Second Chances

by C.D. Sutherland, Judy Burford, Beverly Flanders, Eileen K. Copeland, Carole Lehr Johnson

Overview

This publication stands as a testimony of the fifth year a group of authors have assembled their collective muse to create an anthology celebrating the short story. The last four years’ anthologies, Celebrating the Short Story, Over the Moon Travel Treasures, 2020 Vision, and Coming of Age, contributed greatly to advancing the craft of Christian fiction writing in Louisiana. This year, nine published authors have collaborated to produce the wonderful collection of diverse short stories you’re now viewing, Second Chances.
The short story has long endured since the creation of language. It is a useful vehicle for presenting an account, more often concentrating on the creation of a mood rather than a plot. A short story can range from a cleverly crafted sentence all the way up to 20,000 words. Whatever the length, a short story is typically centered around one plot, one main character, and one central theme. This stands in contrast to a novel, which is capable of weaving multiple plots and themes among an array of central characters. The writing styles used in short stories can be somewhat unusual or surprising to its readers, sometimes their writers use literary techniques which might wear down a reader if employed through the length of a novel. Being short, by definition, they provide the perfect fodder for being assembled into collections, usually with some unifying theme or common element to tie them together.
The nine short stories contained in Second Chances are as diverse in technique and theme as our previous years’ writings; nevertheless, they are united in the fact that a second chance event is a common element. We invite you to take notice of the techniques used by this array of talented authors to weave those second chance related appearances into their stories.
These nine adventures will take you to places you have never been. C.D. Sutherland’s Pop, Death, & the Devil chronicles the adventures of a retired bomber pilot turned novelist named Chandler Stud after he is brushed by Death. Judy Burford’s The Journey will put you in Jenny Sue Cutter’s struggle to survive the perils of a nineteenth-century wagon train to Oregon and then her challenge to carry-on after others don’t survive. Eileen K. Copeland’s The Fisher will show you a precious moment shared by Josie Grace and her grandfather, and then reveal how it provides comfort and the hope of greater things to come. Beverly Flanders’ The Promise brings back a mother’s memories of a promise she made to God that would assure her of His presence through good times and sad times. Carole Lehr Johnson’s A Chance in Time explains how Bertha Carrick, a character in the novel A Place in Time, came to be at Dunbar Park as she sought peace to salve the sorrow of loss from London’s seventeenth-century plague. Susan Hiers Foster’s Goodbye Mrs. Kravitz is a sweet story of neighbors Sally and Jim who come close to missing out on a friendship that will enrich their lives. Internationally published author Tammy Kirby’s Second Chance Daddy tells a tale of love interrupted and God’s perfect timing. Marguerite Martin Gray’s Loyalties Severed examines George Elliott’s tough choices dealing with a young man’s wavering devotions regarding love, family, and loyalty. Finally, the talented and prolific author Mary Lou Cheatham uses Deborah to retell the story of the Old Testament prophetess and judge who led her nation to know peace without fear. When you return from these experiences, chances are some will have left you wanting for more. If so, then check out that story’s author page in the back of the book. They might have something else you’ll like. We believe you’ll be glad you did.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940165784583
Publisher:	Narrow Way Press
Publication date:	01/28/2022
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	347,999
File size:	752 KB

About the Author

Charles David Sutherland signs his books as C.D. Sutherland. Across three decades, he flew B-52s for the Air Force, where he was known as The Chuck, then he turned novelist with his "The Chronicles of Susah" series. Those novels shook-up the fiction world as they defied conventional classification. They blended action and emotional tension with technology and spiritual intrigue in a coming of age story wrapped in an epic adventure set in the antediluvian age marking the birth of a new literary genre. His readers called it Antediluvian Steampunk and declared C.D. Sutherland to be its father. For all ages, if you like Biblically-based action adventures, then look at his books—you’ll be glad you did.

Born in the Virginia foothills to a coalminer’s son, who long ago joined the Navy to escape a life in the dark Appalachian mines, C.D. Sutherland also joined the military. After high school, he served in the Air Force for thirty-two years, seeing much of the world, flying jets and doing other such things most men have only dreamed about doing.

C.D. Sutherland married the love of life, and they are well into their 43rd year. The two of them are raising a couple of their grandsons. While C.D. Sutherland is a Baptist deacon, author, and an ACFW Louisiana officer and project manager, he is also the owner and executive editor of Narrow Way Press, LLC, a small independent publishing company. His philosophy for life is to "do the best you can with what you have to work with.”

His power verse is:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:16 KJV)*

(*note: You can too!)

Judy Burford is a charter member of ACFW Louisiana and has served as president, vice-president, and secretary. She has five short stories and her personal salvation testimony published in various anthologies. A Special Touch of Grace is her self-published collection of stories of missionaries. The Cross Murders is a novel, written by a deceased friend, which she edited and had published.

A resident of Gloster, Louisiana, a small farming community in DeSoto Parish, Judy and her husband, Hall, are parents of two daughters, each of whom is married. They have four grandchildren and one grandson-in-law. They hosted nine exchange students who have given them eleven bonus grandchildren.

Former dairy farmers, Judy, Hall, and their oldest daughter, Holley, run a beef cattle farm. Agriculture is one of her passions.

Traveling is another passion she shares with her husband. Their trips have taken them to Lithuania, where Lara, their younger daughter, and her husband live and work as missionaries; Germany, Finland, and Brazil, to the homes of exchange students; and mission trips to China, Niger, and Alaska. The COVID shut-down and limited travel has been hard to deal with. With a trip scheduled for September 2021, Judy is hoping to take to the skies again.

She also enjoys cooking, especially with vegetables from the family garden. Cooking for her family and others has been a great way to endure some of the pandemic restrictions.

Judy and Hall are very involved in Gloster Baptist Church, which is conveniently located across the street from their house. They lead a young adult small group.

When writing, Judy enjoys the way characters take on life and personalities of their own. Her coming-of-age story, Step In, surprised her by leading its characters, and her, along the Oregon Trail. She enjoyed researching the trail, a new venture for her, so the facts that she included would be true.

Beverly Flanders lives in Shreveport, Louisiana and is an active member of ACFW-LA. She has dabbled in light poetry since childhood when a seventh-grade poetry class assignment was published in a school anthology. Her career goal was to become a teacher, but those plans were interrupted when she met Al, the love of her life, at Indiana University. He became a banker in Mansfield, Louisiana, his hometown. Her writing projects stalled for a few years as they raised three perfect children who later produced six even more perfect grandchildren.

Through the years she stayed active in her church. In Mansfield, she taught Sunday School for third and fourth graders and often wrote plays based on familiar Bible stories for the children to perform. She was concerned about the problem of adult illiteracy, so she volunteered for Literacy Volunteers of America. An eighty-year-old man who had never been inside a school building was her star student. It was a truly amazing journey and she used her writing skills in preparing lesson plans for his progress.

She became a widow in 2009 and moved to Shreveport. A friend encouraged her to join ACFW-LA. Through her association with other writers and encouragement from family and friends, her interest in writing was rekindled. Her focus turned to writing devotionals and short stories. She currently teaches a Sunday School class of delightful ninety-year-old ladies in her Shreveport church.

Growing up as an “Army brat” as well as other life experiences have provided her with a wealth of material for her writing. Whether it’s devotionals, short stories, or teaching nine to ninety-year-olds, God has enabled her to use her love of writing in ways she never imagined.

Eileen Copeland is a wife and mother of two grown children. A grateful Christ-follower, she loves to encourage others with the sure knowledge of God’s love.

As a certified road-tripper, she enjoys traveling with her husband to various parts of the country. She hopes to make it to all fifty states one day. Her favorite destination is anywhere there is a beach or snow-capped mountains.

After working her day job as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, Eileen often retreats to a book where she can enjoy the world of a favorite writer or immerses herself in her own writing. On days off, you might find her visiting her three grandchildren and their parents (a daughter and son-in-law).

She and her husband, along with their dog Cricket, reside in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Carole Lehr Johnson is a veteran travel consultant of more than 30 years and has served as head of genealogy at her local library. Her love of tea and scones, castles and cottages, and all things British have led her to immerse her writing in the United Kingdom, whether in the genre of historical or contemporary fiction.

She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the president of her local chapter. She and her husband live in Louisiana with their goofy cats. Permelia Cottage is her first novel.

Susan is the author of two children’s books, Because God Tells Me So, dealing with her challenges of visiting her mother in a nursing home, and Leaping Over Walls, discussing the subject of bullying. In both books, Susan incorporated various family members in her tales, including her grandson John, and grand-dog Vito, a narrating pug.

After two decades spent mostly in the Washington DC area with her Army officer husband and children, the Shreveport native returned home. Susan’s professional life started in newspapers, including The Shreveport Times, The South Towne Courier, and as city editor of the Leesville Leader. She retired as director of the Noel Neighborhood Food Pantry after 17 years. What started as a job out of her comfort zone, would eventually become a passion for working with volunteers in serving a community living with a food shortage.

Susan enjoys being a group leader in Bible Study Fellowship, and volunteers in the jail ministry of Purchased Not for Sale, a program working with women in human trafficking. Susan is currently serving as The American Christian Fiction Writers Louisiana chapter’s vice president.

As always, Susan’s best days are spent with husband Rick, their adult children and spouses, active grandchildren, and their on-the- loose pets. Her second-best days are happily curled up with a book, fully appreciating someone else’s hard work.

Tammy Kirby is an internationally published author. In 2018 she released her debut novel, His Grace Forgiven. This is the first book in the Victorian Inspirational Romance series, Haven House, which placed second in the 2016 Great Beginnings Contest. Since then, she has completed three consecutive books in the Haven House series and is working on the fifth and last book at present.

In between working as an ER nurse and writing Victorian Romance, she has authored two Scottish Time travel short stories and co-authored a third. Because she believes God has a sense of humor, and laughter really is good for the soul, you will always find humor in her works.

Most of the crazy things her characters go through already happened to her or someone in her family, occasionally a friend, and perhaps a villain or two might have taken on characteristics of someone who treated her with less than brotherly love. (wink, wink).

Tammy makes her home in NE Louisiana with her husband. In her free time, she drinks tea, eats orange slices, swears she’s going to get on the treadmill, and writes beneath the surface about broken people finding hope, happiness, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Marguerite Martin Gray enjoys history especially when combined with fiction. An avid traveler and reader, she teaches Spanish and French and has degrees in French, Spanish, and Journalism and a MA in English. Marguerite is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Abilene Writers Guild, Daughters of the American Revolution, South Carolina Historical Society, and Southern Christian Writers. Always planning her next traveling adventure, she anticipates researching her novels in the setting of her fiction projects. Currently, Marguerite lives in North Louisiana with her husband and three rescue pets. Her two adult children help keep her young and energized.

As a child, Mary Lou Gregg allowed stories to roost in her head until they grew into novels, but she never completed any writing until she finished her second career. Living a busy life, she did not think she could spare minutes at the keyboard every day. Mary wrote some poems and short stories, which she always tossed into the trash can. When her life was the busiest ever, she could no longer suppress the desire to write. Experiences had shown her what she needed to say. The compulsion to tell her stories grabbed her and wouldn’t let go. Every morning beginning at four o’clock, she spent two hours writing.
She grew up on a hill farm on the county line south of Taylorsville, Mississippi, and north of Hot Coffee. Her folks sat around the fireplace on winter nights with pecans to roast and shell, while they competed to see who could tell the most intriguing stories. On summer evenings, they sat on the front porch, where they shelled peas and beans, while their parents told more tales. Sometimes they sat quietly and listened to the bobcats, owls, and whippoorwills.
The youngest of five children who lived to adulthood, she is the only survivor. One of her desires is to pass on a legacy to her nieces, nephews, and daughter. Writing a family memoir is a project she’s working on. All her Gregg relatives and their acquaintances are welcome to send Mary anecdotes containing memories of the Gregg family to include in the book. So far, she has received some poignant and humorous stories.
All her life, curiosity has led her to read and study. In high school, she took every available subject and continued to take courses after earning her B. A. She attended five colleges in Mississippi.
She taught English and other subjects. When her daughter, Christie, was young, Mary worked part-time so she could spend as much time at home as possible. At the age of forty, she enrolled in the Louisiana Tech Nursing Program and two years later began working as a hospital RN.
After forty years with Robert Cheatham, a phenomenal trumpeter who taught at Louisiana Tech, where he inspired generations of great musicians before he died of a variant of a rare neuromuscular disease in 2002, Guillain Barré Syndrome, which seldom causes death, Mary spent more than a decade single and unattached.
Then she married John Cooke—a retired petroleum landman, history scholar with a degree from Emory, bird watcher, excellent cook, newshound, and faithful follower of Christ. They have a happy life. John has four grandchildren and four children with mates.
Now Christie lives in west Texas with her husband, Brandt. As a dairy nutritionist, Dr. Christie Underwood advises dairy farmers. Brandt, an agronomist, offers aid and advice to farmers challenged by a semi-arid climate.
In 2019, Mary and her husband John moved to Ransom Canyon, Texas, down the street from Christie and Brandt. John spent 2019 recovering from stage IV cancer. Mary and John are hiding from COVID-19—so far successfully.
She writes. She goes to bed with a notebook and pen by her bed. The highlight of her day is the scheduled time she spends writing. When she can spare thirty minutes, she turns on her computer and spends three hours. Books about writing and about whatever subject she is researching clutter her personal space. Her thirst for ways to improve her craft has sent her to workshops and meetings with fellow writers. She reads, mostly the works of fellow authors who have become her friends. She maintains her website, MaryLouCheatham.com.
She writes inspirational fiction with a bit of mystery, mostly historical but sometimes contemporary. Her writing always shows the oppressed, the downtrodden, those mistreated by unkind human beings. A new novel about west Texas, Deep from the Heart, shines the light of God’s love on a group of impoverished people ignored by their neighbors.

In 2020, she released Letter from Belleau Wood, which tells the story of young love during World War I and the 1918 influenza epidemic. The book has received critical acclaim. Mary considers the book’s favorable review by Kirkus a significant accomplishment.