Love Lingers boxed set

By Elysabeth Eldering

Four award-winning stories combined in one collection.  Ms. Eldering's first place, second place, anthology pick and runner-up stories are combined in a short-story anthology/collection.  Love Lingers brings everything together under one cover.

THE TULIP KISS:  A bittersweet tale of love, loss, and hope and how meaningful a simple flower can be. And a reminder to never, ever leave an argument hanging between two hearts. Find out how Amanda's world comes crashing down on that fateful day and how she is reminded of the tulips she loves when she receives her very own Tulip Kiss.  This is Ms. Eldering's first place winning story for the Fast and Frigid contest in 2007.

THE PROPOSAL:  April 1st, a day filled with practical jokes and Stella's 25th birthday. It looks to be a day filled with wonderful surprises and not of the killjoy jokes that Stella is the victim of because her boyfriend, Henry, the most straight-laced man she has ever met, who also has been the victim of many practical jokes from her family, takes her out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. Stella hopes this will be the night he proposes. Her mother's hand in playing practical jokes on Stella shows up throughout the evening. Stella and Henry devise a joke of their own to play on her mother. After all, turn around is fair play. Find out if Stella accepts Henry's proposal in The Proposal (An April Fools Day story). This is Ms. Eldering's 2nd place winning story in the April Fools Day fan contest.

BRIDE-AND-SEEK:  Based on the legend of Covington Manor, Bride-and-Seek introduces us to Isabella, a young woman from a wealthy family in the 1800s, as she anxiously waits to learn who her betrothed will be. She trusts that her father will choose wisely for her, but her heart yearns for it to be her best friend William.

At the masked ball thrown in her honor she falls for the man who claims the first and last dance of the evening, the man who makes her heart beat faster and her blood pulse stronger.

After the wedding, the celebration ends in tragedy as the lovers are parted by the cruel turnings of a simple game of hide-and-seek. 

This story was selected to be in the 2007 South Carolina Writers Workshop anthology, the Petigru Review.

THE CELLAR/LA CAVE (FRENCH VERSION OF SAME STORY):  A writer returns to France and faces her ghosts with the help of her friend, who has been there for her through many lives.  This is Ms. Eldering's runner-up in the Fast and Foreign contest. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elysabeth Eldering
• Release date: Jul 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781501484711

Elysabeth Eldering

Ms. Eldering is an award winning author.  Her stories "Train of Clues", "The Proposal", "Tulip Kiss", "Butterfly Halves", and "Zombies Amuck" have placed in a variety of contests.  Her story "Bride-and-Seek" was selected for the South Carolina Writers' Workshop (SCWW) anthology, the Petigru Review.  Her story "Train of Clues" is the predecessor to the Junior Geography Detective Squad, 50-state, mystery, trivia series.  Ms. Eldering makes her home in upper state South Carolina and loves to travel, read, cross stitch and crochet.  When she's not busy working her full-time job as a medical transcriptionist or participating in virtual classroom visits, she can be found at various homeschool or book events.  Working with the sixth grade class via the internet, Ms. Eldering has been given license to teach the point-of-view lessons, incorporating the fractured fairy tales.  She has also done several writing workshops on writing at various homeschool conferences and school librarian conferences. 

Book preview

THE TULIP KISS

By Elysabeth Eldering

Copyright @2007, 2010, 2014

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Grow up, Amanda.  I don't know why you are acting like this.  I just suggested we go look at the house. Brock screamed at his wife.  You think you can get your way all the time?

Brock, it was a stupid thing to say.  It's just that it's Easter weekend and I've planted some tulips in the back yard and ... Amanda choked back a sob.  We wouldn't have time to go look at a house.  Please don't be angry today.  I really do love you and I don't know why everything is coming out wrong.

You've been all out of whack the last couple of days.  Brock jammed his fists into his pockets and turned away from his wife.  He couldn't stand to see her when she was emotional like this.  Why can't we have a conversation without all the histrionics?  You do tend to get overly emotional about things.  Sometimes I don't know about you.

Amanda went to the bathroom to clean her face.  She needed to head to work to finish typing up several critical documents that needed to go out. Friday, a long weekend.  An opportunity to spend more time with her husband and she has to be crying and carrying on over a house.  Not even one that she had seen yet.  All he wanted to do was go look at it.  Stupid hormones.  Why now?

When Amanda emerged from the bathroom, Brock was still standing in the hallway.  She was relieved that he hadn't stormed out without saying goodbye.  He'd been known to do that on several occasions, but not this time.  He waited for her. 

I figured you would be gone by now.  She grabbed her pocketbook and searched for her keys.  Brock had them in his hands.  Brock, I don't have time for games.  I have to get to the office early.  They’re letting me take a long lunch break but I have tons of work to do.

I'll see you for dinner.  He handed her the keys and headed for the door.  He stopped, Maybe the doc can give you something to help you, you know, not be so emotional.  Brock turned without saying goodbye and his usual kiss.

We’ve only been married for six months and we’ve been fighting so much!  At least this time he didn’t slam the door. Amanda headed to the driveway to say goodbye to Brock but he had already pulled out and was at the stop sign before she had even climbed into her shiny new Ford Fusion.  The wedding gift from her father.  He thought it best that she give up her old, red Gremlin as it had seen its better days.  So to start a new life, Mr. Jones had given Amanda the car. 

****

All morning, Amanda had a strange feeling that something was about to happen.  She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was a day that had her on the edge of her seat all day.  When she left for the doctor's office at lunchtime, the temperature had dropped about fifteen degrees.  Not that it was a warm day when she left her house.  For the middle of March, it was quite cold.  It had been over twenty years since Amanda had seen frigid weather after January.  She had been a preteen the last time they had such crazy weather as this year, snow and ice storms in December; bright, sunny and clear days in January, and fairly normal temperatures in February.  Freezing temperatures were not the norm for March, and Amanda had no warm coat in the car.