Perfectionist?

Hi, Charlotte Carter here.



Montana Love Letter

          

It must be very hard to be a perfectionist. I’m certainly not one. Far from it.

But I have friend whose husband spent hours over the past weekend trying to repaint a tiny little scratch, no bigger than a pin head, on his 2-year old car. He’s the sort that will return a newly purchased couch because one seam isn’t a hundred percent straight, a seam that isn’t even visible unless you turn the couch upside down. He invests so much of his time and energy trying to make everything perfect, he must be exhausted.

In my October release, Montana Love Letter, Adam Hunter goes to great lengths to hide and disguise what he believes is his imperfection. He carries the shame of being teased as a boy about his dyslexia. In so many ways, hiding his limitations has limited him in life.

Of course, along comes Janelle Townsend. She’s one smart, observant lady. She figures out that Adam can’t read, which doesn’t stop her from falling in love with him. What she can’t understand is why he goes to such lengths to keep his secret.

"Being dyslexic is nothing to be ashamed of," she tells him. "Whether you can read or not, I love you exactly as you are. Exactly the way God made you."

I think that’s a nice philosophy, accepting others as they are. Despite my friend’s husband being a perfectionist, he’s a really nice guy.

Where are you on the scale of perfectionism?

Happy reading....
Char.......
www.charlottecarter.com

What sparks a story idea?

Hi all, Charlotte Carter here.....

I’m fascinated by the creatuve mind and how a story will evolve from a single spark of inspiration to a full-length novel. And even though I’ve authored more than 50 books, I don’t always know where the initial idea came from or where it will take me.

When I wrote Montana Hearts, a November 2010 Love Inspired release, the spark was easy to identify. I read a short article in the Los Angeles Times that indicated some people believe an organ transplant recipient takes on the personality and traits of the organ donor. BAM! According to experts, this is decidedly not true, but what a wonderful place to start What if....

With my current book, Montana Love Letter, it is harder to pin point the initial impetus for the story. I actually picked the locale first. Since we’ve visited and enjoyed Glacier National Park and environs, I thought the area would be a great place for a small town story. So I created Bear Lake, fifty miles south of the park (and recently got some great help from the Harlequin.com Love Inspired Community to grow the town. Thanks, ladies!)

My hero, widower Adam Hunter, arrived in my imagination because of my grandson who has ADHD. He’s a sweet 12-year old boy but other children have started picking on him. So what if...Adam had a similar experience? What if he is dyslexic and desperately wants to keep that a secret? Particularly from the heroine.

Janelle Townsend, the heroine, made her appearance when I asked what kind of a woman would Adam least want to discover his secret? How about a college educated woman, the widow of a college professor in anthropology? Oh, dear, don’t you just know she’s going to sniff out his secret?

And then, because I love to write about children, up popped Adam’s outgoing 10-year-old daughter Hailey and Janelle’s 5-year-old daughter Raeanne. Rae has experienced a trauma and has forgotten how to speak. Sweet Hailey, as well as Adam, have a lot to do with her regaining her speech.

With the characters in place, the story rolled out on my computer screen, reaching the HEA for all of them.

Where do you get your ideas? What kind of storyline do you like to read? Anything can happen in Bear Lake, so let me know.

Happy reading.....
Char......
www.CharlotteCarter.com

Spiced Nectarine Jam

Everyone I know is going to get a jar of Spiced Nectarine Jam for Christmas this year. Again. They have for past four years.

We have a dwarf white nectarine tree in our backyard. About four years ago it started going crazy producing fruit. One year my husband, who prepares and freezes the fruit for my jam making (bless him!) saved all the pits. He had harvested FOUR HUNDRED nectarines!

Even total strangers have received the gift of Spiced Nectarine Jam. Last year I filled 25 jars; I’ll do that and more this year. Three more batches to go!

The nectarines are positively, absolutely Organic. No spray. No fertilizer. Hardly any extra water. (My husband isn’t exactly fond of gardening.)

Since it’s hard to send jam via the internet, I thought you might like the recipe. The jam’s really yummy.

4 Cups prepared fruit
7 ½ Cups sugar
1/4 Cup lemon juice
1 tsp each of cinnamon, cloves & allspice
1 packet of Certo

Combine fruit, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a large pan. Bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add packet of Certo. Stir to cool and skim foam for 5 minutes. Pour into jars. Use either self-sealing jars or cover with melted household wax. (This recipe can be used for Spiced Peach Jam.)

Happy jam making....

What do you preserve from your garden?

Char......
Montana Love Letter, Love Inspired, 10/2012Home to Montana, Love Inspired, 3/2013www.CharlotteCarter.com