Other Pens – Page 5 – Leenie Brown

Music Monday: Single Man (High Valley)

PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY HIGH VALLEY ON APRIL 29, 2019

I love this song, and I love this group’s music. Before you press play, you might want to know that the video, in my opinion, tells a lovely, but sad, story.

Now on to the reason I am sharing this song today. Every time I hear this play on the radio or my Spotify playlist, it always brings to mind the stories I have written where the “bad boy” finds his life of chasing a good time is just not as fulling as it once was.

And do you know which bad boy pops to mind first? Charles Edwards, the hero of Charles: To Discover His Purpose. That’s probably because he’s the most unapologetic about his roguish behaviour when the story starts. In fact, his whole purpose of hanging around the heroine, Evelyn, when the story begins is so that he can steal a kiss from her. Of course, this being a romance, you know he’s going to figure out that he wants a whole lot more than a kiss.

In the chapter I am sharing from that story today, Charles is still just that single man looking for a good time.

Charles: To Discover His Purpose, Ch. 3

Charles breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the saloon on his way to the Lintons’ box. It had been a challenge to squeeze past people without being noticed too much.

“Edwards.” His long-time friend, Trefor Linton, drew up beside him. “You are not invisible no matter how you turn your collar or duck your head.” There was a hint of a laugh in his friend’s voice. “I have heard three young ladies tittering as you passed them.”

“I imagine I look a fright to them.”

“No,” said Constance, making her presence behind Charles known. “They seem to be in awe of your noble deed.”

Charles stopped and turned. “Are you certain?”

Music Monday: Angels from the Realms of Glory – The Piano Guys, Peter Hollens and David Archuleta

PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY PETER HOLLENS ON DECEMBER 14, 2014.

Christmas is almost here at the Brown residence. It won’t be an elaborate day of festivities. We tend to take a low key approach to the holiday. There will be presents — just a few, but not many — which we will unwrap once we ease our way into the day at a rather late hour. This will be followed by a Christmas breakfast with far too many indulgent items, and then later in the day, we will have a turkey dinner. It’s a lovely, relaxing day of rest for us — unless, of course, my husband has a job which must be completed when businesses are closed.

(He owns a cleaning business, and I have sat reading a book in the car as I waited for him to put a coat of wax on a floor before taking a drive to look at the Christmas lights while that coat of wax dries. Then, he’ll slip in another coat before we head home.)

For the next couple of weeks, I am intending to take it a bit easier than I normally do. I will still be writing and editing and such but at a more relaxed pace.

Music Monday: Always There (Canadian Tenors)

Walter looked up the hall and then down. Seeing it was empty, he pulled Grace into his arms for a quick embrace – not long enough by half but enough to assure himself that she was truly there with him. Two days of travelling and stopping at inns in search of her had been two very long days.

“Do not ever leave me again,” he whispered before releasing her. He grasped her face between his hands. “Promise me, you will not leave me.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. Again, it was far from how he wished to kiss her.

[from Her Secret Beau, Touches of Austen book 3]

Published to YouTube by LYRICS on October 10, 2014.

Sometimes when I am looking for a song to share on Mondays, I get sucked into YouTube for hours (and that is no exaggeration). I love music, and I find it very inspiring to my imagination. Tonight (Sunday night) was one of those nights. I finally came across this song about an hour and a half after opening YouTube. 🙂 On my home screen, YouTube likes to show me “The Best of…” for various talent shows. I occasionally give in to my curiosity and click on them. While I was listening to a group on one of those videos, I thought, “Oh, I haven’t listened to any tenors music lately. I should do that.” That is how I came to be listening to the Canadian Tenors. When I heard this song, I knew I had to share it with you because it immediately made me think of Walter Blakesley. The lines above the song are how tomorrow’s chapter of Her Secret Beau begins. Continue reading Music Monday: Always There (Canadian Tenors)

Music Monday: Tears of Joy (Joe Bongiorno)

It was lovely to be off the road again, and this inn was a touch nicer than yesterday’s, but none of that truly soothed her as it would have on her trip to Bath. Several days on the road when anticipating adventure were much easier to endure than the same number of days spent travelling while one’s heart was breaking.

She closed her eyes. A tear slid down her cheek, and she brushed it away quickly.

“Are you still so disappointed?” her mother asked from where she sat at a table with her needlework spread out. Felicity was flopped across the bed, and their father was below stairs, likely talking with some gentlemen at the bar.

[from Her Secret Beau, Touches of Austen book 3]

Published to YouTube by Piano Haven – Sedona on June 16, 2011.

I chose to share this song from my Spotify Music to Write By playlist because of the title. Tears and joy will be present in this week’s story offerings on both Tuesday and Thursday. 🙂 We only have three chapters left of each story, so the happy conclusion is upon us. Continue reading Music Monday: Tears of Joy (Joe Bongiorno)

Music Monday: Beauty of Grace, Thad Fiscella + a Free Book Day

He would have to present himself empty-handed to Grace, and that fact did not sit well with him. He had promised to discover what he could, and he had done exactly that. Yet, the fact that all he could discover was nothing did not seem a fitting way to keep such a promise. Grace would want to know more. She was a curious, caring sort. In his opinion, she owed her sister little, but Grace’s heart would not see it that way. No matter how much she disagreed or disapproved of her sister, Grace would do what she could to protect her sister from harm.

He chuckled, causing his horse’s ears to twitch in his direction.

“I was just thinking about your new mistress,” he said to his horse. “She is a unique lady.”

The horse blew a breath through its lips.

“I tell you she is. You will understand once you meet her.”

[from Her Secret Beau, Touches of Austen book 3]

Published to YouTube by Thad Fiscella – Topic on October 19, 2015.

The song selection this week is a bit of a play on words as I have read the story behind the writing of this song by the composer, and he was thinking of the beauty of God’s grace when he wrote it. Obviously, in the excerpt from tomorrow’s story above, Mr. Blakesley is thinking about the things which make Grace beautiful to him — not as it refers to her outer physical beauty but as it refers to her unique character — those things which make her, her. In that reflection, there is a hint of unmerited favour (aka grace) that makes up who Walter’s Grace is. So, being a teacher and a pastor’s daughter, I could likely draw that out into some sort of lesson, but I won’t. I’ll just let you ponder it and listen to this beautiful piece of music which has played nearly every day during my writing time this week.

During my writing time this week, my writing was focused on finishing Grace’s story. I’m almost there. I think one more chapter will do it (but then I thought that when I sat down to write the last chapter, so… LOL) It looks like both Mary’s and Grace’s stories will conclude during the first week of November. Continue reading Music Monday: Beauty of Grace, Thad Fiscella + a Free Book Day