Laying Low…

Sorry for my absence here of late. It has been a busy time, a fun time. Just last weekend I hosted my daughter’s bridal shower. Crazy to think that I have a daughter getting married in just two months time…but there you have it. Of course, immediately afterward, I got hit with the worst cold I’ve had in a long while. I did get my flu shot, but apparently it does not protect against the common cold. So last week I hung out with my daughter and tried to get on with life – we even had a spa day – try going under the steamer for a facial with a head full of cold!! But I enjoyed it anyway. This weekend, I’m hibernating.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m not feeling 100% I like to snuggle under warm blankets and just veg. Not much writing happens when my brain is clogged. And I’m trying not to feel guilty about that. Trying not to think about it in general actually, because I’m not feeling very positive about things right now. I don’t deal well with uncertainty, well, who does, right? I like a plan, I like knowing what’s coming next, what to prepare for and how to move past the obstacles. You can’t exactly do that with the world of publishing. The best I can do is keep writing, keep my eyes focussed on what is in front of me, the tangible, the things I can control, and quit worrying about the things I can’t. Oh, but it’s hard.

Still, I am so grateful for so many things today, even as I sit here coughing up a lung. I have so many wonderful friends who support me, my amazing family, so much to look forward to. Discouragement is easy to give in to, but I’m determined to move past it.

Okay, enough said. We haven’t talked books in a while, so let’s do that! These days I’m reading several great novels -

The Girl in the Gatehouse – Julie Klassen

The Girl in the Gatehouse is a historical, rich in detail with captivating characters – I’ve become a fan of Julie’s over the last couple of years, and I was so thrilled to meet her in person this past September in Monterey! We are with the same agency, so we got to hang out a bit. I recommend all her books, and there are a few of them!

Flight of the Earls - Michael K Reynolds 

Flight of the Earls is Michael’s first novel, and although I’m not very far along with it yet, I’m eager to dive in when I have the time to devote to it. The story is about Irish Immigrants, who leave the shores of Ireland for America, in 1846 – I know I’m going to find this fascinating, as I have always loved these kinds of stories.

Swimming to the Surface - Kristin Billerbeck 

Swimming to the Surface I just happened across the other day. Kristin is known for her YA novels, so when I saw that she’d written an adult fiction, I checked it out. I was even more surprised to discover the author has self-published this book, because that option is always in the back of my mind. It is a different story, but one that any Christian who has struggled within the church can appreciate. I’m looking forward to finishing it.

I still have a ton of books on my TBR pile, but those are three I’m enjoying at the moment. Writing wise, I’m still working on First Harvest, and a new story called Home to Castle Hill. Don’t forget, next month, April – Hidden in the Heart is ACFW Book Club’s pick of the month. I hope you will join in that discussion. And, as always, if you have enjoyed either of my books and would like to post a review, I welcome them! Still haven’t checked out my writing? Visit my website for information about my books and read the excerpts!

What’s on your current reading list? 

Summer Schedule!

At long last, the hazy, lazy days of summer are upon us! I love my summers, although in Bermuda we can get very high humidity which makes it feel like 100 degrees in the shade when it’s really only 85!

This summer has already proven to be an exceptionally busy one. We have guests coming and going, and then I’m heading up to our house on the lake in Canada in July, where I do a LOT of writing each year. I also try to read as much as possible over the summer, so this is the time of year I take book recommendations! Really looking forward to my retreat into the woods, just hoping we have no bear visitations this year!! We don’t always have the best internet connection up there, so I’ll be blogging when I can. I’ll continue with my Friday Featured Author posts, but other postings may be sporadic.

We also have a wedding to plan!!

My daughter Sarah became engaged to her wonderful boyfriend, now fiance, Randy, last Thursday, so it is a very busy but wonderful time for us as we start to talk about venues, dresses, etc… It’s one of those defining moments in life. I’m still tearing up a little when I think about the fact that in a year from now, my baby girl will be walking down the aisle!

On the writing front, I’m afraid I have no good news to report. Things continue to be up in the air with the release of my second novel and at this point, I’m hesitant to say its actually going to happen. My agent will be sending out my third completed novel soon, so perhaps we’ll have better luck with that one. As I always say, this writing business is not for the faint of heart!

So that’s about it from my desk today. Please keep in touch with me over the summer via Facebook. If I have any good news to share, you can be sure I’ll do my best to post it here, but its usually a sure bet that I’ll jump to Facebook first!

Author Sherri Wilson Johnson will join us tomorrow to talk about her debut To Dance Once More.

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy summer, filled with memories to cherish!

Book Buzz!

Anybody read any good books lately that you want to talk about?
I recently read Into The Free, by Julie Cantrell. Julie was actually a guest on the blog a few weeks ago, and soon after that, her book, her debut novel no less, hit the NYT Bestseller List! Amazing, isn’t it?
And yea, I admit to going a little green. I’m not sure how that happens. Is it just a lot of good buzz, lots of interest and word of mouth that suddenly catapults a book to that status? Of course the book IS good, but I’ve always wondered what the process for becoming an overnight sensation is.

But I truly LOVED this book. It did raise some questions in my mind, but I hear there is a sequel on the way, so perhaps those things will come up in the next book. I just loved Julie’s prose and the way she drew me write into Millie’s world, as horrible as it was at times. Well, most of the time. It’s very satisfying to me when I do read a book that stays with me long after the last page is turned. Unfortunately that’s not always the case with a lot of books I pick up these days.

So let’s talk. What’re you reading?

Have You Ever Waited For Something?

Of course you have! We all have something in our lives, perhaps daily, that we need to wait for.

Writing is all about playing the waiting game isn’t it? If you’d like to read about waiting and learn a bit more about me, please join me over at  The WordServe WaterCooler  today.

And now I’d like to do a bit of a roll call. Since this is a new blog, I’d love to know who’s stopping by. So introduce yourself and answer these questions if you would:

Reader or Writer or Both?

Favorite genre to read/write

Favorite author/s

Do you read exclusively in one market – ABA/CBA – or do you read from both.

If you’re a wrier, what are you working on right now?
And finally, what’s on your reading list a the moment?

A bit of housekeeping – on Fridays, as I stated, I’d love to feature our CBA authors. If you are an author and you’d like to be featured here on a Friday, please let me know!!

Happy Reading and Writing!

Check back on Friday for a visit with author Richard Mabry!

What’s On Your Christmas List?

Incase you need reminding, Christmas is just around the corner! I hope you’re excited, because I sure am. It is without a doubt, my favorite holiday of all. I’ve started decorating and we’ll probably get the tree up this week. My kids won’t be home until right before Christmas this year, so we’ll see if I can hold off on the tree decorating since they want us to decorate together, like always, but I may have to put at least a few ornaments up!

So, in light of the season which also means the giving of presents, I’m curious to know if you’ve purchased any books for anyone? Although I’m a confessed e-reader, I still LOVE the feel of a book in my hand. I love looking at the covers, flipping through the pages, and yeah, I even love the smell. E-books are convenient, but the real deal just can’t be beat. I have a pile of books sitting on my kitchen table right now. None of them are for me, but you can bet I’ve enjoyed looking through them. I miss the children’s Christmas books though. My kids used to bring home a big pile of Scholastic books around this time, and there were always a few awesome Christmas stories on the pile. In fact, I still have all our favorites and I put them out every year, even though my kids are no longer little. Here are just a few of the books you’ll find us reading again and again each Christmas!

 

But I’m especially tickled this year knowing that my book is out there too, and maybe it will find it’s way under somebody’s Christmas tree!

What about you? Do you have a collection of favorite Christmas books? Are you buying books as gifts? Tell us about it. What books do you love to give this time of year? Any books on your wish list for Santa?

Ho, ho, ho, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!