Monday 4 November 2013

MY FEISTY FOREBEARS

Grandmother and Great Aunts
For some strange reason I wish I could just sit and talk with female family members that came well before me.  I guess it's a touch of nostalgia or plain wishful thinking.

What would they have thought about my writing career? Would they have enjoyed reading what I write? I have a sneaking suspicion they would. They had the Brontes and Jane Austen of course, but not the plethora of faith-based novels we have today. Maybe they'd be shocked at the way we portray our feisty heroines...no, on second thoughts, I reckon they'd be thrilled. Yes, come to think of  it, some of the family tales told and retold down the years involved some exciting (for those times) scrapes and adventures. None of these girls seemed to be "under the thumb" of their lord and masters. Or were they simply not admitting it?

> To look at  my great great grandmother you would say she appears to be a disapproving type, but surely her expression is only because the photographer
was fiddling with his apparatus and her corset was killing her. However, my
darling tells me I can look at him like that at times when I am merely thinking of some plot twist and that takes concentration! I would hope she'd enjoy reading my stories.

My sweet faced great grandfather left his beloved wife to go to Heaven. She was desolate And maybe, according to my mother, that's why she became rather pessimistic. She began every sentence with "The worst of it is," before she ever got to the best of it. I suppose there is some merit in looking at the downside of something before committing oneself. No, I don't think she would have liked my heroines who tend to be optimistic even when one thing after another goes awry. Great grandma turned out to be a very practical no nonsense type of lady. And no wonder when she had three lovely young girls to take care of. Her dreams had to be tucked away while she looked after her daughters' future. A hurdle many young widows had to face in those days.

My feisty heroine, Megan Trevallyn, gets a lot more than she bargained for when she meets Captain
Charles Cantrell. This included two little surprises
with the outcome of being transported as a felon to a far flung colonial penal settlement of New South Wales - a world away from all she has known and
loved.

The question for her to face is, will this be a land of 
perdition ... or promise?

Although fiction, in my research I discovered this scenario was all too common in our early history. Yes, we had many convicts who had committed awful crimes, but there were always those who had arrived on our shores innocent of the crimes for which they were penalized.

While capturing this story I asked myself whether I could have survived such an ordeal and I knew deep down I couldn't have without the Lord.

 I am so pleased my historical romance with elements of intrigue is now online at Amazon Kindle at a reasonable $3.99.

* Rita Stella Galieh will leave this week for on an In Step Together Tour of Thailand with Thai interpreter, Somchai Soonthornturasuk. Her husband George is a violinist cum preacher and she sketches with Rembrandt pastels while he speaks. They will minister in Government Buddhist high schools, hospitals, men and women's prisons, orphanages and Christian churches.

13 comments:

  1. Love your sense of humour that peeps through in this interesting blog, Rita! God bless you and George as you leave for Thailand this week.

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  2. Thanks so much Jo. I just wish I was quite as feisty. Come to think of it there are those odd times!

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  3. Great post Rita. As Jo-Anne said I too love your lovely sense of humour which comes through your writing. May your time in Thailand be very special. Many blessings.

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  4. Maybe that's something I get from my forebears, Anusha. A sense of humour can really help at times. My son is tells me outrageous things wit a straight face and too many times I nearly swallow his tall tales until I happen to catch that telltale glint in his eye.

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  5. Hi Rita - I'd love to meet my grandfather (on my Dad's side) and really get to talk to my grandmother (she died when I was seven) - the family stories are full of adventures, generosity and a well honed sense of humour. All the best with your book - and the trip to Thailand.

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    1. Thanks Jeanette.
      Wouldn't it have been great if every one of them wrote out their lives for their families? Some things are passed down but not all. It's only when you get older you wonder how they felt about things.

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  6. Hi Rita - Thanks for sharing a bit about your ancestors' stories. It's interesting how real life can inspire fiction. Good luck with your book.

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  7. Hi Nola. I often wonder if my female forebears would have acted in similar ways to me.I guess some things are passed through our genes.

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  8. Hi Rita, Great read and I loved the photos too. I have some feisty forebears as well and I am both inspired and challenged by some of their stories. Like you, I wish they had written their stories down. Word of mouth is great, but doesn't always convey the feelings of the people involved. All the best with your adventures in Thailand. May you be blessed and a blessing.

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    1. That's so true, Cathie. If only....
      Yes, that's our prayer too, especially in another culture.

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  9. I love old photographs. They are so inspiring. The do provoke the imagination, don't they?

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  10. Great post Rita!
    Like Meredith, I love the old photos, so inspiring to the imagination!

    Hope all is blessed in Thailand
    Look forward to hearing how things went.

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  11. Oh I love this jaunt down memory lane! I am so intrigued with history; how I'd love to know about my family tree, the blessed, and perhaps not so blessed times they shared. I will definitely have to read your novel; right up my alley!

    All the very best in Thailand; may the beauty of your and your husband's creativeness reveal the truth of Jesus Christ in miraculous ways! Helen.

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