Hello Again, Romantics , it's Robin... Last month I wrote about the lifelong romance my parents shared and invited you to share yours. Here's another, this one is from Fran: Hi Robin, the love story that has had the biggest effect on me was my mother’s. She married just before her eighteenth birthday and over the years gave birth to four children. Her marriage was rocky and after thirty-three years she divorced my father. She remained single for the rest of her life, though she did have some relationships. When she was seventy-six, she met a man at a local diner. He struck up a conversation and asked if he could call her sometime. Well, sometime turned out to be that night. His wife had been in a local nursing home for some time with dementia. Though he visited her regularly and took her for frequent drives, she did not know who he was. He was sometimes depressed and lonely and, at eight-six, was nearing the end of his time on earth. Sensing his loneliness, his daughter urged him to find a friend. He surely did. He and Mother became an Item. They lived to help each other out. He still made regular visits to his wife’s bedside. Sometimes Mother drove him to see her. To me, that is one of the sweetest things I have ever encountered. His wife eventually passed away and he went through a period of mourning. Then, after some time passed, he asked Mother to marry him. He had always said that if he ever had the opportunity, he would marry her even if someone had to push him down the aisle in a wheelchair. But Mother turned him down. She said he had his house and she had hers. He had his family and she had hers. Why mess up a good thing? He confided to me that his feelings were hurt, but quickly added, “by God, your mother is a smart woman”. They were still an item until he died at ninety-five and Mother was eighty-five. They were at each other’s house every day. When one wasn’t feeling well, the other was there to lend a hand. Mother was with him the day he died. She was so glad that as he took his last breath and started to fall to the floor, she caught him in her arms. They always had each other’s back. Simply beautiful, Fran. Thank you so much! If you have a special love story you wish to share with our readers, please send it my way. My address is
[email protected]. I hope we'll hear from you! Our "Other" Book is Now Available on Audio! Audiobook fans know that our holiday love stories are available in that format, but what you might not be aware of is that our one non-Christmas book, Drifting Together , is now available, too. It's all part of a beta experiment being conducted by Amazon using virtual voice narration and AI (artificial intelligence). Whereas I personally narrate our other books, this one uses a non-human narrator. The quality is much better than I expected, and I suspect this will be a growing trend with many writers. If you want to hear a sample, you can find it here . Please let me know what you think! Happy Anniversary, Paul and Eleanor! My in-laws, Paul's parents, are celebrating their 66th wedding anniversary today! Here are three of my favorite pics. The first is a photo from their wedding day, the second was taken at the Maryland seashore. The final picture was at the wedding of our niece, Erin, a couple years ago. A wonderful love story that is still going on! Our Latest Blog Post - Who Does What? In last month's Love Letters, we answered questions about how this Robin Paul thing came to be. This month's post goes a bit further, answering a question people ask when they find out we write together: Who does what? You might be surprised to learn that Paul does most of the writing. Yep, the male half of this team puts the words on paper. My role? Well, you'll want to read this month's Love Letter to find out. Click here to find it! Pic of the Pix - Grandkids All Together! With two grandsons here in Florida and three granddaughters in Kansas City, the opportunities to get them all in one place are very special. We had that last week as KC came to Florida for a few days of sunshine and pool time. Pictured from left to right are Fallon, Flora, Milo, Fletcher, and Finley. Be still, my heart. Spotlight on... Grebey Island Long-time readers know that Paul was the first in our family to venture into the writing biz. He'll never admit it, but I will: His books are really good ! They're not romance, but there is almost always an underlying love story. Paul's books are a combination of mystery and suspense mixed in with a bit of history and southern influence. If you or someone you know is a fan of Pat Conroy, Greg Iles, and Charles Martin, you'll love Paul's books. His first two, Harvest of Thorns and Some Summer , are set at a place called Grebey Island that is loosely based on Kaskaskia Island, Illinois. Paul's books have their own group of dedicated readers, just like we do with Robin Paul. Perhaps you should take a look! You can find all five of Paul's books here. Hello from Lucy and Her Favorite Flamingo! Did You Miss a Newsletter? Find All of Them Here! That's all for now. See you soon! Love, Robin
