Erica Vetsch On The Write Path

Wednesday Whimsy

2012-02-01T01:00:00.000-06:00

I want to go here!

And FYI, this is real. It's the facade to the parking garage at the Kansas City Central Library.
http://www.kclibrary.org/community-bookshelf

The Places In My Head

2012-01-29T21:17:00.001-06:00

When I was a little girl, my mother despaired of getting me to spend time in the real world. I was so far away somewhere in my head most of the time, I had a hard time paying attention to what was going on around me.

This past Sunday, a sweet woman at my church asked if ideas for novels ever came into my head when I was in church.

Um...yes. I haven't really changed much since I was a little girl. I still have a hard time focusing on things in the real world when my imaginary world calls. I can zone out in the middle of a conversation, a sermon, a tv show.

I lead a very vivid internal life. At the moment, most of my daydreams revolve around a hotel and a high desert and honor. And at any second, my mind will leave the real world and return there.

So, my question for today is: Are you a daydreamer? Have you been known to check out of a conversation or sermon or meeting in favor of a fictional world?

And in a side-note, I'm blogging over at The Writer's Alley (hosted by a bunch of super-sweet gals and great writers all) about handling changes in the publishing industry. http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/

The Friday Five

2012-01-27T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today's Friday Five is:

My Five Favorite Disney Heroines:

1. Belle from Beauty and the Beast. This might be because this was my daughter's favorite Disney movie for several years, but I love Belle and the supporting cast and the tormented prince who needed Belle's love to set him free.

2. Mulan. Not only is the movie fun, but Mulan isn't a damsel in distress. She is tough and proactive and brave, and yet, she falls in love.

3. Rapunzel from Tangled. I know this one hasn't been out all that long, but I thought Rapunzel was adorable.

4. Lady from Lady and the Tramp. I'm a sucker for Cocker Spaniels.

5. Jasmine from Aladdin. I like that she has a tiger! How cool is a princess who has a tiger???

Who is your favorite Disney heroine?

Wednesday Whimsy

2012-01-25T00:30:00.000-06:00

Snowed here this week and got wicked cold. How's the weather where you are?

Bits and Pieces make a Character

2012-01-22T23:13:00.001-06:00

For several years now, I've posted every Friday, five things about me. In looking back at the posts, I see lots and lots of pieces of me. Favorite foods, Favorite cartoons, Favorite smells.

I'm a college basketball fan (go Jayhawks!) a novice quilter, a history geek of the first water, pursuer of new words and phrases, Psych addict, Criminal Minds fan, and seafood avoider.

All these pieces and bits make up who I am. Alone, they're random lists. Arranged correctly, they're me.

Like fictional characters. The ones that are the most interesting, the ones we relate to the best, are not any ONE thing. They are a lot of things. More than just a waitress or a rancher or a photographer or a cop.

My current heroine is an Irish/Norwegian lass of immigrant parents who longs to do something big and amazing. She's a crusader. She never backs down from a fight, and she likes to sew. She's a quick study, and a loyal friend. I'm not sure where she stands on the cartoons or college basketball, but she's more than just a waitress.

When someone says interesting characters, I think of Sherlock Holmes, brilliant, addicted to cocaine, musician, lonely and driven. Jo Beth Sidden, independent, loyal, dog lover, smoker, domestic violence victim, and not afraid to break the law to help out a friend. Kit Fielding, jockey, powerful personality, resourceful, twin brother, and grandson.

Lots of pieces put together to form a whole picture, a whole character who is interesting and different from anyone else.

So, who comes to mind when you think of an interesting character?

In other fun news, I'm hanging out with Jessica R. Patch over at her blog: http://jessicarpatch.blogspot.com/ We'd love it if you stopped by to chat!

Oh, and today, my Baby Boy turns 16. Happy Birthday, Jamester!

2012-01-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

I'm currently addicted to the TV show Psych. My amazingly wonderful husband got me the first five seasons as a belated Christmas gift (after I'd borrowed season's 1-4 from my amazing nephew, Joe A. - designer and webmaster of my website {link at the left} )

So, Five Things I Like About Psych:

1. The 80's references. As a child of the 80's, the references to Airwolf, George Michael, and Debby Gibson crack me up.

2. The relationship between Sean and Gus. Sean can talk Gus into anything.

3. The relationship between Sean and his father, Henry. Henry is demanding and has a hard time showing approval and affection. Sean is sarcastic and resistant to anything his father says, but underneath, they both care for each other.

4. The whole fake psychic routine. Sean uses his powers of observation, his complete disregard for any rules or laws whatsoever, his considerable charm, and a fair amount of luck to solve crimes.

5. The pineapple. There is a pineapple in ever episode. It's fun to try to find it.

Do you watch Psych? What TV show is currently tops on your list?

Wednesday Whimsy

2012-01-18T01:00:00.000-06:00

Character Arcs

2012-01-16T01:00:00.000-06:00

When the promotional commercials for the action-comedy Chuck first came on four years ago, my husband immediately took notice. The show looked hilarious. A Nerd-Herd computer geek becomes embroiled in matters of national security and international intrigue, all without having a clue how to be a spy or foil espionage and terrorist attempts on the nation.

And the first season lived up to expectations. Chuck was endearing, inept, and as he used his special skills (High scorer on Chopper Command and Asteroids, a savant's knowledge of the movie TRON, and a genius's ability with computers) to aid his spy buddies in circumventing evil all while trying to hide the fact from his family and co-workers, he became even more endearing.

However, season two began, and there was a subtle shift in Chuck's motivations. In season one, he just wanted to figure out how to get the 'Intersect' out of his head and return to his normal life. In season two, he kind of decided he likes the whole spy thing, and he wanted to become a fully sanctioned US Spy. By season three, he's got spy-game. Gone are his bumbling attempts, his fear, and most of the fun of the show. Now, in season four (the final season,) we aren't even watching anymore. Sad. Because we used to enjoy the show so much. (In an aside, the network has shown they have little interest in the show Chuck - it's been on life-support for the past two seasons- and I think that has something to do with the show's decline in ratings as well.)

Compare that to the TV show Castle. A best-selling, uber-famous novelist, Rick Castle, finds new inspiration for his novels by following around NYPD Detective Kate Beckett. He creates a fictional character based upon Kate, and in the name of research, he gets to hang out at the police station, go to crime scenes, and use his powers of observation and knowledge of character motivations to assist in solving crimes. As a novelist, the premise intrigued me. As a fan of Firefly, the fact that Nathan Fillion was the main character guaranteed that I would watch. (He's so swoony!)

And like Chuck, season one lived up to the premise and more. LOVE! I was even happier to see that season two maintained the same chemistry, the same wit and intelligence, and the same character motivations. Then season three arrived. The first half of the season = terrific. Then the character's motivations changed. Instead of focusing on the weekly puzzle of solving the crime and the amazing push-pull of the Castle-Beckett-will-they-won't-they relationship, the show shifted gears. The mystery of the murder of Beckett's mother several years before became the ongoing focus. The show got darker, lost its humor, and I found myself saddened, praying the show wouldn't go the way of Chuck.

I think the writers and producers must've listened to audience feedback, because the first show of season four was the WORST ever tv show example of telling, not showing, and reeling in the Beckett back-story and returning to the show's basic premise that all it's success had been built on. Episode 4.1 was dreadful. In one hour, they covered three months of story time, had Castle tell Beckett to back-burner the search for her mother's killer and focus on current cases, and had Beckett agreeing. Basically, they informed the viewers that the next week would be business as usual and no more weird stuff.

Though the episode was terrible from a viewers and writer's point of view, it was so necessary to the future success of the show. If season four had picked right up where season three had left off, the death-knell for Castle would've been ringing steadily.

So, how does this relate to writing fiction? Think of the best multi-book series characters in history. Sherlock Holmes. Miss Marple. Inspector Monk. Cadfael. What makes these long series work is that the main characters are consistent. If they do change, it is slowly and in ways that don't fundamentally alter the character. What would the Miss Marple mysteries have been like if halfway through the series, Miss Marple decided to she didn't want to live in St. Mary Mead anymore and knit mufflers and attend teas, rather that she wanted to become a fisherman on the high seas? What if Cadfael abandoned life in the monastery and embraced the religion of the Druids? What if Sherlock Holmes abandoned his search for intellectual fulfillment, settled down in the country, got married, and fathered a passel of little Sherlocks?

Answer, I'd have quit reading those series. Like I stopped watching Chuck. Chuck has broken faith with the viewers by changing Chuck so radically, he doesn't resemble the initial character at all. He wants such radically different things, he behaves so differently, it's like a different show.

Castle nearly made the same mistake, but the writers were able to pull it back from the precipice in time. And boy am I glad. :)

Are you a Castle fan? Do you read a long series with a single main character?

The Friday Five

2012-01-13T01:30:00.000-06:00

Over the holiday season, I stumbled across some booksellers who were offering for sale a series of books I had read and loved as a teenager. The series first appeared as magazine serials in the 1940's and 1950's under the pen name of T.W. Ford. These were shoot-em-up westerns of the golden era of westerns. The stories were compiled into novels written by Abel Shott (is that not the BEST western fiction writer name EVER???) Each story centered around Solo Strant, "The Silver Kid" and his quest for justice, law, and rescuing the damsel in distress.

I loved these books as a kid, and when they started to arrive in those yellow envelopes over the past couple of weeks, I jumped into the stories with the same abandon. I was taken right back to those summer afternoons in the Salina Public Library.

I have long been a fan of westerns, so for today's Friday Five, it's my five favorite Western Writers:

1. Zane Grey. The mac-daddy of western authors. Favorites include: The Drift Fence and The Hash Knife Outfit, as well as The Trail Driver and 30,000 on the Hoof.

2. Louis L'amour. His Sackett series, particularly the first three in the series. Sackett's Land is a textbook on how to keep the action moving at a breakneck pace.

3. Robert B. Parker. His Appaloosa series taught me a lot about show, don't tell, though the prolific use of 'Said' in his dialogue can drive someone up the nut-tree.

4. Abel Shott. You can't beat Solo Strant.

5. Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series. This is a powerful set of books. It must be, because NOTHING good ever happens to the characters, and yet, I could not put these stories down. I had to know what was going to happen next.

To make you laugh...

2012-01-11T02:00:00.000-06:00

Back in the Saddle

2012-01-09T02:00:00.000-06:00

Whew! Back in the saddle again...

I'm such a creature of habit, enjoying my schedule, content to do the same thing day after day. When things get a bit wonky in the schedule department, I tend to get a bit wonky myself.

The end of the year is always a busy time, lots of bookkeeping, trips to the accountant, government forms and files. Very little writing. Throw in the holidays, having the elder kid home from college, and lotsa basketball, and there is VERY little writing.

But, holidays are over, the kid is back at college, and the regular routine can now re-commence. Ahhhh. That's me breathing a sigh of relief.

I'm now free to, and even expected to, spend hours every day inside my own head, documenting the lives and stories of my fictional characters. And boy howdy, am I ready. I've missed Meghan and Caleb and the El Garces hotel.

Since it's the time of the year to be listing goals, and I tend to try to do that at the beginning of every month anyway, I'm going to throw some of my 2012 goals in general and my January goals in particular.

2012 Goals:

1. Finish and revise my current WIP, exceeding my deadline as prudent.

2. Polish up three proposals and submit them to my agent.

3. Start up and continue my exercise regimen. 30 mins a day, 5 days a week.

4. Attend the 2012 ACFW Conference in Dallas.

5. Travel to Florida to visit my folks.

6. Possibly go on a train trip this fall???

January Goals:

1. Finish the first draft of A Bride Sews With Love in Needles, CA.

2. Read two novels.

3. Blog, here and where I've been invited to guest.

I mentioned in my last blog post that there might be some good news I could share with you when I came back to blogging. Unfortunately, the opportunity I hoped to tell you about fell through. Still, my loss is another author's gain. :) And I now have another story idea to add to my proposal repertoire.

Blogging Hiatus - Hibernation

2011-12-18T21:32:00.001-06:00

Due to my schedule and obligations and the holiday all coalescing and reaching critical mass, I'll be taking a blogging break.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a New Year full of growth and new ways to honor and glorify God.

After the first of the year, hopefully I'll be back with some cool news. :)

Kindle

2011-12-12T01:09:00.002-06:00

When e-readers first emerged, I was anti. I mean, I'm a card carrying bibliophile. I love the look, feel, smell, and everything else about books.

I've been known to rearrange a bookshelf, just to have a reason to touch all the books. When a person on TV is being interviewed sitting in front of a bookshelf, I ignore the interview and try to figure out the titles of the books behind them.

And, I wanted to wait to see which ebook reader came out tops in the race. After all, who wants to be the only kid on the block with a Beta player, when VHS rules the world, right?

Then I had the opportunity to get a Kindle for free. Yep, for free. A bank in my town was running an offer. Open a checking account at their bank, park $50 bucks at their bank for six months, and BAM! Free Kindle.

So I did. I figured, what do I have to lose?

Two days after opening the account, I was holding my Kindle in my hot little hands. That was about a month ago.

First thing I did was go out and get a zippy red cover for it and a book light.

Then I came home and downloaded some free books, and then some books I paid for.

Then I started reading. Oh, my! I thought it would take me a little bit of time to adjust to reading on the little screen, but after only a couple of minutes, I was engrossed in the story and forgot I was reading on a Kindle.

So, what have I gleaned from this experience?

1. It's still all about the story. Regardless of format, as long as the story world sucks me in, I'm a happy girl.

2. If I am any indication, people who have e-readers will buy more books than those who don't. It's probably psychological, but I found the purchase process much easier than going to a brick and mortar store and forking over moola and carrying a book out of the store, and, can you say instant gratification? I ordered a book online, and BAM! it was Whisper-synced to my Kindle in seconds.

3. I need to stop being afraid of ebooks. I was afraid I wouldn't receive the same gratification, the same excitement, the same fulfillment from an ebook. What I learned is, my emotions can be touched by lots of different media. I cry at movies, tap my toes to great movies, and great writing grabs my attention whether on paper or on my e-reader.

How about you? Do you have a e-reader? Are you a fan?

The Friday Five

2011-12-09T01:00:00.000-06:00

This is the Rochester Area Homeschool Defenders posing (weirdly) with their second place trophy from the Coulee Region Tip Off Tournament held in West Salem, Wisconsin. My son is in third from the left on the back row. What a fun bunch of boys.

This week's Friday Five is:

Five things I love about the Homeschool Basketball Season.

1. Watching the players develop their skills, both at basketball and at becoming men and women of God.

2. The camaraderie and memories made.

3. Hanging with the Defender moms and the way we all cheer for each others' kids.

4. Seeing my son's confidence, ball handling, and interpersonal skills grow.

5. The hours every week I spend in the church library writing while practice is going on. Sure helps with the word count.

Goals. Yikes.

2011-12-06T22:35:00.001-06:00

Today's picture has nothing to do with the post. I just think it's hilarious. My son and I found it at the garden center this year and I snapped a picture. Whenever I see it, I think "Dum-dum want gum-gum." (Raise your hand if you know where that line is from.)

Actually, today's post is about goals, NaNo and otherwise.

You probably noticed that I didn't reach my 50K word goal for November. I did write 30K words, so the month wasn't a total loss, but it wasn't where I wanted it to be.

And I have no excuses. I just didn't get it done. I started out well, but didn't finish up the way I wanted to.

I felt out of sorts for most of November. Unsettled, edgy, sad. I felt like I was dancing as fast as I could, but I wasn't getting any of the stuff that I wanted to done. Unsure of the cause of these feelings, I couldn't seem to pinpoint how to change.

The farther behind I fell in the NaNo count, the more apathetic I grew. Reading books on my new Kindle was more appealing than writing on my WIP. Watching DVD's of Castle appealed more than writing on my WIP. Pretty much EVERYTHING seemed better than my WIP. And I couldn't decipher why I felt apathetic towards something that normally brings me great joy.

Then the calendar flipped over to December. Here we are, a week into the last month of the year, and suddenly, I'm feeling mentally better, emotionally more stable, physically...well, that's about the same. :) I started writing again. I've averaged 2500 words a day this week, and I'm back to dreaming about my story, daydreaming and night dreaming. Things feel right when I am writing.

So, goals for December. Trying to be realistic but juxtaposing a busy Christmas season, basketball games (we have 10 this month,) end of year bookkeeping, and having my lovely daughter home from college with the fact that this WIP needs to be a completed and edited manuscript by February 1st.

1. Write as much as I can, especially before Heather comes home.

2. Edit my crit partner's manuscript and return it to her.

3. Read my other crit partner's debut novel for an endorsement. (I only got to read the first few chapters of this one before she submitted it, so now I get to see how the story will turn out.)

4. End of year bookkeeping responsibilities.

5. Keep our noses to the grindstone on the homeschooling so we don't fall behind during this whirlwind month.

6. Remember to enjoy my family, my church, my friends, the pretty snow, etc.

How about you? Have you ever felt apathetic towards something that normally gives you joy? How did you pull yourself out of it?

On a happier note, Casey Herringshaw wrote a lovely review of A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas this week that brought tears to my eyes. You can find the review on Casey's blog: http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/2011/12/write-on-erica-vetsch-brides-portrait.html

AND, my dear friend Keli Gwyn got her first peek at the beautiful cover art for her debut novel! You can see it on her FB Reader's Group page. "Like" the page and get a gander of another in the series of "Destination Romances" from Barbour Publishing. http://www.facebook.com/KeliGwynReadersGroup

Pretty New Cover Art

2011-12-05T01:00:00.000-06:00

This past week I received the cover art for two of my novels. The one on the right is for Maggie and the Maverick - Large Print Edition. I LOVE IT! Romantic and cowboy-ish, and it matches the cover art for the first book in the series so beautifully.

I've been blessed to have Thorndike Press pick up three of my titles for Large Print editions. I know one of the drawbacks of the Heartsongs is that the print is rather small. Thanks to Thorndike Press, readers who need larger print books can enjoy some Heartsong titles.

And this is the new cover art for my upcoming Heartsong release Stars In Her Eyes. This is the third book in my Martin City, Colorado series. Books one and two are Before the Dawn and Light to my Path.

Should he marry to please hischurch or follow his heart? Pastor Silas Hamilton has always been of the opinionthat when he meets the woman God intends for him to marry, he’ll know herimmediately. And so far, she hasn’t appeared, despite the determinedmachinations of one particular mother in his congregation.

And then it happens. Walkingalong the creek one day, he rescues a young woman from a near-fall into thewater…and though they part ways without exchanging names, her fascinating grayeyes and the mysterious connection he felt with her remain foremost in hismind.

It isn’t until later, when heattends a play at the newly opened theater in town that he realizes his dreamshave been caught up in the lovely Willow Starr—an actress bound for the brightlights of New York City.

But can a pastor love anactress? Would an actress abandon the stage for life in Martin City? And whatabout that mother, determined to claim the pastor for her daughter?

Blogging Hiatus

2011-11-21T00:30:00.000-06:00

I'll be on a blogging hiatus this week (and possibly next) as I scramble to get more words added to my WIP and get the turkey cookin' and eatin' done.

I hope you and yours have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Week, that you get lots of turkey, laughter, and that whoever you are rooting for in football wins (except the Packers.)

Marji Laine was kind enough to host me for an interview on her uber-cool blog today, so I hope you can click on the link and go see her cool bloggosphere digs. http://marjilaine.blogspot.com/

The Friday Five - Log Cabin Blog Hop

2011-11-18T01:00:00.000-06:00

As part of the ongoing Log Cabin Christmas Blog Hop, this week's Friday Five is:

Five Minnesota Christmas Recipes.

1. Gingerbread Cookies (as made by my heroine, Beth Sorensen, in Christmas Service)

Ingredients

6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon; set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the shortening, molasses, brown sugar, water, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, until they are completely absorbed. Divide dough into 3 pieces, pat down to 1 1/2 inch thickness, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When the cookies are done, they will look dry, but still be soft to the touch. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks. When cool, the cookies can be frosted with the icing of your choice.

2. Krumkake - A Norwegian Cookie - You need a special Krumkake iron to make these.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring, optional

Directions

Heat krumkake iron on stove over medium heat. You can also use an electric krumkake or pizzelle iron.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well using a spoon. Pour in the milk, flour, vanilla, and butter flavoring; mix well.
Place a teaspoon of the batter on the preheated iron, and press together. Cook until browned, about 30 seconds per side, depending on the heat. Remove from the iron and quickly roll up around a stick or around a cone before they harden.

3. Lefse - Norwegian Potato Pancake that is soooo Yummy! (Note, this recipe calls for a potato ricer. You can also use a Lefse rolling pin, pictured on the left here.)

Ingredients

10 pounds potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Cover potatoes with water and cook until tender. Run hot potatoes through a potato ricer. Place into a large bowl. Beat butter, cream, salt, and sugar into the hot riced potatoes. Let cool to room temperature.
Stir flour into the potato mixture. Pull off pieces of the dough and form into walnut size balls. Lightly flour a pastry cloth and roll out lefse balls to 1/8 inch thickness.
Cook on a hot (400 degree F/200 C) griddle until bubbles form and each side has browned. Place on a damp towel to cool slightly and then cover with damp towel until ready to serve.

4. Fruit Cake It CAN be yummy, if done right.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups candied pineapple chunks
3 cups golden raisins
1 1/2 cups candied cherries
1 cup dried currants
2 ounces candied orange peel
2 ounces candied citron peel
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
8 eggs, separated
4 cups pecans, chopped
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Directions

Chop pineapple, raisins, and cherries. Combine chopped fruit with currants, orange peel, and citron; soak in orange juice overnight.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Place a small pan of water in the oven. Line one 5x9 inch loaf pan and two 3x8 inch loaf pans with parchment or doubled waxed paper.
In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioner's sugar. Stir in beaten egg yolks. Stir in fruit, juice, and pecans. Mix in sifted flour.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites to peaks. Fold into batter. Fill pans 2/3 full.
Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until golden brown, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

5. Wassail I love this hot, spicy drink on a cold December evening.

Ingredients

2 quarts apple cider
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
12 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Directions

In a slow-cooker or a large pot over low heat, combine apple cider, orange juice and lemon juice. Season with cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. If using a slow cooker, allow to simmer all day. Serve hot.
I like to mellow this out by adding a dollop of vanilla ice cream. :)

Please join the Blog Tour Hop for Log Cabin Christmas with Kelly Eileen Hake tomorrow. Remember, comments enter you to win a copy of Log Cabin Christmas, autographed by all NINE of the contributing authors. Details about the contest can be found HERE. There are only a couple of days left to the blog tour, so don't delay if you want to be entered in the drawing!

Do you have a favorite Christmas recipe or food tradition?

A Blog Award!!

2011-11-17T01:00:00.000-06:00

So, earlier this month, I was blessed to receive the above award from Faye at her blog Labor Not In Vain.

Thank you so much, Faye! I've gotten to meet Faye in person twice, I believe. She has been sweet enough to come to Crossroads bookstore in Sioux Falls, South Dakota when Mary, Rose, Lorna, and I have been signing books there. Faye's an avid reader of Christian fiction, a blogger, and a really sweetie. She's also a fan of the AWANA program, which holds a special place in Vetsch Family hearts. :)

So, the rules of the award are:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Give the award to 15 other bloggers.

Seven things about me:

1. I have a pair of red and black striped socks that I call my OompaLoompa Socks.

2. I sometimes find my life portrayed all too accurately in the comic strips Baby Blues, Zits, and Pickles.

3. My parents have been married for 45 years, and next month my husband and I will celebrate 22 years of marriage.

4. I love to chew gum, and my current favorite flavor is mint chocolate chip ice cream.

5. I like to have a hymnal to myself when I sing in church. Mostly because I like to make up my own parts. :)

6. I've been to the football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio twice.

7. I tell myself every year that I'm going to get a new artificial Christmas tree, but I never seem to do it. Still have the same tree we bought in 1990. It's looking a little--stressed.

I'm going to tag all the bloggers in my blog roll to the right. These are the blogs I read the most often, so, I think their blogs are great! :)

Today's Log Cabin Christmas blog tour stop is http://janeswordsofencouragement.blogspot.com/

And the party is rolling on over at Casey's place, so I hope you'll stop by. http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/

Microsoft Publisher Adventures

2011-11-16T01:00:00.000-06:00

This just in! Thanks to the help of editor and friend Rachel Overton, I now have a .jpg of my Basketball advertisement for the Defender's Program. Thank you, Rachel, you ROCK!

Earlier this week, I spent some time wandering around in Microsoft Publisher trying to put together an advertisement page for my books. My son plays basketball for the Rochester Area Home School Defenders. Each year, they sell advertising space in the game programs to help pay for things like referee fees, court costs, and uniforms.

Last year I purchased an advertisement, and the amazing Connie Weiss took my cover art and text and turned it into a nice little ad.

This year, the advertisers needed to put together their own ads. Enter my fumble-fingered attempts at photo, color, and text manipulations. (*facepalm*)

After much tweaking, moving, editing, sizing, and the occasional desire to smack my head into the keyboard, I finally came up with a design that I like.

Of course, since I'm me, and every computer activity seems to be a grand adventure, I couldn't figure out how to save my Word Document as a .jpg or .gif so I could put it here on the blog. Guess you'll have to come to a Defenders game. Our first game is Nov. 29th.

Today's stop on the Log Cabin Christmas Collection blog tour is http://www.debraullrick.com/ And the blog birthday party is still going on over at http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/

A Log Cabin Christmas Blog Hop

2011-11-15T01:00:00.000-06:00

The bunkhouse at the Forest History Center

My Trip To The Forest History Center - Grand Rapids, MN

Two summers ago, my family and I visited the Forest History Center, one of the many stellar sites operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. I was fascinated by the lumber camp, the bunkhouse, the cookhouse, the wanigan (a floating cookhouse used in the spring when the lumberjacks floated their logs downriver to the sawmills) and more. I knew I wanted to set at least one story in the MN Northwoods, where Pine was King and legends like Paul Bunyan were born. (Contrary to what some folks in Wisconsin or Oregon or Northern California might say, Paul Bunyan was born and raised in MN. wink)

Our family has a lumber business. We don't cut down and saw up trees. We purchase finish lumber from sawmills and then wholesale it to cabinet and furniture makers. Because of this tie-in with the lumber industry, I was particularly fascinated to learn the history of tree-cutting in MN. I learned so much on this trip, and I'd like to share a few fun facts I gleaned.

Did you know that the bunkhouse had skylights and vents in the gable ends? Not to help with bringing more light into the room, but to let out the smell! Our tour guide pointed out that dozens of men shared the long room, bathing rarely and eating a diet that often included beans. Oh my!

One of the most important men in the camp was the saw sharpener. He had his own workshop, and he was referred to as The Dentist because he worked on teeth most of the night. His day started in the evening when the lumberjacks returned from the forest and handed over their saws. For about 12 hrs every night, he filed saw teeth.

A water wagon laid down two streams of water on the snowy road to make ice tracks so loads of logs could be pulled to the riverbanks and piled up more easily. Horses had special ice shoes to give them extra traction.

The camp foreman was called The Push because he was constantly pushing his men to fulfill the contracts by cutting more and more wood.

There was no talking at dinner. Eat and get out. And no spitting on the floor.

The lumberjacks had nicknames for everything. Their bag of personal possessions was called A Turkey. Lice was known as Walking Dandruff. Cutting logs on section 37 mean stealing logs of someone else's land. (There are 36 sections in a township, so cutting logs on the mythical section 37 meant swiping someone else's property.) Butter was called Axle Grease, and a Bean Burner was a bad cook.

There are so many amazing things I learned, I can't possibly include them all here. Some information made it into Christmas Service in A Log Cabin Christmas Collection, and I'm hoping to have the opportunity to write another story set in the Minnesota Northwoods sometime so I can revisit the Forest History Center and learn even more about MN lumbermen.

The Ann River Load; 31,480 board feet of pine logs hauled one mile by a four-horse hitch, Ann River Logging Company, February 1892

Picture loads were constructed by logging camps in informal contests to see which camp could load and haul the largest load. These loads were usually constructed annually in the late winter at the end of the logging season when the ice roads were at their slickest. Records were kept informally each year and were a source of pride for logging companies and lumberjacks alike. Called "picture loads" photographers were called to document the loads. Normal sleigh loads were about 5,000 board feet.

From the Minnesota Historical Society: Forest History Center in Grand Rapids MN http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/fhc/loads1.html

Tomorrow's destination for the Log Cabin Christmas Collection Blog Hop is Debra Ullrick's Blog

Those who leave a comment are entered to win a copy of Log Cabin Christmas Collection autographed by all NINE authors. More information on the contest can be found at: http://janeswordsofencouragement.blogspot.com/p/current-contest-giveaways.html

Question for you: Do you typically have snow for Christmas where you live?

Also, don't forget that today is the first day of Casey Herringshaw's Blog Birthday Bash, and Ruthy Herne and I are tearing it up over there! Come join the party!

News Of The Week

2011-11-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

It's a busy week of blogging, interviews, and connecting with readers. The Log Cabin Christmas Collection Blog Tour is in full swing. I'll be guest blogging on the tour tomorrow and Friday. I hope you've had a chance to visit some of the blog tour stops. It's not too late to backtrack and enter to win the prize for the blog tour, so hop on over to Jane Kirkpatrick's blog and fill out the contest entry form to get started.

Today's stop on the blog tour is a post by Margaret Brownley.

In other news, Marji Laine has a new review up for A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas on her blog today. http://marjilaine.blogspot.com/ Please go check it out.

Also, It's Almost Time To Party!!!!! Tomorrow begins Casey Harringshaw's Blog Birthday Bash. And would you believe it? I get to join in the party tomorrow along with my co-conspirator Ruthy Logan Herne. Do you know Ruthy? She's amazing, hilarious, adorable, sweet, funny, truthful, and so much more. Stop by the party tomorrow at http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/ to have some birthday cake, some fiction talk, and a whole lotta fun! You can click on the cool button in the upper right to get to the party too.

Quick NaNoWriMo update. I'm currently about 2 days behind schedule due to the fact that galley proofs for Stars In Her Eyes landed in my inbox on Friday afternoon. I spent all of Friday and Saturday working on them, and they are now back in the hands of my editor. While that is a good thing to have done, it did put me a bit behind on NaNo. Time to play catch-up.

So, How are you doing on your November goals? Have you joined in on the Log Cabin Blog hop?

A Log Cabin Friday Five

2011-11-11T01:00:00.000-06:00

Today's stop on the Log Cabin Christmas Collection blog hop is:

11/11: Michelle Ule: Finding God’s Fingerprints in EverydayLife

Be sure to stop by Jane Kirkpatrick's blog to see the contest rules and tour stops. http://janeswordsofencouragement.blogspot.com/p/current-contest-giveaways.html

So, this week's Friday Five is:

Five log cabin words.

Puncheon: A split log or heavy slap with the face smoothed. Used in making floors and tabletops.

Cant: A log with one or more squared sides. Also the curved bark and outer edge that is cut off. Sawmills often sell cants for firewood. They square up the log so they can cut flat boards on the saw.

Chinking: The space between the logs, also the plaster/mud used to fill the spaces.

Adze: A cutting tool with a thin, arched blade that is set at a right angle to the handle. Used for shaping logs.

Peavy: A lumberman's tool. A long pole with a pivoting hooked arm and spike at the end. Also called a Cant Dog. Similar to a cant hook, but a peavy is spiked at the end, where a cant hook is blunt.

Question for you: Thanksgiving is coming up in a couple of weeks. Are you traveling for Thanksgiving? How are you doing on your NaNo goals? Was week two a success for you?

Log Cabin Blog Hop

2011-11-10T01:00:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of the log cabin church I used in my novella, Christmas Service, the ninth story in the Log Cabin Christmas Collection.

Today is day four of the blog hop, and if you haven't joined in yet, please do! The winner will get TWO signed copies of A Log Cabin Christmas Collection, signed by all nine of the authors.

You'll also get a closer look at some of the research that went into these stories, as well as getting to know the authors better.

Today's stop is: 11/10: Liz Tolsma: Heart, Soul & Splash of Sass,

The contest rules and information are found at http://janeswordsofencouragement.blogspot.com/p/current-contest-giveaways.html

Log Cabin Christmas Blog Hop

2011-11-09T01:00:00.000-06:00

It's Day Three of the Log Cabin Christmas Blog Hop. Head on over to Jane Kirkpatrick's blog for a guest blog by Wanda Brunstetter.

11/9: Wanda Brunstetter (Guest on Jane’s blog): Words of Encouragement

Did you know you could take a peek inside Log Cabin Christmas Collection and read the first few pages of each story?

Check out the Look Inside feature on amazon.com by clicking HERE.

Check out the Blog Hop Contest Rules HERE.

Log Cabin Christmas Collection Blog Hop - Day 2

2011-11-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

Today is day Two of The Log Cabin Christmas Collection Blog Hop.

Remember, we're giving away TWO signed copies of A Log Cabin Christmas Collection - signed by all NINE authors! One copy for the winner to keep and one for the winner to give as a Christmas gift.

Today's stop is 11/8: Liz Johnson: Iwrite about love and such,

You can read all about the contest rules and enter to win HERE.

Also, if you'd like to find and follow the authors in this novella collection, here are their Facebook and Twitter info (for those on facebook and Twitter)

Jane Kirkpatrick: http://www.facebook.com/theauthorjanekirkpatrick& @janekirkpatrick

Wanda Brunstetter: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wanda-E-Brunstetter/119136496242 No twitter

Margaret Brownley: https://www.facebook.com/margaret.brownley & @margaretbrownley

Liz Johnson: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=727388453& @lizjohnsonbooks

Liz Tolsma: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Liz-Tolsma/193621237349715& @liztolsma

Michelle Ule: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.ule& @michelleule

Debra Ullrick: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1580724894&sk=wallNo twitter

Erica Vetsch: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Erica-Vetsch/168952446490736& @ericavetsch

AND>>>>>>>>>>>> I'm blogging over at the WordServe Water Cooler today about The Plot Board and My Plotting Process. http://wordservewatercooler.com/ I hope you'll go check it out. :)

NaNo Week Two Realities

2011-11-07T01:00:00.000-06:00

First, Jeannie Campbell has a new review of A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas up on her blog, http://charactertherapist.blogspot.com/ Thank You, Jeannie!!!!

Second, the entire NaNo world was on fire this week. Great word counts, enthusiasm, write-ins, totems, word wars, #1k1hr and more. Riding the crest of this wave, I put almost 12K words on my novel. The little red wordcount bar slid to the right. Yay!

Now we enter week two. And it's hard. The euphoria of the first few days has evaporated, and the realization hits. This. Is. Hard. Work.

The plot you were so in love with develops snarls. The characters you thought you knew inside and out suddenly develop personality quirks hitherto unforeseen. And don't even mention the serious cloud of writer's doubt that hovers over your head.

So what's a girl to do?

The same as always. Sit in the chair, get the document open, and power through. When not writing, ruminate on the plot and unkink the kinks. Explore the new-found complexities of your characters and find a way to weave them into the story. Oh, and put on your blinders, muffle the internal editor and the doubt monkeys who are eating away at your confidence, and plow on.

By the time you get to week three and you're on the downhill side of of 50K, you'll have momentum, and things that were a problem in week two cease to matter.

So, how'd you do in week one, and what are your plans for having a successful week two?

And third, on another really fun note, this week is the kickoff to a really fun blog hop for the authors of A Log Cabin Christmas Collection.

We're giving away two copies of A Log Cabin Christmas SIGNED BY ALL 9 AUTHORS, one for the winner to keep and one for the winner to give as a Christmas gift. You can read all about the contest rules and information by clicking HERE.

Here's the lineup for the next couple of weeks:

11/7: Jane Kirkpatrick: Words of Encouragement,Introduction of contest

11/8: Liz Johnson: Iwrite about love and such, topic unknown

11/9: Wanda Brunstetter (Guest on Jane’s blog): Words of Encouragement,

11/10: Liz Tolsma: Heart, Soul & Splash of Sass,“How I decorate for Christmas & maybe recipe that is mentioned in story”

11/11: Michelle Ule: Finding God’s Fingerprints in EverydayLife, real Rev Thomas Hanks and how my family history figured in thewriting of the story

11/12 & 11/13: weekend break

11/14: Margaret Brownley (Guest on Jane’s blog): Words of Encouragement,topic Unknown

11/15: Erica Vetsch: Erica Vetsch: On the Write PathMy research trip to a logging camp in the MN North Woods

11/16: Debra Ullrick: DebraUllrick,

11/17: Jane Kirkpatrick: Words of Encouragement,Bible quilt blocks in my Courting Quilt story and a little of how the idea cameabout

11/18: Erica Vetsch: Erica Vetsch: On the Write Path The Friday Five, Five Christmas Recipes

11/19: Kelly Eileen Hake

11/21: Jane Kirkpatrick: Words of Encouragement,Contest Winner announcement

You must go to the contest page to enter to win, then comment on each stop on the blog hop. It doesn't matter when you join the hop, you can backtrack, but it will be easiest to join right now and follow it every day.

Happy NaNo-ing, and I hope you enjoy the blog tour.

The Friday Five

2011-11-04T01:00:00.000-06:00

This week's Friday Five my five favorite breakfast cereals. :)

1. Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch

2. Post Raisin Bran. Kellogg's is okay, but I like Post best.

3. Grape Nuts. Really. I love Grape Nuts...which are neither nuts nor grapes. At least with this one, I am guaranteed that no one else in the house will eat my cereal, since no one else likes it. :)

4. CoCo Puffs. Great by themselves, but really great when you mix them with the Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch.

5. Cookie Crisp. Gotta love cookies for breakfast.

What about you? What's your favorite breakfast cereal?

There's a new review of A Bride's Portrait up on Jaime Wright's blog today. http://thejaimereports.blogspot.com/ I hope you'll take a look at it.

November Goals

2011-11-02T01:00:00.000-06:00

November 2nd.

Where has this year gone? It's time to evaluate those goals again.

First, let's check in on those October goals.

1. Turn in novella collection Sagebrush Knights. (Yay! I turned in this project, due 11/1 yesterday.) Turned in! Yay!

2. Plot out and begin work on A Bride Sews With Love in Needles, CA. There are 120 days until this ms is due, so I can't waste much time. The story needs to come in at about 80K words. I've got a good synopsis that just needs some fine tuning before I can dive into the story. I only got about 10K words written on this in October. Must do much better in November.

3. Re-purpose a synopsis I wrote awhile back for submitting to a different house. Didn't get to this yet.

4. Read. My TBR stack is getting tall. I did make progress here. Read several books for endorsement and review.

5. Four book signings. Yay! Got four book signings done in October.

6. Finish up the thank you notes I need to write from the ACFW Conference. Hanging head here. I wrote several, but still have more to write.

Not so good.

November will have to be better.

Goals for November:

1. Shadow NaNoWriMo and put at least 50K words on my WIP.

2. Repurpose the synopsis.

3. Finish thank you notes.

4. Dig out old story from the files and take a look at putting together a synopsis.

5. Copy edits on Stars in Her Eyes. (Should be arriving any day now.)

Question for you: Are you setting goals for November?

Also, I'm doing some more blog hopping today thanks to the generous help of writing buddies. Love you guys!

At Keli Gwyn's Blog http://keligwyn.wordpress.com/ discover some fun facts about photography in the 19th century. She's giving away a copy of A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas

At Jaime Wright's blog http://thejaimereports.blogspot.com/ we're talking tips for including historical figures in your fiction.

At Sherri Wilson Johnson's blog http://sherriwilsonjohnson.com/2011/11/01/interview-with-erica-vetsch-about-how-her-faith-influences-her-writing/ we're talking about how faith influences writing.

And lest I forget! I'm blogging over at the Pentalk Community http://networkedblogs.com/pmBGJ about The Iceberg Principle, How not to overwhelm you reader with historical information.

As a bonus, here's some information about Sherri Johnson's new release To Dance Once More from OakTara Publishing.

Sherri Wilson Johnson is a former homeschooling mom, a writer and a speaker. Writing has been a hobby of hers since she was a little girl. As a young adult, Sherri began writing Inspirational Romances, which quickly became her favorite pastime and grew into a calling. Her debut novel, To Dance Once More (OakTara), is a special project originating from her love of pure romance. It is set in Victorian-era Florida, bringing the romance of the beach and debutante balls together. Sherri hopes to prove that true love still exists and that it is worth the wait. She speaks candidly of the purity of not only her heroine but of her hero, as well, and desires to point others to Jesus through her words.

To Dance Once More
April 1886 -- Debutante Lydia Jane Barrington lives a carefree, protected existence on Live Oaks Plantation in Florida. But while her sisters happily learn the traditional tasks of women and talk of courting, Lydia dreams of adventure and independence. Even her friendship with handsome Hamilton Scarbrough isn’t enough to hold her back.

Then one day Hamilton opens Lydia’s eyes and her heart to love. But before they can receive permission to court, Lydia overhears a secret conversation about an unscrupulous business deal. Worse, it has everything to do with her and her future. Now she’s faced with the biggest decision of her life—to concede or to fight. Either choice will require great sacrifice…and, perhaps, countless rewards.

Watch the trailer! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAzh8X3NPaI http://sherriwilsonjohnson.com/to-dance-once-more/

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Once-Sherri-Wilson-Johnson/dp/1602902860/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318455213&sr=8-1

www.sherriwilsonjohnson.com

Please stop by these lovely ladies' online homes. I know they will appreciate it, and I sure will too!

Blog Hoppin'

2011-10-31T01:00:00.000-06:00

Today is a busy, blog hoppy kinda day.

I'm blogging over at Melissa K. Norris' blog

http://www.faithchats.blogspot.com/

About the faith journey of Miles Carr, the hero of A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas.

I'm also answering some fun, quick questions over on Sarah Forgrave's blog.

http://sarahforgrave.com/blog/

I'm also blogging at Lena Nelson Dooley's blog http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2011/10/brides-portrait-of-dodge-city-kansas.html where I discuss my secret desire to be a panda. :)

Also, this weekend, Ausjenny reviewed The Marriage Masquerade on her blog:

http://ausjenny.blogspot.com/2011/10/book-review-marriage-masquerade-by.html

And Happy Reformation Day! Yep, today is the day we celebrate Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Church Door.

Question for you: Is your house on a main route for trick-or-treaters? We don't get too many on our street.

The Friday Five

2011-10-28T00:30:00.000-06:00

This week's Friday Five is:

Five really cute Halloween costumes for babies.

1. How cute is this monkey????

2. Love the punkin' costumes. This hat makes the outfit.

3. Hard to wrong with a Tootsie Roll baby. :)

4. Look at this adorable frog! I love the feet and the big, goggly eyes.

5. Love the skunk. How cute is that little Mohawk on top?

As a bonus to the Friday Five, here are some costumes you should NEVER put your kids in. I looked at some of these and thought, "If you don't like kids, don't have them! This is just mean!"

Seriously? A turkey?

Sushi baby? ICK!

Yikes. Poor kid. My mom turned me into an exploded feather pillow and kept saying, 'Peep! Peep!' at me. And I didn't even get any candy in my basket. Just eggs!

And the next two were so bad, I couldn't choose between them which was the worst. A whoopie cushion or a joystick. Which would YOU rather be???

And then you have the ketchup bottle. I couldn't decide if this one was cute or not, so I'll let you choose.

Which of the above is your favorite, and which one is the WORST?

Free Kindle Trial

2011-10-26T00:30:00.000-06:00

Found this on Seekerville this past weekend and it totally cracked me up.

Crunching the Numbers

2011-10-24T00:30:00.000-06:00

Are you a numbers cruncher? One of my jobs is as the bookkeeper for our family lumber business, Vetsch Hardwoods, Inc. I'm the bean-counter. Money in, money out, payroll, inventory, gov't forms filled out.

This is not my natural habitat. I don't think in numbers. I'm so thankful for the accounting program we use, the folks at our bank, and the accountant who holds my hand through end-of-year stuff.

They help me understand when numbers are good and when they aren't. Being in the black with the green is way better than being in the red with the green. :) A bookkeeper is supposed to crunch numbers.

Writers building a platform have become number-crunchers too. And the numbers are confusing, scary, potential pits-of-despair or obstacles-of-pride.

The numbers writers watch include:

Platform Stuff:

Facebook followers.
Blog followers.
Twitter followers.
Klout score.
Number of comments on your blog.
Number of Re-Tweets on Twitter.
Number of blog hits.
Number of newsletter subscribers.

Book Sales Stuff:

Number of contracts.
Size of advances.
Units sold.
Units returned.
Units remaindered.
Book signing attendance.
Royalty checks.
Sell-in numbers.
Sell-through numbers.

Personal WIP Stuff:

Days until deadline.
Word count per day.
The deficit between the deadline and the word count. :)
Word count per hour.
Pages edited.

Now, the personal Work In Progress stuff I have a fairly good handle on. I set the goals, and it's easy to see whether or not I make them. I know when the next WIP is due on my editor's desk, and I know how long it is supposed to be and how many days I have to finish it.

The Book Sales stuff...I have my agent and the publishing house to help me decipher those.

It's the Platform numbers where I can get tripped up. Not just quantifying them and their effectiveness, but also not comparing them to others. I've recently signed up for Klout which does a gallop around your social networks, blogs, on-line communities, etc. and assigns you a Klout-score relative to the activity and influence it thinks you wield. Still trying to figure out what this might mean in the greater scheme of things, but I'll admit to being happy when the number goes up and a little sad when it goes down.

So, questions for you:

Are you a numbers person? Do you ever succumb to the temptation of comparing your numbers with those of others?

The Friday Five

2011-10-21T01:00:00.000-06:00

I asked my family what I should post for The Friday Five this week, and my eldest child said "The top 5 things on your Christmas list."

(I suspect she has an ulterior motive here, as she mentioned that she would be checking it out when it posted. :D So here it is, darlin'!)

So the top 5 things on my Christmas List this year:

1. A KINDLE. (Note the position of this on the list and the fact that it is in capital letters. :D Hint, hint...okay, fairly blatant request!)

2. Numb3rs season 4. I have seasons 1-3 and season three leaves you hanging on a real cliff!

3. A kid-friendly nativity set. I love nativity sets and collect them. It was brought to my attention recently that I don't have one that is okay for kids to play with.

4. A John MacArthur study Bible in the ESV.

5. The Civil War 3 volume set by Shelby Foote, or William Folwell's History of Minnesota in Four Volumes.

My husband thinks I'm hard to buy for, so I hope this helps him out. :)

How about you? What is on your Christmas list?

A Dream Realized.

2011-10-19T01:00:00.000-06:00

This last week, I realized a dream. You see, for years now, ever since I first began pursuing publication with my fiction, I've dreamed of seeing my book on bookstore shelves. Particularly on the shelf at the Barnes & Noble at Apache Mall in Rochester. The truth is, I used to browse B&N and I'd always stop in the Inspirational Fiction department and check on the place where my book would be shelved if I had one.

I wasn't jealous of the authors already there, I just wanted to join their number.

I had heard there was a possibility that Barnes & Noble would pass on carrying my first trade-length novel, A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas, because it was similar to something they already carried. That was kinda hard, but I squared my shoulders and determined that all of that was out of my hands. If God wanted the book in B&N, He would have to take care of it.

Last week, I got a photograph from a friend via Facebook. Imagine my joy to see A Bride's Portrait on a Barnes & Noble shelf in LOWER MANHATTAN!

I hustled out to the mall. And there it was. A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas on the shelf at Barnes & Noble at Apache Mall in Rochester, MN.

My reaction? I stood there and smiled and swallowed and whispered, "Thank you, Jesus." Then, I did the dork thing and took a photograph. :D

God is good!

On another related note, my local Christian bookstore, the wonderful and welcoming and very author and reader friendly Christian Book & Gift, has a "Best-seller wall" in their store. They show the top five non fiction and top five fiction titles that have sold that week. Lookit #4!

Another dream I had was to do book signings with authors who were my friends. And I have been so blessed! This has been a very busy month of book signings and travel. On Saturday I was in Sioux Falls with Mary Connealy, Lorna Seilstad, and Rose Ross Zediker at Crossroads bookstore.

My ACFW Conference Experience

2011-10-17T01:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, here's the scoop on why my ACFW post is late this year:

I lost my camera at the conference, and every time I tried to go to the lost and found at the registration desk, it was CLOSED! Thankfully, Mary Connealy rescued my camera from oblivion by reclaiming it for me while I was meeting my agent in the coffee shop. Now I have the pictures, and I can show you a glimpse of the terrific time I had.

The adorable Ruthy Logan Herne, who is so feisty and hilarious and sweet. She's seated with the lovely Cara Lynn James, who writes historical romance and has a set of the most beautiful book covers ever! (The top of the head along the side...that's Mary Connealy trying to photo-bomb my picture!)

Pepper Basham (Dual Genesis Finalist!) and Audra Harders. I have to take a moment here to say how kind and lovely Audra is. Such a sweetie!

This is Casey Herringshaw, who, I'm pretty sure the character of Tinkerbell was patterned after. She's so tiny and adorable. She's a voracious reader and book reviewer, and a fine writer in her own right. I have a feeling the Christian Fiction world is going to be hearing from Casey pretty soon. She's got a contagious enthusiasm.

My publisher, Barbour Publishing, took their authors on a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi! This is Valerie Comer, fellow Barbour author and a Canadian. :)

This is the boat just before departure with the Arch in the background. That's Keli Gwyn on the staircase. :)

This is us on the upper deck chatting and waiting to shove off. The weather was perfect, and the company terrific. Oh, and the food. The folks of St. Louis are onto something with those fried ravioli!

This is one of my favorite pictures, a candid of Keli Gwyn. This was Keli's first publisher's dinner, and I think she had a good time. I'm so looking forward to her debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California.

This is my friend and editor, Aaron McCarver. He is the epitome of a Southern Gentleman to whom chivalry and honor and integrity are as natural as breathing. I'm proud to call him my friend. I just finished reading Lily, penned by Aaron and his co-writer Diane Ashley and due out in 2012. It's a keeper!

The name of our riverboat was the Tom Sawyer. The other riverboat was appropriately named the Becky Thatcher.

Dinner on the River boat! Clockwise are Rose McCauley, Jennifer Johnson, Ramona Cecil, and Keli Gwyn!

The bookstore asked us to come by and sign our books when we arrived at the conference. Here I'm signing copies of Idaho Brides and The Log Cabin Christmas Collection. It was at the conference that our editor, Becky Germany, informed us that the Log Cabin Christmas Collection had hit the New York Times Bestseller list! Squee!!! It's such a beautiful book. Lots of folks at my recent book signings picked up the book and commented on how beautiful it is, from the embossing to the foiling to the end paper photograph. I'm so glad to be part of this project!

Me and Beth Goddard and Debby Mayne in the lobby of the hotel.

Me, Heather Sunseri, Katie Ganshert, Jeanne Campbell, and Keli Gwyn. :)

This was my 5th ACFW conference, and I'm already looking forward to Dallas next year!

The Friday Five

2011-10-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is my pastor, Kevin Sorensen's **'th birthday. Not only is Kevin my pastor, but I also consider him a very good friend. We've been coming to Cornerstone E. Free Church for twelve years now, and Kevin has been our pastor there the whole time. This is the first church my husband and I have attended where the pastor is our contemporary.

So today's Friday Five is for Kevin. Happy Birthday.

Five things I like about having Kevin as my pastor. (And there are more than five, but we'll go with these for today.)

1. Kevin had the guts to put the above picture of himself on Facebook for all the world to see. Bold choice, Kevin.

2. Kevin knows all the lines to The Princess Bride, and he is NOT afraid to use them.

3. Kevin never seems to mind that something funny happens in church every week and I wind up stifling giggles.

4. Kevin is always reading and learning and trying to deepen his knowledge of God so he can glorify Him more and teach others how to do the same.

5. Kevin goes above and beyond at the church, doing so many things that none of us even know about in addition to his up front duties.

Here's what Kevin looks like now. He cleans up pretty good.

Happy Birthday, Kevin! Enjoy the Caribou coffee.

Are you friends with your pastor? Did you know that October is Pastor Appreciation Month? Do something nice for your pastor before Reformation Day!

Christian Fiction - What is it?

2011-10-12T01:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, Allen Arnold, Fiction Publisher at Thomas Nelson Publishers, posed an interesting idea on his blog. He said that Christian fiction is often described by what it doesn't have. No sex, no gratuitous violence, no cussing. And he likened this to someone describing a particular dish by what it didn't contain. No soy, no salmon, no salt. You can read that blog post by clicking HERE.

Allen Arnold challenged writers to define Christian fiction by what it did include instead of listing what it didn't. I've been trying to define Christian fiction ever since, and it's led to pretty much nothing but more questions.

Is Christian fiction a novel that contains someone having heard the gospel and coming to Christ?
Is Christian fiction a sermon in story?
Is it Christian if nobody in the story is a believer and nobody is influenced by Biblical Christianity and the God of the Bible?
Can you have Christian fiction in all genres, or are some, like Sci-fi or Time Travel, or Vampire-Lit not under the umbrella of Christian fiction?
Is all fiction written by Christian authors by default Christian Fiction?
If a book teaches a moral that lines up with Biblical guidelines like Dr. Seuss's Sneetches or Aesop's fables, is it Christian fiction?
If a book is published by a company known as a Christian publishing company, is it Christian? (This is putting me in mind of the VEN diagrams my son and I are working on in geometry this year.)

Tim Downs and Tracie Peterson (referenced in Monday's blog post) both write what is classified as Christian fiction, and both are excellent wordsmiths, but the approach they take to Christian content in their fiction is diverse. Do both approaches result in Christian fiction, or are they shelved that way because they are published by Thomas Nelson and Bethany House Publishers, Titans in the Christian Publishing Industry?

I don't know. I am not picking on either Tim or Tracie, simply using them as examples since they were the two most recent keynote speakers at the ACFW Conference. Christian fiction seems to run the spectrum from overt to covert in its Christian content. So what is it that is the commonality, the thread that ties it all together under one definition?

My conclusion: Christian Fiction is like LOVE. I can't tell you everything it is, but I know it when I see it.

Does anyone have a concise definition of Christian Fiction? Can we all pool our ideas to arrive at a consensus?

Easter Egg or Christmas Gift?

2011-10-10T01:00:00.000-06:00

Last year at the ACFW Conference, the keynote speaker, well-respected Tim Downs, author of the Nick Polchak "Bug Man" series published by Thomas Nelson, addressed the writers in a general session in which he likened the gospel and Christianity in Christian fiction to an Easter Egg.

He had my attention. How is the gospel like an egg?

Here's a paraphrase of what he said:

When your child is very young, you lay the brightly colored Easter Egg on the grass and even go over and stand by it, pointing at it to direct the child to the prize.

When your child gets older and more savvy, you find new and clever ways to hide the Easter Egg. You make them look under and inside things, perhaps don't color it as boldly, and the child has to work for the prize.

And finally, when your child is a teen, or even older, it becomes a real challenge to hide the Easter Eggs. A battle of wits and wills. Burying the Easter egg, put it in the most obscure place possible, because the joy is in the discovery, in the hunt.

I've listened to the recordings of this session a couple of times, in addition to being there for the live presentation, and I'm still muddled. Is a novel where the characters are overtly Christian, where the gospel is evident, considered too simplistic? Is it fiction for babies? I don't want to mis-quote or mis-interpret Mr. Downs' words, but what he seemed to be saying is: the way he writes fiction, either not mentioning the gospel or Jesus, or burying the Easter Egg so deeply that the book could be classified general fiction, is a better way to tell a story and convey truth. The reader will enjoy the hunt for the truth in the story, and that joy of discovery will make the truth stay with the reader longer.

A couple of questions arise. By Tim Downs's own admission, he's been known to hide Easter Eggs from his teenage kids so well that months later they find a plastic egg with rock hard M&M's in it. Is it possible to hide the truth of the gospel in the middle of a rollicking good story so deeply that the reader will miss it altogether? Is that somehow better or worse than having a story that is overtly Christian?

In contrast to Tim Downs, last month at the 2011 ACFW, the keynote speaker was Tracie Peterson. And in her Saturday keynote address, she challenged us as Christian writers to be salt and light and to make our stories unashamedly Christian. We were to shine light into dark corners, to season our stories with the Truth of the Gospel and make it evident who we were and Who we belonged to.

I inferred from this that instead of making people hunt for the truth like a well-buried Easter Egg, we should offer it to them like a Christmas gift. Nothing secretive about handing someone a gift and saying "Here you go!" (And it doesn't escape me, the whole gospel is a Christmas gift thing. Jesus = Gift. Got it.)

So which is right? Is there room in Christian Fiction for both the overt and the subtle? I think we'd first have to define Christian fiction to see if both are included. Which is the topic for Wednesday.

But for today, do you write fiction that is overtly Christian? Easter Egg or Christmas Gift, or somewhere in between?

The Friday Five

2011-10-07T07:45:00.000-06:00

This week's Friday Five is Five cool things about the ACFW Conference:

1. Meeting old friends and making new ones.

2. Hanging with the Seekers. These ladies rock!

3. Learning that A Log Cabin Christmas Collection made the NYT Best seller list! (The above picture is right to left: Michelle Ule, Editor Rebecca Germany, me, and Liz Johnson at the awards banquet.)

4. Having my soul bathed with assurance as Tracie Peterson spoke about being unashamedly Christian and letting that shine through her fiction.

5. An amazing river boat cruise compliments of Barbour Publishing. We had a GREAT time!

Goal Setting for October

2011-10-04T21:38:00.000-06:00

Happy October!

It's time for those goals, checking in and resetting.

1. Turn in novella collection Sagebrush Knights. (Yay! I turned in this project, due 11/1 yesterday.)

2. Plot out and begin work on A Bride Sews With Love in Needles, CA. There are 120 days until this ms is due, so I can't waste much time. The story needs to come in at about 80K words. I've got a good synopsis that just needs some fine tuning before I can dive into the story.

3. Re-purpose a synopsis I wrote awhile back for submitting to a different house.

4. Read. My TBR stack is getting tall.

5. Four book signings.

6. Finish up the thank you notes I need to write from the ACFW Conference. (I'll be blogging about the conference next week.)

How about you? What are your October goals?

Book Signings

2011-10-02T21:54:00.001-06:00

This week, Mary Connealy and I are signing books at the following stores: (I KNOW! I'm so blessed to have Mary as a friend. She's such a dear woman to travel all this way to join me in signing books.)

October 7th from 6-8 pm

Christian Book and Gift Shop,
815 N Broadway
Rochester, MN 55906
(507) 289-2590

Saturday, October 8th, 2011, 10am-12pm

Burnsville LifeWay Christian Store (formerly Northwestern Book Store)

Cobblestone Court
14150 Nicollet Ave S

Burnsville, MN 55337

Phone: 952-435-8600

Saturday, October 8th, 2011, 10am-12pm

View Map

Saturday, October 8th, 2011 2-4 pm

Maple Grove LifeWay Christian Store (formerly Northwestern Book Store)

Arbor Lakes Mall
12985 Elm Creek Blvd

Maple Grove, MN 55369

Phone: 763-420-3883

Saturday, October 8th, 2011 2-4 pm

If you would like to purchase books by Mary or myself, but you can't make it to one of the stores during the signing, please call the store and they will set aside books for you.

If you're one of the lovely Cornerstone E. Free folks from my church in Rochester and want books signed, call Christian Book and Gift at the number listed above, and I will sign your books and deliver them to you at church on the next Sunday.

I hope you will all be able to stop by. There will be gift baskets given away, a small presentation on fiction writing at the Rochester signing, much in the way of fun, laughter, and BOOKS!

Blogging Hiatus

2011-09-18T18:45:00.002-06:00

Photo courtesy of flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/taylar/

I'm going to be on a little blogging hiatus for the next couple of weeks. I hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy the fall weather.

The Friday Five

2011-09-16T01:00:00.000-06:00

This week's Friday Five is:

Five shows I watched as a kid:

Oh yeah, I watched it. The Dukes of Hazzard. And I was a Bo Duke fan. Who did you prefer? Bo or Luke?

Flipper. :)

I loved the show and I LOVED the book. My son has read my copy of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams many times, too.

Loved Laura, loathed Nellie, rooted for the Ingalls through every disaster and tear-jerker scene with Michael Landon.

M*A*S*H All the seasons, all the episodes. I preferred Winchester to Frank Burns and much preferred Colonel Potter to Colonel Blake. Really liked Margaret at the end of the series, though I didn't care for her in the early-Frank Burns years. Klinger makes my son laugh. Oh, and BJ was better than McIntyre.

What shows did you watch as a kid? Any of these?

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-15T01:00:00.000-06:00

Today I'm thankful for my beloved husband, who understands me and loves me anyway. He makes so much room for me in his life, and he is a very special man.

Who are you thankful for today?

Framed Cover Art

2011-09-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

I got some new cover art framed. Eventually these will hang in my hallway, but for now they have pride of place on top of a bookshelf in my living room. The paper lying flat in front of them is a sketch of several John Wayne studies, a gift from a friend at church. :)

Do you frame your cover art? Do you plan to frame some?

Gift Baskets

2011-09-13T01:00:00.000-06:00

This fall, I have five book signings scheduled. Hoping to liven things up a bit, I decided to create some gift baskets to give away at the signings. Each basket contains a pair of Log Cabin pattern quilted pot holders that I made myself (You can see the process of creating these HERE) as well as three of my Heartsong titles, some cocoa mix, some chocolate, and a cinnamon candle. It's all shrink-wrapped up in a little metal bucket and tied with a pretty fall-leaf ribbon.

Pictured here in front of the baskets is a Log Cabin quilted table runner I made that matches the pot holders.

The gift basket was a big success at the first book signings. I invited folks who were browsing to stop by the table on the way out and sign up to win the basket, and from that, I got to talk to a lot of folks, who took the time to look over my books and if I'm not mistaken, everyone but one person who entered the drawing purchased at least one book. The basket was an opening for conversation, giving browsers a reason to stop by the book table to talk without feeling awkward.

I think it was a success, and I'm looking forward to taking gift baskets to the next few signings. You can check out the 'Awards & Signings' tab at the top of the blog to see where I'll be next. Perhaps you can stop by and enter the drawing. :)

Today I'm over at http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/ again, and you can enter to win a copy of A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas.

I'm also hanging out at Seekerville today talking about Networking. You can check out the party (It's ALWAYS a party at Seekerville) at http://seekerville.blogspot.com/

The Onalaska Book Signing

2011-09-12T01:00:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday I had a book signing in Onalaska, WI at Living Word Bookstore. What lovely folks!

I met lots of fiction readers, which was refreshing, and was able to talk fiction with the staff and customers. One of the things I love about talking fiction is being able to recommend lots of good books. I realize that not everyone likes to read historical fiction (though, blessedly, lots of folks do) so if someone says they like thrillers or contemporary fiction or mysteries or medical stories or legal stories, etc., I get to recommend books by Brandilyn Collins, Robin Jones Gunn, Camy Tang, Richard Mabry, and James Scott Bell.

Some customers are surprised that I would recommend other authors' work instead of pushing them to buy my own, but in truth, I don't find it strange at all. As I said, not everyone reads historical romance, and even I don't confine my own reading to only historical fiction. Recommending someone to a new-to-them author is a great thrill, especially if I know the author personally, which in most cases I do. :)

Living Word Bookstore has a wonderful fiction section. And they did a great job promoting the book signing. A mass email, offering a coupon off any non-sale item, and offering a special price on my books that day. They purchased radio advertisement and used bag stuffers to let their customers know that there was a special event at the store. They had cookies and lemonade and other snacks, and they had everything all set up beautifully when I arrived.

I know some authors don't like doing book signings, but I don't mind. I love meeting readers (no matter what they like to read) face to face.

Question for you: Do you like to attend book signings? Have you ever gone to one just to encourage the author?

Today I'm guest blogging over at http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/ about some of the specifics of writing historical fiction. I hope you'll pop over there and encourage both me and Stephanie Morrill, who runs the blog.

Book Signing and Happy Anniversary

2011-09-10T03:00:00.000-06:00

A reminder that I'm signing books at http://www.lwbookstore.com/ today in Onalaska, Wisconsin, and I'd love to see you there! The singing is from 12-2. :) (And on the way home, I'll be stopping at a fruit stand for some HoneyCrisp Apples.)

Also, I'd love to wish my parents a very happy 45th Wedding Anniversary. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! And may you have many, many, many more years together!

The Friday Five

2011-09-09T03:00:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday, I had a brainwave. I realized that when my mother was my age, she had two married daughters, a grandchild, and another grandchild on the way. My mother married one month after she turned 18, had her first child on her first anniversary, her second child (me) when she was 20, and her third when she was 23. My sister and I both married young (her at 21 and me at 20.)

All this thinking about age, etc, had me thinking about my bucket list.

So, this week's Friday Five is:

Five things on my Bucket List:

1. See the Grand Canyon with my husband.

2. Visit the Smithsonian Museum.

3. Go to a foreign country.

4. Visit Boston.

5. Live long enough to thoroughly spoil grandbabies whenever those happen to come along.

How about you? What's on your bucket list?

Also, don't forget to stop by Renee's Blog http://steelergirl83.blogspot.com/ for the birthday party.

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-08T03:00:00.000-06:00

This Thursday I'm thankful for technology. Though I sometimes whine about the speed with which the world seems to be changing, I do love things like electricity, indoor plumbing, automobiles, airplanes, computers (especially laptops,) cell phones, Skype, Blu-Ray, refrigeration, and so much more.

What piece of technology are you particularly thankful for today?

Book Birthday Bash!

2011-09-07T03:00:00.001-06:00

This week is the Book Birthday Bash over at the sweet and lovely Renee (steelergirl's) blog. She's celebrating her birthday and the birth days of five September Christian Fiction Titles (Includeing A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas.)

Stop over for reviews, interviews, and a lot of fun. http://steelergirl83.blogspot.com/ You'll have a great time, learn about some really fun authors and help Renee celebrate her birthday.

Also, Renee posted her review of A Bride's Portrait here: http://radiantlit.com/2011/09/review-a-bride%E2%80%99s-portrait-of-dodge-city-kansas/

Thank you, Renee! And Happy Birthday!!!

2011-09-06T03:00:00.000-06:00

This Saturday from 12-2 pm I'll be signing books at Living Word Bookstore in Onalaska, Wisconsin. If you're in the area, I'd love to see you.

There will be a drawing for a gift basket, chocolate, good fiction, and fellowship.

Here's the address:
Living Word Bookstore - Onalaska, WI,
572 Theater Road
Onalaska, WI 54650-8543

If you'd like to order any of my books, but won't be able to make it to the bookstore, you can call: (608) - 783 - 4673 and let them know what you'd like to order and who you would like the books inscribed to.

You can find the bookstore website here: http://www.lwbookstore.com/

Happy Labor day

2011-09-05T03:00:00.000-06:00

Wishing you a safe and happy Labor Day.

We're hanging out at home, not doing much of anything.

What are you up to on this End of Summer holiday?

The Friday Five

2011-09-02T00:30:00.000-06:00

This week's Friday Five is:

My five favorite Bible stories from when I was a kid.

1. David and Goliath.

2. The walls of Jericho.

3. Daniel in the Lion's Den.

4. Noah and the Ark.

5. Jonah and the Whale.

What was your favorite Bible story when you were a kid?

Thankful Thursday - Release Day!!!!

2011-09-01T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today's the day! A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas officially releases! That's what I'm thankful for this Thursday!

You can find the book at:

amazon.com

christianbook.com

I'm serving some virtual sarsaparilla and cupcakes with lots of sprinkles. Gotta have sprinkles if you're gonna celebrate. :)

Goals

2011-08-31T00:30:00.000-06:00

It's been way too long since I posted my goals here on the blog. My bad! It sure shows in what I'm getting done these days too.

So, I'm putting myself back on notice. Time to organize those goals and get some things checked off the list for September:

1. Finish the final novella in the Sagebrush Knights collection. I'm about 20% finished with this one, and need to get it done so I can edit it and get it sent in well before the November 1st deadline.

2. Book signing in Onalaska, Wisconsin, September 10th. I'd love to see you there if you can make it. :)

3. Put together gift baskets for several book signing drawings.

4. Put together a talk and power point for one of the book signings.

5. Head to ACFW Conference. Squee! :)

6. Begin writing A Bride Sews with Love in Needles, California. :)

How about you? What are your September goals?

Football and Writing

2011-08-30T01:30:00.000-06:00

It's time for a new season. Football season. And around here that means the Vikings season. Donovan McNabb, Jared Allen, Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin and the rest of the gang.

New goals, new foes, a new roof on the Metrodome.

I love the beginning of the season, where everything is possible, nothing has gone wrong yet. We're not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. :) Then we start playing, and the season has ups and downs, touchdowns and interceptions, blitzes and sacks, missed field goals and game winning drives. Thrilling, heartbreaking, exciting and exasperating. There are times when I'm sure the players would like to give up and walk away, away from the pain, the hits, the injuries, the press, the fans. But they don't. Because they are football players. In spite of adversity, they are doing the job they love.

It's not unlike when I start a new novel. It's all new, it's all possible, and it still looks perfect in my head. Then I start writing and things don't go onto the page quite the way I had it planned in my outline. The words don't come, the opponents are stronger than I thought, the schedule tougher. I find myself bogged in the middle of the 'Black and Blue' division. There are times when I want to walk away from the mess I'm creating, away from uncooperative characters, recalcitrant plots, bad reviews.

But I don't. I persevere, because I am a writer. In spite of the ups an downs, the adversity, the struggle, I'm doing the job I love.

Just as the football season is long and calls for commitment, writing a novel takes place over a long time and calls for commitment. When the going gets tough...well, you know. :)

Are you up for the new season? If so, put on your eye black, lace up those cleats, and grab your helmet. Let's head into the fray together, and when things get tough, we won't quit.

Reading Aloud

2011-08-29T03:30:00.000-06:00

First, let me announce that the winner of a copy of A Log Cabin Christmas Collection AND A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas is...

MELISSA K. NORRIS!

Congratulations, Melissa! Please email me at ericavetsch at gmail dot com with your address and I'll get those books in the mail to you ASAP.

Second, this last week, I had a new experience. I read aloud my Christmas novella to my husband.

My husband supports my writing in untold ways, and he's my biggest cheerleader. But he doesn't read historical romance, and consequently has never read one of my books.

But this week, when I was looking for a book to read aloud (we often read mysteries aloud, and he frustrates me by almost always figuring out whodunit way before I do) he suggested that I read my Christmas novella instead of an Amelia Peabody or Dick Francis.

At first I was self-conscious. But after a couple of pages, I forgot to be nervous.

The best news: He liked the story! :D

Question for you: Do you read aloud? To whom?

The Friday Five

2011-08-26T02:00:00.000-06:00

Since it's the first week of school around here, I'm going to give you my top favorite school subjects:

1. World History. Especially Egyptology.

2. American History. Especially the period from the Civil War through the Gilded Age.

3. Biology. Anatomy was my favorite here. All the body systems and how they worked together.

4. Bible. I had Bible classes from 5th grade through college. In college I double-majored in Secondary Education and Bible/Theology.

5. English. I liked grammar and literature.

My least favorite subjects were Math and PE.

So, what was your favorite school subject, and what was your least favorite?

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-25T01:30:00.000-06:00

This week I'm thankful for the power of music.

Over the last week, God has been reminding me of the power of music to change, to worship, lift up, to encourage. I've been listening to the above song on average about once a day lately.

At church this last Sunday, we sang every hymn a capella. Though I love the piano accompaniment, and I really like listening to Matt and Harry play, I have to admit, it was a good thing to sing with no other music than the voices of the congregation. I could hear those around me, all joined in worship. I could concentrate on the words, their meaning, and worshiping the God we were singing about.

So, what are you thankful for today?

School Starts Again

2011-08-24T01:58:00.000-06:00

This week we took our daughter back to college to begin the first of her 2.5 senior years. Yeah, she'll be a senior this year, a 'super-senior' next year, and the following semester, she'll be what I dubbed a 'supreme-senior.' Frankly, after all this senioring, I think she deserves a senior discount!

My son and I also started school this week. I homeschool my 10th grade son, and we're studying Biology, Geometry, American Literature, World History, Art History, Movies as Literature, and Spelling.

Summer break is over, and it's time to buckle down. The schedule is filling up and tightening up.

But this is a good thing for me. I do much better when I have a fairly rigid schedule and limited time to get things done (within reason, of course!) A sense of urgency narrows my focus, forces me to concentrate on the essentials that must get done.

How about you? Is school starting where you are? Do you need the constraints of a busy schedule to keep you focused?

Book Party Bash!

2011-08-23T06:37:00.000-06:00

Next month, you're invited to a book party bash. In honor of the Black 'n Gold Girl's birthday, she's having a book birthday party bash. September 5th-10th on her blog http://steelergirl83.blogspot.com/ she'll be hosting authors for interviews, giving away brand-spanking new fiction, and serving up virtual cake...with sprinkles!!!!

Her blog's chock-full of reviews, links, and fun. I hope you can join us for the party. Also, feel free to grab the button in the sidebar to pass along the party invitation. You can copy this code:

into the layout of your own blog or post.

Thank you, and I hope you can come to the party. It's going to be a blast!

Author Copies Have Arrived-And I'm giving some away.

2011-08-22T00:35:00.000-06:00

A Log Cabin Christmas and A Bride's Portrait!

After a week or so of stalking the UPS man and lurking when it was time for the postman to arrive, I came home to four big boxes on the front porch. My author copies of A Log Cabin Christmas collection and A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, KS are here!

My son James laid these out on the coffee table for a photograph.

My son and I had some fun with the books, stacking, arranging, sorting. I couldn't resist running my hand over the embossed cover of Log Cabin or re-reading the back cover copy of Portrait. I flipped to the title page to read my name. I opened the pages and breathed deeply of the new-book smell. And I couldn't help but feel blessed. This isn't the first time I've gotten author copies in the mail, but it never gets old. Each time it's a thrill to hold that book in my hand, to re-live the moment when the original concept came to me, the agony/ecstasy of the writing process, all the editing steps, cover art surprises, the whole journey come to fruition in a single volume of fiction. It's exciting and humbling, wicked cool and scary all at once.

My husband and I went out to celebrate the evening the books arrived, and we stopped by my pastor's house to drop off a copy of each of the books. And on Saturday, I spent a little time reading some of the other novellas in the collection. What talented authors! Wanda Brunstetter, Margaret Brownley, Kelly Hake, Jane Kirkpatrick, Liz Johnson, Liz Tolsma, Debra Ullrick, Michelle Ule...what stellar company. And the stories are so heartwarming.

Because I want to share some of the joy, I'm giving away a copy of A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas AND a copy of A Log Cabin Christmas Collection to one reader. Because A Bride's Portrait is about a photographer, tell me what your favorite picture of yourself is. For me, I have always liked my school photo from my junior year. I was having a good hair day, a good skin day, and it just turned out cool. :)

The Friday Five

2011-08-19T00:12:00.000-06:00

This week's Friday Five is: Five Masterpiece Mysteries that I love.

1. Inspector Lewis. This is a spin-off of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series, which I also liked a lot (though mostly for Inspector Lewis's role in it.)

2. Hercule Poirot. Agatha Christie's classic Belgian detective with the ubiquitous mustaches and fastidious manners. David Suchet as Poirot is brilliant!

3. Rebecca, staring Diana Rigg as the creepy Mrs. Danvers. I'm currently re-reading du Marier's classic suspense novel, Rebecca, and afterwards, I want to re-watch the film.

4. Sherlock Holmes. I tend to turn a jaundiced eye to remakes of Doyle's Holmes and Watson, but this one is spectacular. Brought forward to modern times, incorporating all the science and technology available to detectives, this series is clever and the characters are appealing. Especially Watson, a war veteran and nobody's fool. I suppose that's one of the main reasons I like this version. Often Watson is portrayed as a bumbling foil to Holmes's brilliance. But Watson was a physician, a biographer, and a former soldier. He had plenty going on in the brain box.

5. Midsomer Murders. One of the things I love about this series is that the chief inspector, Barnaby, is a happily married man. So many of the cop shows today portray the lead inspector as a tortured soul whose wife has either left him or been killed. The job is all he has and he drives himself to destruction. In this series, the hero has a lovely wife and grown daughter, and he pursues justice because it is his job and he has a high sense of right and wrong. Couple that with the mentoring relationship he has with various of his sergeants, and you've got a character I don't mind hanging out with.

Are you a mystery lover? Do you watch PBS's Masterpiece Mystery?

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-18T01:42:00.000-06:00

Today I'm thankful for the Bible. I'm thankful to have the written Word of God. I own several Bibles myself, my family has more, and I'm afraid I often take this treasure for granted.

There are places on this planet that do not have a single copy of the Bible. Where the people cannot read God's Word in their own language.

There are places on this planet where possessing even a scrap of Scripture would be a death sentence.

Thank you, God, for your Word, and for revealing Yourself to us this way.

A First Contract Story - Mary Connealy

2011-08-17T00:02:00.001-06:00

I am one of the most blessed individuals on the planet, in that I have as a dear friend and mentor, the incomparable Mary Connealy. If there is a more genuine or giving writer out there, I haven't met her yet. Love you, Mary!

Mary Connealy's First Contract Story

My first writer’s conference ever was ACFW and I’d neverdone anything like attending a writer’s conference before. It took all thecourage I had, plus the begging and pleading and….let’s face itladies…threatening of my critique group to get me to that conference when Ifound myself a double finalist in the Noble Theme Contest (now the Genesis).Vickie McDonough was the third finalist in my category.

I went but it was so terrifying, I just never did stufflike this. I sat alone at my desk, all alone, so very, very alone…I was happythere. That’s what makes me a writer, that odd ability to sit alone having bothsides of a conversation myself. That is much less likely to earn you weirdlooks (especially if your lips move) if you’re writing a book. But my critiquegroup lured me out of my lovely private world and I attended the conference andI won. I won. I’m sorry, repeating myself doesn’t advance this story at all,but let me just say one more time.

I won.

As a result of this contest that I WON, I got requestsfrom eleven different publishers for five books. That may not be accurate. Thenumber seems to go up every time I tell this story.

At any rate, I got asked for a lot of books. And I had alot of books written, so I had something for almost everyone. One of thoserequests was for Scent of Heaven. A lovely contemporary romance about a hermit womanwho grew roses and made candles with the scented blossoms and the big city boywho wants to build a mansion up the hill from her that will destroy her rose garden.

It’s a beautiful book.

And then the rejections started rolling in. The only onethat didn’t end in a rejection was Barbour Publishing, they showed interest inScent of Heaven –This wasn’t the book that had won the Noble Theme Contest bythe way, that was Petticoat Ranch.

I went back and forth with them about edits and trying torevise the book to suit them.

When it was nearly time for the next conference CathyMarie Hake, who had asked to see my contest finalist entry at ACFW the yearbefore, asked me if I’d like to go in on a three book series with her andKathleen Y’Barbo?

Absolutely YES!

So we got a proposal together and Cathy sent it off andthen came the conference, my SECOND conference. This time I was excited to go.

Every year at the ACFW conference Barbour Publishinggives out a contract to an unpublished author. My first year, Vickie McDonough (nickname—TheShow-off) got named the recipient of that contract. The second year I knew Ihad a shot. Barbour had been talking with me for most of a year about Scent ofHeaven.

Well, just before the big moment, the evening dinnerwhere Barbour would make the announcement, Lena Nelson Dooley came up to me andtold me she knew Jim Peterson—who, with his wife Tracie Peterson was theacquiring editor for Barbour’s Heartsong Presents line, wanted to work with me.I can’t remember exactly what Lena (nickname—The Brat) said to me but whateverit was, I took it to mean….work with me someday…just not yet.

I was totally deflated. Anyway, I mentally squared my shoulders,determined to work harder, learn more and get a book to Jim that he’d loveenough to buy.

So, the evening event came. Tracie Peterson went to themicrophone. I had no hope (thank you, Lena) and Tracie announced the recipientof the contract was (please supply your own drumroll) Kathy Kovach!!!

YAY!

Kathy (nickname—The Canary in the Mineshaft) was seatedabout one table over from me and I can still hear her screaming. I saw her blowout of her seat. I clapped. I was happy for her. I WAS!!!! That’s my story andI’m sticking to it.

Kathy went up to receive her contract. As she came downoff the stage, Tracie said, “And this year we’re giving two contracts and theother one goes to Mary Connealy.

I get chills writing this. Of course the air conditioningin my building is set on frost, but still it was a wonderful moment. It’s all ablur after that. I didn’t scream like Kathy. I almost curled up in a ball. Twopeople slammed into me. A vague memory suggests it might have been AudraHarders and Debby Guisti, who were already my Seeker buddies back then.

I started crying…and I am sooooooooo not a crier. Isuspect it’s a tear duct issue because I never cry. I tear up sometimes butnever cry. Not at my children’s graduations or weddings. Not at funerals. Never.

But I did. And not crazed sobbing, tears just started toleak out of my deformed tear ducts. I couldn’t stop them. I walked up front andat this point I think Ruthy Logan Herne (another Seeker) leapt out in the aisleand hugged me. She’s a skinny littlething. She’s lucky she survived the impact. And that hug may have been on theway back to my seat—like I said, I was stunned.

I walked up to the stage and, standing down on the floorin front of the stage, I reached up for the contract and I can remember this soclearly, Tracie said very kindly(like she was speaking to a slightly backwardfourth grader), “Come up on the stage, Mary.”

Dumb thing to remember, huh?

So, because I’m happiest sitting behind my computerhaving both sides of a conversation myself, I reluctantly went up on the stageand Cathy Marie Hake and Kathleen Y’Barbo were there. I tell you this becauseit’s important but it really didn’t register that it was important at thatmoment.

We all hugged. I got salt water on everyone, then I took thepaper Tracie Peterson gave me and went back to my seat. I sat there crying quietly for quite a while…minutes atleast. Then it occurred to me to look at the papers Tracie had handed me. It didn’t tell me I’d been given a contract for Scent ofHeaven a book that had as it’s most endearing trait…being finished.

No.

It was for the proposed book with Cathy andKathleen…which would explain what they were doing up there.

I needed to quit crying and go home and write a book.

Erica Here:

Go home and write a book was exactly what Mary did. That first contract, for Golden Days, led to about a zillion more. Her latest is Out of Control, and you can find it by clicking HERE.

Water Cooler Blog

2011-08-16T01:07:00.007-06:00

Today I'm guest blogging over at the WordServe Water Cooler. You can read the post by clicking HERE or on the cool little sidebar button on the right hand side of this blog.

It's my first post at the WordServe Water Cooler, and I hope you'll hop on over there and take a look. The topic is how a plot-first novelist like myself creates characters.

Spiritual Eyes

2011-08-15T00:37:00.001-06:00

This morning I have an early appointment at the eye doctor. Trips to the eye doctor are nothing new to me, since I started seeing an optometrist in pre-school due to an eye injury. Iwas about three when I got my first pair of eye glasses. Eye patches, glasses,drops, surgery, and many, many trips to the eye doctor.

As I've gotten older, my eyes have changed. Now it's bifocals, diabetes, andage instead of lazy eye or trauma.

I used to be able to see pretty well without glasses, but wore them to assist my eyes in working together. Now I need my glasses to read, to watch tv, to type. My eyes need a little time to wake up and focus in the morning now, and I can now sense some eye-strain if I work too long without giving my eyes a rest.

As I contemplated these changes, I realize that my physical eyes weren't the only ones to morph and change over the years. My spiritual eyes have changed since I first became a Christ-follower at age 11. I've prayed before that God would open the eyes of my heart, to help me see clearly with my spiritual eyes.

Some things haven't changed that much, though they've gotten clearer, doctrinal issues clearlyspelled out in Scripture, the commandments to do, don't do, love, give, believe. Those are the giant top rows of the eye chart thatblaze out like a neon E .

But other lines have blurred a bit, ones that involve personalconvictions. I come from a fairly strict, rigid spiritual upbringing thatplaced a lot of emphasis on the way you dressed, the music you listened to, thepeople you associated with.

Those are the lines that are smudging for me. I'm striving to bemore about grace, forgiveness, and freedom than about judgment, constriction,and condemnation. I'm learning that there are all kinds of people who are God'schildren, who come to God as broken and individual as I, and whom God lovesjust as much as He loves me.

I'm liking these new eyes, because I'm learning that as therecipient of much grace, I have grace to offer others, can learn from them, andcan receive grace from them as well.

So, how are your eyes, both physical and spiritual?

The Friday Five

2011-08-12T00:42:00.000-06:00

As I posted on Monday, this past weekend my family and I visited the National Eagle Center and learned a bunch about bald eagles. So this week's Friday Five is Five things I learned about eagles.

Girl eagles are bigger than boy eagles.
Eagles' digestive systems are so acidic they can digest even bones as big as a chicken leg bone or gopher skull.
An eagle can see a rabbit hopping from three miles away.
A grown eagle only weighs about 10 pounds.
The National Eagle Center collects the feathers that the eagles molt and they are sent to a conservation center where Native Americans can apply to receive these feathers for use in their ceremonies and dress.

Have you ever seen a bald eagle up close?

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-11T00:32:00.000-06:00

Today, I'm thankful for rain. With a huge part of our country in the grip of a devastating drought, I am reminded again how vital rain is.

Here in Minnesota, the summer has been hot and humid, and we've had regular bouts of rain. The grass is still green, the flowers are blooming, and the lakes are full. The corn is tasseled out beautifully, and sweetcorn pack is underway.

Thank you, God, for the rain that replenishes and refreshes. I pray for those south of here who are experiencing drought, that they would rely on you, and that when relief comes, they will remember Who gives the rain and the harvest.

Has it rained where you are this summer? What are you thankful for this Thursday?

A First Contract Story with Rose McCauley

2011-08-10T00:07:00.000-06:00

Today my guest is Rose McCauley, a truly sweet woman who is a fixture at the ACFW Conference. I've known Rose now for several years, and I hope you'll be encouraged by her story of how she waited, and how God whispered to her heart while she was waiting for her first contract.

Waiting, patience,prayer...and receiving my first contract!

I have been writing for over nine years and joined ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) 8years ago. My writing has steadily improved since then, but the elusive firstcontract had remained out of reach until Friday evening, September 17, 2010.

God has taught me many things over the past nine years, the main things beingpatience and learning to wait. When I awoke that morning and read my chapter inJeremiah, there was a devotion by Catherine Marshall on the facing page, so Iread it, too. It was entitled "Waiting" and here are a few snippetsfrom it that spoke to me: "Waiting...is God's oft-repeated way of teachingus that His power is real and that He can answer our prayers without interferenceand manipulation from us." She then goes on to give the example of a childwho brings a broken toy to their father but gets impatient and snatches it backstill in the broken state, then reminds us that if we leave the "toy"in His hands, "not only do we eventually get it back gloriously restored,but are also handed a surprising plus. We find for ourselves what the saintsand mystics affirm, that during the dark waiting period when self-effort hadceased, a spurt of astonishing spiritual growth took place in us. Afterwards wehave qualities like more patience, more love for the Lord and those around us,more ability to hear His voice, greater willingness to obey." Thosequalities are ones I still desire more of, even if it means I have to wait again.

Now for the rest of the story as Paul Harvey used to say. I told my roommate,Jennifer Johnson, about my devotion, then we attended a class, ate lunch,shopped at the mall, and went to the opening worship session at 3:30. Theworship leader Rachel Hauck, chose thesong "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller for us to sing at most of oursessions:

"I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting"

Are you getting the message with me? Wait with patience! And keep serving andworshipping while you are waiting!

Next our president, Cynthia Ruchti, readfrom Colossians chapter three and verse12 was very familiar since it is posted on my bedroom mirror: "Thereforeas God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves withcompassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." That last wordjumped out at me and I leaned over to Jennifer and told her God was stilltelling me to wait and learn patience.

Then Becky Germany, editor at Barbour Publishing, took the stage and said shewas ready to announce the 2 new authors who would receive their "firstcontract", something Barbour has done at each conference. When sheannounced the name of the first story as Nick's Christmas Carol, itsounded vaguely familiar but I still didn't realize it was a story I had writtenuntil she said my name! Then I went up on stage in front of over 600 people,amid cheers and shouts, and was handed an envelope with my name on it and aletter offering me a contract for my first fiction story! Jennifer, who hadknown about the contract but kept silent for months even though we rode toconference together, took my picture but the flash didn't work so she motionedfor me to go back up on the stage and she took it again. Then Donna Rich wasannounced, again amid cheers and shouts, as the recipient of a contract for a Heartsong book, also pubbed by Barbour.

Of course, I couldn't wait to call my husband and children and a couplefriends, but the story doesn't end there. I got to attend the Barbour Banquetat PF Chang's that evening and kept receiving hugs and congratulations allweekend, but the best part was when one of my dear friends and prayer-partners,Connie Stevens who had received her first contract in 2009, told me that Godhad impressed on her heart to pray for the ones who would receive their firstcontract the following year. So, she prayed that prayer that whole year anddidn't know she was praying for me (and Donna)! And something I learned fromConnie’s post on Erica’s blog (June 22, 2011) is that the same song that Godused to speak to her at the 2009 conference is the same one quoted above thatHe used to teach me.

Later that evening, I told Donna about the prayer cycle Connie began, and weboth agreed to continue it by praying for the persons who will receive theirfirst contract in 2011. Kind of paying it forward by praying the prayer thatwas prayed for us. So, the cycle continues, and I will continue praying for theones who will receive their first contract at the ACFW conference this year.Until then, let's all keep waiting patiently and praying and worshiping the Onewho deserves all our praise.

From the Back Cover of Christmas Belles of Georgia

Surprisedby Life—and Love—at Christmas

Four letters are mailed fromMonticello, a small antebellum town in Georgia. Sisters once, now heirs to ahistoric plantation, each young woman must come to terms with the circumstancesof her birth. . . .

When she learns in a letter she’sadopted, Holly feels betrayed by her parents—and she books a flight out ofMissouri immediately. Will she ever be able to love again?

Raised in a wealthy, loveless home,Carol rushes to Monticello from college in Atlanta when she receives herletter. She’s searching for family, but finds instead a boy she oncemistreated. Will he remember her? . . .forgive her?

In one year, Starr has lost herparents, boyfriend, and job, so she’s sure her letter is more bad news. Whenthe attorney flies to California to offer proof, Starr takes a second look—atthe message and the man.

Noelle always knew she wasadopted—and she’s always loved the foreman on her father’s Texas ranch too. Buthe’s so distant. . .perhaps a trip to Georgia is the break in life she needs.

Will the sisters receive atraditional Christmas gift. . .of love?

Bio:Bio: Rose Allen McCauley ishappy to live in the beautiful bluegrass region of Kentucky on a farm surroundedby God’s creation. She has been writing for over ten years and has beenpublished in several non-fiction anthologies and devotionals. She is thrilledfor this to be her first published fiction because Christmas books are herfavorites. She has a growing collection of Christmas books, and this one willtakes its rightful place among them.

A retired schoolteacher who has been happily married to hercollege sweetheart for over 43 years, she is also mother to three grownchildren and their spouses and Mimi to three lovely, lively grandkids! You canreach her through her website www.rosemccauley.comor blogsite at www.rosemccauley.blogspot.com

Question for the day: Do you have a favorite worship song?

God Got a Good Man

2011-08-09T01:24:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday, God called one of His saints home. A truly godly man, devoted husband, father and brand-new grandfather, trusted friend, and one of the most cheerful individuals it has ever been my privilege to meet. Rochester Fire Battalion Chief Chuck Hermann was killed in a logging accident Thursday afternoon and immediately went into the presence of the Savior he loved, served, and longed to see. Chuck's desire every day of his life was to see God glorified, and today, at the service that will celebrate his life, his family and friends will glorify God remembering Chuck.

CHARLES (Chuck) HERMANN, January 19th, 1961 - August, 4th, 2011

The world was forever changed on January 19th, 1961 when Charles (Chuck) Hermann was born in Rochester , MN . He was the 3rd child of 4 born to Glen & Mary Hermann. Chuck grew up in Rochester , and married his soul mate and high-school sweetheart Pam on April 10th, 1982.

Chuck was a highly respected and decorated member of the Rochester Fire Department for 30 years beginning August 19th, 1981. He received numerous awards including the Mayor’s Medal of Honor and had reached the rank of Battalion Chief. His loss to the department will be felt by the countless firefighters that he worked with throughout the years. Chuck was an instructor for the National Fire Academy , and was an active advocate of Fire Fighters for Christ which allowed him to serve two of his biggest passions in life: serving his Lord and Savior and fire-fighting. He was also co-owner of the family auction business, Hermann Auctions, founded in 1972.

Chuck lived his entire life in high gear doing everything “full throttle”. His passion for everything he did in life was contagious and everyone that came into contact with him was impacted in a positive way. Some of Chuck’s great loves in life were his family, church life, pizza & ice cream, learning and teaching.  He also loved his work with GreatDeeds and Fire Fighters for Christ ministries.

His greatest passion in life was serving his Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, and God’s love truly shined through everything that he did. He started every day praying, “Lord, use me today in a mighty way.”

On Thursday, August 4th, 2011, Chuck was welcomed into God’s presence by his family members that had gone there before him: his father & mother Glen & Mary Hermann, his son Ryan, and daughter Jenna.

Chuck waits in anticipation to welcome to heaven his loved ones that remain. His wife Pam; son John Hermann of Rochester, MN; daughter Tasha McWilliams and son-in-law Jason of Palm Beach, FL; daughter Tiffany Kirkpatrick and son-in-law Kincade with grand-daughter Khloe, of Rochester, MN; daughter Shawna Hermann of Minneapolis, MN; daughter Tamires Hermann of Rochester, MN; sister Diane Blakely & husband Bradley and family of Rochester, MN; sister Sharon Hain & husband John and family of Stewartville, MN; sister Bonnie Gunnarson & husband Todd and family of Onalaska, WI.

Chuck’s prayer for each person here is that you come to know the love of Christ and join him in the eternal victory that he is now enjoying.

All memorials and donations should be made to GreatDeeds.org who will distribute to KFSI Christian Radio (92.9FM) and Firefighters for Christ.

Funeral services will be held 2 PM Tuesday August 9, 2011 at Autumn Ridge Church 3611 Salem Road SW Rochester, MN.  Burial will take place in Oakwood Cemetery East.  Visitation will be held 4-8 PM Monday and 1 hour prior to services on Tuesday both at Autumn Ridge Church.

Arrangements entrusted to Ranfranz & Vine Funeral Home 5421 Royal Place NW Rochester, MN 55901

National Eagle Center

2011-08-08T00:54:00.000-06:00

My husband with Harriet at the Eagle center.

On Saturday, our family made a day-trip to the Minnesota river town of Wabasha to see the National Eagle Center. The center is the home to four bald eagles and one golden eagle. These magnificent birds live here because they have each suffered an injury that would prevent them from being rehabilitated and returned to the wild.

We got to meet Donald, the golden eagle, and the bald eagles Harriet, Was'aka (pronounce Wah-shock-uh), Columbia, and Angel. Harriet is the resident matriarch, and at 31 years old has already surpassed the life-span of the average bald eagle. She is quite the traveler and ambassador as well. Harriet has appeared on the Today show twice, Jay Leno, and is also featured on the Minnesota "Support Our Troops" license plate.

Former Governor Pawlenty unveiling the new plate
with Harriet's picture.

The National Eagle Center is located in Wabasha, Minnesota because it is a winter haven for migrating bald eagles. Between late October and early April, you can see HUNDREDS of bald eagles along a five-mile stretch of the Mississippi. Even now, in mid-summer, there are nesting pairs visible from the center. While we ate lunch at Slippery's (of Grumpy Old Men fame) we watched a bald eagle soaring over the river.

Of particular interest to me was the story of Old Abe, the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin during the Civil War. Old Abe was present at 37 different battle engagements during the war. You can read a little about Old Abe by clicking HERE.

We also got to see a traveling exhibit in downtown Wabasha all about the Minnesota home front during World War 2. I had no idea that a group of young men, conscientious objectors to the war, volunteered for a harrowing ordeal in order to help out returning Prisoners of War. These young men voluntarily starved themselves almost to death (under the care of University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic doctors) so that the doctors could study the physical and psychological effects of starvation and deprivation on the human body, as well as how to rehabilitate returning prisoners.

Question for you: Do you like day-trip vacations? Where have you gone this summer?

The Friday Five

2011-08-05T00:31:00.000-06:00

Look at us! We were babies! But isn't
that man handsome?

This week's Friday Five is: Five things I remember from my wedding.

1. My mom made my dress. She's an amazing seamstress. In addition to making my dress, she made all the bridesmaids' dresses too.

2. I wore my mom's veil from her wedding.

3. I don't care for punch too much, so at the reception, we had Sprite instead.

4. We got married in December, so the decorations were a snap. Lots of red and green.

5. I got married in the same church that my parents, my older sister, and my younger brother were all married in.

Are you married? What's something you remember about your wedding? If you're not married yet, what's something you remember from a wedding you've attended?

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-04T00:17:00.012-06:00

Did you know that the Bible is full of verses that remind us that we need to be thankful, that God values thankfulness and scorns those who are ungrateful?

Thankfulness and humility are tied together. Thankfulness puts us in a proper frame of mind, not thinking too highly of ourselves, instead putting emphasis on the actions and efforts of others. Thankfulness teaches us to love one another and esteem others as more important than ourselves. Thankfulness acknowledges the Source of all our blessings. We are supposed to practice thankfulness. (And not just on a Thursday in November when we eat a lot of turkey, watch football, and nap.)

In an effort to be more deliberate about being thankful, I'm going to post one thing a week that I'm thankful for. And I hope you'll join in on the exercise, putting something in the comments that you are thankful for, too. Let's praise and obey God together by expressing our gratitude.

This week, I'm thankful for: my husband's steady job. In this economy, with cabinet shops, lumber yards, and sawmills going under at an alarming rate, my husband's lumber business is holding its own. That can only come by the grace and hand of God, and I'm so thankful that thus far, He's chosen to let us continue with the business.

How about you? What are you thankful for today?

Cover Art Framed and some news!

2011-08-03T00:08:00.014-06:00

I thought you might like to see my most recent framing job. I framed the cover art from Before the Dawn and Idaho Brides. Before the Dawn will go in my bedroom, to be joined by the other two titles in the series when I get them, and Idaho Brides will be perfect in my living room where all the colors are autumn themed. Those golds and oranges will go perfectly. :)

In other fun news, I received word this weekend that my debut trade-length novel, A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas has received FOUR STARS from Romantic Times Reviews! (Imagine me hoppity-skippity about the house, grinning and hugging my kids.) Thank you, Keli G. for passing that news along to me. It made my weekend. The full review will be available in a couple of weeks when the print newsletter comes out, but if you haven't checked out Romantic Times online, take a peek.

Did you also know that I have a Facebook Page? I'd love it if you'd click HERE and check it out. I post stuff about my books, writing, fun stuff, announcements, and more.

So, what fun project have you done recently, or what good news are you celebrating?

A New Writing Blog Debuts!

2011-08-02T02:33:00.000-06:00

There's been a project in the works for a few weeks now that I hope you'll be excited about. Today is the debut of the WordServe Water Cooler Blog!

We're so excited to bring you this new blog. More than FORTY of WordServe's author clients will be contributing to this blog all about writing and publishing. If you're looking for help with marketing, publishing, proposals, queries, platforms, social media, industry news, non-fiction writing, fiction writing, genres, encouragement, and so much more, please follow the WSWC blog.

I have to tell you, getting 40+ creative types all in a line and heading the same direction is quite a feat. Thank you to Keli Gwyn, Catherine West, and Katie Ganshert for spearheading the efforts, and to Dineen Miller for the zippity blog header. And about 39 other people for their contributions, encouragement, and advice.

If there's a topic you'd like to see covered on the WSWC, please let us know. We want to meet the needs of readers. I'm so excited to be a part of this venture, and I hope you'll hop on over to take a look at what the WordServe Gang is up to.

WordServe Water Cooler Blog.

House on the sand?

2011-08-01T02:51:00.004-06:00

This is a painting that hangs at the bottom of my stairs. The caption says "The Wise and Foolish Builder Matthew 7:24-27"

This past week has served to remind me of the truth of the parable of the man who built his house on the sand and the man who built his house on the rock. I was reminded how quickly things in one's life can change. The rains can come down and the floods can come up with little or no warning. Only those whose life is built on the Rock, those who have a solid faith, are prepared to weather those storms without their house going splat.

The Inspirational Christian Fiction world was rocked a bit with the announcement that Barbour Publishing was planning to discontinue their Heartsong Presents Book Club. After twenty years and almost one thousand titles, the book club will come to an end in December 2011. With sales declining and the rising costs of production, and the skyrocketing growth in ebooks, keeping Heartsong afloat was becoming more and more difficult. This was a hard decision for Barbour to make, and one I am sure they didn't do lightly.

I'll admit, I was stunned. I had to take a hard look at the foundation my writing dreams were built upon. And if I'm totally honest, I had to dump a little sand out of my shoes. Something that I had come to love and to count on being there was now going to go away. But someone who was affected far more than I by this news chose to publicly praise God, reminding me of the true Source of my joy, the One who holds everything in His hand. Though saddened by the news, I am not overthrown.

My heart goes out to the faithful readers, editors, and authors of Heartsong romances. I know there are a lot of disappointed folks out there, but God is in control. His plans will not be thwarted, and He has much to teach us through this experience.

I'm so grateful to JoAnne Simmons at Heartsong for giving me a chance to write for her and the Heartsong readers. I'm thankful that she paired me with Rachel Overton, who is a wonderful editor and friend, as well as the incomparable Aaron McCarver.

My next Heartsong book, Light to My Path, is scheduled to come out in just a few weeks, with the release date of my last Heartsong, Stars in Her Eyes, still to be determined. As soon as I know, I'll post the information here.

Have you ever had to dump a little bit of sand out of your shoes? Has the water risen faster than you expected?