My
latest novel, The Oleander Sisters, follows in the footsteps
of The Sweetest Hallelujah in plumbing the depths of
friendship to find the perfect story. I am blessed to enjoy the
sisterhood of fabulous friends who give me love and loyalty, no
matter what the circumstances. I can be at my very worst, and still
these friends are staunch.
Many
of them are fellow writers: Debra Webb, Vicki Hinze, Donna Fletcher,
Kathy Carmichael, Cindy Gerard, Regan Black and Rita Herron. Some of
them go all the way to my childhood, Jane Talbert and Johnie Sue
Long. Alice Virginia Daniel shares my love of music and sits at my
side every Sunday in the church choir. And that’s just the top of
the heap. Many amazing women have passed through my life, including
my mama, who was such a colorful, independent, feisty woman I can
still call up her voice and transplant it directly into the likes of
Sweet Mama and Beulah.
Through
the years, my favorite theme has been the courage and resilience of
women. You saw it thread through The Sweetest Hallelujah, and
you’ll find it again in The Oleander Sisters. Yes, I have
sisters. Two of them, one older, one younger. And they are wonderful,
supportive, amazing women. I tapped into my relationship with them to
create Sis and Emily. But more than that, I tapped into my memories
of long-held friendships to recount the many ways women bond together
through tragedy as well as happiness. You can see me talk more about
this subject in The Oleander Sisters in a video on my website
at www.elainehussey.com.
Thank
you for stopping by today. I hope this blog post and this book will
encourage you to call your best friend today for no other reason than
to say, “I love you.”
In honor of the
sisterhood of women, I’m giving away two digital copies of The
Oleander Sisters to two lucky people of who leave comments.
Amy, thanks for having me as your guest. If your readers have any questions, I'd love to answer them.
ReplyDeleteTrue friends aren't made...they are found, like a single candle in a dark room. They show up in the strangest places... They could be someone you met in the church kitchen, an over aged hippie stuck in the 70's, or even the author over in the soprano section of choir. They are someone you can always lean on, and if you fall, we pick you up, dust you off, and give you a cookie and your teddy bear. If you kill someone, true friends show up at night with extra flashlight batteries, coffee and a shovel. True friends keep your secrets, help you achieve your dreams, comfort you if that doesn't happen, love you unconditionally and at the end of a very bad day, we buy the drinks. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carol. Beautifully said! Sometimes true friends are sitting over in the alto section of the choir!
DeleteAwwwwwwww! Ps, Love you!
ReplyDelete