Book Blast - Patriot Priest

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Patriot Priest tells one man's personal experience over several epochs and areas of history. It is also, in part the story of one unique individual, author Patricia Daly-Lipe's great uncle, Msgr. William A Hemmick. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, and raised in Europe, he became fluent in five languages. When the First World War broke out, he felt committed to help the troops. After the war, he was proclaimed the Patriot Priest of Picardy by the Army and Navy. After years spent in Paris, William Hemmick was asked by the Vatican to come to Rome. Ultimately he became the only American Canon of St. Peter's representing the Knights of Malta to the Holy See.

It was he who performed the nuptials of American film star Tyrone Power and Linda Christian. He also converted the future Queen Astrid of Belgium.

Enjoy this excerpt:

Only a few months after entering the American College, William became quite ill. Physicians were called. After checking the boy carefully, they proceeded to give him sad news. William had contracted tuberculosis of the most virulent sort and could not expect to live more than a couple of months. Of course, he wanted to leave for home immediately.

The Rector, Dr. Kennedy, arranged, however, that he should have an audience with the Holy Father (Pope Pius X) before he left. Dr. Kennedy himself took young William to the Vatican and, having first told the Pope in private of the circumstances of the case, the student was ushered into the Pope's chambers.

The Pope smiled at him tenderly as the young man knelt to kiss the papal ring. Then he lifted his chin, looked him straight in the eye and, very reassuringly, advised the young man, "Don't worry at all now."

William looked up at the Pope's smiling face in disbelief.

"You are going to be all right. Go home and get rested and well."

Then the Pope placed his hand on William's head and said, "One day you will be back here."

The ailing young seminarian would not have dared to hope at that moment the Holy Father was speaking the truth. However, he was.

Soon after he returned to America, William's health improved. Although his convalescence was long, he was finally able to resume his priestly studies at Mt. St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland, followed by six years at Catholic University in Washington, DC.

About the Author:

Dr. Patricia Daly-Lipe, is an Author and Artist. She has written six books, all different genres. She is winner of the San Diego Book Awards, Best Books Finalist, the JADA Novel Contest, USABookNews.com Finalist, 2009 2nd place in poetry by the Virginia Writers Club, Inc, and 2013 winner in historical fiction at the Annual Royal Dragonfly Book Awards for 'A CRUEL CALM, Paris Between the Wars and 2013 winner for her short story by the Virfginia Writers Assn.

Although born in La Jolla, California, Patricia spent equal time in Washington, D.C., home of several generations of her mother’s family.

She has taught at colleges and writing centers, written for magazines and newspapers (including the Evening Star in Washington, DC, La Jolla Village News, The Georgetowner andUptowner), and her paintings have been accepted and sold in Juried shows, art galleries, and private homes. Two of her books feature her paintings on their covers.

Patricia served as President of both the La Jolla and DC Branches of the National League of American Pen Women.

Patricia now lives in Virginia with her husband, Dr. Steele Lipe, three dogs, three horses, and two cats. For years, Patricia raised, raced, and showed Thoroughbred horses. Now she rescues them. She is the mother of three and grandmother of six children.

Buy the book at Amazon.

Rules Are Made to Be Broken...

 

Rules are made to be broken...

Or are they?

Today I headed to the local rehabilitation hospital to deliver a couple of books for their donation book cart.  It's a quaint little setup that consists of a few carts against a wall in their spacious hallway.  It's basically self-serve with a note to put in a donation if you take a book and a few instructions about leaving books.

Today there was what appeared to be additional instruction, so I hung on to my donation books while I read the rules.  The usual suspects, no beaten or soiled books, large donations needed alternate arrangements and last but not least, deposit the books in the bottom basket where I assumed they'd be sorted out and arranged neatly on the carts later.  So, as instructed, I placed my two books in the bottom basket.

And that's when I realized I was no longer alone.

"I've been watching you."

Great, I think.  Why?

"Organizing the books is my job," the tall, middle-aged woman said.  "And no one puts the books anywhere but there."  She pointed to the second cart where books were organized in a row, spines neatly lined up and level with the next.  "No one reads the sign.  So I watched you standing there to see what you would do.  If you really read the sign."

I look to where she's pointing and glance at the sign.

"You're one of the few that put them where they're supposed to be."

Shall we have a collective sigh of relief?

 

So a few minutes of chit chat later, I left feeling like I'd just gotten a huge pat on the back for being a rules girl.  But was I?

I never thought of being much of one before.  I mean I'll follow rules enough not to cause a ruckus.  If the meeting starts at 9, I'll be there in plenty of time.  The obvious moments when rules matter aside, I don't like following the crowd or the unwritten rules of the crowd.  Of course, sometimes I must out of necessity.  But if the majority are taking the escalator and doing the usual standing in place, I'll be the one walking the escalator, passing the non-walkers or taking the stairs.  I know, small example and there's probably a zillion that are the opposite like living a house, driving a car - having a dog.  But was I following some sort of unwritten rule or just exploring similar interests?

Rules Girl?

I've been mislabeled and there's no better place to look then in a book and my reading habits.  My reading is eclectic and I don't tend to read to trends or what I think of as crowd rule.  And as a writer to be organized and efficient it is said that we should write an outline or at the least, a synopsis - and I try but in the end, the best I have ever written is a synopsis that I can guarantee will hold true for the first three chapters - after that all bets are off.  In the end I've had to tweak that synopsis here and there, and then here again.  Some people write better with an outline but forcing yourself to do something in a way that doesn't come naturally I suspect doesn't deliver the best product.  

Follow the rules, is it a good thing or does it just set us up for mediocrity?

Ryshia
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Cold Days, Hot Nights

It's that time - the first Wednesday of the month and time for:

And it all begins, kind of like this:

In the dying days of winter...

Hah!  Dying days?

She's fooled us again, at least out here on the prairie and yes, at this time of year it's all about the weather!

 -38 Celsius(-36 Fahrenheit) is an all-time record, at least it was on the day I began to draft this post.  Winter isn't about to die, crap out or expire any time soon.  I had to use that phrase, any time soon.  Why?  It's one of those radio announcer phrases that really should die right along with this year's winter.

So there you have it, the cold part of this post, but to get to the hot we have to work our way through a little weirdness.  Everywhere in life there are the seeds of a story and some weeks the ground is fairly littered with ideas. Here's a recent day as an example - the weirdness of it, there lies the story. 

The day began with a visit with my mother who is still getting used to her new condo.  I suspect she is pining for the house she left behind after living there since she was a bride.  And she's also made it known that she misses her stuff.  Although that one does puzzle me as we moved far more than her new place will hold and she's had to continue down-sizing after the move.

"What stuff?" I asked trying to get some kind of specifics.  The liquidation of stuff was ongoing from last years spring garage sale through to the online fall selling bonanza I organized in the fall and ending with a finale of charity donations and garbage dumps. 

"I can't find my evaporated milk.  I was sure I packed three cans."

Whoa... evaporated milk?  Moving into the third month and evaporated milk is the issue?  With sofas and chairs and excess lamps on my past agenda, the last thing I had time to consider was a measly can of evaporated milk. 

An update - The evaporated milk never did make an appearance and I have to admit my mind was on other things, the class a few nights ago for one - the Erotic Writing class at the Public Library - yes, didn't I promise hot nights?  But erotica aside, first I had to deal with the guinea pig.

Guinea pig?

You heard right.  My mother is in charge of my niece's pet while she's on vacation.  Only problem, she won't touch it!  Okay, there lies the rub.  Guinea pigs are fairly harmless critters but they do tend to have a very active elimination system that requires a good clean up every three days if you don't want a stinky cage and an unhappy critter.  Besides, everyone needs a little exercise.  And that was the cue for my entrance - an assist to a guinea pig.

I got home in time to discover mail from the public library.  Not sure what this could mean I opened the envelope and discovered I'd won a prize at the Erotic Writing class - a gift certificate to a sex shop!

Yes all of that was a days work and it left me with this dilemma:
Where to begin? 

What do I write about?

Oh the choices....

Evaporated milk

Guinea pigs

an upcoming trip to the sex shop?

There's ideas everywhere, just make sure you pick up your feet so you don't stumble on one or two.  What has you rushing to get to the keyboard?  Alternatively, what has you picking up one book over another?


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Ryshia
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