We’re excited to welcome Lacy Williams to the corral! She’s discussing her new release and has a giveaway for you!
“Are we fishing with marshmallows?”
“Did you hear Aunt Linda had to go to the doctor again?”
“Blood pressure?”
“My catfish was so big it broke the line–it was the granddaddy of the one Gramps caught!”
“Can we play cards yet?”
Hello! Lacy Williams here today to chat and I’ve just brought you a real-life conversation from around our dinner table when extended family gets together. (Names changed to protect the innocent).
I absolutely love big family get togethers. When I was a kid, there might be one Sunday lunch a month, or Thanksgiving, or “just because”–I loved the time together with my cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and great-grandma and great aunt. I can barely remember gathering around a big ping pong table that was brought in so everyone would have a place to eat. Later, we changed to TV tables and criss-cross applesauce on the floor just so we could fit everyone in.
And the conversation usually goes about like what I’ve written above. Catching up with someone we haven’t seen in a while, news we haven’t heard yet. My youngest daughter is a nature lover and so is my grandpa (my only grand still living). They will chat about birdwatching or dogs or other animal stuff and it’s adorable.
And sometimes it’s difficult keeping track of the multiple conversations that start winding around the table! This family dinner feeling is something I tried to capture in my new release, A CONVENIENT HEART. The catch is, my bookish hero Jack is an orphan. Now an adult, but from a very broken family situation. He can’t remember a time when he sat down for family dinner.
Until it happens when my heroine’s extended family descends on the two of them. It was a fun scene to write and I loved capturing this confident man feeling very out of his element in this scene. I’ve shared it below if you’d like to read it.
Merritt had abandoned him.
At least, she’d excused herself to the kitchen to cook supper. He’d heard the clank of pans, the crackle of kindling taking hold in the stove. The two girls had gone with her. David and Nick had gone to settle the horses and wagon at the livery for the night.
Which left Jack in the room with her cousins Drew and Ed.
“Where did you say you were from?”
Drew had asked the question, but Ed’s intense gaze was a mirror of his brother’s.
“Here and there.” Jack still didn’t know what John-the-groom had written in his letters, didn’t know how much Merritt had told her cousins about her potential groom.
“What happened to your hat? Hey, Merry,” Drew called into the kitchen, “I’m not sure I can trust a guy without a hat!”
“Lost it,” Jack said cheerfully. “How far’s your ranch?”
It must be pretty far if they were staying the night in town. The oldest brother had mentioned staying in the bunkhouse of a rancher nearby. The girls would stay the night here with Merritt.
Drew stared at him.
It was Ed that answered. “About half a day’s ride.”
“How many cattle you run?”
If he could keep the conversation focused on the brothers, it’d make everything simpler.
“Almost a hundred head,” Drew answered. “You got family back home?”
Jack sat down on the sofa, crossing one ankle over his knee. “No family. Why do you want to know?”
Drew’s eyes narrowed. “Wondering whether you’re going to try to take Merritt away from her family.”
They’ll be your family in a few days. Merritt’s words from moments ago whispered through his mind.
They wouldn’t. He knew it.
And it seemed Drew wasn’t too keen on the idea of this match.
Merritt appeared in the kitchen doorway. The scent of frying ham had his mouth watering. The sounds of something sizzling on the stove were muted, as were the girls’ voices behind her.
“We’ll be staying in Calvin long enough for me to finish the school year,” she told her cousin primly. “Not that it’s your business.”
She set several tin coffee mugs on the table with a clank. The pot followed with a heavier clunk.
“You can pour, Ed,” she said. She pointed a finger at Drew. “Be nice.”
There’d been a flurry of introductions outside, and the young girl he thought was named Tillie skipped into the room, carrying a glass of milk. There’d been no mention of a mother. Was Drew widowed? Jack’s curiosity was piqued, despite knowing he should ignore those thoughts.
“What’re you doing, peanut?” Drew asked as she skirted him and then came to sit right next to Jack on the sofa.
“Merry asked me to come rescue Mr. Jack.” She took a sip of her milk and set her cup on the table too. She had a small milk mustache across her upper lip, and it made her look innocent somehow.
He felt another kick in his stomach. Had Dewey ever been as innocent as this girl seemed?
Her leg swung where her foot didn’t touch the floor. “What d’you need rescuin’ for, Mr. Jack?”
He glanced up to where Ed had turned his smile into his shoulder and Drew was staring at him. “I reckon I don’t.”
She tipped her head to one side. “Then how come Merry thinks so? She’s real smart, ya know? If she says you need rescuin’, ya prob’ly do.”
She said the words with such earnestness that he couldn’t argue. But Merritt was wrong. He didn’t need rescuing from these men. He could hold his own at a card table with men more dangerous than these. Men with loaded weapons in their laps. He wouldn’t be afraid of her family.
Tillie pointed toward a small pile of brown-wrapped packages in one corner of the room, half hidden behind the edge of the sofa. He hadn’t noticed them until now.
“Those’re our Christmas presents.” Tillie whispered so loudly that the sound carried across the room. “Merry always gets me a book, but this year I’m hopin’ for a dolly.”
His lips twitched with the urge to smile. “You’ll be as smart as your cousin if you read lots of books,” he said.
Nick and David stomped inside, complaining that the wind was turning colder. The added bodies and noise turned the attention off Jack and filled the room fair to bursting.
Soon enough, Jack found himself seated at the round table in one corner of Merritt’s kitchen, surrounded by the children, his knee pressed against Merritt’s.
“How come you haven’t decorated for Christmas?” Tillie asked, her mouth full.
“I supposed I haven’t had time this year,” Merritt said with a furtive glance at Jack. “I’ve been extra busy with the pageant.”
The family camaraderie was evident when Tillie spilled her cup of milk and David helped her mop it up. Jo rolled her eyes, but he also saw the girl sneak a piece of her biscuit onto Tillie’s plate when the girl complained of still being hungry.
Drew and Nick ribbed Ed about the wooden top he’d promised to craft his nephew for Christmas and promptly forgotten about.
Merritt was teased for keeping her mail-order beau a secret, but she took it with good-natured laughter, nudging his boot with her shoe beneath the table.
Jack knew every move to make at the poker table. How to present himself, how to hold his cards and arrange his chips to let his confidence shine through.
But in the middle of a family supper like this…he was completely out of his element…
What about you? Do you have a favorite memory of a big (or small) family dinner? Share in the comments and you’ll be entered to win a $15 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of A Convenient Heart . These are to one winner.
Thanks for hanging out with me today!
-Lacy
ABOUT LACY’S NEW RELEASE:
Spinster schoolmarm Merritt Harding is done waiting for the future she’s always wanted. Which is why she answered a mail-order bride ad and is anticipating her groom’s arrival on the eve of Christmas. She’s about to get everything she’s dreamed of…
Except the Jack who steps off the train can’t be the same man who wrote her letters. That Jack was a steady, mild-mannered businessman. This Jack is an enigma with flashing eyes and a pirate’s smile. He’s too charming, too keen, too perfect to be real.
And too secretive. What exactly is he hiding?
Jack wasn’t looking for a bride, only an escape from the danger chasing him. But the longer he stays in the small Wyoming town, the more he wants to stay. How can he, when his intended doesn’t even know his real name?
This sweet historical romance is perfect for fans of the following tropes:
*Spinster schoolmarm
*Marriage of convenience
*Mistaken identity
*Swashbuckling hero
A Convenient Heart is available now!
PURCHASE A CONVENIENT HEART HERE!!
My parents are gone now but there was always laughing and teasing a the dinner table. My Dad loved to wind us up!
Hi Rhonda. Your dad sounds a lot like mine. Thanks for stopping by today.
There were many times through the year when dinner time included relatives and friends (mostly around a camp fire) but Thanksgiving was always a big event with lots of family around our table. Great memories,
Love big Thanksgivings with family all around and all the good food. Thanks for commenting!
First let me say, that I love Lacy Williams. I will never forget my grandma’s fried chicken dinner with her homemade mac & cheese. I always say that my one great thing, was learning to cook like her.
Hi Audrey! Thank you for the love! ?? ??
I have a recipe from my grandma for her chicken and noodles that I really need to try. Thank you for stopping by!
I grew up an only child and never had large family dinners until recently. I only had two children, but my daughter has four sons and my son one, so with the in-laws, I guess some of them could be considered large now. I enjoy them all — the small ones and the large ones.
Thank you for reading and leaving a comment!
At one thanksgiving meal several years ago of my granddaughters was holding her nephew when quick as a flash he grabbed her drink and spilled it all over her. I had to find her clean clothes to wear. The discussion that followed was everyone was glad it wasn’t them and at least there clothes they could borrow (my granddaughter wears the same size I do).
Thank you for reading and leaving a comment!
My family dinners have always been big since I am one of 5 and they all have kids. I think my favorite was one of the last ones where my grandmother was alive. We had all met up and were taking pictures in my brother’s living room. My siblings and I were sitting around my grandmother. I am the youngest and the smallest, so my older sisters were being goofy and pushing their chests out compared to mine. This caused us to laugh a little. Then my brother reached up and acted like he was going to do something which caused up to crake up laughing. Even my grandmother who was in her late 80s early 90s to laugh. It took us forever to calm back down and stop laughing. My former niece-in-law was taking the pictures, and she snapped the picture of us laughing. Now that my grandmother has passed, we see that picture and start laughing again.
What a lovely memory!
I am 2 of 4 and hubs is 4 of 7 so yeah big families on both sides – when his side has a reunion there are over 100 there!
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Welcome Lacy. This sounds like such a wonderful book. Cant wait to read it.
Growing up we had many family meals and mom always made sure that for the most part there was a lot of talk. So that was how we expected to eat dinner. It was odd when we would go a friends for dinner and no one said anything. Or there was one family that I went to and only the father spoke, kinda strange. Anyway, when I got married, I kept up the tradition my mom started and we had some wonderful conversations around the dinner table. My husband came from a family that didnt talk much around the dinner table. But we got him to join in and we would include many things to make him comfortable.
That would make me uncomfortable too, visiting a silent family!! Thank you for reading and commenting!
Sounds like a great book can’t wait to read it. My husband came from a family of seven and they would all get together for Christmas with all their kids.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Thanksgiving dinners with family
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at my grandparents house!
We went to my grandma’s every other month on a Sunday, every Mother’s Day (lots of May birthdays) to my aunt’s house, and every Sunday before Thanksgiving to my aunt’s house.
At Grandma’s, we’d put leaves in the dining room table and squeeze around. At my aunt’s she had a long formica table and they’d push the ping pong table up to it–mostly kids on that end.
Growing up, that’s how I was close to my cousins and aunts and uncles. Eventually, we’d just have one reunion in September. That ended with the pandemic.
Lovely memories! Thanks for sharing.
I recall a get together in Grandma Schwab’s tiny house, including my aunt and her husband on my mother’s side. In my family, most of the time both relations, on Mom’s and Dad’s side were known to get together. We lived in a small community, so everyone was pretty close. I was not even a teenager at the time, with my youngest aunt being 24 and married. It passed through my mind they were both old, because they were married! What we think when we are young. It was fun, even there wasn’t much room in her dining room. Another time was a family reunion on Mom’s side in Ellis Park. Many relatives from near and far were present. Again, I recall lots of old ladies sitting around the picnic tables chatting away. I loved playing with my cousins.
I was rather young when my maternal grandmother (she was a widow) died, but I have so many fond memories of the special Sunday dinners we had. We rotated between her house and my parents’ house. She was a wonderful cook, especially her chicken and dumplings, plus her desserts.
I enjoyed learning more about your new release!
Thank you for sharing your memories and stopping by!
Family dinner used to be unique. For example, my future son-in-law came over for a family dinner without my daughter. He wanted to impress everyone I am sure. So he offered to o pen the bottle of bubbly wine. The wine went off like a geyser and sprayed my mother and my sister. I never laughed so hard in my life. It helped that I had already helped drink another bottle.
When I was a kid, we always had Christmas Eve breakfast at my maternal grandmother’s house. All the adults would gather in the kitchen and living room, while my cousins and I were sent outside to play. Those were truly the good old days.
Lots of wonderful memories growing up on our family farm in Wyoming. My uncles, aunts and cousins would show up for Christmas dinner.
This book sounds so good. My heart goes out to Jack and feeling out of place. Looking forward to reading it.
I remember all of the Sunday dinners when the entire family got together and what fun we had eating at the kids table.
My Mother had about 6 cousins and they all shared hosting the dinners
Your book sounds like the kind i enjoy reading.
We had a lot of huge family dinners. My Dad was the oldest of 7 and when the families all gathered it was fun and quite, um, interesting, sort of like what I read above! LOL Many of us cousins still gather during the holidays.
It was quieter when my Mom’s family gathered, as she had only one sibling and he had no children. Truthfully, I found it a bit boring.
I am looking forward to reading your book and will put it on my book wishlist on Amazon!
Family dinners were wonderful and memorable. Fun, noisy and plenty of food. I miss those special days very much.
When I was young we used to have family dinners with cousins and relatives. I always looked forward to these occasions. My grandmother, aunts and cousins made the delectable food and we hosted many years. It is something to remember fondly.
Growing up, there were six in my family, but when we’d go to visit Daddy’s relatives, we grew! Daddy was one of 12, and sometimes most of them would come to whichever uncle’s house we were staying with, and it ALWAYS overflowed to outside!! So many great memories, I wouldn’t know where to start!!
Good morning and welcome Lacy, Thank you for sharing about your book, it sounds and looks great! I love your book cover! When I was growing up we would all sit down and eat dinner together, there were my parent s and all 5 of my siblings and I and was always very nice sitting all together and talking about different things. After we all grew up and we all got together with our families it was even nicer all kinds of conversations about everything and anything going on with our lives. My husband and I have 2 grown up adult children and we have 3 grandchildren , so when we get together it is always so much fun. Have a great day and a great weekend. Thank you for sharing about your great sounding book with us
I remember growing up on my grandparents farm in Colorado having a chicken dinner every Sunday. My grandpa’s siblings had nearby farms and we would often go to their farms for dinner. It was always fried chicken because well, all the farms had chickens. And the best angel food cake because well, they had lots of eggs.
My favorite memories… when we used to have holiday dinners with my grandparents… those times were always filled with such wonderful food and laughter. They have been gone for years but I still remember how much I loved spending time with them.
For several years my husband’s family of 14 grown brothers and sisters and their children got together at Christmas with everyone bringing food and drink to celebrate. This was a big crowd but one that had a good time together. Sadly when covid arrived and the older ones had health problems it came to a end. There are a lot of fond memories though and lots of pictures to look back on.
When I was younger we usually had family dinners every night. I always enjoyed the feeling of family, of getting to catch up with each other and have everyone’s undivided attention.
I grew up with four siblings and twenty some first cousins. Thanksgiving was at our house with tables stretched to fill the dining room, living room and any other space we could find. Lots of talk and play. Father’s Day and Grandpa’s birthday, which was June 20, were celebrated with a chicken barbecue at my Aunt and Uncle’s poultry farm. They had a farm pond so we sometimes went swimming too. Christmas, there would be fewer of us as some of the families would go to the other side of their families for the day. We were all very close and had a lot of fun, conversation, and great food. Thanks for leading me to so many good memories.
The year we had Turkey Day with my Mom’s brother and his family. My grandmother had the big bird, 2 types of dressing, other sides…then we came to dessert—ice cream and cake for the little kids (6) 3 kinds of homemade pie ( her husband’s favorite, her only son’s, the only son in law’s. …Sooooo the SIL’s took care of kids’ table leaving the men to Grandmother. Granddad wanted a ‘sliver of 2 of the pies, a small piece of cake..oh and could she add a small scoop of ice cream by the pies…she looked at the gleam in her son’s eye..and declared they could “just get their own darned dessert”
Anyone hosting T-day afterwards served dessert as a serve yourself buffet…
I miss those most of my order family members are gone. Family get to together were nice before everyone became addicted to their cell phones.
Back when the most of my family rented out a Hall at Thanksgiving time, we all came together for good eats, a lot of talking and gossip with one another, games, and even music it was a day of seeing relatives and friends and having a whole lot of fun a lot of food was home made some wasn’t
Book sounds and looks like an awesome read looking forward to reading a physical copy of the book
Hi Lacy! I enjoyed that scene in your book.
Growing up, family meals were always lively with lots of talking- a LOT of talking- when cousins and aunts and uncles came to share a meal. Great memories.
Blessings, Tina
I am an only child. My Mom was one of six brothers and one sister. For the holidays, the family in our area took turns hosting the holidays. Thanksgiving was always at our house. We live in a six room house. One Thanksgiving we were blessed to have 50 people for a sit down dinner. We had people all over the house including in the bedrooms on TV trays. It was fabulous. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless youl
Years ago we used to go to my mom’s cousin’s house for Christmas dinner and a white elephant gift exchange. Since her cousin passed away, we go to another relative’s house but it’s still a lot of fun spending time with relatives.
I always loved Thanksgiving meals growing up. The food, the family, and the laughs are something I’ll forever treasure! 🙂
No matter how busy our days are my family always tries to gather together for dinner. It is always a good time to catch up on what happened that day and talk over things. I believe it is important to help each other feel supported and cared for.
I remember one thanksgiving at my grandmother’s house where there were extra family members who didn’t usually come. Me, my sister, and two brothers got bumped into the laundry room to eat. ?
I like our small family meals with my parents, my daughters, and me. Now I do remember once when I was in like fourth grade, we went to my grandparents(dad’s) for Thanksgiving with 2 uncles & wives, 1 aunt & husband and all the cousins. We lived in Florida at the time and the rest of them all lived in Maine so it was the only holiday we were all together. We even took a family picture. Then there were several other people who also showed up that were somehow related to us too. It was a lot. It was also the first time I got to see snow even though it wasn’t much.
This sounds like a delightful read.
I am the oldest of six siblings with about 60+ cousins. It made for many fun, large, chaotic get togethers. We were the only ones who lived in the country and many weekends we had cousins spending the night. It was common to have 15 children plus parents for the day. To stretch the pennies for lunches, the favorite was a sandwich spread made from ground bologna. We would help grind the bologna and dill pickles. My mom or one my aunts would add the mayonnaise and some mustard and mix it all together. Next we would usually use a loaf or two of bread to make the sandwiches. Add glasses of milk, apples and cookies and you had the perfect meal to keep everyone happy. Conversations usually centered around what we would be up to for the rest of the day and evening, hide and seek at night in the country when there are no outside lights was quite an experience. Because of the numbers, most meals were had with an adult table and kids tables. There were definitely two very different streams of conversation.
My memories of family dinners centers around my grandmother, she could really ‘set a table!’ The food was better than good.
We use to have big family dinners. My grandmother’s kitchen table took up half the room. My father was one of 11 children so we always had big dinners. I think there were 50 of so grandchildren. They would always have big dinner during the holidays like Christmas and Easter. I can remember going to big Easter egg hunts.
About once a month we would go to my grandma’s house for dinner. We would spend the whole afternoon helping cook, and everyone had their specific seat at the table. I was always at the end next to my Nonnie and enjoyed phasing in and out of the conversations at the different sides of the table. Nonnie would always get so flustered! She hated that she couldn’t hear everyone at once. I miss her a lot.