Forgive me my friends. I had no idea that moving house could cause such disruption to my Internet access. When I parted with my money I was assured that I would be unlikely to be without Broad Band access for longer than a day or two.
Er, make that a week or two.
The good news is that I should be up and running again by early next week.
The bad news is that I have just come to a friend’s house and discovered how many of you have been trying to contact me while I’ve been away.
I can only apologise and promise each of you that you will get a reply- it will just take me a little longer than usual to get back to you.
Meanwhile, may I say thank you for all the good wishes and messages of support I have received. There’s nothing quite like friendship, is there?
Talking about friendship. I was concerned to leave my friends behind in the village, but have been touched by the many new neighbours who have called by to say hello and welcome me to their area.
How helpful and nice people can be, but then then people I meet are often my main inspiration, prompting me to write about hope and love and courage, and all the things that draw us together.
As soon as I can I’m going to raise some photographs of the moorland and farmland surrounding my new home on my writing diary on www.susanstephens.net
Another thank you is due to my wonderful readers who sent The Spanish Billionaire’s Mistress straight into the Waldenbooks top ten.
I can’t wait to get ‘properly’ back on line to tell you about my next release in November- Bedded By The Desert King- A great title, thought up by my new young editor.
To celebrate friendship I want to offer one of you a special gift of a signed copy of one of my books.
To enter please share with us one example of friendship that has changed your life for the better.
I can’t wait to hear from you… but please remember that I won’t be able to respond until maybe early next week! So don’t be disheartened if you don’t see my messages coming up on this Blog. I will catch up with all your responses and I will choose a winner even if we have to wait until next week for the announcement.
Thank you for bearing with me my friends.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan
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I hope that your move/ transition works out quickly.
20 years ago we moved with a 3 yo and 6 mos old baby to the country. The closest town had only 2000 people. Luckily, I had next door neighbors: Glayds and Dave. (within a 1/2 mile) (a couple in their 60’s). They adopted my family and treated my children like grandchildren,because their grandchildren lived 3 hours away. She became my mentor teaching me how to knit, crochet and cook different types of food. She also loved to read so we interchanged various books and introduced each other to new authors. She would babysit in a pinch. She was a wonderful lifeline! She is now 81 and continues to monitor my now 4 children’s progress through life. She’s eagerly anticipating my daughter’s wedding next July 2007. Dave passed away 3 years ago. She’s a very dear friend!
by Laurie G
on May 3rd, 2006 at 7:10 am
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I have a wonderful friend who inspires me daily. About 2 years ago, her husband had a stroke (he’s in his early 40’s) and is completely paralyzed. He can’ t even talk. It was devastating to happen to such an active person, and heartbreaking for his family. But my friend Cynthia has been an angel and a caregiver and if she complains, you will never know it.
Not only has she taken care of him through it all, she’s taken care of her best friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed someone to take her to her chemo treatments, and she was there for that same friend when her mother passed away shortly afterward. Her own sister lost a son (Cynthia’s nephew) to violence - and he left behind two small children, and Cynthia has been a pillar of strength for her whole family, taking care of her sister and making sure the kids are doing okay. I have to wonder when she sleeps because she also has a full-time job to have the medical benefits for her husband.
They say God doesn’t give you more than you can handle, but I just have to wonder how much is too much. She strength in God and her loyalty to her friends and family knows no ends. Knowing her would obviously make anyone strive to be a better person, and that’s exactly what she does. Yet she is the one who makes me feel important by valuing our friendship so much. She is unique and incredibly amazing, and I thank God she is in my life. You could find no better friend.
by Stacy ~
on May 3rd, 2006 at 7:13 am
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I have met a lot of friends in the different online forums and loops. It’s a close group and we are there for each other in good and bad times. That’s more than I can say about many people that I met here in Germany. My best friend that I see everyday is my mom.
by Danny
on May 3rd, 2006 at 8:58 am
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Honestly, I have many friends that I cherish, but my best friends are my mother and grandmother.
My grandmother, who has always seemed to have a touch of psychic abilities, always calls me on my worst days. It’s as if she senses I’m not happy about something. When I’m feeling down or I’ve had an arguement with my husband, the phone always rings (she lives in another state) and it is her. She is in her 80s and her wisdom is unparrelled. She offers me a balanced and nonjudgemental view on everything. She is someone who is always looking out for my best interests.
by Sandra M.
on May 3rd, 2006 at 10:35 am
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A wonderful friend is my friend Sue. We have been friends since high school. When I was pregnant with my toddler she would send me care packages in the mail each month. She would send me something to pamper myself. it could be body lotions in different scents or books from my wish list. She would send me lovely notes telling me she was thinking of me even though we are far apart. Now that I am pregnant with my second child she is doing it again. It is such a great feeling to have a friend who is like that. I feel so blessed.
by Cherie Japp
on May 3rd, 2006 at 10:47 am
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Some years ago our dryer caught fire. As we were standing on the front lawn with our two young children watching many firefighters go through our house a friend from church puts her arm around me and suggests that she take our children away from this (luckily the firefighters were able to put the fire out before it spread to anything else) so they didn’t have to watch everything. They ordered a pizza and kept our children entertained until we could pick them up.
by Maureen
on May 3rd, 2006 at 2:28 pm
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My best friend is a great inspiration to me. Her daughter was born with several medical problems but she is brave and a real trooper during all of the medical issues that arise. The courage that she has makes me strive to be stronger in difficult situations.
by Crystal B.
on May 3rd, 2006 at 2:51 pm
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Choosing only one such example is not easy, for many people in my life have been uncommonly kind to me and mine.
A few years ago I faced unexpected financial hardship, to the tune of almost US$1000.00. Being a divorced mother of two, full time student, I had no way of coming up with such a sum on my own after months of careful squirreling away of pennies–let alone in the mere days before it was due. An online friend, who I in fact didn’t meet face to face for almost a full year after, wired me the money, with a note, “You owe me nothing, take care of yourself.”
by azteclady
on May 3rd, 2006 at 2:56 pm
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i met nice people here and on chats now too. they like reading romance like i do and it is fun chatting with them. they like the same things i do and we can relate and even trade books together.
by KIM H
on May 3rd, 2006 at 3:26 pm
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My best friend is Bertie(Alberta); she is a kindred spirit and a ‘true’ friend.
I can phone her and feel uplifted and talk about anything with her. We sent
each other birthday and Christmas presents and I await those parcels with
glee. She lives two provinces away but also lives in my thoughts.
by Robyn
on May 4th, 2006 at 12:36 am
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I met my best friend in elementry school. Just about everybody else either bullied me or just ignored me, but my friend was always there for me, no matter what other kids said or did. I was very lucky to have a friend like that.
by Minna
on May 4th, 2006 at 3:10 am
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I’ve met several wonderful women on line and now we chat all the time. We have become very good friends and try to help each other with advice or just being there to listen when we are having problems in our lives.
by Carol
on May 4th, 2006 at 8:40 am
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Back on line after 8 impossibly long days.
First of all, I want to thank you ladies for your patience and forebearance. And secondly I want to say how moved I have been by your touching stories of friendship.
Laurie’s story of an elderly friend who taught her so much reminds me of my own Aunty Kay. Aunty Kay (88 in July) was my late mother’s best friend and has become my children’s surrogate grandmother. She has taught me so much, like your dear friend, Laurie.
Stacy’s story about her friend Cynthia is an inspiration to us all. People like Cynthia are like beacons of light.
Danny, my mother was my best friend so I know where you’re coming from with your comment- and I look forward to meeting you in person in Daytona, by the way, so please do come and find me- at the signing, if not before.
Sandra M echoes my previous thoughts with her mother and grandmother always being there for her.
Cherie, your friend Sue was particularly thoughtful because she remembered that you needed pampering too… we all do, don’t we?
Maureen, people who help us without needing to be asked are friends indeed.
Crystal, I know just what you mean about friends being our inspiration.
Azteclady, you have experienced something really special there… it restores our faith in human nature when we hear a story like that.
Kim, the internet has brought the whole world closer and I love it for that very reason.
What Robyn has to say proves you don’t need to live next door to someone to sustain a friendship.
Minna, that’s just awful that you were bullied; thank goodness you had such a wonderful friend to take care of you.
Carol, for me you have just put the world of romance in context… it brings like minded women together right across the world.
So, ladies… how do I choose a prizewinner out of such wonderful entries?
You’ve touched my heart and I thank you all for ‘keeping the faith’ and believing I would get back here sometime somehow.
Stacy, I love what you say your friends Cynthia making us strive to be better people, so if you would like to mail me on SusanStephensContests@gmail.com I would like to award you our prize this time.
(as this is a new mailing address for me, if you have a problem please leave a note for me here, or through my web site on susan@susanstephens.com and I’ll get back to you will another mailing addy)
Thank you once again, everyone!
Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan
by Susan Stephens
on May 7th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
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You can tell I’m ‘punchdrunk’ with moving house… that last e-mail address should read susan@susanstephens.net
My apologies, Stacy, for any confusion.
Susan
by Susan Stephens
on May 7th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
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Big congrats Stacy!!!!!
Susan, looking forward to meet you!
by Danny
on May 7th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
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Me too, Danny! Can’t believe I’ll be in Florida a week today.
With my warmest wishes to you all
Susan
by Susan Stephens
on May 8th, 2006 at 4:01 am
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Ah you’re also flying in on Monday. Maybe we will see us in the air. LOL.
Hugs,
Danny
by Danny
on May 8th, 2006 at 8:06 am
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See you there!
Wishing you a safe and confortable journey
Susan
by Susan Stephens
on May 8th, 2006 at 10:09 am
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Congrats Stacy!
by Carol
on May 8th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
