Writing Update

 

I'm so excited for the books that are coming soon! 

First off, book eight in the Holliday Hotel series is in the editing phase right now. I'm hoping to have the edits back by next month so that it can go into the final revision. If all goes well, it should be available in October. I loved writing May's story! It was wonderful to see her grow and heal. This will be the Thanksgiving book in the series, and I'm so grateful for the journey I have been on through this series.

Next, I'm about halfway through writing this year's Christmas novella! After taking a year off, I'm thrilled to be able to provide another Christmas story. I always enjoy writing them, but last year I just couldn't make it work. It's a pleasure to see it coming together, and I am absolutely loving this story and these new characters. As much as I love Holliday Hotel, sometimes it's nice to explore other settings and characters.

Speaking of which, Holliday Hotel is nearly at its end. Next year's book will complete the series with a Christmas story. It's been a ride for sure! I've enjoyed each book and celebrating each holiday, but I don't think I'll ever write a series that long again. I'm sure if you read them back-to-back right now, you'll see some glaring errors because it gets difficult to keep track of everything.

What's next when Holliday Hotel is completed? I'm not exactly sure. I've got two series that are teasing the back of my mind. I'm not sure which one I'll go with first, but I know that God will direct my steps when the time comes.

Be on the lookout for two new books this fall! I can't wait to share them with you! In the meantime, you can follow me on Facebook or Instagram for title and cover reveals, book launch parties, and giveaways. 

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-typewriter-machine-typing-on-white-printer-paper-1303835/

The Power of Music

 

Music has always had an important role in my life. My family's playlist is eclectic as we all enjoy a variety of music, but most important to me has always been worship music. The lyrical reminder of the promises of God, the praises extolling all of God's goodness and glory, the heart-rending surrender have always spoken to my heart and fixed my mind on Jesus. As I was healing from my depression, God used several songs to pull me out of the pit I was in and to fix my eyes on the truth. 

Look What You've Done by Tasha Layton

Look What You've Done by Tasha Layton became my anthem and is still one of my favorite songs today. It spoke to my heart in mighty ways when I was entrenched in lies of Satan telling me that I was useless, that I was unloved, that I was unworthy of God's love and sacrifice. In this song, Tasha Layton confronts lies like that head on with a reminder that God is working in us and through us, that His death and resurrection provide healing, and that God's truth has victory over Satan's lies. The line "You spoke Your truth into the lies I let my heart believe" brought me to tears as I realized that I had bought the lies and it was time to allow God's truth to expel those lies, to break new ground, and heal my wounds. In the process, I give God the glory saying, "Look what You've done, God, to bring about my healing, pulling me out of depression." 

See a Victory by Elevation Worship

I was on praise team when See a Victory hit me hard. We had sung the song many times in service and it hadn't really affected me. Through rehearsals, I hadn't had any problems at all. In the middle of service, the words became very real to me and I started to cry. I'll admit that a vain part of me hoped I wasn't ugly crying since services are recorded, but mostly I allowed myself to be overwhelmed by the lyrics. My victory over depression was because the battle belongs to the Lord. He is the only reason that I can triumph over the difficulties in life, and I'm thankful for His strength. The bridge hit hard as well. "You take what the enemy meant for evil, and You turn it for good." Satan tried to destroy me with lies. He tried to tear apart my family. He tried to make me question my value and worth. But God turned it for good. He brought me out of my depression and kept my family intact, even helping relationships to be stronger than before. Through my struggles, I can encourage others who are battling the same thing. I'm sure that there are many more ways that God is using this and will use it, and I'm so grateful that God can take such a horrible time in my life and make it into something good and valuable.

Overcomer by Mandisa

Not only is this song a powerful fight song, it's packed with truth. Overcomer reminds us that we can overcome the trials in this life, not through our strength, but because "the One who overcame death is living inside of you". It reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." I know it doesn't seem 'light' and 'momentary' when we go through it. I struggled with my depression for about three years. It did not feel like a temporary and insignificant struggle, but it was working to prepare me for eternal things. In comparison with eternity, that stretch of time is just a blip on my timeline.

Not for a Moment by Meredith Andrews

When it felt like I was battling my depression all alone, God was still there. He didn't leave me ever! That's the promise of Not for a Moment by Meredith Andrews. We don't have 'feel' God to know He is there. We don't have to 'hear' Him to know He is here. God promised He would never forsake us, and He never leaves us even for a moment. It doesn't matter what our state of mind is, what we've done, God is there. "In my hurt, at my worst, when my world falls down, not for a moment will You forsake me."

I could probably pick hundreds of songs that God has used in my life, but I'll stop there. I'm so thankful that God created music for us. I'm thankful for the singers and songwriters who can express truth so eloquently. I'm so thankful that the Holy Spirit speaks to hearts in many ways, including through worship. In the darkness, in the struggles, God used music to bring power and strength to my life, to remind me of the truth of His love and presence in my life.

“Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

 

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/printed-musical-note-page-164821/

Summer Kick Off Giveaway

 

Hello Readers!

Summer is here, kids are out of school, and the beach is calling! No better time to pick up your favorite book to read in the lounge chair! To help you build up that summer TBR pile,  I have partnered with Celebrate Lit for a giveaway just for you!

Here is your chance to win 35 books or a $500 Amazon card to buy a ton of books for yourself in Celebrate Lit's Summer Kick Off Giveaway!

Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/25563/2023-summer-kick-off

The giveaway is going on now through June 18.

Reclaiming Mother's Day

 

I had the best Mother's Day this year! In the past, I've struggled with this holiday (and I've written blog posts about that as well), but this year, I reclaimed it. 

At the end of last year's celebration, I was sitting in a chair, and I sighed. "I hate Mother's Day." To my surprise my teenaged son said, "Me, too." It shocked me, and I realized that I needed to reverse this quickly, or my issues were going to carry down to the next generation, and I didn't want that! The reason why my son hated it is because he felt like nothing they did was good enough for me. (How's that for hitting you in the gut?) But my dislike of the day had nothing to do with my children or their gifts, yet he couldn't see that. 

No, it had to do with the way that we celebrate the holiday in my family. Basically, the oldest mom in the family gets to decide what we're doing, and usually the moms end up cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids with a gift thrown in for good measure. I hated it! But saying that felt selfish, so now on top of hating it, I felt guilty which only made me hate it more. 

As I talked with other moms, I realized that I wasn't alone. This is a holiday that often is celebrated in a way that is the exact opposite of how most mothers would like to spend the day that is supposed to be honoring them.

I looked at my kids and knew I was going to do something different. My oldest is in college. I only have a few years left with my kids before they leave and start their own families. So I booked a weekend getaway for me, my husband, and our children. No one else. We went to a small mountain town, stayed in a cabin with the scent of pines and the tinkling of a small creak in the air. We played games, watched a movie, went for a hike, and it was absolutely lovely! 

Here's my opinion. Mother's Day should be about the mothers who are still in the trenches, who are still taking care of their kids day in and day out. Yes, I appreciate my mother, my mother-in-law, and my grandmother. Yes, I value them and want to honor them. But in the process of honoring them, I feel like I've lost nineteen years of Mother's Days, because the holiday was about them, and no one cared about me or what I wanted. (And yes, I know that's not completely true, but that's how it felt.) 

I think grandparents day should be a bigger deal than it currently is. I think we need to shower the grandparents on that day, and not just leave it to the schools to do a little something. When we can do that, then we can reserve Mother's Day (and Father's Day) for those with kids at home.

This year I told my kids that when they have their own children, I only want them to come see me on Mother's Day if that is their choice. I want them to do what they want to do to celebrate without any thought for what I want. If they want to give me the grandkids so they can nap and binge watch TV without being interrupted, you better believe I'm happy to do that. If they want a date night with their spouse, just tell me when you want me to babysit, and I'm glad to do it. If they want to take the family out and do something together, good! Enjoy the time! It goes by fast! The fact is, that I had my time, and I missed it. I don't want my children to miss it, too.

Photo by Lisa Fotios: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-a-person-s-hand-holding-a-white-mug-4284177/

Thank you!

     You are amazing! There are so many simple things that you do that make me smile and I want to thank you for all of them!

1. You read my books. I don't care if you purchased it, borrowed it, or won it in a giveaway, an author is nothing without readers! Thank you for taking a chance on me. 

2. You write reviews. Reviews make such a difference for an author. It makes me smile when I read what you thought about my books. Even a short review makes a big impact. Thank you for your honest feedback.

3. You tell others. People enjoy trying books that have been recommended by friends. That's worth more than paid advertising to me. Thank you for telling others about my books.

4. You follow me. I just recently reached the milestone of having 1,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram! I'm absolutely blown away by that! Thank you for following me on my journey.

5. You participate on my social media. This one seems strange, I know, but every time you comment on a post, enter a giveaway, like or share a post it increases my visibility to others. But more than that, I love interacting with you and when I see your name come up over and over again it makes me feel like I get to know you a little bit better every time. Thank you for participating!

I'm so blessed by all your kind words, your encouragement, and your thoughtfulness! You are wonderful and I just had to take a moment to thank you for all that you have done for me. 

In case you missed it, I am doing a big giveaway right now to celebrate having 1,000 followers. If you are on Facebook, you can enter here: https://www.facebook.com/CourtneyLymanauthor or if you're on Instagram you can enter here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrddDFruYYD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link. And if you happen to be on both - go ahead and enter on both! 

Thank you again and again for your support! I love you guys, and I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store in the future!

April Showers Giveaway

 

Hello Readers!

Spring is here, so the snow will be starting to melt soon, and it is the perfect time to sit outside and soak up those rays while reading a good book! I have partnered with Celebrate Lit for a giveaway just for you to build up that spring TBR pile!

Here is your chance to win 35 books or a $500 Amazon card to buy a ton of books for yourself in Celebrate Lit's April Showers Bring May Flowers.

Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/246f2/2023-april-showers-bring-may-flowers

The event and giveaway is going on now through April 23.

Rivals

 

Recently, my husband and I took a trip with my parents and my friend to go to the PAC-12 Men's Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas. Both my husband and I graduated from the University of Arizona, and we're all big Wildcat fans. 

The very first night, the couple on right in the picture above came and sat next to us wearing gear for our arch rivals - the Arizona State Sun Devils. All of us inwardly groaned thinking about four straight days of basketball sitting side by side with our 'enemy'. But we couldn't have been more wrong!

We found out that they're a house divided with her rooting for ASU and him rooting for the U of A. We were shocked that they could make such an arrangement work. They both cheer for the other's team until they play each other - then it's every man/woman for themselves. 

Our teams did end up playing against each other during the tournament. I always try to be a considerate fan to those around me, knowing how much I hate when others are mean-spirited to opposing fans, but getting to know them made me be extra careful about how I cheered on my team. Both of us have bad stories of the other team's fans being rude, and it was so refreshing to be able to sit side by side in companionship even during an intense rivalry game. 

They come to the tournament every year, and shared their knowledge with us. Before the championship game, she told us that they sell the shirts that they give the winning team right after the game, but if you don't get down there quickly, they sell out. She then offered to go down with two minutes left in the game if it looked like the Wildcats would win and get the shirts for all of us, so that we could enjoy the celebration afterwards. True to her word, even though the game was a close one, she left with two minutes left to be first in line and watched the rest of the game on the televisions in the walkways. Because she didn't have a strong allegiance to either team in the championship game, it wasn't a big deal for her to miss out on the last couple minutes, but it meant the world to us. In the picture above, we're all wearing the shirts that she graciously got for us.

After the arena emptied, we walked through crowds of celebrating Wildcat fans. Everywhere we went we got asked where we got our shirts. We felt like celebrities and joked that we were going to make the story of how we got our shirts our 'fish' story that grew to exponential proportions every time we told it. 

Rivalries in sports can be heated, but it can also be an area where friendships grow - and can be a way to show the love of God to others. It made me think of how we often create rivalries where none need to exist. We compare ourselves to that other mom who seems to have it all together and they become our rival. Or we compare our ministry to somebody else's and feel like they get more accolades for their service. In our jobs, we can definitely feel competitive with others as they get promoted or recognized. For me, it would be easy to see writers that I met at a conference get publishing contracts, and feel some jealousy. 

It doesn't need to be this way though. God puts us where we are, gifts us in the way He determines, and has a plan for each of us that is unlike anybody else. Our new friends showed me that rivals can be respectful and friendly while working together to accomplish a goal. If it works this well in something as simple as being kind spectators at a sporting event, how much more could it work if we practiced it in everyday life?