Faultlines - #TeaserTuesday and First Chapter / First Paragraph / Tuesday Intros

    Maybe it's because I have a son or because I was born and raised in Texas or maybe because the man character's name is Sandy, but Barbara Taylor Sissel's Faultlines spoke to me deeply. The story tells of a family torn apart by an automobile accident in which Sandy's son was believed to have been driving. Drinking was involved. He and his passengers were seriously injured, one of them fatally. The wreck has far-reaching consequences. 
   If you enjoy books that delve into family relationships in true-to-life situations, you'll enjoy Faultlines too. I definitely recommend it.
FYI: I saw no errors or typos in this book, which I always appreciate.


First Paragraph:
     Jordy wasn't dead.
     Sandy plucked that single fact from the sea of information she was hearing from the police sergeant, and she clung to it as tightly as she clung to the phone. Behind her, she felt the bed shift when Emmett sat up. She felt his warmth, his sleepy unawareness - his beforeness, and she envied him. "What is it?" he asked, and he was close enough that his breath on her bare shoulder made her shiver.

Teaser (from 28% on my Kindle):
    But there had always been so much goodness in her life, enough that at times she felt compelled to apologize: I'm sorry my childhood was so happy, stable, abundant. It was only after she learned that the one blessing she longed for most - a child - would be denied her that she thought there was a price for having been given so much when she was young, that possibly there was such a thing as too much good, too much joy.

Genre: Women's Fiction / Mystery
Book Length: 305 Pages
Amazon Link: Faultlines
Author Website: Barbara Taylor Sissel

Synopsis (from Amazon):

It’s the phone call every parent dreads: in the middle of the night, Sandy Cline learns that her twenty-year-old son, Jordan, has been in a car accident. Her nephew, Travis, was also in the car, along with Travis’s girlfriend. All three are alive—but barely. The car was smashed against a tree along a remote and winding road, beautiful but deadly, in their rural Texas Hill Country town.

In the wake of the car crash, the close-knit family is tested like never before. Jenna, Travis’s mother, blames Jordan—as well as her sister, Sandy—after reports surface that Jordan had been driving. As the young adults struggle to survive, tension between their parents escalates. But when trust is broken and a shocking family secret is exposed, it creates a perfect storm of harrowing consequences. Rumors in the small town spread like wildfire. When details of the accident are questioned, Sandy and Jenna wonder if their family has been destroyed beyond repair.

As always, there’s much more to the story…if the family is to survive, they will have to come together to confront the terrible truth and overcome their pain. But are some betrayals unforgivable?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too.

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Twitter: @SandyNachlinger

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Drippy Day #Hike - #SaturdaySnapshots

The weather isn't always wet and dreary in the Pacific Northwest; but when it is, we dress for the occasion and keep on going. Yesterday I joined the hardy folks from the Auburn Senior Center for a 6-mile trek in Discovery Park and around the Chittenden (Ballard) Locks. The temps were in the lower 40s (F), and when we left the woods, we faced stiff winds. Brrrr! Here are a few photos I took along the way. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of 
night stays these couriers hikers from the 
swift completion of their appointed rounds.

We emerged from the woods and saw
this view of Puget Sound from Magnolia Bluff.

Don't get too close to the edge!

Beautiful view of the sound.

On to the Chittenden Locks, where we watched
two boats navigate the locks. A yacht and...

a much smaller vessel.

"Salmon Waves" sculpture at the locks.

More public art in Magnolia.

Our hiking was rewarded with lunch at Serendipity Cafe in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood. My Monte Cristo sandwich added back all the calories I'd just expended hiking!

FYI: The group explored this area in April, 2017, too. Here's the link to photos from that outing: Chittenden Locks - Springtime

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. 

To participate: 

Post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on West Metro Mommy Read's website (link: HERE) Photos can be old or new and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.

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Seniors on Snowshoes - #SaturdaySnapshots

When I wasn't able to join the adventurers last year on the Auburn Senior Center's snowshoeing outing, I was determined this year to give it a try. 

Several of my friends talked about how beautiful the scenery was during the January 2017 hike, but they all said it was terribly cold. With that in mind, I wore:

·        Two pairs of socks (sock liners and wool socks)

·        Snow boots

·        Thermal underwear

·        Lined, waterproof pants

·        A sweatshirt

·        A heavy waterproof coat with a hood

·        Mittens that I used to wear when I skied

·        A wool hat

·        My backpack, carrying a knit scarf, sandwich, water, cell phone, etc.

The Snoqualmie ski resort provided snowshoes and poles, so I was ready for everything except … warmer weather and rain! 

After getting our snowshoes and poles, we splashed through rain and snow melt to the snowshoeing area. Rain pelted our heads. I’m guessing the temperature was in the upper 30s (F).

Once we'd fastened all the straps on the snowshoes and got on the trails, there was plenty of snow on the ground from the day before. However, the going was difficult. The existing snow was heavy and wet – not at all like the powder I’d experienced on Colorado ski trips – and the rain continued. There were nine participants from the senior center (including the senior center director), and two rangers accompanied us – one in the lead and one in the rear. 

Snow up to our knees.

It took a while to become accustomed to the snowshoes and to learn how to walk in them, plus there were specific techniques for walking uphill and downhill. It didn’t take long to master those. Our leader forged a path through untouched snow, and we followed like ducklings in her footsteps. I was about fifth in line so the snow had been packed down pretty well by the time I walked in it. The “trench” we walked through was probably knee deep.

This restroom isn't the most scenic shot, but this will give you an idea of how much snow we encountered. 

It wasn’t long before I worked up a sweat and unzipped my jacket. During the whole excursion, four different people fell down—and I was one of them. Of course it didn’t hurt at all, but it sure was hard to get up while wearing those awkward snowshoes in wet, slippery snow. The people who had gone on this trip last year said walking was much easier then, when the temperature was colder and the snow wasn’t as mushy and wet.  

Our guide, talking about Native Americans' many uses 
of cedar trees like this one.

Another problem with the rain was that it melted snow that had accumulated high in the trees. In several places, snow bombs fell on us. The rain turned them into a combination of snow and ice! Some of these were huge. The guide saw one that she said was as big as a Volkswagen. Because of the danger of someone actually getting injured from a giant mound of icy snow falling from high above, the rangers cut our walk short (only a few hours), which was fine with everyone. 

Accumulation of snow high in the giant trees.

In spite of all that, I enjoyed the adventure. The scenery was beautiful and it was fun to try something new and actually be able to do it. My muscles were sore that evening and the next day, but I’ll sign up for snowshoeing again. Maybe next time conditions will be better.

By the way, I switched the settings on my camera to "snow" mode. However, I'm disappointed in the way the photos turned out. None of the detail or contrast that I hoped to capture is shown in my pictures, and I wasn't able to tweak them using Photoshop. 

Info about snowshoeing, equipment, and more:
 REI Beginner's Snowshoeing Guide

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. 

To participate: 

Post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on West Metro Mommy Read's website (link: HERE) Photos can be old or new and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.

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White #Christmas - #SaturdaySnapshots

On December 25, 2017, Seattle and surrounding areas experienced their third white Christmas in the last 100 years. I had to take some photos of that amazing event.

View from my back door

Out front.

Monitoring the weather online. The ad for
snow boots is timely!

My granddaughter's version of a snow angel.

Although the snow was beautiful and I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood in it, I was glad it only lasted a couple of days. Is the weather snowy in your part of the world?

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. 
To participate: 
Post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on West Metro Mommy Read's website (link: HERE) Photos can be old or new and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.

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