Under a Starry Sky

Every year my church does a program called A Festival of Carols with choir, orchestra and drama. I always participate in the choir, but this year I had the opportunity to act in the drama. I hadn't done any acting since I was in high school so it was fun to get the opportunity to do this again. As an added bonus, I got to act with my husband and son, and my daughter and sister were in the choir. I even got to sing two duets with my husband. We've been singing together since before we even started dating (20 years ago) so it's something I absolutely love to have the chance to do.

The story was that my character, Melody, is excited to finally be able to have a Christmas with her husband employed so she can help others, buy gifts for the kids, etc. Unfortunately, she comes home to find that her husband has been let go. In anger, hurt, sadness and frustration, she storms off and gets in a sort of dream-like time warp thing that sends her back to Bethlehem.

She meets Mary's mother first who reminds her that everyone is on a journey and that we need to trust God. Then she meets an angel (a part of the M.O.T.H.H.s - Multitude of the Heavenly Hosts) who teaches her that, although God could incinerate all of humanity because of our fallen state, instead He opted to show us some love. Finally she meets a shepherd who takes her to the manger, but Melody is so caught up in her own problems that she completely turns her back on Jesus. The shepherd teaches her that God thinks he's "somethin'" and how precious it was that he got to see his Savior.

At this point, Melody has had enough and fully breaks down. She finds herself in a "limbo" state where she can see and hear both the past and present, but can't get to either one. She yells at God about why she's been put through all of this, being open in her pain and anger. Eventually, she realizes that she completely missed Jesus because she had been too wrapped up in her own issues. She tries to go back, but can't and ends up falling on her knees. She asks God to forgive her and thanks Him for His gift and His love. At this point, she is finally transported back home to find that the choir has come with gifts, food, and a lot of love.

While acting was a lot of fun, the thing I loved the most about this experience was seeing how it affected the people who came. I had so many people come up and tell me about how the story had spoken to them, some of them in tears. Some people were touched by the situation, because they've been in the same place. Others could relate to Melody shaking her fist at God and yelling at Him. Still others realized that they had often turned their back on Jesus figuratively when they were going through their own issues or had gotten caught up in the gifts, busyness, stress of the season and had left Jesus out of it.

There was one part that brought real tears to my eyes every night. It was when Melody realizes just how much God loves her and how little she deserves that love. Even writing it now, my eyes are tearing up. God's love isn't a romantic love, even though I am part of the bride of Christ. The love I'm talking about isn't even the paternal love He has for us, even though I can call Him Abba Father. I'm talking about the love that the God of the universe, the Almighty, sovereign, omnipotent, holy, King of kings can demonstrate for a weak, insignificant, sinful, human like me. It's that unconditional agape love - a love that I don't think humans can fully grasp. In the words of Harvey, the shepherd, "To think, God loves me. To think, He thinks I'm somethin'!" I don't know why God loves me, but I'm so thankful He does.

This Christmas I am so thankful for the love God showed us by sending His Son to earth. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). Most preschoolers can recite that verse, but oh friend, it's so true! He LOVED us! He still does. It was love that prompted Him to sacrifice His Son, send Him to earth in human form, suffer and die. Why? So we can be reconciled to Him, forgiven from our sins and one day live with Him. It was worth the cost to Him because of His great love for us.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Spend some time this day thinking about the love that God showed when Jesus came to earth. He loves you and He thinks you're somethin'.

What's in a Name?

My mom doesn't like the main character's name in my new series. She accused me of using a random name generator to name her, which I have done before, but I also don't just use the first name that pops up, and I usually only use it for minor characters. However, I didn't use a random name generator for her name, but there was a method behind my madness. This whole conversation got me thinking about how I do name my characters. It was surprising how many different methods I've used to name my characters.

In the KW Consulting series, Kate and Isabelle sort of named themselves. I don't know how else to describe it. One day when I was thinking about the characters, those names popped up, and they fit. That was the end of it. There was no debate, because it was who they were.

Georgia also named herself, but I fought it. I didn't like the name, didn't want it, but it was her name. It wasn't until I started writing her story in Smell the Roses that I realized that her dad's name was George, and she was named after him. And yes, I know that I'm the author and technically I should know these things, but I swear that sometimes my stories have a life of their own. I had no idea that was why her name was Georgia. It was definitely an "aha" moment when I figured it out.

Brooke was a little different. I knew she was a former model, and I thought of women like Brooke Burke and Brooke Burns, and that led to the creation of Brooke Bailey. It just seemed to be the right name.

Christmas Angel needed an angelic name, but not one that was completely obvious like Angel. So I combined two Christmas carols. Angels We Have Heard on High gave her the first name of Gloria and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing gave her the last name of Herald. Thus Gloria Herald was named. I have to admit, her name makes me happy, even now.

So now I'm starting a new series focusing on different holidays. The owner of the bed-and-breakfast's name is Carol Noel Holliday (this isn't the name that mom can't stand). Carol was born on Christmas day, and some family history played into her name a bit. Joel's grandma was a Christmas baby, too, and her name was Carol. I liked the way it fit with the season, but again, wasn't blatantly obvious.

Now for the name that has brought about all this reminiscing. The main character of my new book is called Willa Newman. The holiday the book centers on is New Year's (which is why I'm hoping for a January publication) so obviously her last name had to have "new" in it somewhere. But it's Willa that has caused the trouble. In the story line, Willa makes a resolution that sort of alters her course. Willa means "resolved" and that's where her name comes from.  So as you read my new book (next month?) you now have a little insight into where the names came from, and hopefully, it will make you look a little more favorably on them.

Missed Goal

When this year began, I had three writing goals. The first was to finish the KW Consulting series. That goal happened, and Always a Bridesmaid was published in September. It was a wonderful moment to see this series finish, and yet sad at the same time to leave behind these wonderful characters. I enjoyed writing this final book, but it took me a long time to write it - longer than I had originally guessed it would. 

My next goal was to start my next series, and I did that. I have finished the first book of a new series that will be set at a bed-and-breakfast called Holliday Hotel. My edits are completed and it's been sent to my faithful editors. I'm hoping that it will be published in January, but again, it took longer than I expected, and I am not giving my poor editors much time to go through it - especially considering that it is such a busy time of the year. 

My final goal was to write another Christmas novella. This one, I completely missed. Since Always a Bridesmaid and the new book took longer than I had planned for, I simply ran out of time. I've already been told by my mom and my Grandma Larsen that they would both really like me to get a Christmas novella out next year, and I promise it's on my list of things to do. I really enjoyed writing Christmas Angel last year, and I had planned to get one done this year, but somehow the time slipped away faster than I had anticipated. (If you haven't read my Christmas novella, you can purchase it at Amazon.com for just $0.99.) 

So I made two of my three goals, which isn't too bad. I would have been happy to announce that I had completed them all, but I guess it was just too much. So my goals for next year? Complete the second book of the Holliday Hotel series and write a Christmas novella. If I have time for something else, it'll be a bonus. 

I'm looking forward to introducing you to my new series with new characters. I have fallen in love with them already, and I can't wait to see where this series goes! While you're waiting for the new series, go ahead and finish up KW Consulting with Always a Bridesmaid and read (or reread, like my mom did) Christmas Angel. 

Always a Bridesmaid

Christmas Angel

Advertising

I think the hardest part for me as a self-published author is the lack of advertising. There are so many books on Kindle that it's easy to get lost. I get good reviews, but I get few reviews. I know there are people who won't buy a book with less than thirty reviews and all of my books have less than twenty.

In an attempt to advertise, I printed up some cards (shown above) with my books on them. I was going to be selling some homemade items that a few of us had made at a craft fair at my church and I thought it would be the perfect time to try to spread the word about my books. Since the craft fair was a Christmas craft fair, I decided to make the primary focus on my Christmas novella from last year, Christmas Angel (link below). On the back, I put my KW Consulting series. I printed eighty cards. I think I handed out less than ten. I really am a terrible advertiser. I hate promoting myself. It's so awkward. I'm terrible at it.

So my first attempt to advertise was - well, not great. Yet, I know that I should do more. So what do I do? My next attempt may not be any better, but in January I'm going to start an author Facebook page. My plan is to have drawings for people who like and share the page, give away prizes at times and try to keep everyone updated on sales and progress. I wish I could give away copies of my books, but since they're in ebook format, that's a little hard to do so instead, I'll probably give away Amazon gift cards and fun little gifts that I find.

My question to you, is this: how would you advertise? Have you ever had to advertise and found something that worked really well? I would love to hear how others have done it, because this is definitely not my strong suit. I guess it's just all part of the learning process.

Christmas Angel

How did you start?

I just got asked this question by a friend of mine that I hadn't seen in years. How did you start writing? I certainly hadn't planned on doing this. My degree is in elementary education. I took a break from that (pretty much as soon as I graduated) to be a stay at home mom. I had started writing before then, though.

A friend of mine, Lyn, had challenged Meghan and I to begin writing with her. She figured that we had read enough books that we should be able to come up with our own stories. So I took up the challenge and began writing. I really didn't think I'd even finish a story. I figured we each start one, realize that we weren't meant to write and continue on with our lives. Back then, my husband and I each had a desk in the small bedroom we called an office and we would spend our evenings in there. He would play computer games and I would write.

I finally got the draft in a condition where I felt able to share it and I first let Ashley read it. I told her to only go to a certain chapter because I hadn't edited past that. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally came back into the office to see that my sister had read past the point I had told her to. Her response was, "I couldn't help myself! It was so good I had to see what happened next!"

That got my attention. Maybe I was better at this writing thing that I had thought I would be. So I let Meghan and Lyn read it as well. We got together and they started discussing one of my characters. One of them said that she didn't understand why the character was unable to forgive and the other said that she didn't think it was about forgiveness. After that I kind of zoned out because I sat back and listened to them discuss my character's motivation and personality and it started to sound like a book club meeting.

I somehow lost that manuscript in a computer void somewhere. I have no idea where it disappeared to, but I was unable to recover it and for a while, I was too sick at heart to write anything. I felt like I wouldn't be able to do the story justice a second time.

I don't know how long I didn't write, but one day I sat down and began to write again. This time it was the story that is now published on Kindle as Best Laid Plans. I wrote sporadically and it took me nearly five years to complete it (and it's my shortest work).

I didn't set out to write, but somehow it just kind of happened. It kind of reminds me of James 4:13-14a "Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow." I didn't see this coming, but it was the plan God had for my life and I'm excited to see where He leads in all this. 

By the way, Lyn Meghan and Ashley have all asked me if I ever plan to resurrect that first story that I attempted to write. I always said that maybe someday I would, but with the new series I've been writing I found a way to work it in to the series so I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of that. It'll be interesting to see if it ends up better now that I've had more experience or if I can't really recreate that first story again. In either case, I'm excited to get the chance to rewrite that first story since it has a special place in my heart.

I've had many people tell me that they have always wanted to write. The best advice I can give you if you're one of those people is to sit down and write. Write, write and write some more. Let your friends read it and give you advice. (Make sure they're friends who can be honest and encouraging at the same time.) You never know. You may find out that you're better at it than you thought, or you may find out that it's not really your calling. But you'll never know if you don't try!

A Tribute

I think I've mentioned this before, but my favorite fictional book is Pride & Prejudice. I love the characters and the story. I read it through at least once a year. And of course, the only movie version worth watching is the five hour BBC version with Colin Firth, because it actually has every single part of the book in it. Anything else has to cut so much out that it's only a shadow of the novel.

Because of my love for this book, I added some tributes to it in my most recent book, Always a Bridesmaid. The obvious one is that Isabelle's two dogs are named Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. The dogs personalities are reflections of those literary characters, but they're not exact. In the book, Bingley isn't skittish like Isabelle's dog, but he does rely heavily on Darcy's opinion and is more friendly and easygoing. I think Isabelle's dog, Mr. Darcy, is closer to Darcy from the book - he's proud, protective and quiet. It was fun trying to re-imagine these characters as animals and give them a little twist.

A more subtle tribute has also given me some criticism. I've had more than one person tell me that they couldn't stand Isabelle's mom. There's a reason for that. She's based on the character of Mrs. Bennett in Pride & Prejudice, although I think Isabelle's mom is more likable. They're both eager to see their daughters married off, prone to fits of weeping, and say things that really don't need to be said. Both women could be embarrassing for the main character, but I think that Mariana, Isabelle's mom, was more loving than Mrs. Bennett. Every time someone tells me how annoying Mariana was, I have to smile, because she was based on an extremely obnoxious character so it's not surprising that she wasn't the easiest to like.

It was fun to give this wonderful book a few tributes. I know that they are the faintest of shadows of Jane Austen's wonderful characters, but it was interesting to try my hand at something new. If you haven't read my recent book, you can find it by clicking on the link below. Happy Reading!

Always a Bridesmaid

What to Pray?

I just finished a Bible study by Kay Arthur called "Lord, Teach Me to Pray". In it she goes through the Lord's Prayer and shows how each phrase is a topic sentence that shows some aspect of how we ought to pray (ie: worship, petition, confession, etc.)

When we got to the part about making our requests to God I felt challenged to think about how I pray for my books. My first thought was that I really don't pray for my books or sales often. I thought about why that might be. The first reason was that I already feel so blessed. My husband has a job that allows me to stay home. We have all our needs - food, shelter, clothing - abundantly met. Besides our needs we have plenty of wants met as well! How could I ask for more? In some ways it feels selfish to ask for more. But deep down there was something more than just this. I found myself hesitating to ask, because I was afraid He would say no. How could I be disappointed to be denied something I never asked for? I couldn't. So if I didn't ask, then He couldn't say no and I wouldn't be disappointed.

When I realized this rationalization, this passage came to mind:  Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:7-11) God wants to give me good things and He already has. He may not ever give me an actual publisher, but if He doesn't, it isn't because He's stingy or being mean, it's because He has something better. I may never sell amazing quantities of my books, but if not, He has something better than that, too. The bottom line is that He wants me to ask! He may say no, but He wants me to talk with Him about it and share with Him my desires and dreams. 

Which led me to another soul-searching moment. Why do I ask to be published or to have more book sales? Do I crave fame or wealth? Do I want to receive recognition or glory? Or do I want to use it as a way to tell people about Jesus, a way to give God honor and glory? James 4:3 talks about why some prayers are unanswered (or really, that God has said no). It says "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures." So I had to ask myself if this was part of my problem. I don't think I want wealth or fame. Like I said, I already feel so blessed, I can't imagine wanting more and honestly if I want fame, I am writing the wrong genre. I'm never going to make the New York Times best seller list writing Christian romance novels. How about recognition? I have to admit that one of my love languages is words of affirmation - I like to hear encouraging words and get "atta girls", but I'm not sure that even in that I want all the glory. I'm well aware that I am a novice in every sense of the word. Any praise I get belongs to God because I know it's not me! However, I'm also aware that this is a dangerous place for me. As I gain knowledge on how to write, it will be easy to accept the praise for myself. This is something I'm going to have to ask myself often as I continue down this path. 

So what do I ask for? I know God wants me to ask. The tense says that He wants me to keep asking. But according to James I want to ask with the right motives. I also want to be in His will. 1 John 5:14 says, "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." I want God's will to be done in this. So - I want to ask you to join with me in praying. First, pray that as I write I will have the words that God would have for me. Second, pray that He will get all the honor and glory. Third, pray that God blesses this work in whatever way He knows is best. I appreciate your prayers more than you could know. 

Comparing

I was participating in a Bible study called "Can We Talk?" by Priscilla Shirer this summer and the topic of comparing came up. It must have been something that God wanted me to hear, because it not only stuck with me, but God kept bringing other Scriptures to mind. There are so many ways that people compare themselves to others and it rarely ends well. Either they begin to think that they are better than the other person and vanity and arrogance surface, or they see themselves as inadequate and their self-esteem plummets. The cure is to see ourselves the way that God sees us.

Physical appearance is a huge area of comparison. I'm not as slender as that woman. I'm not as pretty as another. I wish I had her hair. The list can go on and on. If you talk to just about any woman and ask her to list her physical "faults" she could rattle several off in a heartbeat, but if you ask her to tell you how she's beautiful, she may have to think for a while. Why is that?  In Psalm 139:13-16 it talks about how God formed us before we were born. It says:

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

I was thinking recently that when God formed me, He didn't step back, gasp and say "I made a mistake!" God created me to look exactly the way I do, so why do I wish His design away? We know that God looks at our heart and not our outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7) so shouldn't I be more concerned about what my inward beauty looks like? Have you ever met someone who you thought was beautiful, but you got to know them and they were rude, selfish, arrogant, and mean? One day you look at them and wonder what made you think they were beautiful. On the other hand, you meet someone who is "average" looking, but they're sweet, loyal, and kind and one day you realize how beautiful they really are. Our inner beauty shows through and can alter our outer appearance. Besides that, my looks will change as I age, but I can still be beautiful in God's eyes and that's what I long to be.

Talent is another area of comparison. No matter what I'm good at, I can find someone who does it better. I can complain that I don't sing as well as someone else and refuse to sing, or I can realize that God can still use my voice in a variety of capacities and be willing to serve Him where He leads. My writing is okay. Others write much better, but I keep plugging at it and striving to improve. I need to not be concerned about being "the best" and instead be busy to use what God has given me to His glory.

The one that always gets me is when I hear people comparing spiritual gifts. This has been going on since the early church was formed. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul describes the church as a body with many members. He says in verse 21, "And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”' Sometimes I see people who seem to think that other members are unnecessary, because they have great pride in their own gift and feel they can handle everything. More often, I see the opposite though. Verse 15 says, "If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body." There are those who think that they aren't necessary for the working of the body. They wish they had a different gift, but forget that God chose for them to have that particular gift to perform a specific task, service, or ministry. 

A gall bladder can seem like an insignificant part of the body, but I can tell you from experience that when it doesn't perform it's duty, it hurts the entire body! Unlike our human bodies, there are no surgeries to remove organs from the body of Christ. You may think that your gift isn't important, but when you don't use it, the body of Christ suffers and will continue to suffer, because you are an integral part of the working and cannot be removed. God will not remove you, You cannot remove yourself and no one else can remove you either. If you think about how God gave each one of us a specific gift in a specific place at a specific time to be used in a specific way, it's absolutely phenomenal! What would happen if everyone in the body of Christ used their gift in the way that God intended? I think we would see amazing things happen!

We need to stop looking around and look up. See ourselves the way God sees us. Do what God intended for us to do. Let God work through us and give Him the glory!

Dedication: Always a Bridesmaid

This is one of my closest friends in the world, Meghan James. I met her in youth group and we have a lot of interesting stories from youth trips. But Meg is more than my friend. She's my sister - not by blood or by marriage - but by heart. My kids call her "Tia Meghan" (tia is aunt in Spanish) and she is at any of their events that she can possibly make it to. She's been on family vacations with us and when people ask if it was weird, the answer is no, because she's family, too.

We have so much history together. Not only have we been on youth trips together, but we've taken numerous girls trips together and we have lofty ambitions of many more trips that finances and time have made impossible for now. She was my maid of honor when I got married and sang during our ceremony. She was in the waiting room as I gave birth to my first child and was one of the first to see her. We've watched countless movies together and shared books that the other one "has" to read (she stretches me beyond my comfort zone when it comes to reading). We've run through grass in our bare feet, played in the ocean, watched plays, sang duets (one of them so fantastically awful it was wonderful), ridden amusement park rides, been on long road trips, been to sporting events, helped each other move, cooked wonderfully amazing grilled cheese sandwiches (and other foods as well), and channel our "inner child" together (like when we tuck our arms into our shirts so that only our hands stick out and stomp around like a t-rex).

There's so much more than our shared fun together though. Meghan is the person that I can call at any moment of the day when my world begins to collapse and she will drop everything and come running. We've had deep conversations and we've vented our frustrations to each other and somehow after spending some time in her company everything starts to look better. Meg will text me as soon as she sees something on Facebook that may cause distress in the family and let me know that she's praying for us and that if I even need anything she's there. The thing is, it's not an empty promise either. If I were to call her because I needed to talk, she would sit and talk with me for as long as I needed her. If I needed her with me, she'd be over as soon as she could - probably with a pint of ice cream or some chocolate as well.

On top of that, Meghan is probably one of the smartest people I know. When Elizabeth Ludwig looked over my first book to give me some advice, one of the things she mentioned was how good my grammar was. I credit Meghan with that. Mom and Ashley tend to find my contextual errors and tell me when things aren't clear. Meghan finds where I use commas inappropriately (all the time) and where my wording is wrong. It amazes me how all three of these women can edit the same book and they all find different errors. Beyond her incredible knowledge of grammar and the English language, she is also well versed in literature, has traveled to many different countries, learned other languages, can sing, knows history, art, science, and math.

I feel like I could go on and on about how amazing this woman is! She's such a wonderful friend, and it's just who she is. She's a wonderful friend to me, but there are countless people who will read this and nod their head in agreement, because she's been there for them at the drop of a hat as well. She is just so immensely sweet and always willing to help. I'm so thankful that God brought her into my life and that I get to call her my sister and my friend. Thank you, Meghan, for all of your help and encouragement! I love you dearly, my friend!

The Missing Verse

In my excitement and hurry to get Always a Bridesmaid published, I forgot something. I forgot to put in the Bible verse in the front matter of the book. I always include a verse, something that I feel goes along with the story somehow, but when I was building the front matter for this book, I missed it. The funny thing was that I had a verse all picked out, I just somehow missed putting it in. Since I realized that I had forgotten it, I was able to update the manuscript and get it up on Kindle so anyone who bought the book recently will find it included. If you bought the book the first day or two, here is the verse that is missing. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." (Proverbs 13:12)

Each book in the series has a different focus. Best Laid Plans was about how God has plans for our lives and sometimes they're not what we expected. Kate had planned to be with Jeff when she was in high school, but that wasn't the plan for her life. She developed a new plan, only to find out that God had different ideas once again. I know that sometimes it's hard to let go of the plans that I've arranged for my life and let God take control, but after He pries my fingers off my plan, I can usually see how it was better for me to go the way He wanted me to.

Smell the Roses was about slowing down from the busyness of life. I honestly still have trouble with this. My calendar is so packed full it's ridiculous, but we weren't created to be constantly on the go and eventually it catches up with us. God didn't rest on the seventh day after creation because He was worn out. He was giving us an example. Yes, work is good - even in the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam work to do - but rest is important, too. You can also see it in the commands that He gave to Israel. We need time to rest and recharge and it's not weakness to need to relax. It's necessary. Georgia had to learn that if you don't slow down on occasion, you're heading for problems.

Dress for Success was about where true beauty lies. Brooke was beautiful on the outside, but it was her internal beauty that made her so attractive. There have certainly been people I've known who I thought were so good looking, but then I got to know them and they were arrogant, rude, mean-spirited, selfish and suddenly I realized that they weren't as good looking as I had thought. Then I've known others who I thought were only average looking, nothing special, but I got to know them and they were so sweet, kind, wonderful, loyal, giving, that one day I looked at them and wondered why I ever thought they were average, because now I thought they were beautiful! Our internal beauty (or lack of it) eventually shows on the exterior.

Finally, Always a Bridesmaid focuses on waiting for God's timing. I don't know how many times I've heard, "I know I need to wait for God's timing, but . . . "  I've certainly said it myself on occasion. Waiting is so hard. For me, I think it's the fear that the answer might not be 'wait', but 'no' that makes it so hard. In this world of instant gratification, I think it's only getting harder to have to wait until the time is right. When that time comes, though, it's a wonderful, beautiful thing!

For the first time, I can post the links to all four books for the KW Consulting series! If you haven't read them all, just click on the link to purchase them through Amazon. 
Best Laid Plans (Book 1)
Smell the Roses (Book 2)
Dress for Success (Book 3)
Always a Bridesmaid (Book 4)

New Book Cover

I love it when I get the new book cover! It's so exciting to see a book getting to the point of being ready for purchase. I think I'll actually have this one out before September!

Ordering a book cover is pretty easy. I've always used killercovers.com and they've done a wonderful job for me and listen to the recommendations I have. I usually get a cover within a week of ordering it and then have an opportunity to ask for changes to be made or sometimes I have to decide between two covers. After that the changes are made pretty quickly and I have my cover back that I can download and use. I only had a couple of changes on this cover and I love the result.

Isabelle's story is called . . .

My mom gave me her final edits this weekend and she says there isn't much. I need to finish those and then format the book to make it ready to publish. Then I'll upload it onto Amazon and it will be available to purchase! I expect it to be available by the end of the week.

If you haven't read the rest of the series, they are also available on Amazon to read on Kindle. (And Kindle has a free app for any smart phone, tablet or even a computer.) You can find the other three books by clicking the links below. I can't wait until I can share Always a Bridesmaid with you, too.

Best Laid Plans (Book 1)
Smell the Roses (Book 2)
Dress for Success (Book 3)

A Mind of Their Own

My mom finished her first read through of book four and we were sitting around talking about it. She was telling me about how frustrating some of the characters were this time. I agreed and said that as I was writing I was thinking, "Oh man! He's going to do that and it's going to be so bad!"

My dad laughed and said, "They're your characters! Can't you control them?"

To which I very honestly replied, "No! They have a mind of their own. I didn't even realize that Isabelle's sisters were twins until halfway through."

My dad found this very amusing. It seems strange that it could come from my mind and yet sometimes I feel like I have very little control over the story, Sometimes as I write I almost gasp and think, "I did not see that coming!" It's very weird.

I don't know if this happens to every author or if I'm just strange. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the latter. The thing is that my characters almost have a life of their own in my head. Sometimes I sit there and shake my head at their actions and sometimes they make me smile. But they always keep me on my toes.

I honestly wasn't sure how I would do writing Isabelle's story. She's probably the character that least resembles me. She's bold and confident and extremely creative! I have to say that I really enjoyed developing her more. I don't know that I have a favorite character - it's sort of like choosing a favorite child - but Isabelle is such a positive person that she was a joy to write about. And I know she's just a make believe character from my imagination, but it's still true. I hope that my readers enjoy getting to know her better.

While Mom and I were talking about the book, my mom said that she was reading about the bridal shower that Isabelle plans for Brooke and she thought, "Isabelle is so creative!" Then she thought for a moment and realized that Isabelle was fictional and really it was out of my imagination that the idea for the shower came! I'm not sure I could have come up with it though, if I hadn't been looking at the world through Isabelle's eyes. That bridal shower has been talked about by all three of my editors who all think it was such a fun idea!

My mom has finished her first read through and I've made the edits she gave me. My sister has finished, but I haven't received her edits yet. I know that Meghan was close to finishing the last I heard from her. She told me that she had been reading before work and hadn't wanted to stop! I'm always happy to hear things like that.

And . . .  I've ordered the book cover! In about a week I should get the first drafts to go through. Sometimes they send me a couple to choose from and sometimes I give them some requests to change their initial design (usually it's slight things, they do such a wonderful job!) As soon as we get the finalized cover, I will share it and the title with you all!

In the meantime, I have been continuing to write the next series. With my kids in school, I am getting some nice, long, uninterrupted segments of writing in and I'm very much enjoying how quickly it's coming along! I can't wait to share Isabelle's story with you and then for you to join me on my next journey! Writing is such a fun adventure!

Starting Again

Every ending is a new beginning. That's certainly not an original thought, but it's true. The end of KW Consulting isn't the end of my journey. I've loved writing about Kate, Georgia, Brooke and now Isabelle. They've each had their own joys and challenges. I believe that they've each helped me progress as a writer as well.They'll always have a special place as my first characters. But it's time to end their stories and move on.

I already know what my next series is going to be and I've even started writing the first book of the next series. Already I'm in love with the new characters, new places, and new stories. My mind is flooded by images of what's going to happen next and I'm so excited about where I know it's going that I have to force myself to slow down. I'm hoping to have the first book completed by the end of this year. I hope that I'm not setting my sights too high and making an unattainable goal, but I think it's doable.

Another change in my life right now is that my youngest child has begun preschool. I'm hoping that this will give me some uninterrupted writing time and help me make my goal. Right now we're still in the "settling in" phase of a life change. My two older children begin school on Thursday and I'm confident that we'll settle into a routine quickly. Once we've all adjusted, I'm sure that I'll be getting some quality writing time in and I'm excited to see how much I can get done in that time.

Although I'm sad to be through with KW Consulting, I'm excited about my new series and I can't wait to share it and see if you guys like it as much as I do! In the meantime, the last book of KW Consulting hasn't been completed quite yet. My sister has finished her edits, but I'm waiting on my mom and Meghan's edits as well. As soon as they're finished, I can complete the last book and get it published on Amazon. I'm still anticipating a September release and it won't be long before I'm revealing the new cover art and the title! By the way, my sister has said that this fourth book was definitely her favorite. I can't wait to hear if others agree with her!

Advice from an Author

A few months ago, my sister-in-law, Coren, found out that a lady at her church who she always talked to was a published author. She asked me if I would want her to approach her for me and I jumped at the opportunity! The author was Elizabeth Ludwig who has written The Edge of Freedom series as well as other novels. She very graciously allowed me to contact her, but warned me that since she had a deadline coming up that she wouldn't be getting back to me right away.

About a month later, I heard back from her. She pointed out several areas that I need to work on in my writing. It was humbling in a good way to discover how much I still have left to learn. As I looked at the terminology she used I remembered once again that I'm still very much an amateur. I felt completely overwhelmed because it hit me that I really should invest in some creative writing classes or seminars, but I don't know what time I would devote to that since I already feel like I'm overbooked. I realized that it may not be possible now, but in the near future, I may have the time and should research those options.

Fortunately for me, she also critiqued my first chapter of my first book. I have to admit that I was embarrassed that she had read the first book. I love Best Laid Plans because it was the first one, but I also know it has serious flaws in it. As I looked at her critique though, I saw that she had explained the terminology that I hadn't understood from her email and pointed out places where I needed work and they were issues that I knew still needed fixing. It helped clear several issues up for me and just in time, too. I got her email just as I finished writing book four and was about to do my read through. With her critique fresh in my mind, I was able to edit my book and specifically focus on the issues that she had brought to my attention. I focused primarily on two as I edited. One was keeping the point of view from drifting from character to character within the same section. If I needed to switch point of view, I either started a new chapter or a separate section. It was amazing how often I broke this rule of writing. I'd hate to look back through my previous books and see how many times I did this wrong. The other was focusing on adding action to my dialogue to prevent my characters from becoming "talking heads". There are definitely a lot more things I need to work on, but I felt like those two were pretty glaring faults that needed immediate attention.

Elizabeth also suggested that I join an online critique group. I had never heard of this before. Apparently these groups are writers providing critique for other writers and it's free. The understanding is that you will also provide feedback in exchange for other writers giving you help on your work. She specifically recommended The American Christian Fiction Writers and The Bayou Writers Group, but she said that there are several you can find just by doing a search on Google. She did caution me to find a group that specifically wrote the same genre as I write and like to read since I'll be expected to read other authors' works as well. Can I tell you that at this point I very much welcome feedback from other writers, but feel like I have absolutely nothing to offer in return? It's kind of intimidating. However, I know that this would be a great opportunity for me to learn.

I just have to mention here that this whole experience has been incredible. Even though at times it felt daunting to realize just how much I have left to learn, it was good for me to actually see the places I need to work on, not just know deep down that there were things that needed work. Besides that, Elizabeth was always very encouraging even as she pointed out the areas that I was doing things wrong. She not only pointed out where I need work, but also things that I was doing right. I very much appreciated her willingness to come alongside and help a new writer. She could have said that she was too busy, but she took time out of her schedule to give me feedback that I really needed to hear.

I'm very excited about book four! Being able to edit with specific areas to focus on was so helpful and I think it's helped make the book even better! I've sent the book out for the final editing and am waiting for their notes to finish up the book. I expect it to be published in September.

Deadline

I was talking to my friend, Mayra, about a month ago and she told me that she had a writing teacher who had asked the class what was the single most important thing a writer needed .  The class gave several answers, but none of them were the answer that the teacher wanted.  The teacher said that the most important thing for a writer to have was - a deadline.

I laughed and nodded when she told me this story, because I have found it to be very true.  My first book took me over five years to write.  I didn't have a deadline or a goal even and so I wrote when the mood struck me.  There would be long gaps between writing sessions.  However, once that first book was finished, I gave myself a deadline of having the second book out in one year.  I knew that if I took five years for the next book, I would be starting from the ground all over again.  The next year I gave myself another deadline to have the third book out by a year and I made it.  I added another deadline of having a Christmas novella written and ready to be published by Thanksgiving and I made that deadline, too.  

This year, I have struggled so much with my deadlines.  My original goal for this year was to finish the KW Consulting series, start the next series and write a Christmas novella.  I had planned to have book four finished in the spring, but publish it in September when all the other books in that series have been published, but that didn't happen.  I always underestimate how much time I actually have.  I often find myself just struggling to squeeze in thirty minutes to write.

My latest goals have been to just write book four of KW Consulting and start my next series, but drop the Christmas novella for this year.  I just don't think I'll have time to do all three.  However, I'm still hopeful that I'll get two full length novels written within the year.  I had set a new deadline to finish writing book four by the end of June.  Technically, I missed that deadline, too, but since I finished it at one in the morning on July 1st, I'll count it as an accomplishment.  

I'm so excited to have book four finished.  It was a new challenge for me to have to keep up with multiple plots and story lines.  I hope that when I go through and reread it that I'll find that they flow as well as I think they do.  So the next step is for me to read through the book, making sure to make any edits that I find.  Then I'll send it out to be edited.  I'm hopeful to have the book back in August so that I can make the changes that need done and have it published in September.  While that book is being edited, I'll begin work on the next series.

Each step in this journey is a learning experience.   Sometimes I'm amazed at how much I've learned in four years and sometimes I'm daunted by how much more I have to learn.  I'm feeling excited about the recent progress I've made.  I can't wait until book four is ready for publication!

Father's Day

My husband was saying that he heard on the radio that there is a large difference in the amount of money spent for Mother's Day and Father's Day.  Mothers have a lot more money spent on them than fathers do.  I think there are many reasons for that, but I do feel like as a culture we've sort of pushed fathers to the back burner and given them the feeling that they are less important than mothers.  However, fathers have a valuable position in the family.  I know my life would be vastly different without the influence of the fathers who have touched my life.

My father is a person who I've always been able to talk to.  Even if all I need is someone to gripe to, Dad was there to listen to my complaints.  If I needed advice, he was there for me for that, too.  And if I wanted to learn something new - well, Dad could go on for hours if he was teaching something.  As a Papa, he's the grandpa that throws the kids high in the air (to the horror of onlookers) and gives shoulder rides.  He's the one that will play Red Light/Green Light or Mother May I with the kids.  My dad always believed in us, even when others didn't.  My dad never once discouraged me from trying my hand at writing. If you talk to him about his children or his grandchildren, you can visibly see the pride that he has in each one of us and he celebrates our different strengths.

This was the first year that I didn't buy a card for my Grandpa Larsen.  I shared in a previous blog post that my grandpa passed away in January of this year.  Realizing that I wouldn't be buying him a card this year brought back some of that sadness all over again, but then I realized that he was spending Father's Day with his Heavenly Father and I know that for my grandpa that's the best gift ever!  I can picture him sitting at the Father's feet, not saying much, because my grandpa was a soft-spoken man, but just absorbing everything that was being said.

My Grandpa Smith is a firm believer in love being an action word.  He would pick me up from preschool in the church bus just because I liked to sit in the very back row.   When he'd pick me up from high school he'd bring a soda or give rides to my friends.  One time I mentioned that I needed to take my car in for emissions and the next day my grandpa showed up at my house and took my car through emissions for me.  Grandpa also shows his love by teasing.  He always tells us that he only teases the people he loves.  He loves to get the grandkids all riled up and they quickly learn to give it right back to him, which just tickles him even more.

Joel has been such a a wonderful father to our kids and I'm so glad that I have him by my side as we parent together.  He's patient with the kids while they are learning new skills while I tend to get frustrated with them.  He stands beside me on decisions we've made together or backs me up when I make a decision on my own.  He takes part in the discipline of our kids so that I'm not always the "bad guy".  He loves to spend time with our kids one on one so he'll take them out and do things with each one like miniature golfing, go to the movies or bowling.  I think some of his favorite moments are the times we're all piled on the couch together watching a movie or when we have a family game night.  He teaches the kids by actions as well as words.  I have been so blessed watching him interact with our children and I know that a big part of why they are such wonderful children is that they have a wonderful father who loves them and guides them.

When I married Joel, I also got a special father-in-law.  He has the same belief in love being an action word as my Grandpa Smith.  I don't know how many times he's come over and done yard work for us or helped with a home improvement project.  He's quiet, but has a great sense of humor.  He demonstrates to his children and his grandchildren what a good work ethic is and what it means to have a servant's heart.  His work was often done quietly and without notice, but that never mattered because he was serving his Lord and didn't need recognition for it.

Without these men my life would be so different.  Without my dad, I wouldn't know random information (particularly about history and science) or have had someone who I could talk to when there wasn't anyone else.  I may not even had tried writing, afraid of what might happen, without his encouragement.  Without my Grandpa Larsen, I wouldn't have learned the importance of being able to sit quietly at times.  Without my Grandpa  Smith, well life would have been a lot more boring without his teasing and I wouldn't have seen how love can be an action.  Without Joel, I wouldn't have my kids for one thing, but even if I did, I know that my kids have benefited from having him in their lives.  I know that I am a better mother with him at my side.  My father-in-law raised a wonderful son and I am forever thankful for that, but he also shows my kids what a servant's heart looks like.  These men have many traits that overlap, but the single trait that they all share is that they love the Lord and want to serve Him with all their hearts.

Summer Activities

Summer brings to mind relaxation and fun, a break from the every day chores of life.  No school, vacations, swimming - nothing but fun in the sun!

My summer, however, begins with Vacation Bible School.  My sister and I have co-directed our church's VBS for the past two years.  We both absolutely love VBS.  I loved it as a child and I love it still as an adult.  I love the themes, the crafts, the songs, the games, but most of all I love seeing kids learn about Jesus.  It's the most fun and exhausting week of the year!  But for us, VBS starts earlier than that week.  Planning began almost as soon as last year's was over and in January we begin monthly meetings with the other directors.  The week before VBS is spent making props and sets for the platform, making sure room assignments are ready, having final meetings, stuffing bags for the leaders and basically just getting everything in order for Vacation Bible School to happen.  Then the week finally arrives and we get to have fun - most of the time!  We get to wander around and see everyone's hard work pay off.  We get to have kids run up and hug us or give us a high five.  Best of all, we get to see children give their lives to God!  That is truly what makes everything worth it.  We finish the week with a program for their parents and a carnival where we both spent some time in the dunk tank and got attacked by water balloons as we ran an obstacle course.  The kids loved it!

VBS is busy enough, but our church also has a musical bootcamp that runs through the week of VBS and the week after for the middle and high school kids.  The kids spend two weeks learning music, choreography and drama to perform for their families, but also get to choose other electives like sign language, woodworking, kung fu, art and knitting.  It's a fantastic program and the kids have a blast!  This year, both Ashley and I taught an elective.  Ashley taught sign language and I taught knitting.  We were also both music mentors which means we sit in the choir with the kids and sing with them so they can hear what the music is supposed to sound like.  It was a lot of work, but so much fun.  It made for two exhausting weeks though.  In fact, I didn't even make it through the second week.  The second week, my son got sick on Sunday, my daughter got pink eye on Tuesday, I got the stomach flu on Wednesday and Thursday and my other daughter was sick on Friday.  I think we were all a little run down by this point.  

This week, my kids still have some events going on, but I'm not helping in any of them which is such a relief.  I still don't get to have those lazy summer days, but nothing is urgent this week.  I need to work on my house (several weeks of running constantly has created a landfill in our home) and I am taking time to get back to my writing!  I've missed it so much!  I'm so glad to be able to get back to Kate, Georgia, Brooke and Isabelle!  I almost hate to set another deadline for myself because I've already miss so many, but I'm hoping that I'll have book four done by mid July at the absolute latest.  I'm hoping that now that things are settling down a bit, that I'll be able to have some extended times of quiet to sit and write to my heart's content.  

I hope that your summer is filled with activities like these, but also with moments of quiet and relaxation.  Take time to read a book, watch a movie, do your favorite hobby, relax at the pool - whatever it is you like to do to unwind.  If you haven't read the first three books in the KW Consulting series, go check them out!  Then you'll be ready for book four when it comes out in September.  You can find them by clicking the links below. 

Best Laid Plans (Book 1)

Smell the Roses (Book 2)

Dress for Success (Book 3)

Romance in the Little Things

Today is my fifteenth wedding anniversary. At fifteen years, we're past the honeymoon phase and we're well into married life.  We have three children together and we're in the phase of life where the kids take the majority of our focus and attention.  We talk about the past and when it was just the two of us and we look forward to the future when it will be the two of us again, but different this time, yet we enjoy the stage of life we're in - even when it's crazy.

I've been thinking lately about the difference in romance when someone is dating and when they're married.  I think that often romance changes when you're married.  When we were dating it wasn't uncommon for Joel to buy me flowers, always red roses, but he bought me more flowers in the four plus years we dated than he has in our fifteen years of marriage.  Why?  Because things change.  To be honest, I don't miss those big gestures.  I try to focus on finding the romance in the little things.

I find romance in working side by side with Joel, whether that's doing dishes or yard work or cooking.  I find it when I see him lovingly teach our children or spending time with them.  I find it when we're sitting on the couch with three little ones sprawled all over the top of us as we watch a movie together.  I find it when we climb into bed at night, completely exhausted, but secure in the knowledge that he's right next to me.

It's in the friendship we have and the knowledge we have of each other.  It's watching his face as he talks and, even though his voice doesn't change, I can tell that he's feeling strong emotions by the way he holds his mouth.  It's being able to laugh together often.  It's a small touch on the arm or the back as we pass each other.  It's talking late into the night because he's still the person I want to tell everything!  It's him knowing that I don't like onions and ordering our meal without it just for me.  It's knowing that compliments don't come easy for him, so I treasure each one he gives me because I know it was sincere.

It's caring for one another.  It's taking care of each other in sickness and in health.  He's nursed me after I had my wisdom teeth out, after I had each baby, after I had my gall bladder taken out and through more mild sicknesses like flu, colds and bronchitis, not to mention the times I had to get stitches.   I've nursed him through gall bladder issues, diverticulitis, pneumonia and the common illnesses.  He knows that when I'm sick, I want him to take the kids somewhere and just let me rest.  I check on him when he's sick and keep the kids out of his hair.

It's loving each other for richer or poorer.  We've had our financial issues - mostly caused by our own poor decisions and yet we've pulled through them.  We've never been rich, but we've been blessed.  We had to learn the hard way in a lot of instances, but we learned together.

It's loving for better or worse.  We've had moments where our blessings have been so blatantly apparent that we can only praise God for them.  We've had moments where we didn't know how we were going to pull through and we could only fall on our knees and plead with God to help us through.  In both situations, we also clung to each other.  When we're happy, we celebrate together and when we mourn, we weep together.  I don't know how often he's held me while I've cried, but I also can't tell you how often he's held me as we've laughed with sheer joy.

I was only nineteen when I made those vows to my husband, but I meant every single word.  I plan on being with this man until death parts us.  Our romance may have altered through the years, but it's still alive and active.  I'm so thankful for the fifteen years we've been blessed with and pray that God gives us many more.

Mother's Day

I found myself in a very grumpy mood this mother's day.  It's not because my family forgot about Mother's Day.  My kids and husband gave me a bicycle, a helmet and a seat and helmet for my youngest child.  My kids also gave me handmade cards, my daughter gave me a laminated book of her artwork and my son bought some things at the Awana store for me.  It was lovely.

Here's the thing, I believe that mothers should be honored.  We work hard every day and we rarely get a break.  My mom worked hard for us and would still do anything for us.  My grandma was right beside her, helping out with us any way she could.  I want to take time to honor them and thank them for everything they have done and still do.

What upset me was stupid!  It was something that was not important.  In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter at all, but it bothered me that there is no good way to celebrate mother's day.  If you go out to eat, you have to wait forever.  If you eat at home, the moms somehow end up working.  If you pick up something, you end up settling for something that nobody really wants.  I feel like every year we end up doing something that no one is really excited about, it's just what's easiest.

Later, I realized how selfish and shallow my reasoning for my crankiness was.  I have so many blessings.  I have three wonderful children who were so excited to share Mother's Day with me.  I know so many people who would love to have children, but for one reason or another have not been able to so far.  I have an amazing family that I was able to spend the day with.  I have friends who were missing their mothers this Mother's Day.  They would have been happy to grab anything with their moms just one more time.  When I started realizing this, it's amazing how quickly my attitude changed.  Instead of being cranky about having to settle on our dinner options, I was thankful for all the blessings in my life.  I know that someday my children may not live close to me.  I know that someday I may not have my grandma or mom around anymore.  I need to embrace these moments instead of griping about things that don't matter.

Once I changed my attitude, I was able to appreciate the day.  I was thankful for the thoughtful gifts that my children, parents and grandparents gave me.  I was thankful for the phone call from my nieces.  I enjoyed watching my children and my nieces play in my grandparent's backyard.  They got to learn games that I played as a child and I found myself laughing as I watched them play.  I enjoyed time talking with my family and playing games with them.  By the time I went to bed that night, my grumpiness had completely evaporated and it had been replaced by gratitude.  It's amazing how quickly my attitude can adjust once I focus on what's important and stop dramatizing what is ultimately unimportant.