VIOLET DAWN

All I can say is WOW! She's done it again! All of Brandilyn's books have sucked me in, but this one is my favorite, by far. For those of you who may not have read Violet Dawn yet, it's about a young woman named Paige, alone in a new town, who comes face to face with the unthinkable in the middle of the night. In a race against the sun, she is forced to make quick choices-none of them good.

Violet Dawn pushes the boundaries of Christian fiction with the creep factor, and I loved it! It just goes to show what you can write about, as long as it's handled with skill and talent.

I have some advice for those of you who might be chickens, but still want to read this book:

1. Read only during the day, or with lots of lights. Big lights.
2. Read only when you have a big man with muscles sitting at the other end of the couch.
3. Read this book anywhere but in the hot tub. Really.

So, if you're ready for an awesome read, clear your schedule, and click here. And don't forget to check out Brandilyn's blog, and the Kanner Lake blog.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUNCHKISS!

Today is my youngest baby's first birthday! Yippee! She is a wonderful baby, and she sleeps through the night, too. I never actually thought she would. When we brought her home last year, she slept only about forty-five minutes at a time, then she'd wake up screaming. Like the dork that I am, I called the doctor and asked if there might be something wrong with her. I can only imagine the laughter in the doctor's office when they hung up with me. Anyhoo, I thank God every day for my kids, because really, He must love me a lot to let me be their mommy.

And I love being a mommy, which is totally odd, because I never pictured myself with children. I know this sounds dumb, but when I was young, I pictured myself as single and sassy, living in the big city, with an awesome career and a really cool car. Hmmm, is it any wonder I want to write chick lit?

Now, my life is a mom lit complete with spit-up stained shirts and poo on my floor--but that's a different story not fit for my blog! (Hey you moms--if my daughter is trying to change her own diaper, is it time to potty train?!) I console myself with the fact that it's all good material.

WOO-HOO!

I finally did it! Prematurely? Perhaps. Scary? Definitely! But it's in the mail and ON ITS WAY! What is it, you ask? My proposals, sent off to Agentland. OK, so I only sent out two, but I figure it's like tippy-toeing into a frigid pool. Next week I'll send off more. It's taking me a while because the guidelines for each agent are similar, but all different. Wish they were all the same, as that would save SO much time, but oh well. At least it's a start. You know what I really wish? That I could get published by a simple show of hands. You'd vote for me, right?

In other news, guess who was writing with a sticker on her nose? Yep, it was me. I had to bargain with my 2 year-old to get some quiet time; she said she would color nicely by herself, if I would wear an orange sticker on my nose. Good thing I don't look down to type or I'd be cross-eyed.

Have you had to bargain with your family for writing time?

SNIFF
Here’s the deal, this was going to be my pity post, but now it’s not. God is changing my heart even as I write, and my self-pity is slowly dissolving. I have this thing about being left out. A childhood hang-up, perhaps? More times than I’d like to count, I’ve been left out of things I really, REALLY, wanted to do or places I wanted to go. So what made me so pitiful today?

You guessed it: not getting to go to the ACFW conference. I desperately wanted to go. I prayed to be able to go. I bargained and wheedled my husband to be able to go. And although my husband said it was okay, it wasn’t God’s plan for me.

Some things take extra time for me to learn, and this is one of them. God’s plan is always best, and His timing is always perfect. He has a purpose, whether or not He chooses to reveal it. This is the verse that’s giving me a new perspective:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ~Phillippians 3:12~

There is a reason Jesus took hold of each one of us. Are we (am I) pressing on to take hold of that for which He took hold of us (me?) What is His purpose for us this week? For some it’s to attend a wonderful conference, renew friendships, learn, and connect. For some like me, it’s to stay home and nurture my kids, and be a good wife. But what about next week? The next 20 years? Yes, in the bigger picture we’re here to love Him, and to be His ambassadors, but that’s made up of a bunch of smaller steps along the way. Starting today, I’m making an effort to pay attention to the small steps, and realize that He’s pleased when I cheerfully change those diapers and clean the house. No more moping.

Just something to think about….

A FUNNY LITTLE STORY
I’m pooped. It’s been one of those days…weeks, actually. You know what I’m talking about. If not, do the words “Murphy’s Law” ring a bell? It all started last night with my hubby coming home late late from work, meaning we didn’t get to sleep until 12:30. Then, baby #2 woke up at 5:30 this morning because she was tangled in her jammies, and of course, Mom had to come to the rescue. 6:15 the alarm goes off. Sadly, this is not—I repeat NOT—uncommon.

Yesterday I mailed a bill (on time I might add!) Today when I checked the mail, lo and behold there it was again. The top right hand corner had a stamp, so that wasn’t the problem. I sat and stared at it for a long time before figuring out what happened. I had sealed the envelope with the coupon thingy flipped the wrong way, with MY address in the window. DUH. Sleep deprivation is a bad, bad thing! Anyway, just thought I’d share, hoping someone else out there does dum-dum things too! Now for the REAL post for today:

SQUAT


BACK COVER:

"We live in a squat. We don't know squat. We don't have squat. We don't do squat. We don't give a squat. People say we're not worth squat."

In the shadow of Wall Street's wealth, homeless citizens with names like Squid, Saw, and Bonehead live in abandoned buildings known as "squats" where life is hand to mouth, where fear and violence fester. The light in lovable Squid's obsessive-compulsive mind's eye is Rachel, a loving soup kitchen missionary who tells him about faith and unfaith, hypocrisy and justice, and the character of God. But among the squats, will such talk be enough to make Squid believe that his life may actually amount to something?

MY TAKE:
As a reader, you can't help but be touched by the reality of Squat. The book does a great job illuminating a segment of society that many people would rather overlook. The relationships between the homeless people, and the code of street justice is well portrayed. And it's no wonder, since author Taylor Field pastors East Seventh Baptist Church/Graffiti Community Ministries in the inner city of New York. Squat is a heavier read than I usually take on, but it's an important reminder of the value of every soul. Every person matters. Here's the other great thing about this book: all of the royalties go to Graffiti Community Ministries, which offers help to the homeless, and spreads the good news of Jesus Christ.

Please, click here to purchase. And visit the official site here.

LOOK WHAT I DID!!!


I've recently come to the conclusion that I am not, in fact, a Type A. I'm an A-wannbe, at best. I mean, take a look at my desk--my precious writing space! Today I decided that enough is enough. There's no reason for me to keep pens with no ink, nor my baby's hair ties on my desk. As a bonus, I even found a Barnes & Noble coupon.

If you've been my blog buddy for very long, you know I don't believe in showing before and after photos. (You can check out my July 17th post to find out why!) But this is different, this is my desk, so I think I'm safe.



You can see for yourself how Type B I have become. There are books, notebooks, and assorted bits of junk mail on the desk. On the scanner we have tissue, for crying out loud, and notes from school. (Oops.) Here's what happened after. Note the difference in lighting...it took a while.




Ah, yes, I'm kicking back and feeling the whole clean desk/sick mind thing. Think it will increase my word count, or the rate at which I edit? Will it cause me to have the flash of inspiration needed to write a bestseller? Maybe not. But it was a great way to procrastinate today. I fully expect it to return to normal tomorrow, probably by nine in the morning. What's so great about being a Type A anyway???



OK, I take that back. I just did an online personality test. (Yes, I know I'm procrastinating, but still.) I'm a Type A. I thought I'd actually changed my personality since leaving the work force. Evidently, that's not possible. At the end it says that Type A's can develop health problems. Yikes. Now it's your turn. Are there any A's out there with me???

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE TEST. (Go to test number 5)

Georgia on Her Mind
I thought about titling this post “Hey, She Stole My Car,” but Georgia on Her Mind is so fantastic that I want the title of Rachel Hauck’s book to stick in your mind. (Though I'm kind of a dork when it comes to computers, and I can't get an image to load. Duh!) More about the car theft later.

Macy Moore is a woman we can all identify with. Ever have disappointment with your job? Been there. Ever been dumped? Done that. Ever wonder what God has up His sleeve? More times than I can count.

That’s what makes Macy Moore so inviting as a character, and why I didn’t want to leave her world. Georgia on Her Mind delves into the joy of friendship and the importance of leaning on God for direction, even when you think you know what you want, and He has something else in mind altogether. This book brings new meaning to “Beauty for Ashes.”

If you enjoy a lighthearted read and want to have some fun, GET THIS BOOK!

Now, about the car….I’m merrily reading along, and when I get to page 14, lo and behold, there it is! Remember my journey to find the perfect car for my heroine? Macy Moore has the exact same car! I suppose that since Rachel's book is published, and mine is (a-hem) not, I'm technically the car-jacker in this situation. In any case, I’d like to announce that Rachel Hauck wrote an awesome book AND she has great taste in cars!

SHE GOT ME!

Happy Friday! Delia tagged me, asking for favorite childhood memories. Oh so many to choose from! (Or is that awkward, bumbling, embarrassing memories I’m thinking of?) You all know how I love lists, so here it goes:

* Spending weeks at a time with my grandma during the summer. We’d spend hours reading, eating, and swimming. What more could a girl ask for?

* Playing with my friends. I especially remember playing “float away” with my friend Sharon, where we’d hide in my closet and pretend our ship was sinking, except for the piece we were on, and we were floating away. Hence, the name “float away.”

* Playing kickball with my dad in the backyard. One time we played so long that the next day I couldn’t walk, and I had to crawl on the floor. I think he let me win, even though I told him not to.

* The day my baby sister was born. I was almost 9, so I was old enough to enjoy the experience, though I wasn’t actually there. I remember my parents dropping me off at their friend’s house at 4 in the morning, and I was too excited to sleep, so I spent time reading The Wizard of Oz.

* Having my parents support me at every single ballet recital, band concert, school function, piano recital, swimming lesson, etc. that I ever participated in. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but now I know better. They were there for everything. I would not be the same person had they not made me try different things, and cheered me on all the way. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Now, I’m tagging someone I’ve never tagged before. Betsy, you’re up! Unless, of course, you turn me down, in which case I’ll just tag you again next time, LOL!

HIGH VOLTAGE PRAYER

As per my usual routine, I listened to Dr. Randy while waiting to pick up my daughter from school today. The show was about "how God has answered prayer in your life." And it got me to thinking, I haven’t prayed nearly enough lately. For whatever reason—and it’s not good, I’m sure—my prayer life is not what it should be. Sure, I cover all the bases from “thank you” to “please take care of my family,” but I haven’t gone into the deep places with God on a regular basis the way I used to.

That’s changing today. What on earth would keep anyone from praying? The Lord brought this scripture to mind:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
~Ephesians 3:20-21

Did you catch that? He’s able to do WAY more than we ask or think. Why wouldn’t we go to Him in all situations? Now, here’s the real key: according to the power that works in us. Wow. What kind of power is working in me when I’m parked in front of the tube vs. the power that works in me while praying or worshipping or reading my Bible?

Simple, yet profound.

I want His power working in me, in a big way. High voltage power, like a Q-beam, not a 45 watt-bulb hanging from the ceiling by a wire. Settling for the basics in prayer isn’t enough anymore. Take me to the deep places, Lord!

Let’s remember to pray for one another, because we serve a great God, who is more than able—and willing—to answer.

P.S. If you’d like to read about my previous adventures with prayer, click here. THIS is the kind of prayer life I want to have again!

I’M STUMPED….

One of the hardest things for me to do is come up with titles. Sure, it’s easy to come up with blog titles, but a title for my novel is impossible. I thought I had a great title, Table for One, but as it turns out, my title has only a 26.3% chance of being a bestseller.

How do I know, you ask. I’ll tell you. There’s a website that scores titles based on the titles attributes. The system was developed by statisticians, and is supposedly scientific. I don’t know how scientific it actually is, but it’s fun. And I like fun. (By the way, I'm not changing my working title based on my score. I'll only change it if true inspiration strikes!) So go ahead, give it a try by clicking here, and let me know your score. I’m also interested in how you come up with titles for your stories, so please share.

P.S. If you haven’t voted at the end of my last post, please do! There were WAY more hits this week than votes. Don’t worry, you can vote and still keep your lurker status. And if you haven’t completed a novel yet, vote for “other.”

Have a blessed weekend!