No I am not
referring to the Abba song, although, yes…yes I have their Greatest Hits and
that’s before the musical came along.
A few weeks ago, I
took my kids to Target. Now, let me preface by saying I rarely take them
shopping, as I’m always in a hurry and whiners get smacked in the face.
Kidding.
But anyway, as we
were leaving Myles (8) said, “I’ll get the cart.” He proceeded to
take it to the cart holding area and shove it inside another cart, you know,
like they go.
Apparently, he had a
hard time, so Bailey (13) said, “Just give it here. I’ll do it.” And
a small eruption broke out. As I made my way over to see what the fuss was, I
realized Bailey was right and I said, “Myles, just let her do it. You’re
too little to push that cart in and I don’t have time for you to figure it
out.”
Bailey handled it
and off we went into the parking lot. My son was quiet for a few steps and then
he said, “Mom, there’s always time to take
a chance.”
In that moment,
burning hot in the parking lot, my son became the teacher.
Now, I’d like to say
I marched him back inside and let him push the cart inside the other, but I
didn’t. I’m a work in progress.
The point is, I’m
thankful that God isn’t like me. In a hurry and not willing to give me time to
figure out how to “put the cart in the holding area”. He doesn’t tell
me I’m too small or weak to accomplish anything!
Sometimes, I think I
don’t have time to pursue a dream or a task because of time. But really, it’s
fear. I’m afraid to try something new. To take a chance.
To
everything there is a season,
A time
for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And
a time to die;
A time
to plant,
And
a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And
a time to heal;
A time
to break down,
And
a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And
a time to laugh;
A time
to mourn,
And
a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And
a time to gather stones;
A time
to embrace,
And
a time to refrain from embracing;
A time
to gain,
And
a time to lose;
A time
to keep,
And
a time to throw away;
A time
to tear,
And
a time to sew;
A time
to keep silence,
And
a time to speak;
A time to love,
And
a time to hate;
A time
of war,
And
a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Would
you say “not having time” is sometimes a way of saying, “I’m
afraid.”
I’m over at Living By Grace, because it’s Wednesday! 🙂 Come by!
Ok, it’s possible that I’m not a Super Star but let me and Mary Catherine Gallagher have our moment. Last week I was awarded the Versatile Blogger award by the super sweet, Barbara Hartzler!We both attended Central Bible College, but years apart. Fine. I went first. Sigh. I’m old. So what! Barbara is a YA novelist and her blog covers writing, faith and entertainment. She’s very funny!
The dealio for receiving the award is you have to thank the one who gave it to you.
Thank you, Barbara! You are awesome!
Then you have to write 7 things about yourself. Well…I write stuff about myself all the time. In fact, I keep 10 random things about myself posted on its own page every day.
So I’m going to mix my award with a tag I received from the fabulous, classy, super fit, (and vegetarian…let’s not hold that against her) author, Jennifer Shirk. Jennifer writes sweet romances for Avalon Books and Samhain Publishing. She has all kinds of fun stuff on her blog including guest authors, recipes, and tips on writing. She’s hilarious too! She tagged me in the Lucky 7 Meme and so did the ever sarcastic and witty (also adorable new mom…again) Jaime Wright! which means I have to:
Go to page 77 in my current manuscript
Go to line 7
Copy the next 7 lines/paragraphs and post them as they’re written (no cheating!)
Pass the meme on to 7 other writers
Please, for the love of all that’s good and decent don’t hold this against me! These lines come from the piece of trash, wonderful story in the erotica romantic suspense genre that I’m trying to re-create from a pitiful first draft, with the tentative title Fifty Shades of Red Pigeon’s Blood.
“Who
forgot to send me the memo about no costumes?” Lee folded her arms and Heather
reached over and pushed them back to her sides. It was obvious she was a woman,
but crossing her arms exposed it more than necessary.
“I told
you it was a Fall Festival. For his church.”
“You never said church!” She glared at Asher.
“You’re religious? I knew you had to
have a flaw somewhere.” She frowned and looked at Heather again. “Fall
Festival, Halloween. Same thing.”
“No, Fall
Festival is in place of a Halloween party. Remember? Halloween-like party I said.” Heather glanced at Lee’s
head and giggled. “Nice horns by the way, Temptress.”
Maddox
tried to give her his jacket and she shoved it back. “I’m not cold.”
He pursed
his lips as if to hold back a fountain of words. Could he? Tonight was not the
night and Lee was already furious with him. “Penthouse called. They want their
costume back.”
No such
luck. Asher would kick them all out for their crass behavior. Amelia hadn’t
even had the chance to go on her first ever hayride.
So there you have it. FYI, Asher did not kick them out.
And now I am tagging the following writers to post their Lucky 7!
Today is another fun day with author, @KatieGanshert! I’ve asked
her, Bethany, and Evan (her main characters) to play Would You Rather…! So let’s
get started.
Would You Rather…
Eat cookie dough or brownie batter?
Bethany:
Brownie batter. It’s the only thing I can bake without ruining. And it brings
back some good memories with my mom, before things flipped inside out. Whenever
she made brownies, she’d give one beater to me and one to my brother to lick.
Evan:
How about a nice pork tenderloin instead? Or one of Robin’s pies?
Katie:
Brownie batter! Sometimes I make brownies just so I can lick the bowl. Yum,
yum, yum.
live in a rockin treehouse or a sweet underground lair?
Bethany:
The tree house. It would probably feel a lot like the loft I live in now. And
I’d love to design it. Evan would probably never believe it, but I was a big
tree climber when I was a little girl.
Evan:
Tree house. My brothers and I built a really sweet treehouse when we were kids.
Sometimes I’d go up there at night and listen to the crickets.
Katie:
A sweet underground lair with lots of tunnels that I could explore.
fly or read minds?
Bethany:
Fly. Life would have been a lot easier when I was a kid if I could have left
all the junk on the ground and taken to the sky.
Evan:
Read minds. I’d love to know what Bethany is thinking beneath that front she
works so hard to put up.
Katie:
Fly. Edward Cullen can keep his super power. I think I would hate to hear
everybody’s private thoughts.
Thanks, Katie, for spending the week with us. We’ve laughed, been challenged and have had a great time all around!
What
say you? Answer the questions in the comment section!
A young architect at
a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her
trailer park teen years. Until an interruption from her estranged mother
reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is
called back to rural Iowa. Determined to pay her respects while avoiding any
emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected
inheritance of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces
Bethany to come up with a new plan.
Handsome farmhand
Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. So when Bethany is left
the land, he must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he
disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps
so carefully locked away.
For Bethany, making
peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to
freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace she’s not
even sure exists?
Today, I’ve asked Katie to share a devotion that goes along with some of the spiritual themes in her debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter.
Don’t forget to come back on Friday when we play Would You Rather with Katie and her main characters, Bethany and Evan!
Take it away, Katie, and thanks so much for sharing your heart with us today!
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
I have
to tell you, this verse used to confuse the crud out of me. I’d hear
well-intentioned Christians quote it at each other and my forehead would go all
wrinkly.
Because
in reality, Christians suffer. Their spouse has an aneurysm. Or they struggle
through infertility. Or they fall off a silo and end up in a wheelchair. Or
(insert any number of bad things here).
And the
whole idea of patting their shoulder and saying, “Don’t worry. God will work
this out for your good” feels a little insensitive to me.
Especially
since sometimes, the spouse doesn’t recover. Sometimes they’ll never get a
positive pregnancy test. And sometimes they never leave the wheelchair.
So how
can we possibly say God’s working for their good? It doesn’t make any sense.
At least
not by our definition of good.
And
there’s the crux of the verse. That one simple word.
What
is good?
We know
the world’s definition. To the world, good equals comfort. Good equals
prosperity and health and popularity and independence and getting what we want.
That’s how my main character, Bethany Quinn, sees it.
But
maybe that’s not what good means to God.
Maybe to
God, good means becoming more like Jesus. Relying more on Jesus. Discovering
that all we really need is Jesus.
And
maybe that doesn’t happen during times of prosperity. Maybe it’s during those
times of grief, or helplessness, or failing health, or unmet expectations, that
we take our eyes off the temporary things this world has to offer and draw
nearer to Him.
Let’s Talk: What do you think God means by
“good”? Have you grown closer to the Lord because of hard times?
Here’s a sneak peek at Wildflowers from Winter! Click HERE to purchase the novel!
A young architect at
a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her
trailer park teen years. Until an interruption from her estranged mother
reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is
called back to rural Iowa. Determined to pay her respects while avoiding any
emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected
inheritance of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces
Bethany to come up with a new plan.
Handsome farmhand
Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. So when Bethany is left
the land, he must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he
disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps
so carefully locked away.
For Bethany, making
peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to
freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace she’s not
even sure exists?
The excitement was over-the-top! Not only was our rockstar, Jan Kerley, bringing Surprise Strawberry cupcakes (the surprise was a cream cheese and chocolate chip center…uh yeah, awesome) but we had the amazing opportunity to skype with author, Katie Ganshert–her first book club group to chat live with! Yay! You can see our picture on her book club page HERE! She has the cake from the story (which had I been on my A game, I’d have baked) as well as discussion questions and a youtube video for bookclubbers! So cool!
We spent the first 30 minutes of our time discussing the book–yah know before Katie’s turn! 🙂
Our rating 1-5 stars: 4 stars!
I think for the first time ever, everyone liked this book! Here’s some of the things we said pre-Katie:
“I connected with Bethany from the very get-go.”
“I didn’t connect with her at first but then I realized how insecure she was, and by the end I forgot she was a fictional character.”
“I loved the romance! It wasn’t too much but just enough that it didn’t overpower the real story.”
“I want to meet Evan! Whoo–that kiss!”
“Whoo–that dance!!”
“I thought Robin’s grief was real, too real. It hit home and that’s all I could focus on.”
“I think the author wrote beautifully but not over my head.”
“I want that cake recipe!”
“I’d like Evan!”
And then we had the chance to skype with the beautiful, smart, and funny Katie Ganshert! She was very personable and interactive with us which is fabulous! She even asked us questions! I loved that and so did our Faith Readers. It made us all feel valuable. I can’t quote everything said because I don’t want to give anything away! But here’s a few things I can share!
Katie sent us a picture of who she thought Evan looked like!
She explained some of the changes her editor asked for, which was amazing how she pulled off those feats!
She talked about some of her inspiration, people she talked to about grief and a book she read.
Everyone took turns on the camera asking questions and laughing. It was a great night!
Katie’s debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter is an amazing book and I encourage anyone to read it! In honor of her release, I’ve invited Katie to spend the rest of the week on the blog!
Wednesday, she’ll be sharing a powerful devotion with you and on Friday we’ll play Would You Rather with Bethany and Evan, her main characters and Katie herself! It’s going to be lots of fun so make sure you come back and visit!
Here’s a sneak peek at Wildflowers from Winter!
A young architect at
a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her
trailer park teen years. Until an interruption from her estranged mother
reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is
called back to rural Iowa. Determined to pay her respects while avoiding any
emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected
inheritance of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces
Bethany to come up with a new plan.
Handsome farmhand
Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. So when Bethany is left
the land, he must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he
disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps
so carefully locked away.
For Bethany, making
peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to
freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace she’s not
even sure exists?
What’s your favorite cupcake? Have you ever made a recipe an author included in the novel?
And we all know how
that turned out. Shame on you, Eric Bana!
1813 – Capt
John Lawrence utters Navy motto “Don’t give up the ship”
I only included this
because I read “ship” wrong and then giggled.
1933 – Charlie Chaplin weds Paulette
Goddard
I would have loved
to have seen their silent wedding. And did he waddle with a cane when they
exited the aisle? Check out with the make-up and without! Meow!
One of my favorite
relationships in the Old Testament belong to David and Jonathan. Jonathan was
the son of King Saul. Next in line for the throne.
But
David was anointed king.
Not because Jonathan
would have been a pitiful choice. He wasn’t like his father, Saul–arrogant,
prideful, selfish.
“Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his
armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be
that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by
many or by few.” 1Samuel 14:6
Jonathan knew the Lord,
knew His power and knew He was in charge. He respected God’s choice.
And
Jonathan loved David.
“Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he
loved him as his own soul.” 1Samuel 18:3 I don’t know what it is about
this verse, about these men who loved each other as brothers but when I read
this, I cry. Every time. Every. Single. Time. It moves me. So much so, I wrote
a novel using this parallel.
Maybe because I know
how it ends.
“Then
the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines
killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.” 1Samuel
31:2
And a servant came…
Then
David said to him, “How did the matter go? Please tell me.” And he answered,
“The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead,
and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.” 2Samuel 1:4
Denial
cloaked David. Maybe…maybe it was a rumor. Not Jonathan. Not his beloved friend.
… “How
do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?” 2Samuel
1:5
The servant told him what happened.
“And
they mourned and wept and fasted…” 2Samuel 1:12
David
wrote a song and lamented about Saul and Jonathan, with fierce sorrow. In
public. Jonathan, a friend who loved him enough to save him to be king. When he
could have killed him.
David
never forgot Jonathan and his friendship or their covenant with each other.
“Now
David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may
show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2Sameul 9:1
“And
Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame
in his feet.” 2Samuel 9:3
That’s
right!
“Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son… He was
five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his
nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he
fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.” 2Samuel 4:4
Mephibosheth.
“Now
when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to
David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said,
“Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” 2Samuel 9:6
Servant? Did he think David was going to put him into bondage–a slave/servant?
Mephibosheth a boy,who beyond his own control, was
hurt. Ruined. His father ripped from him.
His legacy…destroyed. Unable to walk. Unable to be king.
No one.
Broken.
Forgotten.
But David….a man after God’s own heart…
Not a slave. Not forced into servitude.
Saved.
Remembered.
Taken care of.
“So Mephibosheth dwelt
in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in
both his feet. ” 2Samuel 9:13
The
king’s table. A place he had no business being. Not with lame feet. Not someone
who should be the king’s enemy.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward
us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.” Romans 5:8
“For
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17
“He
heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
Like
Mephibosheth, maybe you’ve been hurt, broken. Things spiraled out of control
and you found yourself forgotten, alone, your future gone.
I’m spending the day with close friends and honoring the sweet memory of their son, Christopher. We still miss him so much! And while we’ll probably shed some tears, we’ll be laughing and having a good time too.
One of my favorite shows on TV is Fairly Legal starring Sarah Shahi as Kate Reed. This show is about a woman whose father dies, leaving his law firm to her and his ex-much much younger wife, Lauren Reed. Kate has a law degree, but what she wants is to help people through mediation.
Each week as a new case comes her way, she’s discovering the truth about people and sometimes it’s ugly. Her ex-husband to be, whom she still loves but they can’t seem to get along and make things work, is the assistant D.A. She’s constantly asking him for help and he’s usually reluctant since it , most times, gest him in trouble. But he still loves her.
I love the tension between Kate and Justin. You know they’re disfunctional but you root for them because they love each other and it’s comedic at times.
Kate and ex Justin
And then of course you have her conflict with the ex-stepmother who’s practically her age and an equal partner in the firm. Jealousy, bitterness and all those things surround Kate’s feelings for Lauren and even though you know Lauren really loved Kate’s dad, you aren’t ever sure what she’s really thinking. But when Kate gets in some jams, Lauren is there for her and the slow evolution of a friendship…very…very slow is nice to see.
And you can’t have a great story without a fun side-kick, aka secondary character. And that’s where Leo comes in. Her assistant, friend, and all around fun loving nut! They have a great relationship and you know there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her. You also know, there’s no romantic chemistry there. Why? Because the actions and dialogue convey it. Good writing!
What’s a story without a truth-teller? Someone who pushes you and makes you think. That’s where judge Nicastro comes in. He’s funny, stern, and he cares about Kate, even if it seems like he’s punishing her at every turn with insisting cases upon her. He’s wise and full of good truth that makes her think about who she is, why she acts in certain ways, and in his fatherly, judge-like way, encourages her to be better.
Enter season two.
Kate and Justin seem like they might forget the divorce and give it another try, as Kate has had some soul-searching and events happen in her life provide an epiphany!
But Justin reveals devastating news and Kate can’t move forward.
Enter Ben Grogan, actor Ryan Johnson.
Another amp up in tension. Ben Grogan is an arrogant, all about money, shady lawyer who through interesting and funny events ends up as another partner at Kate’s firm. The sparks between them are electrifying! He’s sarcastic and obnoxious and she’s beside herself that he works there.
However, inside Ben Grogan lies a boy from the wrong side of the tracks trying to prove he’s worth something and he hides that behind a huge wall of arrogance and a mask of I-could-care-less.
I love watching that wall break down little by little through the sweet things he does on occasion. However, they generally back fire and the wall pops back up, but that makes for great tension. Excellent conflict and I find myself not rooting so much for Justin–exhubby anymore. One because of what he reavealed to Kate. And two, I love a wounded hero!
I also enjoy watching Justin’s jealousy as he sees what Kate doesn’t. Her growing attraction for hunky Ben!
I’ve learned a lot about great writing from this show!
Do you watch Fairly Legal? I recommend it! Netflix it and start from the beginning. What show do you love and why?
If you’re pursuing a dream then you know how consuming it is. Not just your actions to get there, but your thoughts, dreams during the day and at night. For me, as an inspirational writer, I want to use the fiction I write for, not only entertainment, but as a ministry to women. (and men–I’ve had men read my books and enjoy them. One was my own DH and that speaks volumes as he does not read. Ever. At all. Nada. Zip.) But mostly my audience is women.
The hunger to be traditionally published isn’t for vanity, fame, fortune or even validation on my life. It’s pretty simple. I want to spread a message of hope. No different than preachers, pastors, evangelists. It’s simply in a different way–a way God has graciously gifted me in. Why did He do it? I have no idea. But I am thankful.
It’s a long journey to a dream fulfilled.
For me it’s been endless hours of writing, sacrificing sleep, events and even physical comfort at times, learning new things, learning social media, spending time on social media more than I might want to. It’s been expensive with conferences, books, laptops, smartphone and the list goes on of items I have to purchase to do all the things I need to in order to move forward in fulfilling my dream. My God-given dream.
I’ve spent more hours in prayer, which is an upside. Some of my most intense and beautiful moments with God have come through praying about stories, characters, the message of hope, the mission of hope, the fruit of spreading hope.
I’ve enjoyed surprise confirmations from God through people, places, the Word, and even billboards and attendance sheets, reminding me I’m moving forward. It isn’t in vain. Keep going.
I’ve written 13 manuscripts. I did it in about 4 years. So you know the BIC (butt in chair) time I’ve spent. I’ve learned about myself as God used my own characters to teach me. Some of it hurt, some of it was simply amusing.
And here’s what I’ve been learning of late, because I’ve yet to see that dream of traditional publishing become a reality. I know dreams take time. I can relate and take comfort from Joseph, a young boy with a gigantic dream, that maybe seemed vain at the time–people bowing. I learned a lot as he grew from an immature teen into the wonderful man who was ready to handle having thousands bow at his feet.
My prayer has been, “God when you’re ready. Prepare me to house YOUR fame.” I think it’s a daily prayer for me.
I’ve learned that instead of obsessing over when and strengthening myself for the future (which is good and I should but not in an all-consuming way) I need to work on strengthening the Here and Now!
I let my future overpower my present. And I’ve suffered.
When that realization struck me, after repenting and re-committing, God opened all sorts of opportunities up for me. Or maybe they were there all along and He simply gave me new sight to see them. Probably the latter. God is always up to something, doing something new. Question is: Are we on the same page?
I’m preparing to teach a new and growing believers’ class and I’m writing the material for it! Two things I love. Teaching. Writing.
I’ve had the opportunity to help as an assistant nursery director while our real one is on maternity leave. (I’ll be glad when she’s back! ;))
I’ve been blessed to take a meal to a new mom and the list goes on.
And I’m happy. I feel satisfied. Fulfilled–even though I’m still waiting while my agent works hard on my behalf. While God works hard on my behalf. They believe in me. In the message of hope. And I’m grateful.
I’m not so antsy.
I’m not so worried.
God knows best.
Maybe you’re pursuing a God-given dream. And yet you feel dissatisfied. Worried. Consumed.
Maybe you need to ask God what you can do in the Here and Now. Things that matter equally. Things that need done now. While God is working on the future.
“That
they may set their hope in
God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;” Psalm
78:7