The Places of When Love Called

Cloudcroft. What of it?

Tressel just outside of town

I set When Love Called and the Glenfield Series in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. The Sacramentos are the tail end of the Rocky Mountains as they wind their way south toward Mexico. The Village of Cloudcroft is a very popular vacation destination for just about everyone living in West Texas and Southern New Mexico. There are a few reasons why, and they include the Mescalero Indian Reservation and the casino action available, and the horse racing you can find in the neighboring town of Ruidoso. You can also find great outdoors activities such as skiing and camping throughout the area. Another reason Cloudcroft is a popular destination is because it is generally 20-30 degrees cooler than the surrounding desert, as the Village sits at the top of the mountain about 8,500 feet in elevation. The air is mighty thin at that height!

Many years ago I was re-surfacing from a failed business venture and was searching for what I was supposed to do with my life. Sarah and I had been married for several years, but were still without kids. One weekend, we went to Cloudcroft for a camping trip. While there, I ran into a real estate broker who offered me a job as a real estate agent. Sure, why not? How hard can it be?

We moved to Cloudcroft and give it our best effort. In one year I sold one house, and that was kind of a pity sell from another agent I worked with. Times were hard for us on the mountain. But, we were young enough to still think it was a grand adventure. Later, I joined the Army (for the money!) and thought we left Cloudcroft behind. When my military time was complete, we returned to Cloudcroft where I took another stab at real estate. I’m not a good salesman. I know that now.

Burro Street

When I wrote When Love Called, which is a book about fresh starts and new beginnings, I set it in Cloudcroft because that is what the Village represented in our lives. Some of our worst days and some of our happiest were on that mountain, and we have life-long friendships from our time there. I wanted a place for Caton to build his magnificent estate, and where is there a better place than the Rocky Mountains? Glenfield rose from an isolated, empty meadow with a tiny stream running through it. And from there, a new start for Lily, and new starts for so many others, Jayne included.

Mercantile; the tea shop is next door.

Based upon requests from many readers, I have decided to show you some of the places I’ve mentioned in the books. Many of them are actual locations, while the characters themselves are entirely fictional. The main street running through the shopping blocks in Cloudcroft is Burro Street, where the Pine Stump Café is located. This is where Caton is eating lunch with his work crew and discovers that Lily is just across the street eating pizza with Dr. McCranie. What doesn’t actually exist on Burro Street is the Log Cabin Pizza Palace, nor the hospital. There is no hospital in Cloudcroft, and there never will be. But, I needed to have one handy, so wrote it in.

The next item of discussion is April Poe’s teashop, where Jayne stages the scene where Lily and Caton have a sit down conversation to discuss their relationship. Jayne accidentally triggers a dating contest between Lily and her two incredible love interests: Jack and Caton. The teashop is fictional, but it is set on a location that actually exists. I placed it next to the Mercantile, which was the only grocery store in the Village, and was a landmark for so many years. It was the place to buy fresh pies and donuts.

Another place mentioned is the Crofting, where Susan stayed while Lily was in the hospital, and where Lily and Jayne joined her until the end of the book. I have stayed at the Crofting before, and I have fond memories of spending the Christmas holidays with my family there.

The Crofting

Finally, the location that is most renowned is The Lodge, and Rebecca’s Lounge. Many meals are eaten at The Lodge, and I eat there every chance I get. They have a great menu and offer excellent service. The Lodge is an historical location, and boasts to hosting many celebrities throughout the years. If you’re a fan of Clark Gable, you can see where his initials are carved on a post in the lookout tower. The Lodge also claims to be the residence of a ghost, Rebecca, for whom the restaurant is named. The Lodge is a key location for the story. Lily has her first date at lounge, and Susan meets Caton in the restaurant, and discovers that Caton was significantly injured while rescuing Lily from an impossible car wreck that should have left her dead.

The Lodge. Photo by Robert Flaherty

Of course, I’d love to post photos of Glenfield, itself. Sadly, there are none. If you find a worthy candidate, let me know!

There’s too much of the story to tell here, so feel free to check it out! When Love Called is a fantastic story, and is very popular. You can get more information at my website, www.traviswinman.com

We’ll see you there!

The Art of "When Love Called"

The Art of When Love Called, Book I of the Glenfield Series

First, let me say that I love the artwork for the cover. I discovered this artist, Burak Ulker, who is from Turkey. I can't imagine an image more appropriate for Lily and the storyline. Burak has graciously agreed to provide covers for the rest of the series! What a stroke of luck!

If you are interested, I am going to be selecting artwork for the short stories and novellas I will be publishing as free/supplemental material that will accompany the Glenfield Series. So, if you have artwork you think should be considered for those free downloads, shoot me an email and we will discuss it.


I’ve had many comments from various people indicating they are curious about the works of art I mention in my novel, When Love Called. Well, the best way for me to satiate your curiosity is to present my pitiful attempt at art appreciation. Art is a fascinating and wonderful expression of our culture. It’s also a gauge of how healthy our culture is. All of us vary on what we consider good art and bad art, so please don’t thrash me for the art I used in my book; it was simply a tool used to “paint a picture” in your mind.

One very important piece in the novel is a giclée on canvass by Tomasz Rut entitled, Campaspe. As you see here, Campaspe is a young lady with soft chestnut hair. She is tastefully arranging her hair, as if she’s preparing to retire for the night. I chose this work because when I see Campaspe, I see Mary, Caton’s first wife. Mary was graceful and elegant, and Caton saw the same qualities in that painting, so he purchased it. The problem was, after Mary died, he wasn’t able to take the painting down. God challenged him as to whether he was in love with the memory of Mary or the painting on the wall.

*Note: In giclée, the ink is sprayed on to your choice of media in millions of colors utilizing continuous tone technology, retaining all the fine detail of the original.

Perhaps the most controversial artwork in When Love Called is also by Tomasz Rut, Exsomnis. Exsomnis is a very passionate and sensual illustration of the desire shared by two lovers. I hesitated over using this piece for several reasons. First, many conservative, old-fashioned readers might view this work as inappropriate. My readers tend to be very old-fashioned, and that’s a trait I identify with very well. While no nudity is revealed in the work, it leaves little to the imagination. Second, this reveals a private moment and I am cautious about taking a private moment too far.

Please, allow me to explain further. I think Christian stories tend to be so filtered that they become sterile. It is my opinion that Christians should be the most passionate lovers when it comes to romance. Christians operate out of genuine and generally unselfish love, as the model union is a man and his wife, not a man and his mistress—or girlfriend. The passion between a married couple should be that of a lifetime of commitment and desire, not a fleeting moment of selfish indulgence. Caton and Lily share a deep desire for each other, and their desires are blessed by God. I believe the passion represented in Exsomnis is indicative of their love. Therefore, I share it with you not as a lusty love scene, but rather the passion of a man for his wife.

Another artist featured in the book is a man from Ajo, Arizona named Joseph Gulick. Mr. Gulick is a master at desert paintings, but with seascapes, his art leaps beyond the skill of a master, and takes on the qualities of genius. I met the Gulicks several years ago when I was spending the summer in Ajo, and when I saw a series of seascapes, I sacrificed what I had in order to secure those paintings.

The first is an oil on masonite entitled, Pacific Sunset. We had trouble getting the photos of the paintings to come out with the precise coloring intended by the artist, but you'll get the idea.

The second oil on masonite is a light house near San Francisco called, St. George Reef Lighthouse.

The last is an accompanying oil on masonite named, Full Sail.

You can see the depth of the waves, and if you stand in front of the original, you can feel the waves as they crash against the shore. Mr. Gulick has captured the sea, and he makes it look easy. Caton and Mary lived their lives in the beautiful Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico. How ironic that they would live in the crux of beauty and still find seascapes enchanting. One can never be satisfied when trying to embrace the grandeur of God’s creation.

Another painter I mentioned is an artist named Alexander Chen, who has a canny ability to seize serenity and beauty. His grasp of heavenly women almost creates a mystical work. His work has been described as sensual but not provocative. I chose his art because of the innocence and wonder alive in the mind of a child. While I never mentioned an exact piece, I will provide you a demo of his work.


Finally, as I take my leave, let me give you one more thought that connects When Love Called to modern art. Jayne is a familiar character, and perhaps the character who draws the most comments. She is dangerous and determined. She is controlling and beautiful. She is a user and a taker. She is selfish and narrow. Yet, she is broken inside and still has the heart of a little girl looking to have a father reach out to hold her. I have made both Lily and Jayne to be musically inclined, and I often thought that the following artwork would depict Jayne’s plight, especially as she comes through the tragedy brought on by her lascivious lifestyle. As is common with the trend I established earlier, it too is a work from Tomasz Rut, Communia, which is a depiction of a young woman expressing a deep spiritual moment.

More of Jayne’s life will be revealed in Book II of the Glenfield Series, Then Came Grace.

Communia

Interested in When Love Called? Find out more at http://www.traviswinman.com/

Pumpkin Carving – Connecting with your Kids

We have a long standing tradition at Bella Promessa (the Inman house), which goes back to the days when our kids were very young. I was looking for a fun way to illustrate our faith to the kids in a way they could easily understand. When I stumbled across this idea, I latched on to it with great passion. What emerged was a tradition our young adult kids still enjoy to this day, and I suspect they will take this idea with them into their own families in the future.  And all you need is a carving pumpkin or two.

I always take the pumpkin and do the following presentation:

"Okay, kids? What does this pumpkin represent?"

"Our hearts!" they chime in unison.

"And what is in our hearts?"

"Sin!"

We go through the process of opening the pumpkin and scraping out the pulp and seeds. "What does all of this yucky stuff represent?"

"Sin!"

We then carve a cross into the pumpkin. "What does this represent?"

 

"Jesus coming into our hearts and cleaning out our sin."

 We now place a candle into the pumpkin and light it. The message is not missed by anyone. Jesus takes our yucky, sin filled hearts, cleans them out, and places His light in our hearts.

And that's it. Nothing more is required. Ceremony complete. Now comes one of my favorite parts: roasting the seeds and snaking on them over the next few days!

So, we also let the kids have one pumpkin each so they can carve whatever they want. Caitie usually does a fun face, while Seth does something scary. This year he creeped us out with a Minecraft carving.

This year we tried cutting the tops of our pumpkins a little differently. This method made cleaning the pumpkin much easier. 

 

And, the finished product!

Guest Blogger Rachel Muller, Author of Letters from Grace

Good News! I have it on good authority there will be more books coming from Rachel!

Once in a while I find an author who needs more attention. Earlier this week I posted a biography featuring Rachel Muller. Well, after meeting her, I was compelled to learn more about her book and asked her to give us a glimpse of her story. I hope you enjoy this guest blog as much as I did.
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 Guest Blogger Rachel Muller, Author of Letters from Grace

Author Rachel Muller

Thirteen years ago, I was an eighteen-year-old girl who was trying to find her place in the world. Fresh out of high school and with no immediate plans to attend college, I landed a job at an established and very sophisticated inn. It was there that my adult life began.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, one co-worker’s request would become the premise to my first book.

Serving breakfast was just one of my many jobs at the inn. I worked closely with two other women who quickly became my friends. They were older than me, and the age gap allowed us to mesh well. It was on a summer morning when my co-worker asked me to write her son who was serving in the US Army. 9/11 was nearly one year old, the call to arms was still fresh, and the uncertainty of service members’ lives was at stake.

I agreed to write to my co-worker’s son on the condition that I was not searching for a relationship. Once she relayed that information to her son, addresses and emails were exchanged. That experience served as a lesson to me—that a simple hand-written note meant the world to someone I didn’t really know. That every day, I took for granted the life around me, with the uncertainty of another tomorrow. Life takes on a whole new meaning.

Eventually, my soldier pen pal and I did get to meet face-to-face. I remember feeling anxious before arrival time. When we met, he was just as his writing depicted. Although no romance came from this experience, I had gained a friend—a friend I truly respected.

Fast forward ten years…

Recalling some of my life’s events, I asked myself, “What if I wrote stories inspired by my life experiences?” “What if a girl became pen pals with an Army soldier, during WWII, and a romance blossomed—based on a series of letters?”

The end result?

I twisted the scenario around in my mind. Once I thought I had a good idea of where I wanted the story to start and end, I began writing. I didn’t own a computer at the time, so I started writing on line paper early in the morning before the sun rose. Within one month, I had penned (literally by hand) 60,000 words to my novel that is now entitled, Letters from Grace. The premise, based on the idea of my own pen pal letters, took shape. After its completion, Letters from Grace went on to claim a Top 28 spot in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write Contest in 2012 and became a semi-finalist in ACFW’s Genesis Contest, 2014. 

For those who are reading, or who will be reading this novel, it is my hope you will find not just a tender love story through love letters but the hope that follows tribulation. Romans 5:1-4 states: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: ² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; ⁴ And patience, experience; and experience, hope:”

Thank you for joining me today, and I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to Travis Inman for graciously having me on his blog today.

To learn more about Rachel, visit www.racheldmuller.com, @Rachel_DMuller on Twitter, on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Or contact Rachel at: revisitthepast@gmail.com

An Afternoon with Rachel Muller, Author of Letters from Grace

Rachel Muller, Author of Letters from Grace

On a rainy afternoon last week, I had the pleasure of chatting with Rachel Muller, who authored an exciting new book, Letters from Grace. Let me give you a brief introduction to the book itself, and then you and I can discover who Rachel is, and why we would want to read her story.

If you turn the book over, you will see the following description:

 Is loving a man in uniform worth the risk?
The start of World War II has torn Grace Campbell’s only love from her life. Scarred and bruised from the loss of her fiancé, Grace must learn to love again…and trust the Father with her future. Lieutenant Luke Brady could make falling in love easy…except he’s about to embark on the largest mission of the war.

Luke is also healing from a wounded heart, but after a night of dancing with the flawless Grace Campbell, his feelings are held hostage by her charm, making the thought of traveling back to his army base in England almost unbearable. There is only one thing that can keep the thread tied between them…letters.

Their missives travel across the Atlantic, revealing their deepest feelings and unexpressed thoughts on paper. A spark is ignited, but the suave Dr. William Keller enchants Grace with his gentleman’s charm and proposes marriage. Now she must choose between them. Will she settle for comfort and safety or risk losing her true love on the Normandy beaches?

Don't you love the artwork on the cover? And how about that intro to the storyline? My wife read the back-matter and announced that she will be reading the book as soon as possible. If you love period novels, Letters from Grace will meet your needs.

Well, let's get back to Rachel, herself. A native of Maryland with Southern roots, she is proud to be a stay at home mother of four, and a beautiful housewife of eleven years. She grew up in the country, and though she can function with equal grace in the city, she prefers a quiet, grassy knoll to the hustle and bustle of busy streets. 

Rachel has always been a woman of faith, and her faith is evident in her writing, even though she never reaches a "preachyness" so common with Christian literature. Her own faith walk defined who she would be during her teen years. She suffered from an affliction that many of us identify with: REJECTION. "I grew up in the country and went to church in the city. I didn't really fit into their world very well." As a young teen, not fitting in is almost impossible to overcome, and Rachel suffered greatly as a result. She slipped into withdrawal and endured what she called, "silent suffering," which manifested as anorexia. While trying to maintain her "perfect weight" she used over the counter drugs, but her life was falling apart. The more she spiraled, the darker her fears and hopelessness grew. Finally, a pastor's wife understood what she was experiencing and walked with her out of the anorexia and back into a healthy lifestyle. But her faith wasn't fully cemented until she went to a rodeo on day and saw the testimony of a bull rider who pointed her to Christ. Finally, she understood who she was and why she was here.

Rachel developed a passion for the "Greatest Generation" on a practical level. She lived with her grandparents for 13 years, listening to their stories about life during the depression and the events surrounding the war. Her grandmother was handicapped and required constant care. Rachel was blessed to invest into her grandmother's life, and her own life would never be the same.

"My love for World War II history began in my senior year of high school when I chose the Pearl Harbor attack as my research paper topic. Subsequently, the movie Pearl Harbor hit the silver screen and I jumped at the chance to see it. I didn't realize it at the time but a seedling had been planted in my life, slowly growing inch by inch for nearly ten years. I researched the war, the people, the fashions, 40's slang, even the makes and models of vintage vehicles to create a nostalgic feel in my project. Then fictional lives began to evolve on the white of my paper." From that passion grew a love story set in the depths of World War Two.

I asked Rachel what roll she would have played if she could transport herself to the 40s. Without hesitation she announced that she would have volunteered at a Canteen. And in case you don't  know how that works, a women who volunteers for the Canteen must adhere to strict rules of conduct, the most important of which is that while their job is to provide friendly companionship to and be dance partners for the men who are soon to be sent into combat, no romantic fraternization is allowed.

Rachel also expressed interest in touring with the USO, and specifically mentioned working with Heady Lamar and Bing Crosby. She was quick to announce that Bing was her favorite singer from that era, but she also appreciated Glen Miller.

I then asked her what she would do if she couldn't entertain the troops, and she declared that she would build bombers. "I would be a Rosie Riveter," and I could hear the smile she wore with that declaration.

When I asked her what she wanted for her readers to get from her books, she didn't hesitate. "The message I'd like people to get is based on Romans 5:1-4. Our life's trials are temporary, and when we rely on God to pull us through, we find our hope."

Naturally, my next question was, what do you want people to know about you? Her answer,” As for myself, I would like people to know that I write stories of love, war, and faith as examples of the love of Christ and His undying faithfulness. It is my hope readers will find inspiration and encouragement through the fictional lives of WWII era characters."

What more do you need to know? Well, I think this interview gives us a unique glimpse at who Rachel Muller is, and I pray that it motivates you to pick up a copy of her book, Letters from Grace.

Do it. Dot it now.

If there is anything else you would like to know, shoot me an email or leave a comment. I know Rachel would love to hear from you. In the mean time you can connect with her via the following:

Web: www.racheldmuller.com 

Modern Belles of History: http://modernbellesofhistory.com/author/racheldmuller/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rmullerbooks?ref=bookmarks

Twitter: @Rachel_DMuller

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/authorontherise/