Book Spotlight: Melody of Life

Did you know that authors sometimes live vicariously through their characters? Gotta use our imaginations for good, right? Beth Westcott chats with us today about a scene in her new book that she thinks is very romantic. See if you agree.

Have you ever taken a ride in a hot air balloon? I haven’t, but I think it might be fun. That’s why I wove a balloon “adventure” into the plot of Melody of Life.
Mark is looking for something special to do with Alana, to create a fun and memorable adventure. He finds a website advertising a hot air balloon festival and invites her to go up in a balloon with him, something he really wants to do. 

When I researched hot air balloons on the Internet, I discovered the balloon itself is called an envelope and is made of nylon or polyester fabric panels sewn together. The wicker basket that holds riders is a gondola. Hot air makes the balloon buoyant and able to rise above the heavier air around it. The pilot, the person at the controls, adjusts the flame created by liquid propane needed to heat the air going into the envelope. By opening and closing the vent at the top of the envelop, the pilot changes the altitude. Although the pilot has some control over the direction of the balloon in flight, it is mostly guided by the wind. After landing, the balloon must be packed up and carried back to the launch site because it cannot fly against the wind.
At the time I wrote the balloon scene, my husband and I attended a local balloon festival. We didn’t go for a ride, but I enjoyed the atmosphere of the festival and seeing the balloons. What a variety of balloon colors and styles!
Does a balloon ride seem romantic to you?

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Melody of Life
 
Alana Somers returns home to Millvale on medical furlough to heal from malaria. She loves her work with refugees although it’s emotionally and physically draining. She must fulfill her present contract with the International Aid Society and decide whether to renew her contract for another five years. A nursing degree will open new ways for her to help people, and her growing attraction for Mark Chambers unlocks other new possibilities for the future.
Widower Mark still grieves the death of his daughter fourteen months ago when he is blindsided by unexpected job loss. Reeling from his losses, he questions God’s purpose. God gives him a new calling and new direction, which may include a second chance for marriage and a family of his own.
Will their commitments keep them apart, or does God have something more than friendship in store for them?
 

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A life-long lover of books and reading, Beth has four previously published contemporary romance novels: Meadow Song (Love’s Refrain Book 1), Heart’s Desire, A Heart’s Journey, and Her Heart’s Longing, comprising The Three Sisters Series, and a rom-com novella, Snowflakes and Puppy Love, included in the Pets Amore collection. Her short story “Sadie and the Princess” appeared in Heart-warming Horse Stories on Amazon. 
After graduating from Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, she married Frank Westcott. They raised three children and have five granddaughters and one grandson who is in heaven.  First with Child Evangelism Fellowship and then in pastoral ministry in several churches, Beth worked alongside Frank for 38 years. She became a 4-H leader when her children belonged to 4-H, and she home schooled her children for twelve years.
     She enjoys reading, music, gardening, sewing, and photography and now resides with her husband in Otego, New York.
 
Website
www.bethewestcott.com
Social Media
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/beth-e-westcott
https://www.facebook.com/bethewestcott
https://x.com/BethWAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29201094-beth-westcott

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