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.
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.
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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] |