Hot Glazed Donuts

The following is written in loving memory of my mother. It was published in an earlier version, but I've revised it, and it was published again online yesterday in a second printing in A Woman's Voice published by Dolores Ayotte at http://networkedblogs.com/ahAlQ I hope you enjoy!

Hot glazed donuts . . .

I was a young girl in elementary school when I learned how to make Mom happy. She sent me down the street to Gene’s Bakery for orders of toast and butter for breakfast, to the drugstore on Main Street for ice cream, or to the local donut shop for hot glazed donuts.

Funny thing, we never owned a toaster, and Mom loved toast with her morning coffee. She loved hot glazed donuts on a cold winter morning with a steaming cup of Community coffee, or perhaps I should say some coffee with her sugar and cream. Hot summer evenings, it was ice cream.

We lived in a small town, and Mom could trust me to run errands. She used to brag, “Why, I could send Jane across the main highway with a $20 bill at five years old, and she’d bring back my correct change.

I was Mom’s little errand runner and lady. There wasn’t much time for being a little girl. I was the oldest of three girls, and it was up to me to set the example. I set some, that’s for sure. I made good grades in school, never got into trouble, and was Mom’s little lady, but I was also a curious tomboy of a girl. That part didn’t always set so well with Mom.

When I played in the Mississippi red clay at my Grandmother Russell’s with doodle bugs Mom would say, “You should stay neat and clean like your sister. Girls should be girls. She plays with dolls and tea sets like a little lady.”

I held out my palm and showed her my find. “I love playing with these bugs because they look like Volkswagen cars. Just look how they roll up their tiny bodies.”

Of course, Mom didn’t care to look at bugs, so she’d just shake her head and walk away, and I went on happily playing with the doodle bugs or making mud pies. I wasn’t always the little lady Mom wanted me to be. I loved dirt and mud like a boy, and just like a boy, I usually splashed right through puddles instead of skirting them.

Over the years, I made many footsteps to the bakery, donut shop, or drugstore buying Mom all her favorites. She even taught me how to go to the drugstore and find her favorite hair color in just the right shade. She made me memorize the hair color number. Her hair was supposed to be dark brown after she applied it, at least that’s what the box said, but it was totally black on Mom. She had pale white skin and hazel eyes and dyed her reddish-brown hair coal black because she hated the red highlights girls go for today. The reddish tint kept shining through the brown. She had to have jet black hair, red, red lips, and pearly white teeth like the song Daddy loved. She always kept up her hair and wore it long, hanging straight down her back, or with the ends curved at her shoulders. In her earlier days, as a young mother, she had it permed, but in later years, she’d complain that the perms always frizzed her hair, so she wore it long and straight, like the young girl she always was at heart.

Mom quit school in the 11th grade to stay home and help her father with the younger children when her mother passed. Grandpa had a strawberry farm in Louisiana, and Mom took over the housework and cooking chores, tending to her smaller brothers and sisters and her older sister’s children. She had a large family, four girls and three boys. Mom was next to the youngest.

Mom always talked about growing up on Grandpa’s Louisiana strawberry farm in Springfield. She loved berries, sunshine, and fresh air. She didn’t like packing them though. She was a picker, the fastest one around. She picked two or three handcarriers to my one and had me picking strawberries at dawn when I was five years old before school. And, I picked again, after school in the evenings.

Mom worked for a local schoolteacher who picked us up and took us to her farm, took me to school with her, took us back to the farm after school, and drove us home at dark. So, I’m a product of Louisiana strawberry fields and packing sheds. When I grew up, I decided I liked packing better than picking, and I was a faster packer than I was a picker. I left the picking to Mom, who could outpick anyone around.

Remember, I told you how Mom loved toast and butter with her morning coffee. Well, I happened to get a two-slice pop-up toaster for a wedding gift. I’d drive to Mom’s early in the morning and bring the toaster with me, so she could have her toast and butter with coffee. I wasn’t there to walk to the bakery for her anymore. Besides, the bakery she loved so much had gone out of business.

Years later, I wondered why Mom never broke down and bought herself a toaster. Maybe it was because she was the only one in the family who was toast crazy. Mom was like that. She wouldn’t have spent the money to buy herself a toaster. She figured the family needed it for other things. Now, I wonder if she didn’t buy a toaster because she liked our mother/daughter visits with coffee and toast. She brewed coffee so strong it’d curl your toes and knock off your socks, but I’d manage to weaken it as much as possible with plenty of sugar and cream and sip it with her. Her coffee was always too strong for me.

How I wish I could bring Mom toast and butter or a hot glazed donut for her morning coffee. On her deathbed, she asked, “Did you freeze those glazed donuts?”

How I wish I could bring her ice cream on a hot summer day. I miss her so much. Growing up, I shared candy and love notes with her. We talked about boys and puppy love. I miss those Mom-and-daughter talks. You see, she left years ago. She had cancer, and God called her home. Oh what I wouldn’t give just to be able to bring Mom an order of toast and butter, an ice cream . . . or a hot glazed donut. But, I count my blessings that I had this mother’s love. I’m who I am today because of God and her.

Bio
Barbara Russell-Robinson lives in Florida with her husband, a cocker spaniel named Sunflower, and an adopted shelter cat. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Christian Writers Guild (CWG), and a graduate of Long Ridge Writers Group and the CWG's Apprentice and Journeyman level courses. She’s completed a novel, True Hidden Treasures.

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury is a touching, beautifully written story published by Zondervan, copyright 2010. It's 320 pages with discussion questions that make it possible to use the novel for a study group. I smiled, laughed, and cried my way through it and didn't want to put it down.

Holden Harris is eighteen years old and locked away in a prison of autism. Ella Reynolds is a popular cheerleader who seems to live the ideal life and have everything a girl could want down to the football hero, until she catches him bullying and breaks up with him.

She's drawn to Holden, and his love of music and drama makes her decide to reach out to him. She discovers they're old friends while spending time with the family photo albums. The same music they shared as young children bring them together again, after a decade of being torn apart by their families. Ella and Holden's mothers were best friends until his autism drove their friendship apart. Ella and Holden's dads were friends until the same wedge planted itself between their relationship. Ella's mother and father grow apart. Holden's father finds escape on a shrimp boat in dangerous seas and risks his life to avoid a son he's unable to reach. Holden lost his Ella, but their relationship wasn't the only one lost.

Ella reaches out to a special-needs student at her school and finds the childhood friend who left her a decade earlier. He's never forgotten her, and music and drama bring them together again. Can Holden break the chains that hold him in his own private prison? Will Ella and the music he loves be the keys to unlock Holden Harris for the world?

This novel will rip your heart in two as Holden Harris transforms from the beast of autism into a prince. Bullying, suicide, and marriages falling apart are handled in such a way to make this a truly life-changing novel, and it's Holden Harris who changes lives and becomes an inspiration to so many. It didn't take Ella long to realize who the true prince of Fulton High was.

Though the disability in this book is autism, anyone who loves a child with special needs will enjoy this novel. It's a great adult and teen read. Ella wonders what happened to her family and discovers they all lost with Holden's loss, but God works a miracle and Holden is the instrument He uses to renew hope and bring these families together again. Their lives are unlocked with music, drama, Holden, and love, the type of love that despite all odds never goes away. Even when one mother pushes them all apart, the hearts carry that love locked away inside for over a decade, and Ella realizes Holden wasn't the only one who needed unlocking.

A World of Chocolate: The Sweetest Place on Earth

A World of Chocolate: The Sweetest Place on Earth

by Barbara Russell-Robinson

Discover the sweetest place on earth. Visit Hershey’s Chocolate World Visitor Center, Hershey Park, and Zoo America and take a simulated tour of the Chocolate Factory on the Chocolate Ride. Stroll through a tropical jungle where cocoa beans are harvested. View the chocolate-making process during the ride and receive a free sample at the end. Explore the gift shops and restaurants and have ice cream Hershey style.

View the Really Big 3D Show and get a glimpse of the history of Hershey’s chocolate. The show is designed and produced by Landmark Entertainment, the group who designed Universal Studios “Terminator 2/3D," and free candy samples make the show even sweeter.

Take in 11 acres of wildlife, included with park admission, of Zoo America. The most amazing adventure for some will be Storm Runner in Hershey Park. It's the first hydraulic launch coaster with inversions and speeds off at 72 miles per hour. Discover the thrills of Great Bear, an inverted coaster with four inversions--vertical loop, camelback twist, and wing over that gives the sensation of flying through the air as your feet dangle.

Take lots of great pictures, even some of Hershey Kiss traffic lights. The streets are named after Hershey candy. Jolly Rancher candy is also a Hershey product, though it's not chocolate. White chocolate Hershey bars with almonds and white Kit Kat bars, which are so hard to find, are all available. Like they say, Hershey, Pennsylvania, is the sweetest place on earth; it's a world of chocolate right down to the traffic lights.

The above-captioned piece was written after a summer vacation a few years ago. A slightly different version was published in a local newspaper.

The Last Operative by Jerry B. Jenkins

The Last Operative by Jerry B. Jenkins is 23 chapters and 371 pages of riveting suspense published by Tyndale, copyright 2010 in hardcover. Jordan Kirkwood's top-notch career as an NSA intelligence operative cost him quality family time causing a rift between him and son until it cost him his wife's life. His daughter is more understanding, but will his son ever forgive him, so hearts can mend, and they can enjoy their time left together? He helplessly watches as he losses the love of his life, his wife, just when she was meeting him for some well-deserved quality time, and he faces a retirement decision. But, as much as he would like to just quit the job that has cost him his family in more ways than one, a larger threat rears its ugly head. He has two grown children and a country to protect, so he's not able to call it quits just yet.

A threat worse than 9/11 and someone at a top level in the NSA might be to blame. On his most dangerous mission, Jordan's deepest secret is revealed and his past confronts him head on, a secret he, himself, knew nothing about. The fate of his country hangs in the balance as he fights to discover who he can trust and depend upon, and his own life is at stake. The risks are high for homeland and family. He wants to be sure his son and daughter are protected and do not follow the same fate as his wife. He loses a best friend. His family home, where he raised his children, is blown to bits, and his uncle takes him in, only to have his own home bombed.

An old love returns during the worse time of his life with a surprise from the past. The book ends like a serial, so I hope we find out what happens to Jordan, Cydya--his former love, and Katrina--someone from the past, as well as his two grown children, Christa and Ken. But, the book is a retelling of his first standalone novel. I felt the ending was too abrupt unless he plans a serial, since it left me with a hunger for more. And, I think it has potential for a great serial. His readers will want to know what happens to these characters as a family, perhaps a family saga. When a reader becomes involved with the characters, they can't help but want to know what happens to them.

The Last Operative is available through Christian Writers Guild, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and many bookstores.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT WRITING

What do I love about writing? Though there are many things, what I love the most is the opportunity it presents to reach out and help others. When you've written a story others can identify with, you have the opportunity to touch their lives, their hearts, and their souls. Writing also allows people to get to know each other, who otherwise never would. It allows you to really get to know yourself, because it becomes a process of self-discovery.

Through writing, I have met and shared stories with people from all over the United States and Canada. My family has learned more about me and who I really am as a person. I have even learned more about them. It allows me to share my heart and soul and my life with others. When I find out something I have written has touched another human being, or has helped them in some way, that is the greatest reward of all. I may never be a famous author, but I am a published one, who knows the feeling, the joy, and the reward of receiving this gift from God.

Writing is what I do because it's a part of me, and I thank God for the gift, the ability, and the benefits it brings every day, not monetary benefits, but people benefits. It is my way of reaching out to others and sharing my life experiences with them. If I only wrote for the money, I wouldn’t be writing. I love the feeling of knowing that somewhere someone may pick up something I wrote and learn about the personal relationship I share with God. Perhaps, they, too, will find the missing link in their lives and come to share that same productive relationship. For me, that is what writing is all about, and it brings joy to my soul.

I want to write to bring joy, hope, peace, faith, love, and life to others. The masses of people who really need to learn more about Jesus and the gift of eternal life may never be reached through a Sunday sermon. Just as Jesus used the art of storytelling, writers may reach lost sheep by following His example. If I can help just one discover Jesus, I will have made a big difference with my writing for another human being.

The Great Wide Sea by M. H. Herlong

The Great Wide Sea by M. H. Herlong is 42 chapters and 283 pages of an ocean tale that will deplete the wind from your sails, as the reader holds his breath like being on the edge of a seat at the movie theater. Published by Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Group, the novel teaches life lessons about love, heartache, and pain, as well as science lessons about the ocean and stars.

The New Orleans authors weaves a tale of a family torn apart by an accident that leaves a father and three sons on their own. Trying to escape the pain of loss, the father uproots them by selling the family home and purchases a boat, but no matter how far they explore, the pain and heartache sails and docks with them.

Ben, the oldest brother is the narrator. Dylan, the middle one is wise about the stars, and his knowledge assists them in ocean navigation. Gerry, the youngest rides out the storms of the ocean and life still clinging to his blankie. Ben and his brothers love sailing on the smooth lake close to home, but an ocean is no smooth sail. When Dad disappears somewhere between the Bahamas and Bermuda, they are left to fend for themselves, not knowing what happened to their father. Ben thinks he committed suicide, but Dylan believes his dad fell from the boat by accident. Which brother is correct?

A treacherous storm forces both Ben and Dylan to take turns manning the tiller, but the storms of life they face force them both to become men while they're still mere boys. This tale of survival portrays relationships and family connections during crisis and is an equal match for other survival stories like Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain. If you like survival tales, this novel is a must read. Set in Florida, it's a Sunshine State book you'll long remember after the last page. It might make you want to stare at a star-studded night sky and quietly reflect on your own, when you picture Ben leaving young Gerry on an isolated island with Dylan dying.

The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer

The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer, a first-time novelist, is 21 chapters and 178 pages that will touch your heart about a Vietnam vet, Vernon Culligan, who fought three times for his country and came home to live the remainder of his life as a recluse, dead to his community before he passed. It's a Sunshine State book. The main character, Gabe Culligan Pace, lost his mother at a tender age and after a series of foster homes that never worked, ended up living with his Uncle Vernon. This is a middle-school novel published by Yearling, an imprint of Random House. English, language arts, or reading teachers can teach figurative language, the flashback technique, and connections using the novel. Social studies or history teachers can teach about the Vietnam War's aftermath to vets and connections as well. It's a rich story for teaching caring and compassion for the elderly as well as those who gave their lives for our country.

How would you feel if you returned from school to find your uncle's body? Gabe loses his Uncle Vernon to a heart attack, and a secret stranger becomes a friend through mailbox notes. His uncle's body disappears, and a dog named Guppy is left. He comes home from school one day to find his uncle's body. The next day, the body is gone. Another day, he comes home and finds a large black dog that befriends him.

He has a special English teacher, and a best friend named Webber, whose mother bakes the best pies. He and Webber would love to be brothers. Gabe does his best living alone and writes an essay about his beloved uncle. The situations he encounters along his journey and the ending of this novel will melt hearts and make people think twice about how the men who fight for our freedom are treated upon their return. Smitty, Gabe's mailbox friend, has good reason to hide from the world. He served in Vietnam with Vernon, and though Gabe never meets him in person until the end of the book, he comes to care about him through note correspondence and realizes he's a true, valued friend.

Will Gabe have to return to a foster home when the police and child services discover he's living alone? His social worker Maria Rodriguez visits. What's going to happen to Gabe since his only living relative is gone? He's too young to live on his own, though he's been keeping the place tidy, paying bills, and taking care of Guppy, his treasured companion. ISBN: 978-0-440-42134-4, paperback, $6.50 US, $7.99 CAN.

Deceit by Brandilyn Collins

Deceit by Brandilyn Collins is 62 chapters and 314 pages of riveting suspense. I didn't want to put this novel down. Published by Zondervan, copyright 2010, skip tracer Joanne Weeks is determined to make Baxter Jackson pay for her best friend's death, especially when his second wife is killed, and he collects a huge insurance policy. Linda, his first wife was Joanne's best friend, and she trusted her with a secret she shouldn't have kept, when she showed Joanne the bruises of abuse.

Linda and Baxter adopt a sixteen year old foster daughter, Melissa, and Linda thinks her presence will help, that her husband won't abuse her with a daughter in the house. But, it only gets worse, not better. The girl plays a game that ruins their lives when Linda decides to find out if her suspicions are right. And, they are.

With excellent visualization and characterization, this full-length novel will keep you on the edge of your seats and as Brandilyn says, it's a "Seatbelt Suspense", well written and well structured. It's a tale that vividly demonstrates just how much appearances can be deceiving as Linda hides her abuse and bruises to protect the man she loves and his reputation, while Melissa thinks her a wimp.

Baxter flings his life away when he forgets how much of a saint his wife is and turns elsewhere. He's a fine, church-going man, or so his friends think, since he sits in church each Sunday morning and Amens the preacher's sermon. And his best friend is the police chief. His personality proves just how deceiving appearances can be, as he drips graciousness until he's behind closed doors with his wife. Then, he's an entirely different character, one you wouldn't want to meet. His words don't gush out smooth and buttery with honey at home. Instead, they are cold and uncaring, and he allows the control freak he is to come out in all his glory, as he uses his wife for a punching bag to feed his ego.

When a hooded man warns Joanne that Melissa saw Baxter kill Linda, the wheels start spinning, so seatbelt yourself down for an exhilarating ride and find out just how important self control and loyalty really are. Melissa, a greedy teen, disappears, and Joanne's life depends on finding her. Will she locate her in time? This story ends with an unexpected twist and layers your mind. Baxter had deceit on his, but Joanne has Linda on hers. It's thought-provoking, to say the least. Look for Brandilyn's Deceit at online bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble, or check out Zondervan. ISBN: 978-0-310-32879-7.

not a sparrow falls by Linda Nichols

Will Birdie fall?

not a sparrow falls by Linda Nichols is a 350 page awesome read published by Bethany House. From an empty shell of a life living with a drugged-out boyfriend, Mary Bridget Washburn becomes Birdie, takes on her mother's identity, and escapes to a small town.On the bus, the money she took from Jonas, so she could begin a new drug-free life, is stolen, and she's left to find work in a small-town grocery.

In a decades old church as she seeks sanctuary, a young girl's plea captures her heart and connects her to the local reverend. With a tainted past that opens her eyes, Birdie has insight and wisdom that she uses to help the pastor's family. His first wife died and left many unanswered questions, but journals discovered in the attic allow the young daughter she left behind to understand and know her mother. When Birdie discovers the hidden journals while looking for Christmas decorations, the teen takes them and asks her to read them with her. Behind the girl's behind door in privacy, Birdie helps her discover her mother as she reads entry after entry, and they devour every single journal, pictures, scrapes of material, and all.
Meanwhile, Birdie keeps an eye on her ex by checking a site on the computer to be sure he's still imprisoned, but her once empty life becomes so full that she carelessly stops. He is released from prison and tracks her down. He wants his money and his brain back.

Her new life becomes unraveled when he finds her, ranting about how she stole his brain. In the end, he realizes it was his heart, she took, not his brain. His drug-crazed frenzy takes Birdie home, but not in the way she hoped. With a gun to her head, she's forced to bring this demon into the house with her beloved grandma, who's a force to be reckoned with.

She provides Jonas with a story about who he's named after, Jonah in the Bible, and brings him out of his drug-induced stupor long enough to claim his attention. She says, "The Lord called Jonah, but instead of obeying, he run off from the presence of the Lord. Just like you're doing."

Birdie can hardly believe her ears, when Jonas blinks and responds, "Yes, ma'am." Grandma brings a memory of Vacation Bible School back to him, and he hangs his head.
"Don't you fall asleep while I'm talking to you," Granny rebukes. She tells him it's not too late to call upon the Lord, and he almost knocks over his chair, tells Birdie she's killing him, bolts out the door to his Plymouth and drives out of their lives.

Will he return to demand Birdie find the money she took once his drugged mind settles? Will the pastor and his family welcome Birdie back into their lives like a lost sheep, or will she remain the black sheep of the family she thought of herself as being? Can there be a future with the reverend and his family? Will his church be taken from him? Can he find the strength to start over? This novel holds the answers to these questions as well as many life-altering ones and would be a good read for young women, since it showcases how Birdie was pulled down in life with a drug addict boyfriend and how hard escaping that life was. It also conveys the problems of ministry when the flock wants a new preacher. What truly happened to the pastor's first wife? The deadly secret is revealed in her journals.

Don't miss not a sparrow falls. Look for it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com as well as many online bookstores. It's forty-two chapters that'll keep you on the edge of your seat and open doors to other worlds.

Sunrise: Will the sun rise for Dayne, Cody, and John?

Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury is 301 pages and 27 chapters of living life and having faith published by Tyndale House in 2007. Dayne Matthews, a Hollywood movie star, rebuilds faith and relationships after a critical injury while being chased by the paparazzi. He finds the love of his life in Katy Har. This novel is an excellent read for teens and adults alike.

As it weaves a beautiful love story, it also teaches life lessons about drinking and watching out for boys who are players. I was hooked from the first chapter when a teen house guest of the Flanigans, Cody Coleman, is found nearly dead by alcohol poisoning. The ramifications of teen drinking impact the family, and Cody must make a choice--alcohol or the supportive Flanigan family.

Dayne and Katy must fight for a private life of their own as they plan their wedding without Hollywood, an outdoor wedding. Dayne makes it known he believes in God and credits him with his accomplishments in both acting and surviving the fast-paced rollercoaster world of Hollywood, and healing from his accident. He longs for a simpler life style and a home and family.

John Baxter deals with the death of his wife Elizabeth and must learn how to blend the past and present when his friendship with Elaine becomes important to him. Will his children accept her? Can he love again?

There's also a chapter on the importance of not pushing kids too hard in sports and allowing them to enjoy the fun and sportsmanship of the game. Flawed characters face difficult circumstances and find that God sees them through. I truly enjoyed Sunrise. Find it at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com. Discussion questions at the end of the book provide the possibility of using the book as a study group. Connect with Karen Kingsbury over Facebook

This Fine Life--Which Life is the True Fine Life?

This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson, published by Revell, copyright 2010, is a top-notch, five-star novel comparable to Lynn Austin's All She Ever Wanted. It's my favorite novel by the author. Last year's Things Left Unspoken was a great Southern novel, but this one outshines it.

Mariette Puttnam graduates boarding school in 1959 used to a privileged life, unsure of plans for her future. She figures she'll enjoy her summer and decide if she should opt for a career and more schooling to please her father, or marry into the right social family to make her mother happy. None of those options feel right. Something's missing, and she finds him, Thayne Scott, working as a mail clerk in her father's factory. They fall in love and can't bear to be apart, though her mother and father forbid the relationship.

Though she's attended church all her life, Mariette lacks a personal relationship with God, but Thayne talks to Him in his church in the woods and decides to go into ministry. Mariette always feels she's "on the outside looking in" and doesn't really belong. She can't bake pies and fry chicken, which seem to be main requirements for a preacher's wife. She can't answer Thayne's question about where she stands with God; yet, she's supposed to be a preacher's wife.

Through the hardships of his first ministry, Thayne promises her he'll be able to provide her a fine life one day. But, she must endure snobby busybodies in the small town where he receives his first assignment, and they can't even have a husband and wife disagreement in private.

Journey with a young woman destined to become a preacher's wife, as she endures the loss of her firstborn, a daughter they name Rachel, and her second birth of a son named Gabe, when she learns how to talk to God in earnest. Discover the joys of a simple life with her. When she moves into their first real home, a guest cottage for the small-town preacher, Mariette throws herself into making the place a home and redecorates until she depletes the bank account. She moves to Logan's Creek and hates the place, where she has no friends or family, and no television or phone until her mother sends someone to install one and gifts them with a color set for Christmas. Still, they can't enjoy the present because they can't afford an antenna.

This is the story of a young woman who grows, develops a personal relatonship with God through her struggles, and matures during her small-town journey as she finds ways to keep herself busy in a town so tiny it doesn't even have a library. She devours books and must depend on her mother to keep her stocked. When her husband is offered his second assignment, they have an opportunity to have the fine life he promised her in the form of a two-story brick home with five bedrooms and three baths, and she can finally escape Logan's Creek. Which life will they choose? Will it be the true fine life? Can Mariette ever really make a preacher's wife, or will she remain one in name only?

If you love Southern novels, you'll find this one awesome. I didn't want to put it down. Eva Marie Everson evokes feelings as she tugs at a reader's heart and mind. I laughed, and I cried, both requirements of a five-star novel. If the book doesn't make me feel for the characters, it hasn't accomplished its goal, and it's not for me. I love character-driven Southern novels like this one. Grab it today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. You'll be glad you did. Sip sweet tea and taste this novel. Don't think I've told you everything; I saved the best twists and surprises for your own journey. This novel is realistic because the characters are so real-to-life.

About the Author: Eva Marie Everson is an award-winning author, writing mentor for the Christian Writers Guild, and a popular and gifted speaker and radio personality.
Visit Eva at her beautiful, inspiring Website http://www.evamarieeverson.com/ or her blog at http://evamarieeverson.blogspot.com/.

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans, published by Simon & Schuster, copyright 2010 is a beautiful hardbound book of 289 pages and 37 chapters, along with a prologue and epilogue. It's the first novel in a series, and I guarantee you don't want to miss it. I started reading The Walk Monday and completed it on Wednesday evening. I didn't want to put it down. The novel is spun in first person and hooked me. I cried. I felt. I identified. And, I was touched. A nature lover myself, I enjoyed the descriptions of woods and mountains the main character, Alan, travels through on his walkabout to Key West, Florida. The book is vivid with descriptions and offers a well-told story of true love, loss, pain, and heartache.

Alan goes from having everything a man could want, expensive cars, luxury home, beautiful furniture, his own successful business, and a beautiful love-of-his-life wife, McKale to a widower and a jobless, homeless wanderer in a short period of time. When he loses his beloved, Alan doesn't want to live and feels there's nothing left, but she made him promise to live. His heart is stabbed with grief and guilt because she asked him to call in sick and stay home with her the day of her accident, but he had an important business deal he couldn't miss. She'd planned a surprise weekend and promised he'd never forget it. Instead, he got a shocking surprise he'd never forget, and he learned the dearest lesson in life--people are more important than things. Without his best friend and wife to share them, material objects mean nothing.

Heartsick, Alan strikes out to walk to Key West, Florida, and encounters people along his journey of life. He discovers that none of those expensive "things" he worked so hard to earn mean anything without McKale. They'd been young and in a hurry to possess it all. She'd wanted children, but he'd talked her into waiting until they were secure. Another twinge of guilt pricks his heart. Now, she's gone, and he'll never father the children she wanted.

This is an inspirational, spiritual story with an out-of-body experience a wise old woman shares with Alan at a bed and breakfast. He crosses the path of a lady in distress and helps her, but turns down the ride she offers. He faces a gang, and on the brink of death, realizes he wants to live. Will the lady in distress turn out to be an angel? This novel illustrates how suddenly life can change, in the blink of an eye, by careless choices and decisions. It teaches not to rely on the assumption of tomorrow; there may not be one.

I felt as though I walked the journey with Alan, in his shoes. If I hadn't had to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I'd have completed this book in one day. I hated to put it aside to leave for work in the morning, and I grabbed it to complete it when I returned home. It will touch your heart and grip your soul. Get your copy from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. Visit the author on Facebook and follow his fan page to keep abreast of this series. Personally, I can't wait for the next one. This novel has hit the New York Times bestseller list for three weeks in a row! I give it 5 stars. I cried with Alan through his journey of betrayal and loss, enjoyed woods and mountains with him, and found renewed hope through his walk. He is the author of The Christmas Box and all 14 of his novels have made the bestseller list!

Mighty Inspiration: Love Letters From God by Barbara Bernard Miller

Mighty Inspiration: Love Letters From God by Barbara Bernard Miller, a beautiful, hardcover book, is a powerful 15 chapters and 115 pages published by Eloquent Books of New York, copyright 2009. I could actually feel God's presence as I read this amazing book, written as though God is speaking to you, and He is through the words He instructed Barbara to write.

Chapter 3 on Gifts is an encouraging, thought-provoking one. The first lesson is to choose your gifts correctly--for the good of mankind, see God in everything you do, and send Him your cares and worries, so He will send you peace and joy.

Barbara writes with such intensity that you become lost in the words and feel God's presence. At least, I did as I read. Chapter 4 on Joy reveals how all things, even tragic and sad events, provide an opportunity to become closer to God. She never uses the word God in the book and uses only capitalized pronouns like He I, or Me, so I substitute God or Jesus as I read. The book explains why God doesn't prevent all things from happening, because if He did so, He'd take away CHOICE. Choice provides growth and development. This chapter says that learning is lifelong and knowledge is the cornerstone for development. As the book says, "Teach as you learn, and you will be doubly blessed. Seek Me."

Chapter 5 is about passion and reminds me of my passions of reading, writing, and teaching. It says, "Your passion for your gifts will give them power and sustain them in your life." It goes on to explain how we've been given passion for some things and not for others, so our gifts will grow, develop, and be used. According to this chapter, the mind is for imagination and reasoning, and the heart is for passion and belief. Ideas sprout in the mind, but they must be planted in the heart and can only blossom there. God gave us so much power when He gave us the power of CHOICE, but many times we do not realize how powerful choice can be. We do not have the power to change others, but we have the freedom of choice to change ourselves by changing how we think, act, and react. We need our quiet time for reflection. I know this personally, and I value those quiet moments with God and time to pause and reflect. "I weave My messages into the hearts and minds of those who will reach out to Me. They pass the message along throughout the world in those momentary touches with other lives." In this way, we all have the power to make a true difference in the world.

As I read about God's message being woven into minds and hearts, I was reminded of using a weaving loom as a young girl and how carefully I had to weave the brightly-colored yarn to make a product, to make a difference, to make something that would benefit and withstand. As a farmer tills the soil and adds fertilizer to make the ground fertile, we must till our minds and fertilize them with God's Word. Only then, will we experience real, true peace and joy. Only then, can we truly make a real difference.

Won't you let this powerful book speak to you, so you can feel God's love and mercy? It's available at online bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com, and it has the power between the covers to make a difference in your life, which can ripple through other lives and make a true difference in our world. Check out the reviews. I feel blessed for having read this riveting book, and I pray it will bless many others as it has me. It is also available at www.mightyinspiration.com. Barbara is on Facebook, so you can connect with her there.

About the Author:

Barbara Bernard Miller is a writer and Human Resource Manager for a large corporation. She lives with her two children in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is her first book, and her personal wish for blessings to all who read it and take its message to heart.

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson

Eva Marie Everson served as my writing mentor for three years when I was a student in the Christian Writers Guild. She mentored me through both the Apprentice and the Journeyman levels of the courses. I am proud to call her my writing mentor, and I can truly say I learned much from her as well as from my American Christian Fiction Writer (ACFW) critique group members, Karen O'Connor, also a writing instructor, and Tracy Ruckman, an edtior. I also took a dialogue course with Eva through Tracy's company. I feel God placed all these people in my life to help me on my writing journey, and I am eternally grateful to each and every single one of them. Cynthia Hickey was a most active ACFW critique partner. And, I don't want to forget Janet Eckles, a dear friend, who though blind, still critiques for friends and has more insight than many sighted people. I hope you enjoy the review, but more importantly, I hope you enjoy THINGS LEFT UNSPOKEN and watch for Eva Marie Everson's upcoming Cedar Key series of three novels. There is an entry about Cedar Key, if you scroll down. Also, there's a detailed review of a newly released novel by Michael J. Sullivan, Necessary Heartbreak, and you don't want to miss that one either!

Things Left Unspoken
Author: Eva Marie Everson
Reviewer: Barbara J. Robinson
http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/
Five Stars
To Purchase: Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble (See reviews there also)

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson is three hundred and eighty-one pages of pure Southern delight. The novel allows the reader to adventure through life, romance, true love, wisdom gained with age and life experiences, dealing with life’s curve balls, conflicts of love and life, heartaches that make us stronger, and God’s fingerprints on our lives to make us the people He wants us to become. If you enjoy Southern fiction, you’ll love this novel. I devoured it in a couple of days.

Jo Lynn Hunter and her Aunt Stella make it women’s fiction. Jo Lynn deals with current marriage problems and feels she’s not at home in the life her husband has chosen for them. Something is missing and leaves her feeling empty inside. At life’s crossroads, she takes on a project to rebuild an old Southern family home and finds herself restored in the process. Family secrets reveal their ugly challenges and place Jo Lynn in extreme danger. She rises to the challenge and refuses to be chased from her project of love.

Aunt Stella illustrates true love and the wisdom of ripe old age. Valentine, her teenage love, grows into a wise elderly man, who declares if the foundation is strong, anything can be rebuilt. Jo Lynn learns the secrets of the past and the treasures for a happy future, even as she learns some things are best left unspoken.

How Does Your Writing Flow?

I long to write with a perfect view and sweet peace and quite in an unrushed space of time, so I can get my thoughts and feelings down on paper and later refine them. I notice POV shifts as I read now, so I realize I’ve made progress as a writer. God gave me a season of growth, and I used it to learn.

With the spring renewal, I feel ready to burst forth and rise on the writing scene, like a new green shoot sprouts from the cold, barren earth. Lord willing, my writing time has come. Lord willing, I’ll soon be able to tie together the three great passions of my life, reading, writing, and teaching.

Once so motivated, I put my thoughts and feelings in storage, on hold, for quite some time, but I feel it’s time I unlock them and let them do the work God intended. He gave me these three passions and heart’s desires for a reason, and I want to glorify Him with them. I pray for God’s guidance and direction and for Him to show me how to burst forth on the writing scene in the right way to glorify Him in all His glory and lead others to come to know, believe in, and trust Him as I do. God, please show me how to reach and touch the hearts and minds of readers.

Lord, I long for days of writing that will make a true difference. Lord, please lift me as a person, a human being, a writer, and a reader, so I may glorify You through my work and all I do. In Jesus’s name, I pray. AMEN.

How do I write? With Jesus as my sweet companion. I must have time for deep thought and silence for reflection, for I hear him whisper to me in the quietness of an early morning. I’m a morning person and do my best writing in the wee hours. I need to be isolated with nothing but God as my companion and sweet peace and quiet when I write fiction. I can write timed writings in any place and any time, but for deep thought processing, I need my quiet time. However, I'm not spinning my wheels, or rather spinning my blue pen when I time write, because I always find some nuggets of gold to pull out and refine. In fact, some of my best writing has come from quick writes, when I'm focusing on getting my thoughts and ideas down on paper and just letting the writing flow and come what may. This is a technique I learned from author Natalie Goldberg.

My writing space is an L-shaped oak desk with a large picture window overlooking a large back yard with a canal and trees. Sometimes my feathered friends pay me a visit. I can watch squirrels play and listen to the sweetest natural music in the world, the prettiest choir, birds singing their happy tunes. In spring, it sounds like they’re singing, “Easter, Easter, Easter.” Perhaps, they know Jesus has risen, and they’re celebrating.

How do I write–with sweet peace of mind in Jesus, at least for quality writing. How do you write? Describe your writing space and what works best for you.

True Hidden Treasures--Finally Completed

I've completed my novel True Hidden Treasures and have an idea for a generational family saga, a series of three. I plan to begin work on a new novel and come back to this one after receiving some additonal feedback. This is not a first draft. I've had the first ten pages professionally critiqued by Christian Writers Guild, and I've had bits and pieces discussed with my writing mentor, Eva Marie Everson, during lessons with the Christian Writers Guild. I've also had Tracy Ruckman edit the first ten or twelve chapters. Perhaps beginning a new novel will provide me with layers for this one when I let it rest and return to it later. Happy writing :)

Thank you, God, for inspiring me to write.

Lord, I long for days of writing that will make a true difference. Lord, please lift me as a person, a human being, a writer, and a reader, so I may glorify You through my work and all I do.

Cedar Key, FL

I get off work March 26, 2010, and my husband, Scott, drives us to Cedar Key, Florida, where he rents a cottage at Pirate's Cove for the weekend. He surpised me by phoning and making reversations. I brought along a good read for the trip, Mike J. Sullivan's Necessary Heartbreak, newly released. The review is below this entry. It is the book you see me holding in the picture, and a yellow highlighter is my marker. We stop at Mickey D's on the way, and I try the Mac-rib. Delicious. On the ride, I tell him about my writing mentor, Eva Marie Everson, and how she's writing a series of novels set in Cedar Key.

Our blue cottage greets us with a sliding-glass door view of the bay, beautiful at high tide. An orange tabby cat with a stub tail welcomes us and proves to be a friendly kitty, but Sunflower, my cocker spaniel, scares it until they finally make friends. Sunflower enjoys the sliding-door view like her mother, and she keeps an eye out for the cat who visits the back deck.

Saturday morning, I sip French Vanilla Dunkin Donut coffee and feast on donuts, as I watch a flock of birds fly over from my window-to-the-world glass doors. A small deck juts out from the patio doors and a table invites one to sit and enjoy the view, but I like the swing and the green, green grass underfoot. The wooden frame swing faces the bay. Sweet peace and quiet. Beautiful. A gentle breeze blows the leaves of bushes lining the bank. A large tree overhangs the deck offering shade when it's green, but it sleeps a long winter's nap, and bare arms and stark, skinny fingers loom over the deck. The sun rises in an orange glow as a V of birds fly across the bay. Then, a long line of birds follow and others join in and break the V-formation. The tide's out, and Sunflower enjoys watching the outside view, as she keeps her eyes out for the orange tabby cat pictured on the Internet.

I long to write with a perfect view and sweet peace and quite in an unrushed space of time, so I can get my thoughts and feelings down on paper and later refine them. I notice POV shifts as I read now, so I realize I've made progress as a writer. God gave me a season of growth, and I used it to learn.

With the spring renewal, I feel ready to burst forth and rise on the writing scene, like a new green shoot sprouts from the cold, barren earth. Lord willing, my writing time has come. Lord willing, I'll soon be able to tie together the three great passions of my life, reading, writing, and teaching.

Once so motivated, I put my thoughts and feelings in storage, on hold, for quite some time, but I feel it's time I unlock them and let them do the work God intended. He gave me these three passions and heart's desires for a reason, and I want to glorify Him with them. I pray for God's guidance and direction and for Him to show me how to burst forth on the writing scene in the right way to glorify Him in all His glory and lead others to come to know, believe in, and trust Him as I do. God, please show me how to reach and touch the hearts and minds of readers.

Lord, I long for days of writing that will make a true difference. Lord, please lift me as a person, a human being, a writer, and a reader, so I may glorify You through my work and all I do. In Jesus's name, I pray. AMEN.
Written March 27, 2010, as I watch the outside world and sip coffee.

After coffee and donuts, my husband and I go to the pier, and he fishes while I enjoy the pelicans and Michael J. Sullivan's new release, Necessary Heartbreak. Read the detailed review below. I've had many compliments on it. I began reading it as we drove to Cedar Key Friday evening and completed it as we drove home on Sunday.

Hubby catches fish left and right, and we fish on the pier until 8:00 P.M. The pelicans wait for fish, but don't want catfish. They seem to know when he catches one and keep their distance. But, when he hooks the other fish, they swarm and become beggars. I watch him toss a small fish into one's large beak, and the pelican swallows it whole.

My writing mentor, Eva Marie Everson, is writing a series of three novels set in Cedar Key, and I can't wait to read them. Cedar Key became writing bait for her, and I hope you're hooked on her writing as I am. Visit her at http://evamarieeverson.blogspot.com.

Is Heartbreak Necessary?

Necessary Heartbreak by Michael J. Sullivan published by Gallery Books, copyright 2010 is a novel you can't miss. I couldn't put it down once I started reading, since I was hooked from the first chapter. The main characters are a single dad and his daughter, Michael and Elizabeth. Journey with them through life's obstacle course in the world, as we know it today, as well as through first-century Jerusalem. Michael losses two important women in his life, loves of his life, his mother and his wife. Left with his daughter to raise, he strives to do the best he can and vows never to leave her or allow anyone to hurt her. But, in Jerusalem, Roman soldiers threaten to overpower him, and one wants Elizabeth for his wife. She's only 14, not even allowed to kiss, so Michael is determined not to let this solider have his way with his daughter, but can he save her?

While helping the local church with food pantry items, Elizabeth finds a trap door and explores while Michael goes back upstairs for more items. He returns and follows his daughter through the hole in the basement floor to a world that's only existed in the pages of the Bible. After the loss of his mother and living on New York streets homeless, his faith is shaken, but he soon discovers Jesus is real when Jesus looks at him and says, "Heartbreak is necessary for one to understand how great God's gift of time truly is." He asks Michael if he's there to lift his burden, or to help Jesus with his. Then, Jesus informs him that he shouldn't look too far, since his daughter can lift his burden.

Without the help of a beautiful green-eyed lady in Jerusalem, Leah, Michael and his daughter would have been easy prey for the Roman soldiers, but will her help be enough to save Elizabeth from marrying an unknown Roman soldier, or will she be forced to become his wife to save herself and her father?

A novel that truly mixes life's problems of today and blends them with history, this book will enrich your life and soul. It's a pleasurable read I started late on a Friday evening and completed on the following Sunday. And, it deciphers today's teens well, always in a hurry with earbuds tucked in their ears. Parents of today compete with Ipods, cell phones, and electronics for attention. But, Michael and Elizabeth are whisked back in time and history where no electronic gadgets can aid their rescue, and Liz, as she's called by her friends, has to learn to deal with life on a very humble level without her cell phone. She's grateful for her father and never wants him to leave her side. Will their world ever return to normal? If it does, will Leah be a part of it, or will they be forced to leave her to the Roman soldiers? Will heartbreak be necessary for all of them to survive?

Back Cover Material: An extraordinary journey back in time shows a struggling single dad that the faith he's lost is still alive--and stronger than ever . . . . Michael Stewart has weathered his share of hardships: a troubled childhood, the loss of his mother, even the degradation of living on the city streets. Now, he's raising his teenaged daughter, Elizabeth, on his own and doing the best he can at work and at home. But he's turned his back on his faith--that is, until the morning Michael and Elizabeth volunteer for a food pantry at their local church. While storing boxes in the basement, they step through a mysterious door. . . and find themselves in first-century Jerusalem during the tumultuous last week of Jesus Christ's life. It is a dangerous and violent place, where doing what your heart tells you is right can get you imprisoned--or worse--and they are thankful to take refuge with a kind widow. But when they come face-to-face with Judas Iscariot and the condemned Christ himself, Michael realizes that before they can escape Jerusalem, he must experience history's most necessary and shattering heartbreak--and that pain and loss must happen if Michael is to be set free: to live, love, and reclaim the blessings he has in the present day.

About the Author, Michael J. Sullivan: Michael, a sports journalist and author of sports-themed books for children, started the novel decades ago and some of the flashbacks came from that time period. In May 2007, he began to earnestly work to complete Necessary Heartbreak. After the first draft was completed, he acquired an editor. He says he believes there are people who walk the earth who step into your life for reasons, and he had the help of such people in completing his novel, which is based upon his life experiences.

While on vacation in Orlando, Florida, he received a phone call from Simon & Schuster. Their interest was in publishing a revised edition. He found the perfect fit and the support he needed for the trilogy, was placed in the hands of a capable editor, and took a year to write, re-write, revise, and re-write the novel. He thanks his wife for her help and support as well as all others who played a hand in the outcome of its publication. The appendix contains a Reading Group Guide.

Michael lives in New York City and hosts several sports radio shows. He's worked with ESPN and Sporting News. He's a graduate of St. John's University. Visit him at www.whentimeforgets.com. There's also an ebook edition available.

In my humble and honest opinion, this is one of the best books I've read since last summer when I read Lynn Austin's All She Ever Wanted and Chris Fabry's Dogwood. I urge you to grab Necessary Heartbreak for a read you won't soon forget. It's available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com and hit local bookstores last March 31! If you haven't read it yet, don't miss it on its anniversary!

Free Books-Sign to Follow my Blog and Participate

Thank you for following my blog. I will post new book reviews on some of the latest books being published through Bethany House and other well-known publishers. To be eligible to win them, please post comments and respond to the reader's survey below. This week's free book is the one reviewed below: The Rewards of Simplicity. I will notify the winner and post the winner's name on my blog. Just leave a comment beneath to answer the short questions to be eligible.

Reader's Survey:
1) What type of book is your favorite read?
2) Do you have a favorite author? If so, why is this person your favorite author?
3) What makes you pick up a book and buy it?
4) What makes a book a keeper?

Thanks for participating. I look forward to reading your responses!
Barb

Choose the Simple Life

The Rewards of simplicity: A Practical and Spiritual Approach by Pam and Chuck D. Pierce is 194 pages devoted to helping you clear the clutter from your life. It's published by Chosen, a division of the Baker Publishing Group, copyrighted 2010. Pam and Chuck are ordained ministers who've been married for 36 years. The book contains a notes section in the back. If you've ever felt your life was chaos and been under pressure and stress, let this spiritual guide help you. In Part I, Pam writes on practical and spiritual simplicity in seven chapters. In Part II, Chuck writes on how to simplify life by overcoming anxiety in five chapters.

Jan says, "Walking humbly with our God, . . .provides us with opportunities to experience simplicity in the midst of our busy, often chaotic lives." Personally, I find the simple pleasures in life refreshing and peaceful, like flowers blooming, birds singing, and the earth turning green once again after winter. God speaks to me through these simple life expressions and eases my tired mind.

Chuck says we all go through trials, and it's the fodder for our faith. He says the problem is allowing the stress to overtake us because we don't co-labor with the Holy Spirit through the hard moments of our lives. He says the key question we must ask in order to leave a life of anxiety and cross over to one of faith is how we can escape a trauma-filled past and restore our childlike faith? Chuck provides biblical examples and discusses how Jesus was different.

From the back cover: "We've all wished for that extra hour or two in our day. . . . Yet the simple days we long for are within our reach." This book is interwoven with biblical teaching, personal experience, and practical tips and you are gently guided to simplify your life, your house, and your soul. As the back cover says, "You don't have to be stressed out. You can experience peace and rest. Start today to reap the rewards of living simply."

God is in control, but we have the freedom of choice. So, will you choose God and peace, or a life of stressed-out chaos? This spiritual guide book is available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com for approximately $13.99, depending upon the store you select. This book is for a Christian living audience or those who wish to discover the peace through crossing over.

Forever, Until we Meet

Forever Means How Long - Forever, Until We Meet
Author: Vicki M. Taylor

A Review by Barbara J. Robinson of Forever Until We Meet by Vicki M. Taylor
From the mountains of Wyoming to the sunshine of Florida, Taylor spins a web of excitement through the journey of James and Patricia, who meet via the Internet. This book is a must read for women who seek love and companionship over electronic lines, a tale of a woman who didn't give up on love, though each time she laid her heart on the line, it meant more pain and heartbreak.

Refusing to give up on love and knowing that she was a better person than the shallow James who would spend his life looking for a woman who didn't exist, "the perfect woman," existing only in his mind, Patricia finds true love just when she vows to be herself and enjoy life to its fullest. Ironically, she meets true love head on when her heart takes wings back to Wyoming. On the same day she was supposed to have met James for the first time, she realizes he’s the one who is losing and will never have a full, complete life, or a real true love because he is unable to get past "the perfect woman" his mind has created, who is nothing more than a shallow fairy tale.

James is the true loser in this tale because he is destined to a life of disappointment while he plays out his fun and games of chasing his illusion over the Internet, a game of chase he will never win. Patricia prefers a man of depth and reality to a shallow fairy-tale version of the man she thought was the man of her dreams. Giving up her fairy tale, she discovers a man of solid depth with whom she is truly compatible, while James is right back on the Internet searching for a woman who doesn't even exist, except in his mind. Patricia sees that he wastes no time in chasing his next illusion at an even faster pace. Time will run out for James as his Internet fantasy and games catch up with him, while time marches on for Patricia, time worth living in the real world where strong women such as Patricia never give up on making their dreams come true.

Taylor has captured the Internet Romeo in James and the many lonely women seeking true love and companionship in Patricia. This book could be the book that makes a difference for you, if you are one of those lonely women, so don't miss life's lessons on love so cleverly woven in this tale of romantic suspense which has the reader on the edge, wondering if this romance will make it. This is a book the reader won't want to put down until the end.

For you men out there, if you are an Internet Romeo, you might not want to pass this book up because you might find yourselves learning some lessons from dear old James which could prove valuable tools during your Internet fantasies of fairy tales. Ironically, James offers to bring Patricia to Disneyland, a place where fairy tales are supposed to come true, but Patricia's shoe didn't fit. Forever Until we Meet is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. It’s a must-have educational tool for being Internet savy.

The Victor by Marlayne Giron

Author Marlayne Giron spent thirty years writing The Victor. She started writing this epic battle of good versus evil decades ago on a Selectric typewriter and finally fulfilled her life-long dream of seeing it published in April 2009 by Tate Publishing. The language fits the time period of the book, since it's a medieval fantasy. The cover is beautiful, and it's a perfect paperback with 16 chapters of love, hate, betrayal, loyalty, action, and battle between good and evil. If you contact Marlayne, she has a flyer available for teachers and homeschoolers, and the book may be taught as English curriculum. The language of the period is dense at first, but don't let it detour you, or you'll miss a Bible allegory. The fantasy illustrates how poor choices slowly turn a person evil when darkness descends and bad things take place. Though there's redemption, there's also evil that can't be undone. Hope, strength, courage, humor, and love redeem. It's a medieval love story about growing up that contains Christianity and Bible verses in the appendix. I'm not a fan of medieval fantasy, but the author has a command for the language and the time period, and the book rings true. If you like fantasy, kings, knights, and warriors with romance, this book is one you won't want to miss. It offers romance and battles to keep you turning the pages.

The Victor may be purchased at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, or at www.tatepublishing.com, and you can find it by looking under the author's name. You may become a Facebook friend at http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=Marlayne+Giron+&init=quick.

My Own Thin Place: Thin Places Contest

". . . and the dead in Christ will rise first: After that, we who are still alive and left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” 1 Thessalonians verses 4:16-18

She and I stood in the front yard of the old apartment house. Lisa wore a pink jacket, and her sad brown eyes looked directly into mine as she said, "I hope it's not cancer. I don't want to die." That visual image is sealed in my mind as vivid today as it was six years ago when I lost my youngest sister. Bird-like hands clutched a shining gold star with a pearl-head pin. She handed it to me, "I want you to wear this, because every time I see a star, I think of you." When Lisa died, the heavens raged. Storm clouds covered the land and hurricanes blew in from the sea. That year, twelve blustery ones battered America's shores. The last, a storm named Lisa, tiny and non-threatening like her, eventually faded out over land. On September 13, a summons came for Lisa. Sent on a mission, angels ferried another angel home. As I fell to my knees beside my bed and cried, I said a silent prayer, opened my Bible, and discovered my own thin place as the Comforter sent me encouragement. I knew then, that even in death, Jesus rose and hope lived--I'd see my sister again in heaven.


I'd like to invite viewers to join this contest. For more information, go to
http://www.blogtourspot.com/2010/02/thin-places-blog-tour/ and don't forget to read the review of Thin Places by Mary DeMuth. Scroll below for the review :).

Thicker than Blood by CJ Darlington

Thicker than Blood by CJ Darlington is 372 pages of Christian fiction published by Tyndale House Publishers, copyrighted 2009. This full-length novel was the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest winner. Darlington has skillfully woven a story of emotional impact that touches on the tough subjects of domestic abuse, abortion, alcoholism, and loss of loved ones through death and separation. Two sisters, Christy and May, haven't seen each other for 15 years. The death of their Aunt Edna brings them together again, but their reunion is beset with problems, pain, and heartache. Christy needs love and acceptance and drowns her sorrows in a bottle. Can May ever forgive her for running? She's run from the ones who've truly loved her all her life, always thinking she was alone and worthless. She's blamed herself for her parent's death. She discovers in the end that she always had someone there, if only she'd have called upon Him. And, she finds that blood is truly thicker than water, when she and her sister share a bond that can't be broken.

When she finally finds a job she loves in a bookstore, a charming man deceives her until he wrecks her position, her apartment, and turns her world inside out and upside down when he frames her for stealing valuable antique books. He's called her worthless so many times that she's begun to believe it. With no place to go, homeless and jobless, she visits the sister she hasn't seen in all those years only to discover her sister has her own problems. The bank is foreclosing on her beloved ranch, but instead of turning to booze for comfort as Christy does to alleviate her problems, May puts her faith and trust in God.

This award-winning novel was so captivating that I started reading it one evening and completed it the next. It's 23 chapters of suspense as Christy weaves her way back into May's life, and Vince stalks her to the ranch. Just as Christy feels she can breathe again, Vince intrudes upon her life and threatens to kill her sister. The author has paid attention to detail and provides excellent descriptions and dialogue. This is a novel you won't want to miss. A friend on Facebook told me she ordered hers today, after I'd told her how much I enjoyed reading it and from my brief description. She asked what the book was about, and I replied, two sisters who haven't seen each other in 15 years. I told her I'd put the review on my blog soon, but she didn't wait and ordered hers through Amazon.com. The author started the Christian entertainment Web site www.TitleTrakk.com in 2006. Check out Christian fiction and author interviews at the site and meet the award-winning author, CJ Darlington. This novel truly showcases well-written Christian fiction. It's my kind of book!

Review of Thin Places: A Memoir by Mary E. DeMuth

Thin Places: A Memoir by Mary DeMuth is 215 pages of prose and poetry gifted as a spiritual memoir published by Zondervan, copyrighted 2010. Full of figurative language, the book allows readers visual images that make them feel like they're watching the action take place. Parts of it will rip your heart wide open and turn your eyes into rivulets of tears. As she explores her past through writing out her heart, she sees God's handiwork throughout the many hardships and obstacles in her life. Tracing her life's journey through writing allows her to experience God. Mary defines "thin places" as the division fading between this world and the external, times she's felt God at work in her life and knew He was with her.


Thin Places is raw, full of powerful emotions, some of the reading is hard to digest as Mary paints a picture of what it's like for a five-year old girl to be molested. She shares the tough subject of sexual abuse in the hopes others won't feel so alone. She says, "I have a feeling my own journey will help others heal." It takes an author and woman of great strength and courage that can only come from God to tell the tale of the horrid childhood that made her who she is today, God's child, who is loved by him unconditionally.


Much of the book reveals what Mary sees as her personal flaws and weaknesses. Too much negative self-talk takes away from the inspirational message it's meant to deliver. I applaud her for being courageous enough to put her life on the page in stark black and white, but when I first started reading the book, I thought it'd be different. At first, I was really into it and couldn't wait to read further, but it ended up taking me a little longer to complete the reading once I got to parts that were hard to digest. She credits God for saving her by grace, and I know exactly what she means by "feeling" God with her and seeing His hand on her life through it all, but it's not a book I'd go back and reread for inspiration. It's hard to put my finger on, but it's something about the wording that pulls me out of the story.

However, I feel rape victims might relate to the story in a different light. They may find it more helpful and even more insightful. I could see the book being used in a class to help them. While she had a hard life, the most difficult part was the sexual abuse at such a tender age. This book will heal and also illustrate how you might help others going through such a crisis. If you or any member of your family has gone through such an ordeal, you'd want to read this book. You may purchase it through Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com. Visit Mary at www.marydemuth.com. or relevantblog.blogspot.com. If you're in need of a speaker on the topic of sexual abuse, Mary's your gift, and she's a special lady and author. Check out her other books. She has some interesting titles: Watching the Tree Limbs and Wishing on Dandelions, which sound more like my type of book, so read the book for yourself. It may be just the book for you!

Scotty's Jeans

Colored Jeans on the Clothesline: Such Precious Days Don't Last
Up early every morning, cleaning house and taking care of the family duties with the spirit, vitality, and energy of youth, far too busy to treasure the day, with a son in the first grade. She took pride in the fact that she kept a spotless house and had dinner on the table when her husband returned from work. She hung her son’s jeans out in the sunshine and fresh air, glad he had a pair of each color for school. They hung neatly, all in a row, jeans of brown, black, green, navy, maroon, and blue.

Where did those days go? Before she knew it, her son was grown and gone, with kids of his own. Those precious family days were a treasure that didn’t last. All too soon, spring turns to summer, and kids grow up too fast, leave home, and are gone. Summer turns to fall. Fall turns to winter. What you wouldn’t give to hang those precious little jeans of every color on the clothesline and watch them blow in the wind! Such precious days don’t last.

Those were the days, the best days in life. Such precious days fly by with the speed of lightening. Suddenly, she wonders where did the time go? How did she get to be this old? She no longer cleans her house with the spirit, energy, and vitality of her youth. What she once took pride in, is dull, boring, and humdrum, just another ordinary, routine day. Now, there are no little jeans blowing in the wind. No first grader will come home to excitedly tell her about his school day. Those are all things of the past, things she didn’t treasure when she had them, because she was always in such a hurry, things that didn’t last.

Now, her little grandson’s mother throws his bluejeans in the dryer as she rushes to get ready for work each morning. The hands of time slip by like a silent thief. Off to work. Off to school. School years fly. No little colored jeans blow in the wind, days of the past, treasured days that just don’t last.

First published at USA.DeepSouth.com
Author retains copyright

(I have an idea for revising again and making this into a full story) This piece was written about the days I hung my oldest son's jeans on the line. His name is Scotty, and he was named after the song, "Watching Scotty Grow". When I wrote this piece, I knew nothing of author's craft and word choice. My writing has changed so much in the past five years. I have edited the first chapters in my manuscript so many times. Yet, each time I read it, I find myself changing another word for word choice. Something else jumps out at me, and I think of another way to improve it. By the time I let it go, it should shine for God. At this rate, will I ever let it go? :)

Words to Write By: Author Devotionals

I have a writing devotional in the book Words to Write By: Author Devotionals, complied by Robin Bayne. The book is full of devotionals for writers, and I've found it very inspiring. It motivates me to continue my writing journey for the Lord.

Five chapters and 168 pages of inspiration encourage writers and include Encouragement and Motivation, Persistence and Rejections, Publishing and Networking, Success and Sustenance, and Write for Him. I read this nonfiction book while I waited for my husband at the hospital on October 22, 2008. He had to have tests, and I read and prayed. God answered my prayers, and He is fine.

The book includes a variety of well-known authors, and they share favorite scriptures and quotations they find inspiring for writing. My devotional is titled "Why Write When You Keep Getting Rejections?"It describes my experience of receiving the best rejection letter ever. Despite the fact that my writing and characters were praised, the novel was still rejected. It didn't fit in with their line.

I'm still writing for Him, and in His perfect timing, His will, not mine, my work will find a home and an audience. I am the daughter of the King. My Prince has come, and He is not fiction.

Review of Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson

Things Left Unspoken
Author: Eva Marie Everson
Reviewer: Barbara J. Robinson
http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/
Five Stars
To Purchase: Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble (See reviews there also)

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson is three hundred and eighty-one pages of pure Southern delight. The novel allows the reader to adventure through life, romance, true love, wisdom gained with age and life experiences, dealing with life’s curve balls, conflicts of love and life, heartaches that make us stronger, and God’s fingerprints on our lives to make us the people He wants us to become. If you enjoy Southern fiction, you’ll love this novel. I devoured it in a couple of days.

Jo Lynn Hunter and her Aunt Stella make it women’s fiction. Jo Lynn deals with current marriage problems and feels she’s not at home in the life her husband has chosen for them. Something is missing and leaves her feeling empty inside. At life’s crossroads, she takes on a project to rebuild an old Southern family home and finds herself restored in the process. Family secrets reveal their ugly challenges and place Jo Lynn in extreme danger. She rises to the challenge and refuses to be chased from her project of love.

Aunt Stella illustrates true love and the wisdom of ripe old age. Valentine, her teenage love, grows into a wise elderly man, who declares if the foundation is strong, anything can be rebuilt. Jo Lynn learns the secrets of the past and the treasures for a happy future, even as she learns some things are best left unspoken.

Sweet Peace

I relax in sweet peace to the smell of French vanilla coffee and creamer and the music of birds, the prettiest in the world. As milk builds strong bones, I milk God's Word to build a strong soul. Blissful morning surrounds me. I sip coffee and glasp the Good Book, the best one in the world.

Winter Visit 2009

If you look closely, you can see my feathered friends in the background as they leave. Bethany, my little granddaughter was amazed with the tall cranes. My son, her father, snapped this photo of us as we returned from watching them. I'd hoped the Sandhill cranes would grace us with their presence while my children and grandchildren visited, and four visited daily. My family had never seen this type of bird, and my son had to get photos of them, too.

They've come and gone, and their visit is over, but I have pictures to remember our Christmas of 2009. As I look at the large one I placed on my bookcase today, my favorite is a picture that shows us in the family room. It even includes Sunflower, my cocker spaniel. She's sitting by the side of my chair. The entire visit, she was never far from my side. In fact, she stayed right underfoot. Every step I made, she made it, too. I couldn't leave a room without her, but that's normal for her. She wants to be with her mommy.

Son, look closely, you've captured Sunflower; she's part of the family, too. I really miss you guys. We were disappointed with only sleet this morning and no fluffy white stuff. I'd loved to see a few snowflakes drift to the ground, but instead, I glanced out to see rain mixed with sleet, and we had a nasty, cold, miserable day.

I hope we get a chance to go camping this summer together. Meanwhile, I feel close and connected with Facebook. And, yes, Wendy, your mom is watching.

Repost of All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin Book Review

Monday, August 3, 2009
All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin

This was one of my favorite summer reads. Dogwood by Chris Fabry was another. I recently reposted Dogwood. If you scroll to older posts, you'll see comments from the first posting of Dogwood. Of my many summer reads, these two have stuck in my mind. I've read and reviewed books since both, but these two novels stand out and apart from all the others I've reviewed. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend both, and I'm reposting because no one deserves to miss these two great novels!

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin is generational women's fiction,just the type of book I love to devour. The title speaks for what all women truly want and just as the female characters in the novel only want love, women desire true love. The main character, Kathleen Seymoure, discovers hiding the past of how she lived and grew up from her daughter, Joelle, puts an emotional barrier between them. When Kathleen opens up, it enables her daughter to understand her, just as when Kathleen hears her own mother's story, she's able to understand her mother's life.

You might say the females in this novel were unlucky in love, but the truth is they loved and made poor choices because of it. These women have something in common--they left home at an early age and never looked back until Kathleen found the courage to return. Kathleen came through a generation of women who'd made poor decisions strong enough to make right choices and ended up with a good man, while the men in the other characters lives were not so nice--that's putting it mildly. The story is so realistic to life and could be an important book for young girls, since it's thought-provoking and provides great life lessons and much insight.

Once I started reading the novel, I couldn't put it down. It's 35 chapters and 400 pages of life staring you in the face, published by Bethany House and available at bookstores or online through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Love Finds You in Holiday Florida

Love Finds You in Holiday Florida by Sandra D. Bricker is 20 chapters and 328 pages of delightful Christian romance, published in 2009 by Summerside Press. The author spins a tale of humor set in Holiday, Florida, where two pink flamingos become a symbol of learning to live a different lifestyle for widow Cassie Constantine. Used to a brownstone in Boston, she returns to Holiday to ready the summer vacation home for the real estate market. However, during the process of redecorating, she falls in love with the Holiday home and hates to see someone else take over her dream kitchen and bath she worked so hard to design. Not only does she fall in love with the home, but she also falls for the Florida community and a handsome chestnut-haired Richard Dillon, she meets when her dock gets in the way of a boat. When Cassie plants the once-hated flamingos in the front yard and even decorates a palm tree for Christmas, she shows the first signs of loosing up and allowing herself to enjoy life.

Figurative language and great character description make characters come alive, from a disco granny to blue-haired senior citizens who hustle and tango. The canal behind Cassie's vacation home delivers a man, a Florida snake that invades one senior's home, and the threat of alligators. Will Cassie ever enjoy her scenic view of the canal again, once she realizes the danger it may hold?

Following the suggestions of a surprise box, she pulls a card, reads the scripture and recommendation of how to apply the verse to her life, and begins to really live for the first time in years. But, Cassie has a life back in Boston, where her daughter and grandchildren live, and she's expecting her third grandchild. At 56, can she brave throwing away one life to risk another? Will she sell her vacation home, or the Boston brownstone? This delightful novel may be purchased online through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com, or it can be bought at your local Walmart, where I picked up my copy.

Repost The Mystery of the Cross

Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life
Have you ever pondered the mystery of the cross? Judith Couchman's new book The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life provides answers curious minds will want to devour. Forty chapters divided into seven parts explore signs and symbols of faith. The story of Jonah, favored from the Old Testament, and Noah, Moses, Abraham, and Daniel are illustrated. God's ability to deliver his spiritual children are illustrated through images. Popular redemptive images contribute to the overall theme in remembering the Old Testament.

The back cover states, "At the center of Christianity, sits the cross of Christ," and explains how from the beginning, Christ's followers valued the cross as a symbol of their faith. The author describes forty images of the cross from early Christianity and deciphers how the most favorable stories from the Old Testament had a redemptive message. Understanding of Christian tradition will be enriched, as well as deeper appreciation for the cross.

Values in God's Kingdom are not of this earthly world, like power-hungry, power-grabbing people clawing their way to the top. The book points out that Jesus invites us to live in an inverted world, where the first shall be last and the last, first.

I enjoyed reading the many mysteries of the cross and learned so much that I hadn't a clue about before picking up this amazing book. It'd make an excellent Christmas gift and provide the kind of gift that keeps on giving, Jesus. The book may be purchased at local bookstores, online booksellers, or the Inter Varsity Press website at http://www.ivpress.com for the retail price of $17, but many sellers offer discounts. The author's blog is www.judithcouchman.blogspot.com and her Facebook page is www.facebook/judithcouchman.

Book Review Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas

LOVE FINDS YOU IN SNOWBALL, ARKANSAS

First read and reviewed in November 2008, but I'm reading Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida, and I'm over halfway finished, so I decided to repost this review. I'll post the review of Sandie's new novel when I've completed it. Look for it soon! You won't want to miss it. I love her humor.

Love Finds You in Snowball Arkansas by Sandra D. Bricker is 261 pages of page-turning figurative language with a delicately interwoven Christian message of what real love truly is. The main character Lucy illustrates how we can sometimes miss what’s right before our eyes, if we’re too busy looking elsewhere. From Little Rock to Snowball, Arkansas, Lucy delivers laughs, making readers think about their own fun-filled courtship days. Readers will visualize and laugh their way through the novel, as it keeps them guessing who’ll end up with who until the end when God’s grand design controls the scheme of things and Lucy must face her ultimate choice, Matt or Justin. Will she come to her senses before it’s too late? Check out the reviews of this delightful book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can still order in time to provide the readers in your life with a wonderful winter read!


Barbara Robinson
Author
http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/

Dogwood by Chris Fabry - Reposted Book Review

Dogwood by Chris Fabry is a book that emotionally tugs at the reader's heart strings, one of my favorite summer reads. Will Hatfield was my favorite character, a man who takes the blame for crimes he didn't commit, taking the burdens of others on his shoulders,like Jesus.

After spending years in prison,an innocent man whom his hometown condemns,Will returns to Dogwood, West Virginia, and refuses to give up on the woman he loves, Karin, even though the people in the town hate him. While the town harshly judges him and tries to entice him to leave, he struggles to build his dream home, even though the woman he desires to share it with has settled and buried any dreams she's ever had. In a desperate fight for his life, dreams, and the woman he loves, the character Will demonstrates true love in action. This was my first time reading a book by Fabry, but it won't be my last. He writes with a passion for life and love, and I didn't want to put the book down until I finished it. I couldn't wait to see what happened to Will and Karin. While she was unlikable at times, I couldn't help liking Will throughout the entire novel and wanting to see him overcome the many obstacles life threw in his face.

My Anchor is Jesus

For a brief moment, I saw a glimpse of my old shopping partner. A smile played at the corners of her lips, and she said, “I remember the time we spent five hours shopping in Hammond after you got off work. You bought me a gold angel pen and a few other items.”

Transported by sweet, precious memories to another time and place, I remember one of the treasures in my life, my youngest sister, who spent Christmas with Jesus this year. Jesus is the anchor in my world of heartache and pain. When I remember lost loved ones,I remember Him and what He did for us when he suffered on the cross for our sins. Because he loved us so much, He gave His life for us, so we could be saved and blessed with eternal life and see our loved ones again.

Bits and pieces of conversations from the past float through my memories as I recall the lives of my sister and my mother. As the old year ends and the new one begins, I treasure a Christmas of the past, one when we were all together. And, I treasure this year's Christmas celebration with my two sons and their families. My son snapped a picture of me holding Bethany's hand when we were walking back from visiting the Sandhill Cranes. Bethany is my youngest grandchild. The breeze blew back my long tresses as I walked, and I noticed a hint of the girl I used to be smiling at the camera.

These days are all precious hidden treasures that fly as quickly as Sandhill Crane airplanes. I savor each moment and each memory and thank God for the short, but precious visit, as I hold tightly to my treasured anchor, Jesus, the author of my life story.

My Two Sons

The highlight of my Christmas this year was the visit by my two sons and their families. I so enjoyed seeing them and the grands. My grandchildren were astonished with the Sandhill Cranes, birds they'd never before seen. They loved their visit to Disney's Magic Kingdom, the flea markets, putt putting, and riding in a race cart. The only problem was the precious time flew away just as quickly as my feathered friends. My sons headed home, and I woke up missing them for coffee the next morning. I found myself thinking this morning at 7 AM, that this time last week, they were just arriving, and we headed for breakfast at the Golden Corral. As I perked my French Vanilla Dunkin Donut coffee this morning, I couldn't help but look at the two coffee cups that were used along with mine last week, coffee cups that'll not be used for a long time, since no one drinks coffee but me. I touched the red bird on the coffee cup Scotty used and thought of how he stood in the door of the RV and watched me feed my feathered friends. Like me, he had to get pictures of them. And, like me, he said he likes to watch animals. I guess he gets it honestly. The cup Rodney used had a wild duck on it. Christmas is over and with it, all the joy and anticipation of knowing I'd soon see part of my family again, but I thank God for the opportunity I had even if it was a short visit. I felt lonely and relived our time together in my mind. I didn't get to see my two daughters, only my two sons. Now, I pray the Lord works a way for me to see them all this summer, and I thank God for sweet, precious memories. I looked at the Merry Christmas 2009 book my son, Scotty, made for me. He was so smart and crafty to make it. I have pictures of our time together in it and pictures of their trip to Disney. It's one of the best Christmas gifts I received.

My daughter-in-law, Becky, and my son, Rodney, supplied me with facial creams and lotions to last me until next Christmas. I love them, too. Scotty and Melissa gave me a gift card, and I used it to purchase a set of stainless steel Farberware pots. But, it's not the things I received that made Christmas special. It's the people I got to see and enjoy. Rodney and I cooked dinner one night together in the kitchen, and I'll always remember. I also received a scar on my right hand from a burn when he fried turkey that always be a reminder.

Most of all, I remember the reason for the season and thank God for His precious son, Jesus Christ, whom he gave to save us all, so we could enjoy eternal life with Him. I'd hoped to visit the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, but we didn't get to. My daughter wants to go when she makes it down, and it'll be a great mother/daughter experience together. I look forward to her visit. Don't forget to take the time to remember and treasure sweet memories. Most of all, make many more. You'll live on through memories. How do I know? I carry my father, mother, and youngest sister with me in my heart, though they make their home in heaven and spent Christmas with Jesus.

Blessings and sweet, precious memories.

The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life

Have you ever pondered the mystery of the cross? Judith Couchman's new book The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life provides answers curious minds will want to devour. Forty chapters divided into seven parts explore signs and symbols of faith. The story of Jonah, favored from the Old Testament, and Noah, Moses, Abraham, and Daniel are illustrated. God's ability to deliver his spiritual children are illustrated through images. Popular redemptive images contribute to the overall theme in remembering the Old Testament.

The back cover states, "At the center of Christianity, sits the cross of Christ," and explains how from the beginning, Christ's followers valued the cross as a symbol of their faith. The author describes forty images of the cross from early Christianity and deciphers how the most favorable stories from the Old Testament had a redemptive message. Understanding of Christian tradition will be enriched, as well as deeper appreciation for the cross.

Values in God's Kingdom are not of this earthly world, like power-hungry, power-grabbing people clawing their way to the top. The book points out that Jesus invites us to live in an inverted world, where the first shall be last and the last, first.

I enjoyed reading the many mysteries of the cross and learned so much that I hadn't a clue about before picking up this amazing book. It'd make an excellent Christmas gift and provide the kind of gift that keeps on giving, Jesus. The book may be purchased at local bookstores, online booksellers, or the Inter Varsity Press website at http://www.ivpress.com for the retail price of $17, but many sellers offer discounts. The author's blog is www.judithcouchman.blogspot.com and her Facebook page is www.facebook/judithcouchman.

In Loving Memory of Dakota

Dakota J. Robinson, our German Shepherd, was a faithful, loving friend and companion. We enjoyed her company from June 2001 to November 18, 2009. We purchased her from a state trooper who got her for a wedding present. Last Saturday, at a local gun show, we purchased five tickets for a raffle to buy police dogs bullet- proof vests. There was a picture poster of a German Shepherd that looked like her, and we did it in memory of Dakota and to support cannine troopers.

Dakota would have been 10 years old in December. Her sissy, Sunflower, our golden girl, misses her and keeps watching out the door for her. Dakota had German Shepherd hips and lost control of her bowels at the end. She had to drag herself along using only her two front paws and twist her entire hip area. She could no longer meet me at the door when I came home from work. The day before she was put down, I came home, and she tried so hard to run meet me, but flopped down and cried and whinned instead, as she watched Sunflower run greet me.

I had Dakota longer than any other dog my entire life, nearly as long as I've been here. She was Sunflower's big sissy, and those two girls loved each other and were company for one another while we worked. Now, Frankie, a blue-eyed, part Siamese cat, has to be her company.

In loving memory of a faithful companion whose smile lit up her face. Her brown eyes sparked with pure love, but were sad that last morning when I said goodbye, like she knew it was for the last time. My last words to her were, "Your mommy loves you."

I pray you're running again on all four legs in doggie heaven, and I'll see you when I get there. I know God loves animals. He created them for us humans to have true, pure love. There's no love like a faithful dog's, man and woman's best friend. They don't care about your outside shell, only your loving heart.

The Thanksgiving the Garbage Disposal ate the Eggs

My Thanksgiving nonfiction piece will be published on November 25 in the Community Section of "St. Cloud in the News". The editor emailed me about it. It's the story of my youngest son and his wife visiting when my husband had just installed a new garbage disposal. I'd never had one before, so I had to learn about it the hard way by losing my Thanksgiving dinner eggs I'd boiled for a potato salad. Talk about a good laugh and a joyful day, we had one. My son and his wife are visiting again in about a month. His wife, Becky, said she and my son, Rodney, were talking about the incident just the other day. She wants me to save them a copy and have it for them when they come. I'll be sure not to let the garbage disposal have the Christmas eggs, so Becky doesn't have to run to a store for more.

I wrote this piece while taking Long Ridge classes and Christian Writers' Guild classes. I see the need to pull out some of my old lessons and polish them. Also, I see how they can fuel the fire for new ideas.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to this year's Thanksgiving break, though I won't have any company for an egg incident. I will have a fried turkey though. My husband will do the honors.

Here's hoping all of my readers have a blessed, joyful, spirit-filled, happy Thanksgiving.

Encouraging Email from a National Editor

I received an encouraging email from a national publisher who said she's overstocked, but asked to hold my article for possible publication. She said it's a lovely piece, and they don't get many about mechanics, but it may take up to a year, if she can fit it in. This article really means a lot to me, because it's written about my youngest son. She said she feels the men in the audience would relate to it as well as the women. With today's economy, her email was insipring, and she said I could still feel free to market it elsewhere, since few magazines consider them competition. I haven't actively marketed it though since a few earlier attempts. Since, I've graduated from the Christian Writer's Guild, I polished it. It is an article I wrote when I took my first class with the Guild, the Apprentice course. Since then, I've also completed the Journeyman Level, two Long Ridge courses, and a dialogue class. I'm always honing my skills. I prayed for God to open a door, and I received the email. It was much-needed inspiration. Now, I'm ready to write and looking forward to a writing weekend. I feel my writing has been validated. If my author wants it published, He'll open those doors, and it'll find a home. Thank God for placing the desire and passion to write in my heart. I love both reading and writing.

Completed all Writing Lessons

I've completed my last writing lesson for the Christian Writers Guild, and I've finished the Apprentice and Journeymen Levels. In addition, I've completed two classes through Long Ridge Writers Group and a class on dialogue with Tracy Ruckman. Eva Marie Everson was my writing mentor through the Guild and through the class with Tracy Ruckman.

I'm looking forward to being able to spend my time working on short articles,short stories, and novels instead of writing lessons. At this time, I'm reworking and revising some of my material I wrote during the three years of course work with the Guild. I didn't have time with my normal job and keeping up with my writing classes and lessons to devote to do so before, but now I can totally focus. I'll begin submitting and pray God opens a door.

Sandhill Cranes

I have two new wild/tame pets who've claimed me, two sandhill cranes. They're like kids and come running/flying to me when they see me. They wait for me to come and are glad to see me each day. Thank God for such beautiful, elegant creatures. I love watching them. They're so funny. I never knew what a sandhill crane was until I moved to Florida. They're graceful, tall birds. Peacocks are proud and strut their stuff, but sandhill cranes are elegant and refined, holding their heads high as they delicately waltz across the yard. They glide in for landings like airplanes.

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear
By Ben Mikaelsen

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen is 240 pages of action and adventure published by Scholastic, a great book for young adults, especially boys. Cole Matthews, the main character, is banished to an island in Alaska for Circle Justice when he injuries another teen. He hopes to avoid jail by spending a year on the island. Once there, he plans to escape and burns the cabin that was built for him. Incoming tide and icy waters foul his escape attempt, and he’s injured by a spirit bear. Near death, he realizes he wants to live. He’s found and nursed back to health, but he’ll never be the same physically, emotionally, or spiritually. When he’s healed enough, he’s sent back to the island, but this time, he has to build his own cabin and fend totally for himself. Meanwhile, the boy he injured will also never be the same physically and becomes so depressed he attempts suicide. Cole knows what helped and changed him, and he desires to help Peter before it’s too late, but how will he convince the boy’s parents to allow him to live on an island with the person who physically attacked him and altered his life? Cole learns life’s lessons from the animals on the deserted island, and he wants to help Peter as he’s been helped, but will he be allowed to before it’s too late? And will Peter ever accept his help?

Dogwood by Chris Fabry

Dogwood by Chris Fabry is a book that emotionally tugs at the reader's heart strings, one of my favorite summer reads. Will Hatfield was my favorite character, a man who takes the blame for crimes he didn't commit, taking the burdens of others on his shoulders,like Jesus.

After spending years in prison,an innocent man whom his hometown condemns,Will returns to Dogwood, West Virginia, and refuses to give up on the woman he loves, Karin, even though the people in the town hate him. While the town harshly judges him and tries to entice him to leave, he struggles to build his dream home, even though the woman he desires to share it with has settled and buried any dreams she's ever had. In a desperate fight for his life, dreams, and the woman he loves, the character Will demonstrates true love in action. This was my first time reading a book by Fabry, but it won't be my last. He writes with a passion for life and love, and I didn't want to put the book down until I finished it. I couldn't wait to see what happened to Will and Karin. While she was unlikable at times, I couldn't help liking Will throughout the entire novel and wanting to see him overcome the many obstacles life threw in his face.

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin is generational women's fiction,just the type of book I love to devour. The title speaks for what all women truly want and just as the female characters in the novel only want love, women desire true love. The main character, Kathleen Seymoure, discovers hiding the past of how she lived and grew up from her daughter, Joelle, puts an emotional barrier between them. When Kathleen opens up, it enables her daughter to understand her, just as when Kathleen hears her own mother's story, she's able to understand her mother's life.

You might say the females in this novel were unlucky in love, but the truth is they loved and made poor choices because of it. These women have something in common--they left home at an early age and never looked back until Kathleen found the courage to return. Kathleen came through a generation of women who'd made poor decisions strong enough to make right choices and ended up with a good man, while the men in the other characters lives were not so nice--that's putting it mildly. The story is so realistic to life and could be an important book for young girls, since it's thought-provoking and provides great life lessons and much insight.

Once I started reading the novel, I couldn't put it down. It's 35 chapters and 400 pages of life staring you in the face, published by Bethany House and available at bookstores or online through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.