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Jane
Vollbrecht
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| Jane
Vollbrecht seems to have misunderstood the definition of retirement.
In late 2004, she left Federal civil service after more than 30 years with
the same agency, but instead of spending her days sipping lemonade in the
shade of the North Georgia pines, she's writing her own books, editing books
by other authors, and helping with the administrative tasks at Blue Feather
Books, Ltd. And then there are the cats-lots of cats-and the four dogs that fill her <cough cough> free time. She'll readily tell you, though, she's never been happier. If you don't find her at her desk or in the backyard, look for her at the local animal rescue shelter where she frequently volunteers (and from which she far too frequently brings home "the last one-I promise.") Jane was born and raised in a farming community in northwestern Minnesota, where she received her elementary education in a one-room country schoolhouse. She holds a Bachelors' degree from St. Cloud (Minnesota) State University. Ask her politely and she'll show you her diploma, chiseled on a stone tablet. In addition to spending time at the computer writing and editing books and taking care of Blue Feather Books business, Jane enjoys tending her gardens, feeding the wildlife on her property, and playing the piano. |
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Detours |
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It should have been a typical day of trimming shrubbery and edging lawns, but Gretchen VanStantvoordt-known to everyone as "Ellis"-first gets caught in a traffic jam and then lands in the emergency room with a badly sprained ankle. Mary Moss, a new-found friend who was caught in the same traffic jam, convinces Ellis that trying to tend to her dog and negotiate the stairs at her walk-up apartment while on crutches isn't such a good idea. Without friends or family in the vicinity, Ellis accepts Mary's offer for assistance. When Ellis meets Natalie, Mary's nine-year-old daughter, she's ready to make tracks away from Mary as quickly as possible, but her bum ankle makes that impossible. Ellis stays with Mary and Natalie while she recovers. Little by little, Ellis develops a fondness for young Natalie… and develops something much deeper for Mary. Ellis and Mary work out a plan for building a future-and a family-together. Destiny, it seems, has other plans and throws major roadblocks in their path. Ellis is forced to reconsider everything she thought she knew about where she wanted to go in life, and Mary learns that even with the perfect traveling companion, not all journeys are joyous. No GPS can
help them navigate the new road they find themselves on. Come make the
trip with Ellis and Mary as they discover that when life sends you on
a detour, the wise traveler finds a way to enjoy the scenery.
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