Author: Patti Diener

   This concludes the first scene

in my book, Out Of The Ashes. If you haven’t read the first two entries that I blogged depicting this opening scene, you can scroll down to find them, beginning with Out Of The Ashes (sneak peak), then Sneak Peak Continues. This is the third and final blog of this opening scene, where Gabriel Hart first sees the object of his desire, Sarah McKinney. Read on and enjoy!

 The bartender returned to say,

“Sorry to disappear on you like that, but things are hummin’ in here tonight. Let me know if I can get you anything else.”

“Huh? Oh, I’m good thanks,” Gabe replied without turning his barstool back. He was watching the girls settle into a corner table in the back of the room.

“You uh, ………Ok there my friend?” the bartender asked.

Gabriel realized he was rude and momentarily lost concentration. He had to almost shake his head in order to look away from the green-eyed girl.

“Sorry, man. No, I’m just fine, thanks,” Gabe smiled somewhat embarrassed.

“It’s understandable. I’m guilty of the same distractions,” the bartender said while staring in the girl’s direction himself. Suddenly, Gabriel looked at the guy and saw a dark shadow fall over the face of the otherwise cheerful bartender. “If you will excuse me, I need to grab some stuff, but I will be back.” and the bartender disappeared down the hallway.

When Gabriel turned his attention back to the girls, he saw a waitress over taking their orders. He didn’t want to seem too obvious with his intrigue, so Gabriel turned his barstool sideways to watch the TV screen and pretend to be interested in the game. Gabe hadn’t dated or even thought of dating anyone since Shelly. He just didn’t have the heart to let go of the past yet, despite all Shelly’s and his friends trying to set him up. He insisted it was too soon and he wasn’t ready to even think about it. They respected his wishes and left it alone. So that’s exactly what Gabe was getting use to. Being alone.

A strange feeling came over him though, sitting in that bar, and her quiet solitary mood, drew Gabe to look at her again. She looked like he felt, when HE was with is friends. Distracted, and uncomfortable, but trying to go along with the façade of the evening, she sipped her wine and looked around the room.

Suddenly, the girl locked eyes with Gabe and he felt a rush of heat flush is chest and face! She’d caught him looking with fixated eyes on her. Gabe tried to slowly, casually turn his barstool back towards the TV.

“Be careful with that one,” it was the bartender. He was back.

“What are you talking about?” Gabe pretended. He wasn’t ready to admit to himself that he felt interested in a woman, much less admit it to anyone else.

“She’s fragile. Don’t give it a thought unless you can respect that about her.”

Gabe looked into the bartender’s eyes. He was dead serious and had a somewhat cautionary look on his face.

“Not that I’m interested, but I take it you know her.”

“Everyone does,” he said. “She’s as local as it gets. But she’s had her fair share of hard knocks so, that’s why the warning.”

“Broken heart or?…….” Gabe’s question was left hanging in the air as the bartender stared at her pondering a response.

“Let’s just say it was shattered. She’s not recovered. Oh, she puts on a brave face, but her soul itself was battered. It will take a very special guy for her to ever trust or love again,” and the bartender turned and started washing dishes.

Gabe drank more of his beer and turned his stool back to look towards the girl’s table. The green eyed girl was shyly glancing towards Gabe periodically but then turned her chair to face her friends more directly. Gabe got the hint.

“Must have been some stupid guy to hurt a girl like that,” Gabe said in the bartender’s direction. “I know heart break man, and I can tell you, I have never been the player some guys are. I know something real when I have it. That’s just not something to mess around with. Don’t have time for it, ya know?” and he finished off the last of his fries.

The friendly bartender turned and gave a small smile to Gabe, as he took the empty plate away and wiped the counter. “If everyone had that same outlook on relationships, the world wouldn’t be so full of despair, and hate. Truth is my friend, that most folks are always looking for the next best thing. Nobody is ever quite satisfied with what they have. Especially if things get rough, that’s when the weak give up.”

“So that’s what happened? Some guy left her in hard times?” Gabe asked.

The face of the bartender seemed pained at the question and soon Gabriel was sorry he asked. It was beginning to look like there was more to this story than the bartender had first let on and Gabe immediately felt like he should retract any further questioning.

“Hey, I don’t mean to pry, you don’t need to answer that. It’s really none of my business,” Gabe offered.

The bartender gave a forced laugh, “No, no! It’s quite alright. It’s just that they were kind of local royalty, ya know. Everyone knew them. And the story has a crazy turn. The guy ended up dying in an accident too. So she was slammed twice!” the bartender waved his arms as if to brush away smoke and memories from right in front of him. “Anyway, what are ya gonna do, right? We all move on and so will she, but everyone here kind of watches out for her. Just so you know,” and he winked at Gabriel then walked back into the kitchen with the plate.

He knew he shouldn’t be, but Gabe was now more intrigued than ever about this green eyed beauty. It seemed so unfair that something as gentle as she could have gone through such trauma. And even though he was always missing Shelly, Gabriel had a yearning to get to know this girl. Approaching her in a bar was NOT the thing to do though, and Gabe knew it! She’d only think he was some slime ball trying to get her into bed. Some, out-of-towner looking for a one night stand. That couldn’t be further from the truth, so he dismissed the idea entirely.

Terrible timing! In the three years since Shelly was gone, nobody and nothing had pulled his heartstrings. Now here he was, just yards away from a fragile bird of a girl that he’d love to meet, and he couldn’t even go say hello for fear of her misunderstanding his intentions.

Gabe thought to order one last beer, just for a reason to stick around, but he was truly full to his eyeballs and there wasn’t going to be an opportunity to speak with this girl tonight without seeming forward anyway. Defeated, he decided to ask for the bill.

When the bartender came back he was carrying one more tray of clean glasses and set them behind the counter.

“Hey man, I think I’m ready to settle up,” Gabe said.

“Sure thing. Gonna turn in already?” he asked as he pulled the bill from his apron.

Gabe smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “Yea, I know it’s Friday night, but the week has been long and I think I will just fall asleep to the TV.”

“Big partier huh?” the bartender laughed. “I know, I’m pretty much the same. I can’t remember the last time I really tore it up. But I suppose we will be running into each other periodically since you are here awhile.”

“Yea, that would be great. I’m Gabe, by the way,” and he extended a hand to the bartender.

“Wiping his hand off on his apron, he reached to shake Gabe’s hand, “Max, and it’s great you guys are here to clean up so folks can rebuild.”

As he stood to go, Gabriel leaned in to ask one last question of Max, even though he wasn’t sure what he’d do with the information.

“Hey, Max? I don’t know why I’m asking, but………..what’s her name?”

Max eyes sparkled as he smiled at Gabe, letting him know it was ok that he asked. “Sarah. Her name is Sarah,” and he winked and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Thanks for following along! Keep looking for more to come in future blog posts.

  In the last entry,

I shared the beginning of Out Of The Ashes, with you. This blog entry will continue where we left off. If you haven’t read the actual BEGINNING, then I recommend you scroll down to read my previous blog post before reading this one. It has been my pleasure to share the start of my book with you. I hope you enjoy it.

   The woman bartender

appeared quickly in front of Gabe, placing his plated burger in front of him along with a bottle of ketchup. She gave a brief smile and quickly walked away to grab a chilled wine glass and a bottle of chardonnay to pour for another customer.

Just as his dimpled bartender promised, the burger was just what Gabe needed. The crisp, salty fries were cooked to perfection and he washed it all down with the beer. Before he could even ask for another, the guy just appeared in front of Gabe with a knowing look.

“Ready for another cold one?” The bartender leaned over to grab Gabriel’s empty bottle.

“Yea, you have great timing,” Gabe said.

As the bartender reached into a refrigerator under the counter, Gabe took a better look at him. The guy was a little older than he was with slightly weathered good looks. His light brown hair was a little long, and he was around Gabe’s height. When he set the beer down, Gabe could see he had deep-set, dark eyes that smiled just like his dimples. Although he was tanned, somehow, Gabe knew it wasn’t from being on the lake a lot. This guy seemed more like the outdoorsy, working kind of guy, like Gabe himself. That and his hands looked rough like Gabe’s. This guy didn’t spend his time inside bartending for his main living, that was for sure.

“So what do you do?” Gabriel asked as he took a swig of beer.

“Well right now, I’m your friendly neighborhood bartender. But I dabble in many fields. How about you?” the bartender asked.

“I’m here with the contractors for the fire clean-up. I’m staying at the hotel.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t head out this evening like the others then. Don’t feel like going home for the weekend?” he asked.

“Let’s just say, I can be just as occupied here as there,” Gabe replied, having another pull on his bottle.

“Well, it’s a pleasure having you here. I know there are a lot of folks really grateful for any help speeding up the recovery process. That fire really kicked this community’s ass! Folks need hope, ya know?” The bartender looked behind Gabriel, through the glass window into the atrium area at some women heading into the bar.

Gabe turned his barstool to look at what the guy saw.

The woman behind the bar asked if someone could bring in more clean glasses from the kitchen. Gabe’s bartender asked if he’d excuse him for a minute and left through the doors into the kitchen.

As Gabe turned his attention back into the direction of the three women heading into the bar, the glass door swung open, and they entered. The first was a lovely blonde with typically over-highlighted hair, jeans and heels. The next was a brunette in a long-sleeved dress and high heeled boots. Finally, somewhat behind and entering more slowly, was a thin, honey haired girl with her head down. She wore simple jeans, tennis shoes, and an open flannel shirt with a tank-top under it. When she looked up in the direction of her friends, her light green eyes were piercing, and something caught in Gabriel’s chest.

Next Blog: The conclusion of the first scene in which Gabriel first laid eyes on Sarah McKinney.

Interviews on the horizon still, and some information shared with me from friends on moving forward. How is everyone doing out there? It’s all pretty unique to the survivors.

Don’t forget to comment on the book, your personal experiences with the Valley Fire, or any words you wish to share. Feedback is great!

*Photos credit to Google Images

  I’m posting the first couple of pages

of the book instead of the interviews, which are not ready. Thought instead of putting off a blog post any longer, I’d throw y’all a bone and give you a sneak peak of how OUT OF THE ASHES, begins. Hope you enjoy it.

    Gabriel was in a foul mood.

The excavating company he worked for brought him to this rural community in northern California, to clean up after the big Valley Fire swept through and destroyed over 1,000 homes. It wasn’t the work that was upsetting. It was the fact that it was the holidays now, and that time of year always left him blue. He thought being in a strange place would distract him. The truth was, it made him feel more alone than ever.

He was staying in the only hotel chain in the area. The Best Western was the tallest building in the small town of Clearlake, reaching 4 stories high. At least he didn’t have to share a room with one of the guys. Being a foreman, he got a room paid for by the company all to himself. That way he could sulk alone.

Three years earlier, just before Christmas, he was traveling on Interstate 680 outside of Fremont with his girlfriend Shelly. They were on their way to her parent’s house to stay for the holidays. Gabe had been living with Shelly in the Bay Area city of San Ramon for over a year, and since his family was back in Oklahoma, Shelly’s family was who they were celebrating with.

It was raining that Christmas Eve, and it was all over before Gabriel even knew what hit them. The papers said the multi-car pileup on the freeway was caused by poor weather conditions, limited visibility, and high speeds. Gabe suffered his share of injuries, a fractured arm, clavicle, ribs, and punctured lung, but Shelly’s side of the car was what took most of the hit. The doctors said she died instantly.

With little reason to move back to Oklahoma, Gabe stayed in California, and continued to work for the excavating company as a heavy equipment operator. It was decent pay and moving to a neighboring city of Danville, he tried to keep his mind off of Shelly.

Coming to Lake County, to help rebuild the lives of so many that lost everything in the Valley Fire, he thought would lift his spirits. Being lonely around the holidays was just something he couldn’t shake. This particular Friday, he thought of driving the 3 hours back to his apartment in Danville, but going to an empty place just didn’t sound like it would help. Maybe if he had a dog or something. But alone was still alone. He decided to just stay on at the hotel and go grab a drink in the lobby bar.

After showering and shaving, Gabe decided to head downstairs and grab a burger at the bar and a few beers. Maybe watch some football on the TV if it was on. He knew most of the guys would probably be headed back to the city by now but that suited him just fine. He’d seen them all week, and he wasn’t particularly close friends with any of them. Gabriel was somewhat of a loner, not trusting his heart to rely on a single soul.

To his surprise, the small town bar was slammed and lively. There were loads of people shooting pool, watching the game, and talking loudly over the jukebox. Behind the bar they had three bartenders, one woman and two men.

As Gabe walked in, several of the women stopped and gave him a second look. Not drop dead gorgeous, but Gabe was a substantially good looking guy. His 5’10” stature was muscular and it showed, through his t-shirt and jeans. His thick, dark hair was cut short, and his blue eyes were always a show stopper. That was what Shelly had told him she noticed first about him. That they were beautiful, but sort of sad looking. That intrigued her, she’d said.

Walking up to the bar, Gabriel waited to make eye contact with one of the bartenders to place his order. There was one lone seat at the far left of the bar, furthest away from the television, but closest to the kitchen entry. He could smell the aroma of cooking onions and sizzling beef. Suddenly he was famished.

“What’s your pleasure my man?” the gentleman taking Gabe’s order had deep dimples that accompanied a kind smile.

“Oh, a Coors Light please, and can I order food?”

“Of course. Do you need a menu or can I make a suggestion?” the bartender asked.

“Um…..well, sure. What do you recommend?”

“Well, the chicken fried steak is always good, but my personal Friday Night fav is a thick, juicy burger with sauted onions. We have shoestring fries that go great with it too.”

Gabriel thought the guy read his mind and quickly agreed to the burger and fries. The cheery bartender winked at him and said he’d place the order right away. The long-neck bottle of Coors Light was placed in front of Gabe as the bartender disappeared into the kitchen.

The Stanford game was on the TV but the sound of Bruno Mars was blaring out from the jukebox. Gabe swiveled his barstool around to survey the room while taking a long swig off his beer. The group was mostly his age or younger.

At 33, Gabe was an old soul. He never was a big partier and preferred more intimate gatherings. But somehow, being swallowed up in a crowd right now seemed more comforting. It was easier than being back in the city, with Shelly’s and his friends feeling sorry for him. Nobody knew him here, or his story, and that’s the way he liked it.

Next blog: The next few pages of the book, and how Gabriel Hart first saw Sarah McKinney.

Once I complete the interviews, they will be posted. Now that I have my summer off, I will be better at blog entries closer together, and still have time to write the book.

Thanks to those of you loyal readers and know your comments are always welcome and encouraged! Hope your weekend is full of peace, joy, and a little excitement!

• Photos credit to Google Images

  Introducing, Sarah McKinney!

The green-eyed siren who Gabriel Hart cannot deny!

The oldest daughter to a retired local butcher and widower, Sarah has always been responsible. She has lived in Lake County all her life, has two siblings, and loves her family!

At 28, she has seen her fair share of heartache, but still remains a steadfast friend, employee, and volunteer. Staying busy is how she copes with pain, and after losing her mother to cancer at age 14, she has been busy more than a decade.

Perhaps her biggest heartache came from losing her husband. Shortly after a huge altercation, her husband was killed while driving out of town. The pain from not ever fixing their problem, then having him die before they could make amends, haunts this young woman. She had attempted to move on with her life, but after a year of burying her pain in work, she still felt like she’d not gained any ground.

Then the fire came.

The Valley Fire wiped out so many people’s homes! People she cared about! The people of her community. Worst, her best friends from high school, Michelle and Caleb, had lost everything and nearly lost their lives escaping the inferno. Their pain and suffering made Sarah forget about her own.

Then one evening out with girls from work, Sarah happened upon a stranger in her town. She noticed him sitting at the bar, seemingly alone, having dinner. Not once since her husband’s death had she thought to look at another man. But this man at the bar had the most captivating blue eyes and genuinely seemed forlorn. Unlike the usual male species who frequented bars, this man was not there to pick up on women. He simply appeared to not want to be alone.

With a guarded heart, Sarah finds herself in a situation that brings these two together once more. This time, they are introduced and she cannot fight the immediate attraction she has for him. But attraction or not, she isn’t sure she is willing to let her wall down that she’s put up to protect herself.

Self-confident, but leery of getting too close, Sarah embarks upon a journey with Gabriel Hart, that meanders through familiar and also uncharted territory. Love was not on her agenda, but she is tired of treading water alone. Maybe Gabriel is the guy to bring down those walls. And if she is strong enough to allow herself to be vulnerable once more, maybe she will find second chances truly exist.

Next Blog: My experience with witnessing our volunteers in action here in Lake County, during the aftermath of the Valley Fire. Some of the best people in the world.

And later………..I still promise the interview with a local First Responder and…..YES! The first chapter of Out Of The Ashes!

The week is coming to a close. May your Friday be quick and your weekend move slow.

  Mother Nature has a way

of regenerating herself. Here are a few pictures, shared by my friend Mike Holland, of Big Canyon Road this spring. The wildflowers have been more spectacular this season than in any resent years. I know the much needed rain we had helped tremendously. I’m just feeling so much gratitude for the beauty that is here, raising itself from OUT OF THE ASHES!

So that’s the winner folks, it’s Out Of The Ashes.

My husband will gloat for a spell, feeling proud of his contribution to my project with his wit and insight. I must admit, the title has a certain symbolic attribute that I love. So I suppose a proper thank you, is in order, Charles Diener. I do love you.

Now that the title is set, I wanted to thank those of you who helped me to come to this decision. I take your opinions to heart and wanted to listen to each of you. More folks liked the idea of Out Of The Ashes, so now I feel I can move forward, more confidently, with the project.

My characters are developing quite nicely, and I feel I know them as real people. They’ve become so important to me, mostly because I feel they have been created with qualities of personality in mind, of those I already respect and know. They are genuine, sincere, flawed, but courageous too. I’m enjoying the process.

Next Blog: I want to tell you about my character, Sarah McKinney and introduce you to her. I am hoping you will fall in love with her, just as Gabriel Hart does. She is near to my heart.

Enjoy your weekend, my friends. “Eventually all pieces fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment, and know that everything happens for a reason.” – Unknown

    It started out as

After The Fire, but one Sunday afternoon, as I was sitting in my dining room, clicking away at the chiclets of my laptop, my husband came in and sat across from me in the rocking chair that I once used to rock my babies in. He waited patiently for me to stop pounding out my thoughts on the computer before he spoke.

When I paused, made eye contact and then said, “What’s up?” he started out cautiously, choosing his words carefully.

“I know I don’t understand much about this writing stuff, but I think you should change the title of your book,” he almost winced when he said it.

My first thought was, he was crazy because I’d already divulged the title to hundreds of friends, Twitter followers, and a couple of agents. Too late now. Or is it? I decided to hear him out.

“I had this idea of a phoenix, rising out the ashes. Out Of The Ashes, is your book title. See a phoenix is a cyclical creature that regenerates itself, rising once again, like the sun, out of the ashes and is more powerful then before. Can you see it?”

I like the idea, but it’s been used in the last decade. Even though you cannot copywrite a title of either a song, or book, I’m still hesitant. But it IS a good idea. I could write a preface with the history of the Greek myth of the phoenix. What a great analogy. But too corny? I can’t decide.

Anyway, I originally came up with After The Fire because my book takes place……AFTER THE FIRE! Haaaaa! Too obvious? I don’t know. But the title is very important.

I could really use your input. Please comment on this with your thoughts and I will also put it up on Facebook and Twitter. By the end of the week, (May 13th) I will post the winning title, based upon your votes and insight.

Next Blog: I am going to share some of the information I have been receiving this week from other survivors/victims of the fire. Good, bad, and indifferent. The one thing I can attest to, is so many are still going through it. BUT YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Hang tough my friends!

Also, an idea given to me that I had a passing thought of myself, for advice to our community on how to possible push up over the proverbial red-tape hill. That’s coming up shortly.

Here’s hoping all the moms out there are having a splendid Mother’s Day!  Remember, we are given the immense privilege to be called by the name of MOM, and we hold that title for the rest of our lives. It’s pretty damn amazing don’t you think?

Gabriel Hart is

the main character (protagonist) in my book. The title was AFTER THE FIRE, but my husband would like me to put it to a vote because of an idea he has. We will get into that in another blog………..back to Gabriel.

Now, I have written him as a dark haired, blue eyed man, around 33 and not drop dead gorgeous, but quite a looker. He’s 5’10” tall, muscular build and a heavy equipment operator/foreman for an excavating company out of the East Bay.

I couldn’t find any men to photograph that fit this profile. I will need to work on it because THIS GUY, (above), is almost too pretty. You get the jest though. Moving on.

Gabriel is from Oklahoma and raised by parents that had land, farmed, and his father and uncles all taught him to run heavy equipment. From dozers, to backhoes, swathers, and excavators, Gabriel has run them all at one time or another.

When a vacation to California finds him love, Gabe moves on a whim to be with her. They live together in San Ramon and are engaged when tragedy hits. On Christmas Eve they are in a fatal car crash on interstate 680, killing his fiancée and Gabriel himself, is injured quite badly.

After recovering, a very sensitive soul, Gabriel feels loath to ever date after the death of Shelly, his fiancée. He buries himself in work at the excavating company he is employed at and refuses dinner dates with friends. Slowly, Gabe becomes somewhat of a hermit. He takes on extra work and eventually is the foreman of their best crew.

When the Valley Fire hits Lake County, Gabe’s company contracts to send them to do clean up. There were so many homes destroyed and all the different government agencies were rallying troops to help out. Gabe was fine with leaving for as long as it took to help out. He had nothing keeping him at home anyway. Not even a pet.

Gabriel is a loner, but sensitive and loyal. He is a good man with a great heart. Somewhat shy, he usually keeps to himself. He doesn’t back out of a conversation with a stranger, he just doesn’t usually initiate conversation. He believes in doing the right thing, he loves his family, but since he’s an only child, found it hard to return to family after the death of Shelly. His parents would only baby him and he had survivor’s guilt as it was.

Pressing on in California, Gabe found it easier to become invisible. If he returned to Oklahoma, he’d just be badgered  with questions from family friends and his cousins. His and Shelly’s friends in California,  respected him not wanting to date or talk about it.

Meeting Sarah McKinney in Lake County, California, was the furthest thing on his mind. He never thought his heart could be pulled so quickly. She didn’t even have to look at him. He merely saw her eyes. Those pained, beautifully mysterious, eyes! Instantly he was intrigued.

If you want to know more about Gabriel Hart and Sarah McKinney, you will have to keep reading the blog. I will eventually post the first chapter of the book.

Next Blog: I will be enlisting your advice! I need a vote to go out on my blog, Facebook, and Twitter, to tell me your thoughts on the book title. No spoilers for what else it might be. Just read next blog. Haaaa! After all, I’m writing this for ALL of us. You should weigh in on the title.

Wishing you all a painless Friday to get to our weekend.