Bonus Material from the Nebraska Series Read online

  I know I’ll love you even more”

  Joel: Hey, you didn’t write a poem to yourself.

  Tom: Of course, he didn’t.

  Joel: With Dave, you never know. I seriously thought we’d be hearing something like this:

  “Yo, the name is Dave

  and I’m really buff

  I work on a farm

  so I’m ultra-tough

  I get two books

  Instead of one

  And I’ll have number three

  Before I’m done

  The sun revolves around me

  And the moon and stars too

  It’s me, myself, and I

  No one else will do”

  Tom: Honestly Joel, that poem fits your picture up above a lot better than the achoo one.

  Joel: *groans* Haiku! It’s a haiku! I really wish I could force you to take an interest in learning something that doesn’t involve farming.

  Neil: Can I do my poem, or are you all going to bicker all night?

  Joel: Oh, right. I forgot there was someone else in this competition.

  Neil: I appreciate the warm welcome, Joel.

  Joel: Oh, I was kidding. Go on with your poem.

  Neil: Here goes:

  “How lovely is my bride who makes my life worthwhile, my life worthwhile;

  What sweet dreams could entice you while you sleep?

  For in this sleep, your lips curl into a most becoming smile.

  Are you dreaming of memories to cherish, of memories to keep?

  Could it be me who occupies your mind at night as the moon kisses your brow;

  While the summer breeze caresses your skin, caresses your skin.

  For whether it be day or night, in wake or sleep, as time allows,

  I often find you stealing my thoughts, time and time again.”

  Owen: *sighs* So much for the Jenny poem.

  Joel: It’s better than Tom’s. And a most excellent choice, Neil, to pick a Refrain Type poem.

  Tom: I don’t know. It rhymed, which was cool, but there were those weird repeating phrases. Like “life worthwhile”. I think it should only be said once.

  Joel: *rolls his eyes* Of course you do. You don’t understand the structure of this type of poem.

  Tom: I don’t care what you said. My poem was better than that. I should get at least one vote this time.

  Neil: Oh, good grief. It’s not up for you to decide. It’s up to the people to vote.

  Poll Results:

  Tom Larson 6.14% (7 votes)

  Joel Larson 5.26% (6 votes)

  Rick Johnson 6.14% (7 votes)

  Owen Russell 0.88% (1 votes)

  Dave Larson 74.56% (85 votes)

  Neil Craftsman 7.02% (8 votes)

  Photo credits:

  Tom the poet: ID 7524460 © Imagery Majestic | Dreamstime.com

  Joel the poet: ID 22029924 © Jason Stitt | Dreamstime.com

  Rick the poet: ID 7497870 © Curaphotography | Dreamstime.com

  Owen the poet: ID 20258779 © Pares1 | Dreamstime.com

  Dave the poet: File ID: 3313267 © Yuri_arcurs | Dreamstime.com, picture purchased on 12/26/2011, no longer available

  Neil the poet: ID 11607956 © Geotrac | Dreamstime.com

  ***

  The Most Romantic Hero in the Nebraska Series

  (Posted on January 1, 2012)

  Dave: Wahoo! I’ve won two in a row so far! Thank you to everyone who voted for me. You rock! Ruth, I think this means I get a third book. The people have spoken, and they want more of me!

  Joel: You’ve got to be kidding me! Did I step into a parallel universe or something? How in the world can Dave get that many votes and the rest of us so little?

  Dave: *shrugs* When you got it, you got it.

  Joel: Oh, you got it alright. But what you got, I don’t want. Am I the only one who can see how massive your ego is? Seriously? These votes can’t be real. I suspect foul play. I want a recount.

  Dave: It’s legit, Joel. You’ll just have to deal with it. There’s no sense in denying the obvious. People just don’t like you as much as they like me.

  Joel: Don’t get me started, Dave, or I’ll…

  Dave: You’ll what? Bore me with medical terms?

  Ruth: Okay, guys. We still have more competitions to do before we’re done.

  Joel: And Dave’s going to end up winning, so what’s the point?

  Ruth: The point is, I still want to do these posts, and besides, some people did pick you.

  Joel: The smart ones.

  Dave: Wrong. The smart ones voted for me. The people voting for you felt sorry for you. They were sympathy votes.

  Joel: *lunges at Dave*

  Ruth: *steps in to break them up* Break it up, guys. This is my blog, and while we’re here, we’re doing it my way. So let’s get on to the competition. Tonight you will each tell everyone your favorite moment with your wife.

  Rick: Technically, I’m not married yet in Her Heart’s Desire, though I would be if you’d get to it.

  Ruth: I’ve been backed up with other projects.

  Rick: Yeah, like To Have and To Hold. You bumped my book back to have that one out sooner.

  Dave: And I’m very happy with how To Have and To Hold is going, by the way. There’s no need for me to go in and rewrite any of it for you. The scene where Mary told her mother she wasn’t going to be manipulated anymore was great.

  Rick: *sighs* My point is, my favorite memory hasn’t happened yet.

  Ruth: Well, let’s pretend I already wrote it. What is your favorite memory with Sally?

  Rick: Fine. And this shows what a bad boy I can be. I’m going to kidnap Sally and run off with her so we can elope.

  Neil: No way. You won’t actually kidnap her.

  Rick: Yes, I will.

  Tom: But why?

  Rick: Because I want to surprise her.

  Tom: Will she cry?

  Rick: I don’t think so. This is a romance.

  Tom: I think she’ll cry. Kidnapping a woman would scare her.

  Rick: I don’t think Sally’s the type to get scared.

  Tom: Sure, she is. Just how are you going to kidnap her?

  Rick: I don’t know.

  Tom: You don’t know?

  Rick: No. Remember, the scene hasn’t happened yet. I don’t know the details until Ruth writes it down.

  Tom: I hope you don’t throw a blanket over her so she can’t see. That would scare her. I also hope you don’t shove her into some dark and creepy carriage or wagon and leave her to wonder what is going on.

  Rick: *sighs* Good grief. This is a romance, not a thriller or a horror novel.

  Tom: Well, let’s hope it stays a romance. I wouldn’t want my poor sister to suffer distress.

  Rick: Ugh. She’ll be fine. Why don’t we move on to you? What’s your favorite memory?

  Tom: My favorite memory is when Jessica said yes to my marriage proposal.

  Joel: *snorts* Like that was a surprise. She pretty much came out and said it in front of everyone in A Bride for Tom when you and all those people were hovering around in the entryway of her house.

  Tom: Nothing was certain until Jessica actually said “yes” when I asked. You can’t take anything for granted, Joel.

  Joel: That includes the wedding night you botched up. *laughs*

  Tom: That’s not up for discussion in this post. We’re talking about our favorite memories, not our most embarrassing ones.

  Joel: Ah ha! So you admit that you were so clumsy you messed things up!

  Tom: I have four daughters. That proves I wasn’t that bad, so drop it.

  Owen: The rest of us would like to go at some point, so keep it going. What’s yours Joel?

  Joel: Okay. This is easy. It was when April told me I was the best man in the world and that she couldn’t have done better than me. I was even better than Dave Larson. Take that, Dave!

  Owen: Joel, no one believes that really happened.

  Tom: Yeah, stop making st
uff up.

  Joel: It could have happened.

  Owen: But what really happened?

  Joel: *sighs* Okay. My favorite memory was Christmas day when she sat on my lap. It was the first real nice moment we had together.

  Owen: That is a good memory.

  Neil: I have to admit it is. So what’s yours, Owen?

  Owen: Easy. It was when Irving came to town and everyone found out I wasn’t really him. I was put in jail and thought for sure I’d never see Jenny again. But then she showed up, and I knew everything would be alright.

  Dave: How could you know that when we were ready to hang you on the spot for lying to her about being someone else?

  Owen: Let me clarify my point. I knew everything would be alright between me and her. You and your brothers, however, were another thing.

  Neil: The Larsons are pretty fair people, for the most part.

  Dave: Like I didn’t have a good reason to be wary of you.

  Tom: Oh for goodness’ sakes! Don’t you two start arguing. We’re here to discuss our favorite memories with our wives, not the moment you wanted to clobber someone over the head. What’s yours, Neil?

  Neil: Right after I married Sarah, we had a tornado come through the property, and I went to get her necklace because it was the only thing she had left from her parents. When I made it to the cellar, she hugged me, and I knew in that moment that I mattered to her.

  Joel: Not bad, Neil. You were brave to risk a tornado to get that necklace for your wife. That’s bound to be better than anything Dave can come up with.

  Dave: You’re right, Joel. I didn’t do anything like go out into a storm where a tornado was somewhere on the property. There weren’t any tornadoes in my first book, and there aren’t any in the second one.

  Joel: Why do I have the feeling I’m going to hate hearing the rest of this spiel?

  Dave: *ignores Joel* My favorite memory of Mary is when she gave birth to my children. At the time To Have and To Hold is written (where I am currently at), it’s just Isaac and Rachel. You see, every time she has a child, I’m always glad she and the children are healthy.

  Joel: Oh great. He’s going to get another gazillion votes for that one.

  Dave: It’s the truth. Maybe if you thought your wife was going to die and then realized she had a miscarriage, you’d understand.

  Joel: I really wish Ruth had done that scene where I gave April an emergency C-section to save her life, but the book never made it that far.

  Ruth: *cuts off her characters as they continue to bicker back and forth* Since this post is long enough, I’ll end things here and post the results of the vote for the most romantic hero in the Nebraska Series.

  Poll Results

  Rick Johnson 2.97% (6 votes)

  Tom Larson 1.98% (4 votes)

  Joel Larson 39.6% (80 votes)

  Owen Russell 8.42% (17 votes)

  Neil Craftsman 8.42% (17 votes)

  Dave Larson 38.61% (78 votes)

  ***

  The Nebraska Series Hero You’d Like To Date

  (Posted on January 9, 2012)

  Ruth: This will have to be the last competition I run between the best hero in the Nebraska series because I’m out of ideas on things for the guys to compete on. Someone suggested the guy who can come up with the most romantic date, so that’s what I’m doing tonight. So let’s see which Nebraska hero would be the one you’d go on a date with…

  Dave: Wait a minute, Ruth. I wanted to talk to you about doing a third book featuring me and Mary.

  Ruth: I’m not even done with the second one, Dave.

  Dave: But there’s no harm in planning ahead. You are almost done with To Have and To Hold. I believe you have about 11,000 words left and then you’re done.

  Ruth: About that, yes. But this post isn’t about your second book or even a possible third. I have a lot of other books to write anyway, so I can’t even think of a third book. Not that I’m planning on writing a third one.

  Dave: I understand you’re busy. I saw the ridiculous amount of books you’re working on at one time. Don’t tell me you make the word counts every single day on those.

  Ruth: Well, no I don’t on average, but I have the really good writing day where it actually happens.

  Dave: That’s why I’m here. I want to help you. I even took a writing course. Did you know you write too many unnecessary words like “well” and “just”?

  Ruth: It’s called the author’s voice.

  Dave: Wait a minute. You’re telling me you break the rules on purpose?

  Ruth: Yep. But that’s not the point of this post.

  Dave: You’re right, and we’ll get to the next round of who is the best hero, but first, I wanted to propose a few ideas on my third book. I’ll even be your ghostwriter. No one needs to know.

  Ruth: Uh…except everyone reading this blog right now.

  Dave: Oh, I’m sure they’ll keep it a secret. They’re the trustworthy sort. Anyway, here are some ideas I was brainstorming the other day. I’m the one who gets amnesia. Think of how much fun it’d be for me to rediscover my love for Mary.

  Ruth: Same idea used twice? I don’t think so, Dave.

  Dave: It wouldn’t be the same idea. This time we won’t go to Maine.

  Ruth: *sighs*

  Dave: Fine. We’ll ditch it. How about a story where some robbers take Mary hostage and I have to rescue her?

  Ruth: You really want to spend 80% of the story away from Mary?

  Dave: Well, once I rescue her, we could make our way back home and face some hardships. I could save her from a mountain lion or a bear.

  Ruth: I’m not seeing it. Look, Dave, I need to get this post going. We’ll start with you. What is your idea of the perfect date?

  Dave: Rescuing Mary from a dangerous situation.

  Ruth: Really?

  Dave: What? I can do it. I might not look like it, but I got some pretty great muscles under this suit.

  Ruth: You are going to defeat a mountain lion or a bear with your hands?

  Dave: I might have to use a gun, but I don’t mind confronting the wild animals to save her life.

  Tom Larson: You’re missing the whole point of a date, Dave. It’s not to prove how great you are. A perfect date is treating your woman like she’s a queen. What I do for Jessica is give her a back massage. The poor thing works hard all day long to take care of the house, me, and the kids. She needs a special time to be pampered.

  Ruth: Sounds good to me.

  Dave: You don’t vote, Ruth.

  Ruth: No, but if I did, I think I’d pick this one. What woman doesn’t want to be pampered?

  Tom: See? And Jessica never complains.

  Owen: *holds pizza box* Ah, but what is a massage without a home-cooked meal to go with it?