Fish in a Bird's Nest

by F. Elizabeth Hauser

Overview

The story of a friendship between two children, one whose parents employ the other's parents, who are of different religious faiths, different cultures, and different races,set in a time during America's history where such friendships were both rare, and not tolerated in society. Their story takes place in rural Southeast Arizona in a remote town that marks the edge between the predominantly white and Mormon-colonized Gila Valley and the reservation of the San Carlos Apaches. The children, one the white daughter of Latter-day Saint (Mormon) cotton farmers, and the other, the son of their Apache farm workers, are inseparable best friends, who in their teen years fall in love. When their parents step in to prevent any romantic relationship from fully blossoming, these young people feel forced to take bold action to ensure their future. The choice they make and the consequences that develop will leave readers turning pages as conflicts develop,tensions rise,apparently resolve, only to be replaced by another type of conflict. This is the story of a love stronger than social bigotry and more enduring than life. A sequel continues the story where this book ends, because their story is far from over.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940045845229
Publisher:	F. Elizabeth Hauser
Publication date:	04/18/2014
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	445 KB

About the Author

Hello, readers! I'm delighted that you've come to my author page. Let me tell you a little about myself. Before I do, let me say, I hope you'll download a sample of my books and like them so much you want to buy them. You can see that they're priced to be accessible to just about everyone. I write for the love of it, not to get rich.

I grew up in Lakewood, WA, majored in English at what is now BYU-Idaho, formerly Ricks College. After counseling with a close friend, I changed my major to nursing, with a minor in English when I entered BYU in Provo, UT. I had always wanted to teach high school or Freshman college composition. I was fortunate to have some very influential English teachers in both high school and college that helped to develop that desire to teach young people to appreciate literature of all kinds and learn to communicate well with the written word, in all the various literary forms, from poetry to essays, short stories to novels.

After a twenty-five year career in nursing, a vocation I came to understand that I was meant to pursue, I retired and began writing in a way I had never done, or even considered, when I studied literature and composition in college. Once I turned in the direction of nursing and all of the education necessary to achieve that goal, my reading was strictly non-fiction.When I married and began raising a family of five children, I seldom found time to read for pleasure.

It was when I joined a book club of a dozen women in our very tiny community in Arizona that I discovered the pure joy of reading fiction. I thrilled to the realization that stories, like movies, transported me into another world. I wanted to enjoy creating those stories and "other world", and I wanted to provide that reading experience for other readers. By the time I began writing fiction, I had plenty of life experience to draw on for my characters, stories, and settings. In each of my books, a smaller part of the setting, if not a major part, takes place in areas that I've actually lived. Describing places where story takes place becomes a pleasant journey into my memories, rich with details that color my stories. In The Homesteaders: Following a Dream, my husband and I owned land on the Siuslaw River in Swisshome, and I saw in my mind the exact place where Caleb was fishing when...oh, I can't spoil the story. Just know that I have seen the rocks, the river, the cliffs, the eagles and ospreys that are part of the setting in the latter part of that second volume. And yes, the blackberries that can only be tamed with goats.

I was introduced to the practice of writing a first draft of at least 50,000 words, which now seems like just warming up, in thirty days by the wonderful world-wide-organization for writers, Nanowrimo. Their name is taken from National Novel Writers Month, which is celebrated by thousands of participating writers, including young writers, world-wide every November. For those who just can't wait for November, they sponsor Camp Nanowrimo in June every year. What a supportive community of writers and for writers!

I discovered Smashwords when a classmate in a small novel writing community class told me about this wonderful free platform to electronically publish my books. I consider that a true gift. I had used other platforms before, but found Mark Coker's organization, as well as all of his valuable tools and informational help, the easiest and most enjoyable way to accomplish publishing. I hope to keep writing for many years to come, and my goal is to complete at least one each year for the foreseeable future. Twelve months to write a book...easy, huh? For all of those reading this that are fellow writers, you know that bringing that manuscript to a point, after revisions, edits, and more of the same, to a point where you are satisfied that it's ready to make its debut to the world is a lot of work. That's the other thing I LOVE about Smashwords, though. If you later decide that you want to make changes, you can upload a revised edition as many times as you want...FREE. Thank you!

I have other interests that make my life a lot of fun, besides writing. Family history research has been very rewarding. I'm an outdoor person at heart, and love camping, fishing, and backpacking when I have time. This past spring and summer, my little Jack Russell Terrier and I backpacked 500 miles of the Appalachian Trail. I had planned on completing the 2,189 miles that makes up the entirely of the trail, but things don't always go the way we plan them. You'll learn more about my experiences in this life-changing adventure in my upcoming book, Walk. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. My Successful Fail On the Appalachian Trail.

I'm a confirmed animal lover and my dog and cat are much-loved family members. My cat has since decided that she prefers the company of my friend and writing colleague who generously kept her for me while my dog and I hiked. The only thing more rewarding to me than spending time in the outdoors is spending it with my grown kids and grandkids. I lost my husband, best friend, and biggest supporter in October of 2019, but he will always be an inspiration for my writing.