WeWriWa - July 26, 2015 - Missi Wanderin' in the Woods/ Sara and Charlie

Welcome back everyone! Last week we left Sara, scared and pregnant in the Volkswagen. Let's delve a bit deeper into her mind today.

My mind wandered back to our family, aside from our children. We had visited the Italian version of animal control, the canile, in hopes of adopting a family pet and left with one of two twin puppies of unknown lineage. We promptly named our new girl, who looked to be a mix between an Italian Greyhound and a border collie, Rosie Giulietta. Rosie for Caillou’s little sister and Giulietta for Juliet, the most famous Italian. 

After arriving home to our rented two story villa in Arcugnano, the little mountain town just outside of Vicenza at the base of the Dolomite Mountains, it was Charlie who insisted we go back for her brother, the little black and white puppy with the floppy black ears. “I can’t stand the thought of him being in there and missing his sister, and they’re so young . . . plus, we are able to give them both a home, and it would make them happy. Let’s go back and get him tomorrow.” That is how Rosie’s brother, Romeo, came to live with us.

Thank you for stopping by! To get back to the amazing WeWriWa bloghop contributors here!

Follow Sara's trail of trouble over at her website: www.sarabarnardbooks.com 

Come check out the Prairie Rose Publications Christmas in July and Fandango! Join the event here! All books 26 books are only .99  or if a duet, 1.99. Look for The Bank Robber's Lament, by me! <3 

WeWriWa - July 18, 2015 - Missi Wanderin' in the Woods - What's Next for Charlie and Sara?

Welcome back to the Weekend Writing Warriors bloghop and this week's eight to ten sentence snippet from a published, pre-published, or work-in-progress (or WIP). We are making our way through the first chapter of my forthcoming memoir, Missi Wanderin' in the Woods. 

Last week, Charlie confessed that he'd been tossed out of the Army shrink's office for being honest and telling the psychiatrist exactly what he was thinking . . . scroll down and check out the last couple of entries for that little gem . . . and what earned him an MP escort out of that office, along with an invitation NOT to return.  Let's see what happens next. 


He chuckled again as my grim expression transformed to a half-smile. Without meaning to, I let go a little laugh, followed by a bigger one. Before either one of us could make sense of the sudden onslaught of jocularity, it was there, just as real as either of us and filling the car with much needed comic relief. Tears streamed down our faces as we gasped for breath before becoming tickled all over again at our cacophony of funny whoopings and whistlings and snorts.

As our laughing jag faded away, Charlie started our car – a pink and purple Volkswagen Golf, Pink Floyd Edition – as the stark reality of our situation settled over me like a cloud of buzzards over a rotting carcass. Here I was in Italy, pregnant, so far from home, and with my two precious babies to protect. I had a husband, fresh from combat and already exhibiting irrational, self-medicating behavior, who had just managed to get himself blacklisted from the only psychiatrist within reasonable driving distance. Just. By. Being. Honest. 

Thank you for stopping by for this week's snippet of military madness. To get back to the other WeWriWa bloghop participants, follow this link. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to pop over to my Amish blog, Sara's Amish Dreams, for a cover reveal! 

Western Romance Box Set

Good morning one and all! I hope this finds each one of you well and good this morning.

I have wonderful news. If you're looking for an affordable box set of five western romance novels, I hope you'll check out A COWBOY'S HEART.  Just .99 cents!

Right now, it is climbing in Amazon's top 100 bestselling Western Romance books! 

Here's a bit about each book featured in this box set . . .

In Cheryl Pierson’s time travel story, TIME PLAINS DRIFTER, Romantic Times reviewer Donna M. Brown says, “4.5 stars…Cheryl Pierson's fresh, well-crafted novel pits some unlikely heroes against evil incarnate. The characters are vibrant and tell a story of courage in difficult circumstances.”



THE CALLING is an inspirational tale by Sara Barnard about a young man who turns away from God and the woman he loves to follow the outlaw trail. But love holds true and Esau can’t forget the past as God pushes him to face his sins and make things right again in a most unusual way!



In CLAIMING HIS HEART by Tanya Hanson, a handsome stranger who arrives in a peaceful California valley bearing a mysterious letter leaves Charmlee no choice but marriage to him. But Charmlee and Tulsa each have plans of their own. Is there a bigger dream for the future ahead that they can’t see?



ALL FOR LOVE by Beverly Wells tells a gut-wrenching tale of social injustice in Wyoming of the 1880’s. Lorelei Webster, schoolmarm, tries to right the wrongs of the small town she’s a part of, and hopes for the help of the town doctor, Seth Taylor. Will her determination spark more than friendship between them as they work together?



Is Leroy Vance a SAINT OR SINNER? Gil McDonald pens a riveting tale of a hard hearted bounty hunter, hot on the heels of a gang of outlaws. Injured and on foot, Vance faces almost certain death. But when he realizes that there is a young woman and her brother who desperately need his help, he risks everything for them. Will this bounty hunter and sinner finally find true love with the wife of another man? Or will any of them get out alive?

WeWriWa - Missi Wanderin' in the Woods - July 12, 2015

Last week, we finally found out what Charlie did to get thrown out of the Army shrink's office with an MP escort. He told the truth. Many of you commented and stated that you weren't sure how you would have reacted to news that your husband told the shrink he was dreaming of throwing her out the window . . . let's see what happens next. 

Cupping my hands around my mouth and nose, I closed my eyes. I didn’t have time to draw a breath before he continued.

“Her eyes got real wide. Real, like, deathly wide. Then she went all white and picked up the phone.” Charlie gave a little laugh, breaking the solemnity that had filled the car. “Then the MP’s came. Thought they were gonna arrest me, and I said for what, telling the truth?”

To get back and sample more from other delectable Weekend Writing Warriors, click here. 

My debut novel, A Heart on Hold, is on sale for just .99 this week! Get yours here! See where we are falling in love with Charlotte and Sanderson eight sentences at a time on my Everlasting Heart blog here. 

Keep up to date with my upcoming releases at my website. 

Missi Wanderin' in the Woods - WeWriWa - July 5, 2015 - What Got Charlie Kicked Out of the Shrink's Office with an MP Escort?!?!?

Thanks for stopping by this week. In the time since we've met last, we have had quite a few adventures: an interstate move, a mess of new baby animals added to the pack, and a family vacation to my cancer doctor down at MD Anderson. Scroll down for those posts, if you'd like to read about those adventures :-) 

Now, to get caught up to speed on MISSI WANDERIN' IN THE WOODS, my forthcoming memoir where one woman must rely on her eclectic wilderness background to face a host of frontcountry problems, from a PTSD-infected marriage to an extreme cancer diagnosis. 

In our last eight-to-ten sentence snippet, our fresh-from-Afghanistan Charlie had just gotten himself escorted from the Army psychiatrist's office by the MP's . . . but his pregnant wife has yet to find out why.  

Charlie quit his cyclic observation of our surroundings and stilled in his seat. “I answered her  truthfully and said that yes, yes I do think of killing, dream of killing . . . often.”

Chills chased each other up and down my spine, dancing a terrifying dance that brought beads of sweat to my face.

“That’s not all.” Charlie’s voice was uncharacteristically soft, “then she said I got a funny look on my face and she got real sarcastic and said ‘Well what are you thinking about right now?’”

I swiped at the pearls of sweat that had begun their epic descent. Already, I dreaded hearing what would come next. 

“So again, I told the truth . . . I told her I was thinking about what sound her body would make when I threw her out that second story window and she hit the concrete sidewalk below.”

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday! To get back to the other wonderful Weekend Writing Warrior contributors, follow this link here. 

If you would like to keep up to speed on my current releases and forthcoming events, feel free to check out my website or on Twitter @TheSaraBarnard  

New Babies, MD Anderson, and a Beached Shark

Well, I failed again on my eight sentences for Sunday. Part of the reason is I was too dog-tired to even open my computer while the other part is I got off track on my days and forgot it was Sunday! My scheduler for posts has never worked on here, thus rendering me gone another week. However, I have interesting stories to share with you as a result as my most recent MD Anderson visit.

As many of you know, I have to be seen at MD Anderson in Houston every three months as the result of a cancer diagnosis that shook my world just under a year ago -- it shook my world alright, and saved my life. Sound strange? It does to me, too, which is why I had to write about it, just to make it make sense. That book is almost done :-)

Well, check out some of our adventures while there . . .

We braved the beaches at the end of a jetty in Galveston . . .  this picture was taken just before my daughter's foot was stung by a jellyfish (we still don't know what kind) and we had our first encounter with a fin in the water . . .

This baby Bonnethead shark flopped up on the beach right behind the kids and me, at my husband and son's feet. I immediately snatched him up for a photo op. He was so sweet and precious!! I wondered how anyone could ever be scared of them. Then again, he was just a baby. I put him back in the water, he swam back to my feet . . . several times. The surf was so rough. Finally, I think he made it back out to the sea. I watched and watched for that sweet little fin.

Before my appointment, we made our pilgrimage to the Rain Forest Cafe. Not for the food, but for the river ride in the back! We had just come out of the ocean and were soaking wet and shivering in this picture!

After my appointment, and a good report (of only some changes, but none cancerous . . . back in three months) we lit out for Dallas where these beautiful kids were waiting for us! We named them Banana and Carrot. 

And that brings us to an end :-) Hopefully -- now that I have reliable internet, the appointment out of the way, and a desk to work from, I will see you here Sunday for eight sentences :-)