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I’ve always been a sun lover. When people complain about the heat, I try to commiserate. But then I add, “Heat doesn’t really bother me. Not like bitter cold. I figure if it’s going to be that cold, it ought to be snowing. Otherwise, what’s the point?” Granted, I’ve been punished over the years for my relationship with sun, having had numerous skin cancers. Thankfully, none of them have been melanomas so far. My husband and both kids lack my appreciation. If we’re at a pool or beach, they look for an umbrella or shade tree. Avoiding sun for them has less to do with skin cancer concerns, I’ve learned, than with a straightforward distaste for the sensation. My daughter prefers to delay her beach time until after 5 or 6 pm. I, on the other hand, love the beach any time of day. So long as I have access to a lake, ocean, or pool, I can jump in to cool off. By the time I get out, I’m ready for the sun again. Today, for a brief moment, I felt the heat as I imagine they do. At the lake, I climb a lot of steps to get from the boat dock to the cabin. Near the top, I reward myself by jumping into a hammock to relax. Typically, the hammock is shaded, and I love to sway in the breeze. Today, however, it was just after noon, approaching 1 pm, and I stared straight up at the sun. Why doesn’t this feel right, I wondered. My next thought was to instruct myself to relish the sun as I always do. When this failed to yield immediate enjoyment, my third thought provided the revelation. This must be the way heat feels to some people all the time. Ouch! I’ll be more empathetic the next time someone complains about the heat. On the day I typed this, we were recovering from a situation where both my parents' air conditioner and ours had quit working. This was at a time when the heat index was well over 100 degrees F. Thankfully, they are back now. I remember a time when we had no air conditioners. But, wow, how easy it is to get spoiled to having one. 
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As mentioned previously, I’m posting a series of synopses of my upcoming publications, one at a time. If you have an opinion on any (or all) of them, I’d love to hear it. You can say something along these lines: 1) I think I would like to read this book; 2) I think I would not like to read this book; or 3) I would like to see an excerpt to help me decide. Feel free to elaborate on your reasons for (1) or (2). Of course, if you have other comments, I’d love to see them as well. Thanks in advance. Synopsis: Marie and the Happy Man In Marie and the Happy Man, Marie struggles to escape the farm and entices farm-boy Cliff, a romantic and determined optimist, to do the same. Is this any way to start a marriage? Each brings to the union a set of expectations most likely to destroy or devalue the other. Coleman families typically consist of strong men with compliant women, while Shultz women tend to dominate their compliant spouses. Marie and Cliff are doomed to clash. Yet, somehow, this marriage will survive over seven decades. Theirs is a love story, full of passion, anger, jealousy, and sometimes tenderness. Both are drawn back time and again to their roots, their families, and the lives they’ve left behind in the Bell City bottom. Marie’s crumbling mental health traumatizes Cliff and their daughters. This book begins in 1937. Cliff and Marie become the first in their families to graduate from high school. While cities in the United States have benefited from running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity for decades, these luxuries do not find their way to the Bell City bottom in western Kentucky until the 1950s. https://www.amazon.com/Past-Present-Debra-Coleman-Jeter/dp/1425745555 www.debracolemanjeter.com Audio books: https://www.audible.com/author/Debra-Coleman-Jeter/B00UDTPPC6  Over the next few weeks, I’m going to post a series of synopses of my upcoming publications, one at a time. If you have an opinion on any (or all) of them, I’d love to hear it. The first one is very personal, but some are based on other members of my family and others are entirely fictional. I hope there's something for everyone! I need to decide before long on the order of publishing, so any input would be great. Synopsis: The Happy Man’s Daughter Growing up as The Happy Man’s Daughter, I found my dad, Cliff’s, persistent optimism irritating and naïve. “Think warm thoughts,” he’d tell me if I complained about being cold. When I was a kid, I can’t tell you how many times he referenced the little engine that could. When I was a teen and got depressed, he’d say, “I’m okay. You’re okay.” Drove me crazy! He worked in Mayfield, Kentucky, for the Howard D. Happy Company. His customers referred to him as the Happy man. Although his life was far from easy, his indomitable spirit survived, and he tried to instill it through the generations into his progeny. In The Happy Man’s Daughter, I become the first college graduate in the family and go on to earn a doctorate at Vanderbilt, all the while questioning my place in the world and the true worth of the choices I’ve made. As I meditated on the role in my life played by family, faith, and fortune, I developed a collection of stories to explore my roots, adolescence, and search for purpose. This memoir provided an opportunity to examine four aspects of my life and the myriad experiences and people who have made me who I am: sex and other sins; I’ve got a crush on you; my father’s influence; and being me.  |
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