About Me
- Pamela Clare
- I grew up in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, then lived in Denmark and traveled throughout Europe before coming back to Colorado. I have two adult sons, whom I cherish. I started my writing career as a columnist and investigative reporter and eventually became the first woman editor of two different papers. Along the way, my team and I won numerous state and several national awards, including the National Journalism Award for Public Service. In 2011, I was awarded the Keeper of the Flame Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalism. Now I write historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense.
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Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Prayers needed — and a cool poll
I more or less grew up here...
Most of us have people in our lives who at one time or another make a big difference. John and Connie are two such people in my life. They're my parents' ages. They met my parents because my father and John worked together at Rocky Flats, the former nuclear trigger plant south of Boulder.
I was 2 years old when John and my father met and our two families became friends. They had two girls, too, and their daughters were the same ages as me and my younger sister — that is to say, 2 and newborn.
As time went on, my parents had a boy. And they had a boy. Then my parents had another boy, and they had another boy. Same ages. Kind of funny, really. Naturally, this only made for a closer bond.
They lived up in the mountains, and I can say that the happiest days I had as a young child were spent at their house, running around like a wild child in the mountains. We played outside until it was dark, then slept on their upstairs deck out under the stars. It was kind of like camping, because we were in the mountains, except that we were also at home.
I spent countless nights at their house. I couldn't even begin to guess how many. Every Sunday morning included an enormous pancake breakfast with eggs and sausage and French toast. Everything you could want for breakfast. They always held hands and said grace. And I always went to Sunday school with Debbie.
I grew up to take a different spiritual path, but John and Connie have always represented to me what "real" Christians should be. If you've already realized who they are, you win the prize.
When It came time to name the pastor and his wife who take Megan into their home in Unlawful Contact, the choice was easy for me. I named them John and Connie — Pastor John and his wife Connie — as a tribute to the two people whose home had been such a haven for me. A couple months ago, I had dinner with them and with Debbie and her three boys and got to tell them about the book. I guarantee you they would never read one of my stories, but they're the most genuine people you could ever hope to meet.
Sadly, John is struggling with lung cancer, and Connie, who a few years back had to deal with breast cancer, is now facing colon cancer. It would mean a lot to me if those of you who pray could include them in your prayers. They're wonderful, wonderful people, and they've been such a blessing in my life.
Thank you!
On a completely unrelated topic, All About Romance is hosting their Favorite Books by Favorite Authors poll. It's not a competition between authors. Authors are competing only with themselves. I've been chosen to be featured as one of the authors this time around — ! — so AAR wants to hear from my readers as to what books of mine are their favorites. Just go to to All About Romance and fill out the form. There are 13 authors listed, and you can sound off on as many authors' books as you choose.
I'm interested to see the results. Somehow I think Surrender and Unlawful Contact and Ride the Fire will be toward the top of the your favorites. But I could be wrong.
If you have time, pop by. AAR uses the list to provide readers with a guide or resource for when they want to decide which books to start with for a new-to-them author.
OK, almost done with Chapter 21 and counting...
Oh! I almost forgot!
When I got home from work yesterday, there was a box waiting for me. Inside the box, I found a beautiful engraved marble pen stand (is that what you call them?) announcing to my surprise that I am Colorado Romance Writer's Author of the Year. I was floored! The conference was at the beginning of May, and I wasn't able to attend because I'd just broken my foot. So I missed getting the award. They apparently decided to surprise me — and mailed it.
So that's pretty exciting!
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21 comments:
John and Connie are in my thoughts and prayers. Sometimes you wonder how such wonderful, loving people can have such a horrible disease as cancer. Seems so unfair.
Congrats on the award! You so deserve it and all the others you will receive in the future.
I will keep John and Connie in my prayers, adn like Debbie I do wonder how it is that good decent people gt souch horrible diseases.
Congratulations on the award you are so deserving of it!
Hi, Debbie — Thank you so much. I really appreciate each and every "Amen." And I SO agree with you. What's amazing to me is that neither of them show much fear at all. John already had lung cancer when my brother was so sick. And they made supper for him and did their best to be supportive — as if nothing were amiss in their lives. My brother and I were both amazed by that.
And thanks! I'm very pleased and amazed. :-)
Hi, Amanda — Thank you for your prayers. I really appreciate your generosity. It's strange, isn't it? It just doesn't seem fair.
And thank you! I'm very grateful to CRW.
Aw, that was a lovely story, Pamela. They will be in my prayers.
*sigh* Cancer sucks.
John & Connie & their famikly are in my thoughts.
Congrats on winning CO Romance writer of the year. VERY cool! What a wonderful suprise.
Keeping John and Connie in my prayers.
Hi, Pamela, the deleted comment was mine - my brain went numb on typing again. Your wonderful friends are in my thoughts and prayers, and congrats on the surprise award!
Thank you, Barbara. I didn't realize till I posted this that I have no photos of them or of us with them! I wanted to post one of Debbie and me playing as kids, but no such luck. Now my parents are looking through shoe boxes of old photos hunting for some. LOL!
Thank you, Ronlyn, on both accounts. Cancer does suck. I wish I could make it leave the planet forever. It's not good for anything.
Enjoy that steak and corn salsa tonight. :-)
Hi, Azteclady — Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.
Hi, LInda — LOL! No worries. And thank you so much for both the prayers and the congrats.
Hi, Zeek — Thank you! I'm very grateful.
Can't wait to see what you think of EE and HE. I have to admit personally that I think each book got better, but there are readers who do not agree with that assessment. :-)
Congrats on the award Pamela!! You totally deserve it.
Will be praying for John! My MIL succumbed to cancer a year ago and she was a really really good woman. It was heartbreaking to see her suffer so.
So now am off to AAR to vote :).
Pamela, I'm really sorry to hear that your good friends are facing such awful challenges. I will definitely say a prayer for them.
Hi, Luci — Thank you very much! I'm so sorry to hear about your MIL. It's terrible to have to watch someone suffer like that. I really hope science finds a way to prevent cancer -- a vaccine or something.
Hi, Rita —Thank you! I'm very grateful. :-)
Hi Pamela,
I'm so sorry they have to go through such a horrible disease. I'll keep them in my thoughts.
Congrats on the award! That's wonderful news. And you definitely deserved it.
stef
Sending thoughts and prayers to Connie and John.
Congrats on being named Colorado Romance Writer's Author of the Year.
Thank you for sharing, Pamela--I'll be praying for John and Connie. What a blessing they've been to you, and I'm glad your families have been friends for so long!
Congrats on the Colorado Romance Writer's AoY award! May you keep on getting good news!
Pamela, I am so sorry to hear about your dear friends. I will keep them both in my prayers.
Congratulations on the well deserved award.
I was thinking of you the other day when I was reading the paper. There is a mountain climber from Colorado missing in China and I know you like mountain climbing, I was wondering if you knew of him.
Hi, Stef — Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. Yes, it's just wrong somehow. Connie has had two surgeries in the past three weeks and, I believe, will be going home early this week — then starting chemo.
As for the award, thank you! I'd like to think I deserve it. I'm certainly happy about it.
Thank you, Jane! I appreciate the thoughts and the congrats. :-)
Hi, Flchen — Thank you very much! Yes, they have been a great blessing in our lives. I truly can't remember them not being a part of our lives.
And thanks! I shall gratefully accept all the good news I can get. :-)
Hi, Judy — Thank you so much for the prayers. I'm very grateful.
The climbers all live in Boulder, and one of them is a man I've had some contact with. I don't know the other two. It's a shame. I've known so many who've been killed. Alex Lowe was my own personal hero. Gören Kropp was a friend of our family. It's terribly sad, and yet they all loved climbing and knew the risks. The Chinese climbing folks are saying the three died in an avalanche. That's how Alex died, too. (Gören died when he fell 60 feet -- that's 20 feet farther than I fell.)
Boulder is full of climbers. When you drive into the mountains at times it seems like every boulder, every crag, every wall is crawling with people. It's kind of funny. And climbers are sometimes compulsive about it. My brother, for example, got bored one day and climbed his chimney. Yes, his chimney. I walked outside and saw him halfway up, and shouted to him, "Is that a first ascent? What are you going to name that route?" ;-)
OK, I'm blathering. Thanks for your wishes, Judy.
Such beautiful and touching childhood memories, Pamela. Your friends are in my thoughts.
Congrats on the award. I'd say you earned it!
They are both in my prayers. Cancer is such a horrible disease and I pray that they find a cure for it soon. All to often it touches so many peoples lives now a days, it's horrible.
And huge congrats on the award hon you so deserve it! :) YAY
Hi Pamela I will put your friends in my prayers every nite I pray that things will be ok God Bless I didnt get to do the poll :( bc of the storm we had here has done something to my my computer but cant wait to see what it was and love the pic of you
Congrats, Pamela! Wonderful news about the award.
I'll keep your friends in my thoughts and prayers.