I know it’s Saturday but…here’s my Friday Friend-Mary L. Hamilton… and she’s been gracious enough to give away a print copy of her first Rustic Knoll Bible Camp series, Hear No Evil. Thanks, Mary! To be entered all you have to do is leave a comment.

Mary L. Hamilton grew up at a youth camp in southern Wisconsin, much like the setting for her Rustic Knoll Bible Camp series. While raising her own three children, she was active in her church’s youth ministry, including serving as a camp counselor for a week–once was enough.

Mary is a graduate of the Long Ridge Writer’s Group and a member of ACFW. She started out writing non-fiction articles and has written one play. Her fiction has won recognition in the Genesis, Selah, and Cat5 contests. When not writing, Mary enjoys knitting, reading and being outdoors. She and her husband make their home in Texas with a rescued Golden Retriever.

Connect with Mary on her website/blog: http://www.maryhamiltonbooks.com

Today, Mary shares a bit about her life and her father:

Shortly after I was born, my dad accepted a position as the first full-time director at a camp in southeastern Wisconsin. We lived there year round until I was almost twenty. If you asked me what was it like living at a camp, I’d say it’s a little like living at Disneyworld. In the summer and on winter weekends, there were always lots of people around, mainly kids. And we never lacked for things to do. We could swim in the lake, take out a canoe or rowboat, and participate in many of the activities, like the weekly staff/camper softball game and the evening campfires. In the winter, there was always ice skating and tobogganing down the long toboggan slide that dumped you out onto the frozen lake.

The downside was that whenever school was out, Dad was busy with camp. He’d be up early to ring the wake up bell at 7:00. He might come home for a nap in the afternoon, but then he was busy with the camp again until midnight or later. I always knew I could see him around camp, but in some ways, I didn’t really get to know him until I began working in the camp kitchen. One of the ways I got to know him was by watching him interact with the staff and campers.

Dad was unflappable. I never knew him to react in anger, even when he had every right. About halfway through every summer, the counselors would start fighting amongst themselves. The newness had worn off and the constant demands of campers took their toll. The year I worked in the kitchen, one of the counselors told me she and some of the others had gone off campus after the campers were asleep. One of the cooks had invited everyone to her house to work through the problems that were dividing them. Going off campus without permission was a serious breach of the rules, especially when counselors were supposed to be in the cabins with the campers.

The next day, Dad got wind of the midnight meeting and asked this counselor if they had indeed left the property. Ashamed at having betrayed his trust, the counselor confessed.

Calmly, Dad asked, “Did everything get worked out?”

“Yes, it did.”

“Good.”

That’s all Dad ever said about the incident, but the counselor vowed never to break another rule ever again.

Can you see why I patterned the camp director in my books after this man I called Dad? He didn’t have to say much to earn respect, and he taught me a lot by the way he lived.

Thanks, Mary for giving us a glimse into the life of a “camp kid.” I’m sure you must have tons of great memories.

Here’s a bit about her latest Rustic Knoll series novel, SEE NO EVIL:

SEE NO EVIL:

Steven Miller guards a dark secret.

Dad drilled into Steven that blindness should never be used as an excuse. So when Steven finds an old triathlon medallion among Dad’s belongings, he’s inspired to follow in his footsteps. Maybe it’ll quiet the guilt he’s carried since Dad’s death three years ago.

While Steven continues his triathlon training during his final summer at camp, a serious illness keeps Rustic Knoll’s beloved Nurse Willie from managing her clinic. When Steven teams up with his friend Claire to encourage Willie’s recovery, his feelings for Claire grow beyond friendship.

But his buddy, Dillon, has started down a dangerous path that Steven knows all too well. Can he keep his friend from falling into that sin without exposing his own past?

Purchase link: http://amzn.to/1yslU36

Thanks Mary for sharing a bit about your life and your new book with us.

Don’t forget to leave a comment if you want to be in the drawing for the book. The contest ends on July 1!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!