BOOK REVIEW
Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles for Readers' Favorite
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Paint Me Fearless (The Shady Gully Series Book 1) by Hallie Lee is an emotionally engaging contemporary Christian novel about female friendship. On the outside, Desi, the new girl at school, and Robin, her not-so-popular lookalike, forge an unlikely friendship that carries them through high school and beyond. Raised differently--Robin in a strict religious home; Desi in a non-religious one--they find common ground amidst the challenges of coming of age in a small-town high school, as well as some hard family issues. But can their friendship survive the secrets, lies, and revelations that threaten it now that they're adults?

This is the kind of book that takes you on a journey with the characters from high school to adulthood, showing all the growth and change in between. The character development by Lee is exceptional. She really knows her characters and shows their dynamics, and allows them to tell their own story. The pacing of this novel is pitch-perfect. You glide through the scenes and events effortlessly, even though the characters face some daunting obstacles on the way. This author is as fearless as her characters, taking you into territories that some writers shy away from. You will connect with Robin in high school, and Desi and the others, and by the time you reach adulthood with them, you are fully invested and as impacted as they are when things get dicey. I like that the characters have some flaws, some quirks, insecurities, and fixations. They feel like real people. I like the study of friendship and how it behaves over time. I wish I could divulge some golden nuggets, but that's for you to discover when you read this book. Paint Me Fearless (The Shady Gully Series Book 1) by Hallie Lee is a standout novel for contemporary women from all walks of life.

Title News!

Thank you loyal and faithful Newsletter Subscribers! Because you’ve supported me from the beginning, I have a little surprise for you. How about a SNEAK PEEK—a special presentation—of the title of the FIRST BOOK in the SHADY GULLY SERIES? 
 
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Do you remember yourself at thirteen or fourteen years old? Around the time junior high ended and high school began? If you were anything like DESI and ROBIN—and I know I was—you were preoccupied with lip liner, curling irons, and the latest diet.

Like Desi and Robin, you may have even engaged in a daily tug of war with your insecurities. And sometimes…like me, the battle left you frustrated, hopeless, and fearful.

***

DESI, having moved to Shady Gully from Albuquerque, is miserable as she tries to adjust to small town life, while ROBIN, forever doomed at the "bottom of the popularity pyramid" is terrified she’ll never measure up.
 
When SUNNY, Desi’s flamboyant mother, sets out to paint a portrait of the girls, they’re adamant about the image they want to project: “Paint me skinny," Robin begs.

Paint me perfect. Paint me pretty. 

As they journey into adulthood, they eventually learn that the world’s prizes—beauty, recognition, and approval—are fleeting.

Once they're finally able to confront the mistruths that wrecked their lives, they end up at the beginning. To Sunny’s portrait…and to the truth that was there all along.

And with that truth they finally find the freedom to live unashamed.

And unafraid.

 
Come to Shady Gully for the journey.
​How do YOU want to be painted?

January 2021

Watch Title Reveal Below
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​In my last newsletter, I said, Happy Fall, Y’all, but seeing as how I live in the south, fall was merely a promise of crisp mornings to come. 

But now, as October comes to a close, and we prepare to turn our clocks back (do y’all hate that as much as I do?) it truly IS fall in Kentucky!

Check out this view from my back yard.​
The lovely, noble creatures you see across the fence are Busy Bev and Ash, lovers of peppermints and playful games of tag. (Pssstttt, I cannot confirm or deny, but you may meet a few regal equines with similar preferences in Book One of the Shady Gully Series.)

Lucy Belle, our lively Papillion—and my CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer)—assumes that Busy Bev and Ash are dogs, albeit super-sized dogs, but dogs none-the-less. Lucy feels it necessary to bark at them on occasion. Well, often. Just so they know who’s boss.

Speaking of Lucy, I have a bit of sad news to report. After a string of antibiotics and cough meds couldn’t cure her lingering, hacking cough, X-rays indicated a mass on her heart. Another round of tests, and finally an ultrasound, confirmed that she has a heart-based tumor. Typically, chemodectoma is a slow-moving tumor, so the plan is to treat her symptoms and keep her comfortable.

She’s doing well. Certainly well enough to boot Patches off her coveted spot on the couch as soon as she got home from the vet.
 
Still feisty, Lucy insists I cheer up and get to work on Book Two of the Shady Gully Series. There’s a good chance you’ll see a spirited Papillion in Book Two who bears a striking resemblance to my Lucy Belle.

On another note, I’m thrilled to report that the winner of last month’s release-date contest, John Brothers, already read the book!  Here are a few teasers from his rave review:

“Great character development…very relatable and thought provoking…I can’t wait for the second book in the series!”

Lastly, get ready for lots of BIG NEWS coming out of Shady Gully this month! You’ll finally get a look at Book One’s beautiful cover! And you'll learn the official title! I think you’re going to love it! I want to tell you now!!! But I can’t. I won’t. I mustn’t.

Stay tuned for the news! If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, now’s the time. You'll hear it here on "Random Ramblings" first. Meanwhile, follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Because things are getting REAL! Just like fall in Kentucky!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Thank you for the overwhelming response to my newsletter sign-up!!

I’m thrilled to hear from folks as far away as California, Florida, Colorado, Texas, and Arizona! And my beloved New Mexico . . .oh, how I miss the hatch green chilis this time of year. And of course, my classmates in Louisiana – Blue and Gold forever, yes? 
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Kids These Days

Millennials. I know. I get it. Even the word--millennials—sounds ominous, right? Can’t you almost hear the rising crescendo of the Da-dumf . . . Da-dumf from the JAWS soundtrack? I’m joking, of course, but let’s be honest: millennials are different. Born between 1980—1994, this generation has a reputation for being soft and entitled. They evoke eyerolls from Gen Xers, and apocalyptic mutterings from Boomers.

They’re wired differently. They’re digitally driven, digitally motivated and sometimes even digitally enhanced. These rascals were hatched around the time the internet was invented, so they never had a chance to be normal!

They can’t do things that older people can do. Really important things. Like dialing a telephone. Reading a map. Or using a card catalog. Without these basic life skills, you might wonder, how would they ever fend for themselves? Well, it turns out, their talents lie elsewhere.

For instance, they can book a reservation on Open Table before you can put your glasses on, dial the number, and ask to speak to a real, live person.

They can call an Uber quicker than you can spell it.

They can jot down notes on their phone before you can find old school tools like pen and paper.

They can order groceries and have them delivered before you can decide if getting out in the rain is worth it.

Only a super sharp millennial, or a beloved daughter, would give up an evening wading through a colossal header/footer/page number mishap in a 360 page document . . . all to help a technically challenged middle-ager. Thanks sweet Bree :)

Pretty impressive, right? Well, sure, those are generalizations, but let me tell you a true story that involves a friend . . . of a friend . . . of a friend.

This lady, I won’t say her age, because that would be rude, but let’s just say she qualifies for AARP. She’s a writer. She’s written a few screenplays, some novels, and finally, at this …ahem . . .mature stage in her life, she is called upon to “get a website.”

She does her research. You know, the ads that pop up on Facebook? ANYBODY can create a website, the flashy ads say—in an hour! How cool is that? Now I …uh … this lady, considers herself to be reasonably intelligent, so she generously pencils in a whole week on her calendar. That should do it.

Fast forward a month later. Why? Because I . . .I mean, this friend . . .doesn’t want to relive it. Let’s just say this reasonably intelligent woman has now been reduced to a miserable basket case. Truly wrecked. Consumed with despair and self-doubt. How would she ever publish a book when she couldn’t even create a website in a month? Much less an hour! Surely this was a sign that her time had passed, and it simply wasn’t meant to be.

And then, one day, in a particularly bad moment of dejection, she receives a text. (What? You thought it would be a letter in the mailbox?) Yes, a text.

And in that one magnificent, glorious, “ding” . . .everything changed. Her burden lifted. A month of frustration instantly fell away. All because a smart, capable, and kind millennial—let’s call her Rachel—rescued her. “Of course,” Rachel said. “I can totally do a website for you! It won’t be a problem at all.”

Folks, this wasn’t just a halfhearted toss of a life preserver. This was an all-out SEAL Team mission complete with enthusiasm, willingness and confidence.

Amid a horrible pandemic, Rachel showed great fortitude and patience with me. Yes, me. And beyond that, I acquired a whole slew of life skills from her, and learned the benefits of virtual teamwork.

So now, as we slowly tip-toe our way out of the Covid 19 crisis, I want to celebrate not only our seniors, who endured the brunt of the pandemic of 2020, but also our young, whippersnapper millennials, like Bree and Rachel, whose digital cleverness kept us laughing amid the fear. Gave us hope. Lifted our burdens.

Bravo to all millennials! You make our world better!

Hallie Lee
Take a look around. Sign up for my newsletter. Share a post about your favorite millennial. 😊