to try them. If some are not your favorite genre, try them anyway. You may like them - or you may not.

Tone Dead continues the story of Reverend Laura Kenzel, who has settled into a new life in Cottonville, Ohio. Her nemesis, Colin Jaccobson, alias Bill Collins, is serving a life sentence; her grandson Josh Stewart, begins his first year in a public school system; Laura is engaged to Homicide Detective Steve Morgan; the wedding of Police Chief Todd Williams is only two weeks away and Rascal and Mischief are learning to sing. Life is great until...strange orders from Judge Walters prevent Laura and her friends from talking to one another; Josh and Jerome get into a fight at school and two days later the boys are kidnapped. Laura's worst nightmare has become a reality: Colin Jacobson has once again escaped from prison.

Laura Kenzel, recently widowed, follows her dream of becoming a pastor. Although she is only in her mid-forties, still atractive with auburn hair, brown eyes, and slim body, she is not interested in pursuing relationships. She works hard, graduates from seminary and strikes out to her first appointment in a small town United Methodist Church. She is so excited that reports of strange noises in the church belfry don't faze her. When she arrives and is almost kidnapped, however, she begins to have second thoughts. The morning after her near abduction, she finds a dead man in her garage which throws her in close contact with Homicide Detective Steve Morgan. His twinking blue eyes do strange things to her emotions. A ten-year-old redhaired truant, steals her heart and helps her rescue Rascal and Mischief, two Maine Coon cats from the church belfry. Laura has a special relationship with God and chides him for her unusual reception at her first church. Seminary didn't teach her to deal with murder and intrigue. Larua is not a detective, nor does she want to be one, but she is helpful in solving the mysteries in the small town or Cottonville.

Escape from Richmond is a Civil War novel based on family history. Will Brunner, physician and minister, and his friends are imprisoned because they refuse to join the Richmond Volunteer and later the Confederate Army. Before the war begins, Olivia Brunner Organizes a wagon train of women and children -- her children and the wives and children of Will's friends. They travel north to The Kanawha Valley where she will wait with her Uncle for the release of her husband. Battling, illness, accidents, injuries, fear and discouragement and death, they arrive in The Valley, build homes and wait. Meanwhile, the war begins, the Confederate Army moves to Richmond and Will and his friends battle their own discouragement, hunger, cold and fear for their families. They escape from Libby Prison and begin their journey north, traveling by night and sleeping by day, hoping to reach Cabin Creek and their families.

Michael's Angel is about a boy and his Guardian Angel named Gus. It is Christmastime and Michael is searching for his father. For some unknown reason, he can see and hear Gus and gives the heavenly being a hard time. Not only does Gus have to protect Michael and keep him safe while he is alone on the streets of Phillipsburg, Michael witnesses a murder and Gus must also protect him from the murderer. But God says, "It will work out. It is all in the timing, Gus."

Jennifer left Mississippi ten years ago under difficult conditions but has found life complete in Austen Grove, Ohio with Sergeant Brenner, her adopted father; Mary Beth, her best friend; her church where she is soloist; and her beautiful, unique gray cat, Saucer. Her mother, Kathryn, has lived with her brother in Meridian. Jennifer is excited to think of the things she and her mother can do together. A new pathologist will soon take over as County Medical Examiner and Lab Supervisor - jobs that Jennifer has held as interim for the past six months. She feels her life is perfect - until...her past begins to unravel. Vance Bales, the cause of her teen-aged pregnancy - a secret she has kept locked in her memory - is out of prison and looking for her. The new Chief Pathologist, Doctor David Williams, challenges her feelings about men. The killer of her best friend, Dianne Brenner, begins stalking her. Her friend Frederick begins pushing for commitment. And the final blow - her brother tells her Kathryn has Alzheimer's disease. Kathryn's disease progresses rapidly, but she and Jennifer have many good times together before she begins to forget who Jennifer is. Stubbornly believing she can do the impossible Jennifer tries to keep her mother's disease at by. She tries to cope with everything alone, until circumstances force her to release her control. She is able to forgive Vance; fall in love with Doctor Williams; help catch the killer; and when the time comes, offer her final gift to her mother - to sing her to sleep for her final rest.

Kara loves reading Gothic mysteries. When her friend invites her to GRAYHAVEN for the summer, she is excited -- except Marcy is in trouble. Kara's gothic ghosts lead her to murder, an artist who wants to paint her, and a wolf-dog who becomes her friend. Erin Parker's grandmother left her a BOX OF SECRETS to be opened on her 25th birthday. Before that day arrives, she is accused of murder in her classroom and attempts on her life and that of her cat, Ginger. She hopes she is not too late when she opens the box of secrets.

Laura Kenzel can't seem to stay away from murder, although to be fair about it, the Jacobsons are obsessed with getting rid of her. Laura and Steve Morgan have come to an understanding about their relationship; Rascal and Mischief have adopted her completely; Jerome is recovering from his beating and her ten-year-old grandson is coming to spend a year with her. Life is looking good and wonderful until...Rascal and Mischief uncover a body in the newly plowed garden area. A potted geranium sits atop the mound like a red flag of warning and Luara thinks, "Here we go again."

This is a book of four short mysteries about Father Bernard (Bernie) Snoop and his cat Holy Smoke. Father Snoop loves mysteries and has helped solve a number of them including the murder of his wife in a previous parish. These four mysteries coincide with the beginning of the school year, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Each short story is complete, however, the same characters appear in all of them. They take place in a small community near Five Fingers Lake.

For years to come, all Cottonville and Glenville would tell their children and grandchildren about the most extraordinary wedding of the Century. Colin Jacobson, alias Bill Collins, tried to force Laura to marry him at gunpoint. She refused and a fight ensued with cats, police and parishoners ending the battle and hauling Jacobson off to jail. With the wedding behind them, Steve and Laura plan their honeymoon that gets put on hold by weather, illness, and a community construction committee. When they finally get away, Rascal and Mischief hitch a ride with a trucker and seek to bring them back. When she returns, Laura finds a body hanging from the machinery at the bridge construction site.