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Excerpt from “Seasons Once Upon My Innocence” by Lea Ann Vandygriff

Jake, Randy, and Daniel arrived at Mildred’s house. A portion of her screened-in porch had collapsed around her. Daniel had tried to get her out, but he just wasn’t strong enough alone. Jake said, “Daniel, where are your brothers?”
“Who knows?” Daniel said, clearly irritated. “We gotta get Grandma. We’re running out of time.”
“Relax, Daniel,” Jake said. “We’ll get her. I just wanted to know if they were in the house.”
Daniel said, “Don’t know. Don’t care.”
Randy, Jake, and Daniel all worked together, moving debris gently, not knowing for sure where Mildred was, as she was unconscious somewhere under the rubble.
Then Daniel said. “There! I see her arm over there! She’s not moving.”
Jake said, “Daniel, I need to you calm down.”
Instead, Daniel started moving stuff in a panic. Randy grabbed Daniel and pulled him off the debris, throwing him violently away. Daniel got up and grabbed Randy from behind, trying to pull him down. Randy turned around and punched him in the mouth, knocking him to the ground. Then he grabbed his jacket with both hands, pulled him up, and got in his face.
Daniel shouted, “Dude, calm down!”
“You’re not gonna help your grandma if you cause more stuff to fall on her!”
Jake pulled Daniel loose from Randy’s grip and got between them. “Guys, we have to work together here.” Daniel stood there, stunned at what had just happened. Randy and Jake went back to moving rubble. Jake said, “Daniel, come here. When we hold this up, I want you lock your arms under your grandma’s shoulders and pull her out slowly.”
Daniel just stood there, staring at his unresponsive grandma, oblivious to Jake.
“Daniel!” Jake yelled. “Can you do it? She needs you, boy.”

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God Bless and enjoy!
Lea Ann

Author of “Seasons Once Upon My Innocence” by Lea Ann Vandygriff. Interview by Literary Titan. June 23, 2018.

Seasons takes place in a small town that’s struck by a tornado, which sets off a series of terrible events. What was your inspiration for this novel?

I grew up in a small town much like Rhinehart. Many people think small town life is ordinary and simple. Not always the case. Although the book is fiction, some events were actual in nature. Rhinehart is a community riddled with secrets, devastation, gossip, deception and violence. On the other hand, the community is filled with compassion, kindness, joy and forgiveness. The book is designed with colorful and unique characters and events for a reason. My hope is that everyone who reads the book would identify, connect and be inspired by the community of Rhinehart.

You use faith as a guide to help your characters overcome obstacles. What were some themes you felt were important to capture?

One theme that transpires over and over is forgiveness. There is an instance in the book where a victim’s forgiveness is upsetting to the reader. While it is not the most popular outcome, it does cause you to think about how your decisions affect others.

Another theme would be to do what is right and love your neighbor even when they don’t deserve it. The community comes forward to help a family that has caused nothing but trouble and aggravation to the town. This is a theme I would hope the readers would practice among their own neighbors. There is a feeling of incredible accomplishment when you can set aside your differences and do what is right.

There are so many interesting and intriguing characters in this novel. Who was your favorite character to write for?

I had so much fun creating them all. I would say the most fun to write is the interaction between Aunt Ida, the sassy grocery store owner and Sheriff Richards, the pot belly law man. The two are always matching their wit and the Sheriff usually loses. Daniel’s brothers are wild and unpredictable, they keep the community on their toes. Aubree the young teen is the glue that connects the characters. She has a heart of gold and sees the good in everyone.

The characters are all special and the variety of personalities will cause you to laugh, cry, get angry and love them all at the same time.

I felt like this book ended perfectly for a sequel. Are you planning to write a follow up book?

Yes! The second book Seasons Justice is Not for The Weak is a little over half written.

The second book takes you into the High School years for Aubree and her friends. Daniel and his brothers return to Rhinehart and begin their rampage once again. Aunt Ida and Uncle Leo go missing and a search begins. Derek and Dillion take advantage of the fact the Sheriff is busy, to go on a crime spree. Phil their father trying to stop them finds himself on the run for their crimes and a man hunt is underway. The brothers as always go home to roust at their grandmothers. Daniel protecting the Sheriff does the unthinkable. Unable to live with what he has done runs away. Aubree is kidnaped by a local man who is mixed up and has a history of being violent. The community must come together to find her. In the mist of all the tragedy one of wild brothers finds himself for the first time on the right side of the law and helps apprehend a criminal. He turns to Jesus for help in putting his family back together and sets out to look for his father and Daniel to bring them back home.

The rest of the story is in process, even I can’t wait to see how it’s going to end. Lol.

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Seasons: Once Upon My Innocence by [Vandygriff, Lea Ann]In Seasons, we explore the loss of innocence when adversities hit a little southern town. We often ask, where is God in all this? What happens when you have difficult choices to makechoices that will affect everyone around you? How do you find answers to why God allows terrible things to happen to good people? How do you feel about God when his answer to your question is no?

The world around us is harsh, and we long to feel safe and special. Perhaps in Seasons you will be able to find that, by one young girls journey through innocence lost, you can learn to accept, forgive, and find comfort in the strength God has given her in some of the darkest days and endless joy that surrounded her life.

“Laugh, Cry, Get Angry and Love them All” Find out more about the author of “Seasons Once Upon My Innocence” by Lea Ann Vandygriff, in an Interview with Literary Titan. Recently awarded “Silver Award is bestowed on books that expertly deliver complex characters, intricate worlds, and thought provoking themes. The ease with which the story is told is a reflection of the author’s talent in exercising fluent, powerful and appropriate language.” by Literary Titan.
https://literarytitan.com