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The Smile of an Angel
I have never, ever, been a good sleeper. Even when young I slept very lightly and would awaken in the silent, early morning hours, my mind busy with my own version of instant replay. Sometimes I’d tiptoe out of the bedroom I shared with my sister to curl up on the couch and enjoy a few rare hours of privacy and quiet. If it was close to Christmas I would plug in the tree lights and that gentle, multicolored glow illuminated my thoughts.
When I was nine or ten years old I was awake but warm in bed when I heard a scrape and muffled thud. I slipped out from beneath the blanket and met my mom in the hallway. Together, we peeked into the living room. The Christmas tree had tipped over and ornaments now decorated the carpet. The two of us quietly pushed the tree straight, tightened the screws that pressed into the tree trunk to hold it upright, and used a couple of dishtowels to sop up the water that had spilled from the stand. My dad, three brothers, and sister slept on.
The silver angel atop the tree tilted drunkenly to one side as she supervised our efforts. She’d been pulled sideways by the fall and the weight of her power cord. Mom carefully straightened our cherished tree topper as I scampered behind the tree to plug in the cord. Haloed now by faint blue, the angel smiled down at us, her heart glowing.
That angel is with us still though a hole now pierces her bodice, the heat from the bulb having melted through the old plastic decades ago. So the angel has retired. Each year she briefly supervises my sister’s Christmas decorating efforts when fragile old ornaments are unwrapped and admired, reminding us of our youth and of our mother taken from us, too young. The angel’s smile is as sweet as I remember, yet it was long ago that she plummeted to the carpet and long ago that my mom died. My tears, though, are as fresh as the day we lost her and the hole in my heart is as real as the angel’s. It shall never mend.
And now, with the holiday season upon us, I thought I would share that long-ago adventure I shared with my mom. In a few days I’ll visit my darling sister. We’ll hug and weep a little and our love will take flight as we cherish the memory of our mother’s gentle smile, now the smile of an angel.
A tale of passion–of heroes, hope, and the consequences of creating extraordinary music amidst the dark nights of war. Swept back in time to Nazi-held France, concert pianist and composer Erin Meyer protects members of the Resistance by ghost-writing music for an influential German officer. She’s now performing for her life. Caught in a maze of betrayal and death, Erin rescues a downed British pilot and helps him evade capture. It seems impossible, but she recognizes Arick from her own life and time. Erin’s attraction to Arick could prove deadly as the German officer who holds the key to Erin’s return demands more than she is willing to give. For Erin, time is running out.
My focus on writing began in the 1990s while CFO for the coolest architectural firm in Boulder. Fifteen writing awards later I resigned from OZ to follow the yellow brick road, and ten months after that signed a contract for my first published novel, Soliloquy, a HOLT Medallion Award of Merit winner. Since then I've enjoyed co-authoring three WWII military histories, a romantic suspense–A Serenade to Die For–and also the Misfortune Annie series. I'm honored to have been recognized as Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2018 Honored Guiding Member.
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