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28 September 2013

Marian Baay's Short Story "Heaven Is Not Far" Reviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels


Heaven Is Not Far

Stardust Romance, Sept. 2013

Lovely Fiction Debut!

I predicted some time ago that our resident editor (for Kok in the Netherlands), Marian Baay, would eventually write her own stories. And what a nice way to combine her knowledge of all things Dutch than by having a Dutch hero in her short story ‘Heaven Is Not Far.’ 

It is only fitting that Marian place immigrant Albert Van Ampting in Michigan—for Michigan had many Dutch immigrants, particularly in lower Michigan. After meeting Michelle Lefevre, Albert quickly woos and marries her in a sweet courtship.

Albert obeys God's call to fight in America's Civil War, taking his beloved dog, Jessie with him. The couple exchange letters. The last one is written by another soldier, urging Michelle to come quickly as Albert has only a short time to live.

Lovely story with a great twist at the end that will leave you smiling. But expect a few tears along the way!

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This short story may be purchased through Amazon.

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GIVEAWAY: A Kindle copy of Marian's short story.

36 comments:

  1. Thank you, Carrie for your lovely review! And thanks again for being a beta reader!!

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    1. Happy to do so--you've been such a help to me, Marian! Great story!!!

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  2. CARRIE, I didn't know that you had predicted Marian would one day write a novel! :) I'm forever astounded at Marian's exceptional grasp of the English language, which of course is evident in this beautiful story!

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  3. CARRIE, your prediction came true! A good little writer she turned out to be, too! I'm sure it encourages Marian's heart that all of her "cohorts" shared their wonderful reviews of her story and celebrated this special week with her!

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    1. Do you think Carrie is a prophetess, Diana? :)
      And yes, I'm grateful for all your wonderful reviews this week!
      Thanks my dear cohorts!!!

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    2. If she is I'll be writing, too. :o YW, mdh!

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    3. If you're going to write, then I'm a prophetess too. ;)

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    4. Yup, we all might have the gift of prophecy! Listening to God's whispers... Hugs!!!

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  4. I think this is so cool ! Wishing I win cause its that time of the month I'm short on funds... But the 1st is coming....smiles

    Linda Finn

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    1. We'll draw the winner on Monday, Linda, so you'll know soon enough! Thanks for dropping by this week.

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    2. Linda, I think u win a lot, so who knows? Blessings!

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  5. CARRIE good call! Marian never fails to amaze me with her many talents. Great job on the review!

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  6. You gals are ALL angels. ;-) (does sweet talking help my chances? LOL) I know--it is all done with no preference, so it is fair to everyone, as it should be, but I can still hope, right? ;-)
    Marian--I so very proud of your accomplishments and I look forward to reading your book--just waiting to make sure, I am NOT a winner, since I bought Carrie's book ad then later found out I could have had it for free. Sure, it is only .99, but if I can save the .99 for another book, then I'm ahead of the game, right? I personally think that all of you OWG gals have what it takes to write a great book--I think that time is your biggest deterrent. You gals all have a great weekend & I pray you are all feeling GREAT!
    Vicki (you gals already know my info...)

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    1. You make a big chance on winning since you showed up on each post, but you never know what random.org will do. It's almost Monday, so you'll know soon enough. If it helps - I like to see you stop by each time. :) :)
      I agree - I think we all are able to write a book. If we're called to write a book, it will happen on God's time. I really didn't think I had time to do it, but you see it happened anyway.
      Have a great weekend, Vicki!

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    2. Vicki, I'm not sure what you meant about having the book for free, but... Anyway, we're always glad to see you here. I agree--time is a big deterrent! Blessings!

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  7. Still no need to enter but wanted to say hello to you OWG girls. Maxie

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    1. So nice of you to drop by, Maxie! Have a great weekend!!

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    2. MAXIE!!! We all love you here! Big hugs!!!

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  8. Hallo, Hallo OWG Lovely Spirits,

    Happily, I can attest that I am loving the e-list updates!! :) :) I totally concur with you about how instinctive it was to see that she placed a Dutch immigrant into the story!! I thought that was quite stellar myself! Michigan is a very diversely populated state, and it has such a clever history, in regards to Upper & Lower Peninsulas! I ran into this through research I was conducting, and found that not only are the residents there of a diverse background, but their quite the hearty bunch! They even have ties to the Civil Rights era and the Underground Railroad! I was a bit surprised on the latter, as I thought it might be a bit too far north, but no! They played a key part! I love how by reading historicals, we all become more aware of the living history that surrounds our 'stomping grounds' here in the States! Makes a wish of a road trip even more sweet! :)

    Does it focus mostly on Detroit, or on other areas outside its reach!? I was a bit curious about the locales that are included, but of course, I know I'll find out once I get to read it! :)

    [Do not count me in the contest for the e-book!]
    [I await the print version, either regular OR POD!]

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    1. Yes, it is set primarily in lower Michigan, near Detroit but there is travel, Jorie! Great to see you here--yes we do have Underground Railroad connections big time in Michigan, where I grew up! Blessings!

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    2. Hallo, Ms. Pagels!

      :) Wicked sweet, hearing this! I am keen on learning more about the UR due to having connections in my ancestral past, as much as being a supporter of civil rights and liberties for all. I simply hadn't realised it was such a prominent part of Michigan's history! I need to get up there one day! Its a beautiful state! I hadn't realised you were from there originally!? Awesome!

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  9. I am looking forward to finding out about the twist you mentioned.


    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  10. It sounds like a neat story God bless you
    Chris Granville
    granville at frontiernet dot net

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  11. Sounds like such a touching, emotional, love story - & I would love to read it! Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy, & thanks, Carrie!

    bonnieroof60(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  12. MARIAN, You do have a wonderful grasp on the English language and I could tell from your story that it was one close to your heart. I'm so pleased that you are enjoying your first week of being a published author! Now, what new story are you working on? When can we expect your next book? Love you, sweet girl!

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    1. BTW - I am NOT entering the contest as I have a copy already :)

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    2. Thanks for your kind words, ANNE, and thanks for reading my story. :) I don't know when my next story will come out. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to write it in Dutch or English - since the Dutch publisher asked me to consider writing a full length novel in Dutch.

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