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 The setting is Bugler, a fictional town in the mountains in the
late 1800s. The primary character is a young woman who has been
jilted by her beau and is seeking a remedy for her heartbreak.
The main character, Elise, pleads with her father to allow her to
go to the Great Northwest and spend some time with a favorite aunt.
The hope is that time in a new place will help heal her broken
heart. Her father reluctantly agrees and arranges for his daughter's
train passage.
Along the way, the train is stranded in the small mountain town
of Bugler. The residents of the town open their arms and hearts to
the travelers, including Elise. In her time there, she learns of
love, caring and the kindness of others. The town comes to be
precious to her, and her trip to visit her aunt ultimately ends in
Bugler.
The storyline includes two new love interests and a final
commitment by the main character to one of them. Elise marries and
prepares to make Bugler her lifelong home.
"The Aspens" continues the story of Elise and her new life filled
with love and family.
It adds a new character, Ethan. He is a young boy who has been
severely abused and is in much need of love and healing. In
addition, Elise's family grows as she and husband Mark brings twins
into the world.
In this second of a series, there are also trials and challenges
for Elise as well as the small community of Bugler. In the
storyline, these challenges are met with courage and overcome
through love, and in the end the town is a better place for having
faced it all together.
Saturday morning, Morris talked about her inspiration for the
series. A lifelong resident of Lincoln and Logan County, Morris said
she has visited the mountains of Colorado. While the town of Bugler
is completely fictional, it was the Colorado mountains that inspired
its location.
Beyond that, Morris said everything else in the two books was a
gift from God, and she really couldn't say any more than that.
She explained that the first book began while she was caring for
her husband, who had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer.
She said it was a horrible experience for her, her husband and their
family, and she felt God had given her this make-believe story as a
means of coping with what she was going through in real life.
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 She said she spent many hours by her husband's side with a
notebook, or two, or three, or four in front of her. She wrote down
notes for the storyline and developed the first book in between
times of jumping up to attend to her husband's needs.
Morris said that she escaped from her real world by becoming a
part of the Bugler community. She said that when she was writing,
she became the characters in her book and lived their life instead
of her own for a brief moment.
Morris also believes that the books were intended to be an
encouragement and a reassurance to everyone that there is a better
way of life.
She noted that in her life, she has always wanted to be
reassuring and encouraging to people, but her personality prevented
her from speaking out sometimes. In the books she writes, there is a
message of doing good, loving others and being a source of
inspiration for those who are going through troubling times. Morris
said these are the messages she wants to share with readers through
an interesting and entertaining storyline.
The two books out now are part of a series she calls "Better Than
A Known Way" and will soon be accompanied by a third book. Morris
said the third book is finished, and the fourth book is well
underway. The saga of Mark and Elise will continue, and no doubt
they will face new challenges along with the small town of Bugler.
Morris is self-published and sells her books on Amazon.com as
well as locally at Prairie Years in Lincoln. Right now the best
price for the pair is at Prairie Years. The books can be purchased
individually there for less than $10 each, a significant savings
over the Amazon price.
Morris is also hopeful that the third book will be released in
time for the holidays, and she said it, too, will be offered at
Prairie Years.
Morris also noted that the books are written for an age group
from mid-teens to maturity, with something for everyone, but most of
all reassurance that there is "better than a known way."
To learn more about the books and read recent reviews, visit
Morris' website.
http://www.dorismyrlemorris.com/.
[By NILA SMITH] |
