My sunny Florida kitchen looks out upon sunlight sparkling on the turquoise-blue water of our swimming pool. I watched a squirrel run up the palm tree that cornered the pool while I waited for boiled eggs to cool. A few minutes later, I went to peel the eggs, but they’d vanished.
“Where did my eggs go?” I yelled loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.
My son, Rodney, grinned. “I don’t know.”
“I put them in the sink to cool.” I looked down the drain. “That thing ate my eggs.”
Rodney came up beside me and asked, “What thing?”
I pointed to the sink’s drain. “The new garbage disposal Scott insisted on.”
The family laughed like I was a comedian.
“When I first met her, she didn’t even know how to work a dishwasher," my husband said. "Now she doesn’t know how to use the new garbage disposal. Do I have to teach you everything?” His brown eyes twinkled. He patted my shoulder, and his grin lit up his face. Teaser that he was, it was easy for him to amuse the family and for them to enjoy the playfulness of his comments. “Reach your hand down there and get them.”
“I’m not putting my hand in that thing.”
The family’s laughter filled the kitchen. “I can’t make potato salad.
Those were my last three.”
“I’ll run to the store,” someone offered.
Rod said, “It’s a wonder you didn’t accuse me of eating them.”
“The garbage disposal did the job for you. I can’t believe I did that. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without potato salad.”
“Don’t you mean without turkey?” Rod rubbed his stomach.
I smiled. “No, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the thanks and the giving. Having you visit makes it blessed. We can thank God for a good laugh and a joyful day. We’ll remember this for many Thanksgivings to come.”
“Yeah, Mom, Scott will never let you live that one down.”
"I’ll remember how I lost my eggs every year.” I diced the pickles and green onions. “When you were small, I cooked huge family meals. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and decorating for the holidays. Another Thanksgiving is etched in the pages of my memories. Unexpected guests arrived with the family, and the ten-foot wide trailer couldn’t hold them. The cramped kitchen only held a small table.”
Rod took a pickle from the jar. “What happened?”
"I had plenty of food cooked, so I borrowed silverware and plates from your grandmother.”
“Who would show up uninvited?”
“Your grandmother and aunts asked friends from church.” I dumped pickles and green onions into a bowl and continued. “By the time the turkey was served, the trailer burst with people trying to find plates and utensils for eating. People packed into it like sardines in a tin can. Since God smiled on us with beautiful Louisiana weather, most of them took their plates and sat outside to eat. The air was crisp, cool, and refreshing after baking in the hot kitchen. I took my plate and joined them on the steps of the tiny porch.”
Rod’s blue eyes twinkled as he listened to me reminiscing. “I can just see you
balancing a plate of turkey and cornbread dressing on your lap.”
“It tasted every bit as good outside.” I playfully tapped his chest. “I had one more chair than Henry David Thoreau, who wrote in his book Walden that he had only three chairs.”
“Thoreau thought houses were “extravagantly large”. My trailer was extravagantly small for all the Thanksgiving dinner guests. We enjoyed the brisk air and sunshine and thanked God for our family and friends, delicious food, and a lovely day. You know son, that Thanksgiving and this one will always be etched in my heart, mind, and soul.”
“When the guests left, they thanked me for a great home-cooked meal, not an impressive dinner. One man with electric blue eyes said, “It didn’t matter if the dinnerware didn’t match. We didn’t come here for you to impress us.”
A lot has changed over the years. My four children are grown and have made me a grandmother multiple times. I’ve lost family members. My first husband, mother, father, and youngest sister all live in their heavenly home. Though some of the most loved people in my life are not here to share the holidays, I still have a traditional turkey each Thanksgiving, celebrate, and thank God for our food. Some things never change. I know my lost loved ones are feasting in heaven and waiting for me.
I thank God for the family who now shares my holidays. Last year, I did not bake turkey. Rod fried a turkey for us the Christmas before, and it was so juicy it melted in our mouths. So, Scott bought a turkey fryer and experimented. Ever since he cooked his first fried turkey, he said we wouldn’t have another baked one. so I’ve been relieved of one of my Thanksgiving duties.
We are a close-knit family group. Fancy plates and utensils don’t matter, nor does a fancy setting. What makes holidays special has nothing to do with materialistic things. The warmth and friendliness of our family and friends make up for whatever trivial items are lacking.
Times change, people change, places change, but the heart of the family and thanking God for His blessings and your family remain the same. I thank God for the Thanksgiving the garbage disposal ate the eggs and the year uninvited guests overfilled my tiny trailer. Those blessed Thanksgiving days will be eternally etched in the pages of my family’s hearts and minds.
Bio
Barbara Robinson makes her home in Florida with her husband, a cat, and two dogs. She is a graduate of Christian Writers Guild’s, a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and a graduate from the Long Ridge Writers Group. This story appeared in St. Cloud in the News last Thanksgiving. Many years ago a much simpler version appeared in The Ponchatoula Times, minus the Florida part of the story.
Deep reads that Touch the Heart. Characters come alive on the page.
Amazon Best-selling Historical Romance
Escape to a romantic period where love endured, grew, and flourished despite a Civil War.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins
The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins is a moving novel to say the least. It's 371 pages and 24 chapters with an epilogue, copyright 2011, published by Tyndale House Publishers. Jenkins is a New York Times best-selling author well known for The Left Behind series. His new book showcases his talent in a police thriller with Boone Drake as the main character, a young officer blessed with success in his career and personal life. He has a beautiful wife, Nikki, who taught school until they were blessed with Josh, his son.
Boone is living the American Dream and knows it when the unthinkable, unspeakable takes him by surprise and spirals him from a life of sunshine and happiness to a dreary world with storm clouds raging inside. In the blink of an eye his entire world is changed. He wanted a home for his young family with a yard ". . . with enough grass to mow." God provided his heart's desire, but little did he know the price he'd pay.
When tragedy strikes, Nikki's parents are miles away, and Boone must face reality immersed in bittersweet memories. He doesn't understand how a loving God can allow such good, sweet, innocent people like Nikki and Josh to come to such violent harm. His partner, Jack Keller, is a rock who stands beside him, and his pastor texts Bible quotes to comfort and keep him in God's Word.
If it isn't enough with his personal life demolished, his career is on the line, and it's all he has left until he meets Haeley, the new secretary that he's been warned about, and her young son, Max, who reminds him of his own loss, Josh. The most vicious Chicago gang leader in decades teaches him that God allows second chances. This is a book you won't want to put down until completed. It'll wrench your heart out early.
I could say so much more, but then I'd give too much away and ruin a great novel like ruining a wonderful movie. So, grab your copy and get ready for an impact you won't soon forget! It's available in hardcover or paperback at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com as well as through brick and mortar stores. Visit Jerry on Facebook and check out https://www.christianwritersguild.com.
Sign to follow this blog for an opportunity to win The Brotherhood. I will draw for a winner very soon, so don't hesitate!
Boone is living the American Dream and knows it when the unthinkable, unspeakable takes him by surprise and spirals him from a life of sunshine and happiness to a dreary world with storm clouds raging inside. In the blink of an eye his entire world is changed. He wanted a home for his young family with a yard ". . . with enough grass to mow." God provided his heart's desire, but little did he know the price he'd pay.
When tragedy strikes, Nikki's parents are miles away, and Boone must face reality immersed in bittersweet memories. He doesn't understand how a loving God can allow such good, sweet, innocent people like Nikki and Josh to come to such violent harm. His partner, Jack Keller, is a rock who stands beside him, and his pastor texts Bible quotes to comfort and keep him in God's Word.
If it isn't enough with his personal life demolished, his career is on the line, and it's all he has left until he meets Haeley, the new secretary that he's been warned about, and her young son, Max, who reminds him of his own loss, Josh. The most vicious Chicago gang leader in decades teaches him that God allows second chances. This is a book you won't want to put down until completed. It'll wrench your heart out early.
I could say so much more, but then I'd give too much away and ruin a great novel like ruining a wonderful movie. So, grab your copy and get ready for an impact you won't soon forget! It's available in hardcover or paperback at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com as well as through brick and mortar stores. Visit Jerry on Facebook and check out https://www.christianwritersguild.com.
Sign to follow this blog for an opportunity to win The Brotherhood. I will draw for a winner very soon, so don't hesitate!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Scotty's Jeans
This story was written about my oldest son, Scotty Edbert, who gave me the roses in the picture for Mother's Day. He was named after the song "Watching Scotty Grow," by Bobby Goldsboro and my father, Edbert Russell, who died when I was four years old on Christmas Day.
I jumped out of bed early every morning with the spirit, energy, and vitality of youth, cleaned house, and took care of the family duties. Far too busy to treasure the day with a son in the first grade, I took pride in the fact that I kept a spotless home and had dinner on the table when my husband returned from work.
I hung Scotty's small jeans outside in the sunshine and fresh air. I can still see them blowing in the wind, hung neatly, all in a row, jeans of every color: brown, black, green, navy, maroon, and blue. I took pride in the fact that he had a pair of jeans in each color for school.
Before I knew it, my son grew, left home, married, had children of his own, and made me a grandmother multiple times. Those precious family days were a treasure that didn't last. All too soon, spring turned to summer, summer to fall, and fall is turning to winter. What I wouldn't give to hang those precious little jeans on the line and watch them blow.
I no longer clean house like it's the most important thing in my life. What I once took pride in is dull, boring, and humdrum--just another ordinary, routine day. Now, there are no small jeans blowing in the wind. No first grader rushes home to excitedly tell me about his school day. Those are all things of the past, things that didn't last.
Now, my little grandson's mother throws his jeans in the dryer as she rushes to get ready for work. The hands of time slip by like a silent thief in the night, as precious days fly with the speed of lightning. Off to work. Off to school. Years fly. Days of the past, treasured days, just don't last.
First printed in USADeepSouth.com as Colored Jeans on the Clothesline: Such Precious Days Don't Last. Permission given to reprint revised edition. B. J. Russell-Robinson lives in Florida with her husband, cocker spaniel, Sunflower, and an adopted shelter cat named Frankie.
I jumped out of bed early every morning with the spirit, energy, and vitality of youth, cleaned house, and took care of the family duties. Far too busy to treasure the day with a son in the first grade, I took pride in the fact that I kept a spotless home and had dinner on the table when my husband returned from work.
I hung Scotty's small jeans outside in the sunshine and fresh air. I can still see them blowing in the wind, hung neatly, all in a row, jeans of every color: brown, black, green, navy, maroon, and blue. I took pride in the fact that he had a pair of jeans in each color for school.
Before I knew it, my son grew, left home, married, had children of his own, and made me a grandmother multiple times. Those precious family days were a treasure that didn't last. All too soon, spring turned to summer, summer to fall, and fall is turning to winter. What I wouldn't give to hang those precious little jeans on the line and watch them blow.
I no longer clean house like it's the most important thing in my life. What I once took pride in is dull, boring, and humdrum--just another ordinary, routine day. Now, there are no small jeans blowing in the wind. No first grader rushes home to excitedly tell me about his school day. Those are all things of the past, things that didn't last.
Now, my little grandson's mother throws his jeans in the dryer as she rushes to get ready for work. The hands of time slip by like a silent thief in the night, as precious days fly with the speed of lightning. Off to work. Off to school. Years fly. Days of the past, treasured days, just don't last.
First printed in USADeepSouth.com as Colored Jeans on the Clothesline: Such Precious Days Don't Last. Permission given to reprint revised edition. B. J. Russell-Robinson lives in Florida with her husband, cocker spaniel, Sunflower, and an adopted shelter cat named Frankie.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, August 13, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, July 30, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
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 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.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, July 12, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
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
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
Sunday, May 9, 2010
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/.
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/.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
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!
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!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
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.
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.
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