I don’t drink coffee. I never have.
I’m the mother of four young children who on average begin to sleep through the night consistently at age four. I’m also a writer.
I repeat. I don’t drink coffee.
8 CommentsRelevant Fiction for Body & Soul
Category: My Scribbler’s Heart
Why small success? Because that’s the only kind I know! Even the big ones come in small steps. Here’s my paltry offering for the week:
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- Halloween Costumes – The first costume completed was an angel for my second grader. We re-used the pretty white dress she wore this summer when she was part of her cousin’s wedding. Then we found some DIY angel wings on Pinterest that we created using cereal boxes, coffee filters, sheet music, Mod Podge, and a glue gun. I made a simple halo using gold chenille stems (apparently they’re not “pipe cleaners” anymore) and other gold “stuff” I found at the craft store. My preschoolers are going as Sheriff Callie and Spiderman in the store-bought costumes they wanted. You’d think that would mean no work for me, but after they tried on their quality apparel, I had minor sewing jobs to do on each. My seventh grader wanted to be a Star Wars tie fighter pilot until his leg landed in an immobilizer. Now we’re working on an Igor/hunchback costume.
Maybe it’s the fuss over Back to the Future Day that’s got me thinking of time and space and where I fit into the universe. Maybe it’s the questions of my seven-year-old who is trying hard to grasp the space-time continuum. (I didn’t dare breach the subject of time travelers and the Temporal Prime Directive with her.)
For all the world’s fascination with time travel, its possibility, and its implications, no one has accomplished such a feat. (Unless you listen to late-night talk radio and then, well, time travelers already live amongst us.)
5 CommentsThe Rosary drifts in and out of my life. Seasons change, lifestyles are uprooted, and my interest in the prayer waxes and wanes. Yet, same as the beads scattered across the dining room buffet, it remains within reach.
October is the Month of the Holy Rosary, and I’m bothered by the fact the Rosary isn’t part of my routine the way it once was. I had no experience with a family recitation of the Rosary, so praying it privately during my daily commute for years suited me just fine. Then the commute ended, and I’ve struggled ever since.
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The longer I live, the more I’m convinced that evil is real. It’s a tangible force – one commonly overlooked in our “enlightened” post-modern era. That’s why I was struck by these four novels: one the sequel to a historical romance, if we can call the 1980s “historical” now, and the others a dystopian trilogy.
The Gifting has a little bit of everything – mystery, suspense, romance, action, and a full-out battle between good and evil. In fact, what struck me most about the series, beginning with The Gifting, was the acknowledgement of evil. As a demonic entity tells Tessa, “You see, people have a hard time fighting against something they don’t believe. Their denial makes our job easier.”
The dystopian setting allows the reality of good and evil to penetrate without inducing nightmares. The Gifting hits its mark in making the reader consider unseen realities without fear-mongering.
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Stay With Me Launch Edition
Until two weeks ago, I’d never launched a model rocket, much less a book. But since then, my debut novel Stay With Me has been released. Here are my seven take-aways from the experience.
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Stalking the Amish Baby
My release day leisure-time fun consisted solely of clicking the refresh icon in my browser and watching as my ebook ratings bobbed up and down. To make it interesting, I set my sights on overcoming a variety of Amish romances blocking my path to the top. My Facebook status that day said it best:
“My goal for the day: To catch and surpass Amish Baby Surprise in the Inspirational Religious Fiction category. Maybe even catch The Amish Nanny. My Harley-riding hero and his girlfriend are being smothered by 50 Shades of Hay.”
It’s been a whirlwind eleven days since Stay With Me’s release!
For me, one of the most satisfying things is that characters that have lived for years in my imagination now live on in the imaginations of other people as well.
The 10-DayVirtual Book Tour wrapped up a couple of days ago. I’m gratified and humbled at all the lovely things people had to say about the book.
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to peruse the stops. It’s a lineup filled with talented and hard-working writers: bloggers, nonfiction authors, fiction authors, and even a radio show host! Please take a moment to explore their sites and writing as well.
3 CommentsToday is the long-awaited day! Stay With Me is now available!
Buy it on Kindle at Amazon!
Buy it in paperback from createspace (and “like” the page) using the $2 off coupon code at checkout: B3E4E622
Buy it in paperback from Amazon!
If my memory serves me well, which it often does not, Stay With Me was written largely in 2012, when my youngest daughter was still a tiny baby who enjoyed long naps in her swing. Stay With Me : brought to you by the Graco infant swing.
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