Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Thinking of the Farm

My grandma passed in 2012 and my grandpa in 2015. Life has definitely not been the same for our family since they have passed away. The farm is in the family still, but it's hard to go back there. The memories of all of the good times flood me, but the atmosphere there isn't the same without them. My grandma once said, it's family who makes the home, not the walls. That statement is very true.

In June, we went back and my son took his senior pictures there. That will probably be the last time I go back to the farm. I took a few pictures for memories. I was looking at those pictures tonight thinking of how I grew up riding on the tractor with grandpa in the fields, the many hay wagons I rode on, and hopping hay bales with cousins.

I think about the family dinners, the Christmas dinners where grandpa would get excited like a child for presents, the laughter, the card games, and good food. The holidays are the hardest without them.

As we go through this holiday season, think of your family and friends, include them if you can, and make memories that will make you smile. May you all be blessed.



This field was always fun. I love looking across it.


This barn held many calves over the years. My brother and I had one calf named Sparky. He never liked being in the barn. Grandpa ended up tying him to a tree. Every morning Sparky would get off the rope and he was on the front porch waiting for us when my parents dropped us off.


This was the old chicken coop. My grandparents stopped using it before I was born. In this area was the original farm house that was torn down years ago. The only thing that remains is the cement slab.


Monday, November 27, 2017

Are Life Circimstances Our Choice

Do you believe that things happen to us because of choices we make? Do you believe that outside forces have an affect on our lives?

I believe both of the statements above. We can't control what others do, but sometimes the choices of others do affect us. What we can control is how we react to what life throws at us. Your choice is your reaction.

There are times, that with the help of others, our outlook could change. How? It only takes one person, looking in from the outside to see the whole picture. That person may change your whole perception by painting the picture for you.

In my book, Diamond Murders, things happened to Daisy that were out of her control. When her accountant mismanaged her money, she lost her business, and she chose to become homeless. She didn't research if all of assets were lost. She panicked and left to live in the tent city on the river.

Gavin, the police officer working a murder on the river, remembered Daisy. He gave her the motivation to start over with a few kind words of how he bought his wife's engagement ring from her. She was somewhat apprehensive, but she did set out to start over and attempted to overcome the odds that were out of her control and against her.

How do you handle things thrown at you in life? How do you deal with obstacles that are out of your control? Do you allow them to take the best of you or do you meet the obstacle head on and fight for what you want?

I believe in stepping back and analyzing the situation. I believe that answers come to us when we are open to receiving them and look for them.
https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Murders-LR-Hatfield-ebook/dp/B00M8CAN1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511834661&sr=8-1&keywords=Diamond+murders%2Flr+hatfield

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Starting Over

Starting over is never easy. I don't know about you, but I do it a lot as a writer. I'll start writing and get a few thousand words in, then decide to delete it all. Many of those stories remain deleted. I don't know if it's fear, laziness, or lack of motivation to finish it. Could be all of the above.

What I do know is, that I have started many books over the past couple of years, and stopped writing  them. I think I probably have a dozen or more. I'd get excited, talk about them, then just stop working on them. I haven't written a full novella or novel in probably two years. I'm finally breaking that cycle. (I hope) I am now over 20,000 words into my next novella, Answers From the Past.

It hasn't been easy to start over. I have wanted to delete what I have written several times, but I stop myself. In my novella, Diamond Murders, Daisy struggles with starting over. Gavin, a police officer, working a crime scene outside of her tent along the river encourages her to.

Daisy has the means to start over because of a few diamonds she saved in a sock when her business went under. She takes the advice of Gavin, and finds a spot for her shop. People quickly learn she is starting over, and those close to her get murdered. Not just murdered though, Daisy's diamonds are burned into the bodies.

How are they getting to her diamonds? Why do they want to hurt Daisy? She questions all of it, and even begins to look at those around her to determine if they are committing the murders. She can't trust anyone she encounters.

What have you tried to start over? There are many things in life that we can start over. Business, relationships, goals. Tell me your stories.

Diamond Murders
https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Murders-LR-Hatfield-ebook/dp/B00M8CAN1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511751500&sr=8-1&keywords=diamond+murders%2F+lr+hatfield