Yes. Some of these are repeats from last year ;). Here’s praying this year goes a bit better :D.

1. Do my Bible study every day by the end of the year. With the kids, too.

2. Blog.  Three times a week.  Every week.  Or at least a note why I won’t be blogging that day.

3. Go to ACFW‘s conference in Dallas this September.  Meet more people. Meet online friends for real. Watch LOST with my LOSTies Kristy and Jess. Live up to my cookie diva reputation ;).

4. Date night – at least every other month with my honey. And a nice trip somewhere for our 15th anniversary in May. Even if it’s just St. Louis for the weekend and a series of ball games.

5. Lose weight. I’m not going to post the goals again this year. Suffice it to say, I’m very disappointed in my lack of reaching them. This year, I’m just going to try to work harder on it.

6. Exercise daily – that means at least 5 days a week – also, RUN a 5K. This will help a lot with #5. [And I already did about 35 minutes on my Wii Fit Plus today! We, uh, won’t mention how many days it had been since I checked in…]

7. Develop and make habitual house cleaning/other routines
Something to work on this week…

8. More fun stuff as a family – game night at least twice a month; Wii Fit/Resort Fun Night the other two weeks

9. Finish first drafts of at least four manuscripts
a.    Finding Mr. Write
b.    Role-model Romeo
c.     Baby Burbs [Mostly I want to finish RR so I can get to this one because I love this story!]
d.    Something completely new for NaNoWriMo
e. Another new one I’ve not even thought of yet – possibly a Tuesday morning one based partially on this post – and think of two others for a series of three books to have ready to pitch at conference.

10. Complete/finished/”final” draft of 3 manuscripts
a.    Finding Mr. Write
b.    The ‘e’ up there. Whatever it is.
c.    Something else

11. Contests – enter them
a.   Enter two manuscripts in Genesis – Suburban Straightjacket and Finding Mr. Write
b.    Enter RWA contests
c.    Enter at least one MS in RWA’s Golden Heart
d.    Try to enter at least one contest at least every other month

12. Read 4 books a month.  For research.  Yep.  That’s it.  Plus one non-fiction or craft book.

13. Research agents some more and send out queries/proposals for Suburban Straightjacket and Finding Mr. Write.

14. Organize office/writing time/reviews and DO THEM! I’m doing much better about getting books READ but writing the reviews tends to be a problem… I’m working on it… ;). And keep track of expenses for tax time…

15. Always remember Why I Do What I Do.

How’d I do on last year’s goals? Overall… not terrible, but could be better…

1. Do my Bible study every day by the end of the year.
Doing better. But not daily. But did get the kids Bible study stuff too. I know C and Em especially will need help with theirs. Is it the same? No. Is it better than nothing? Yep.

2. Blog.  Three times a week.  Every week.  Or at least a note why I won’t be blogging that day.
Moving right along…
No, seriously. I didn’t. I know I didn’t. I want to do better next year.

3. Go to ACFW‘s conference in St. Louis this September.  Meet people.  Meet Julie Lessman.  Because we all know I ♥ Julie  .
Made it to ACFW! Met Julie TWICE last year! And met so so so so so many other amazing people. Both in person and online.

4. Date night – at least every other month with my honey.
This didn’t happen :(. We did have a week long working vacation in March. And several date nights during VBS but not an EOM thing. Not nearly enough.

5. Lose weight.
If you really want to see my specific goals, you can go find that other post. Let’s just say I didn’t meet any of them and leave it at that :/.

6. Exercise daily – that means at least 6 days a week – also, RUN a 5K
Uh… see #5…

7. Develop and make habitual house cleaning/other routines
Getting a bit better but certainly not great…

8. More fun stuff as a family – game night at least twice a month; Wii Fit/Resort Fun Night the other two weeks
Same as #7…

9. Finish first drafts of at least five manuscripts
a.    Liz [already at 53K] – YEP! Rough draft is done!
b.    Nick/Debbie [already over 50K] – YAY! Rough draft is done! And that’s as far as it’s ever going to get ;).
c.    Nate – Nope.
d.    Two Jasmine novels [one is nearly 50K] – Nope.
e.    Something completely new for NaNoWriMo – Yep! Very rough draft is done! Working on making it a more complete rough draft this week 🙂.

I also started and finished Suburban Straightjacket and started Role-Model Romeo. I had not even conceived of these this time last year.

10. Complete/finished/”final” draft of 3 manuscripts
a.    Liz
b.    Nick/Debbie
c.    Nate – or maybe one of the Jasmines

I didn’t finish final drafts of any of those. But I did start and finish a final draft of Suburban Straightjacket.

11. Contests – enter them 
a.   Enter two manuscripts in Genesis – Unbreak Her Heart and Nick/Debbie [and give it a title :p]
b.    Join RWA
c.    Enter RWA contests
d.    Enter at least one MS in RWA’s Golden Heart
e.    Enter Great Expectations again [entering the first time this week]
f.    Try to enter at least one contest at least every other month [those above are the biggie annual ones – at least the ones I know of]

I entered 2 books in Genesis. Joined RWA and entered Golden Heart this year with Suburban Straightjacket. I’ve also entered SS in Great Expectations and a couple of others. I’m trying to get the beginning of Finding Mr. Write ready as well, but we’ll see.

12. Read 4 books a month.  For research.  Yep.  That’s it.  Plus one non-fiction or craft book.
Didn’t read any craft books all the way through though I’ve read bits and pieces of several. I’ve read over 100 books this year, need to review some of them ;), and read some more :D.

13. Query
I haven’t queried much per se, though I did send out several for Unbreak Her Heart. I did send out two Suburban Straightjacket proposals after conference. One was rejected out of hand. The other was also rejected but very nicely so with some positive feedback as well. I’m working on at least one other proposals for an indie press. After the first of the year, I’ll start queries for SS.

14. Always remember Why I Do What I Do.
At last! One thing I fully succeeded in! [This makes much more sense when you remember there was a pic of my kids next to it ;).]

Later this week or early next I’ll post some 2012 goals. Here’s praying I can be more successful with them :).

The Merchant’s Daughter and The Healer’s Apprentice are currently available for 1.99 on Kindle and Nook!

Merchant’s Daughter: Kindle       Nook
Healer’s Apprentice:   Kindle       Nook 

First, I do need to say that Mellie* is a friend of mine. I adore her and am so very, very glad we got to meet at conference a few months ago!  She is a wonderful encourager and has been a great help in keeping my sanity the last few weeks. That said, I wouldn’t be posting this review if I didn’t absolutely believe in what I’m saying. I won’t fake a review for a friend, though I would tell them privately what I didn’t like.

So… Mel writes fairy tale adaptations and this one** is the story of beauty and the beast.

From the back of the book:

An unthinkable danger.

An unexpected choice.

Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf’s bailiff—a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past.

Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff’s vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf’s future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.

Annabel is spunky. She does what she has to both to save her family from further humiliation and to protect herself from a fate worse than Lord Ranulf.

Lord Ranulf is described as  a beast of a man. At least at first. He is scarred. Wears an eye patch [though he’s no pirate]. One arm doesn’t work quite right.

But underneath the rough exterior beats a gentle heart, one determined to see only good for the people now under his care. That means protecting Annabel and the others from those who would hurt them.

Annabel feels the best place for her would be a nunnery. But in the 14^th century, you have to have money to become a nun. Her father would likely have sent her, but after his death she is encouraged to give up that dream, though she never does. More than anything she wants to read the Bible for herself, going so far as to ask her local clergyman to borrow his. Except he doesn’t even have a Bible of his own. She wonders if that means his teachings about how all women are inherently wanton and tempt men merely by existing are even true.

But Lord Ranulf le Wyse needs more than just help in the kitchen. He needs someone willing to read his Bible to him.

Enter Annabel.

As she reads to him and helps doctor a wound he receives when an unknown perpetrator tries to run him out of town, she discovers what a good, kind man he is. And how he’s been hurt in the past. By his late wife. By people who can’t see past his scars. By life in general.

But even though Annabel has come to accept him, the danger to her, and to Lord Ranulf, is far from over. They must work together to overcome the prejudices of the townspeople to protect both of them. In the end, will Annabel choose to take an unexpected opportunity to join the nunnery? Or will she accept the Lord has placed a different desire in her heart?

I absolutely loved this book. Melanie brought the 14th century to life for me! I loved her characters [except the ones I wasn’t supposed to like ;)]. This is one that will go in my personal collection and be reread and recommended over and over again. And not just because I love Mel!

The only thing that… bugged me is a bit strong, but for lack of a better term, bugged me is that officially, The Merchant’s Daughter is a young adult book. As such, the language [as in the words chosen not like… cursing] is a bit younger in places than I’m used to. Some descriptions etc were a bit… overly simplistic compared to what you might see in a book for adults. That’s not to say she writes down to young adults or anything, just a bit of a stylistic difference between YA and ‘adult’ books. That’s the only thing lowering my rating. I’d love to see Mel write a book for grown-ups and compare. That and a bit of room to grow ;).

I would LOVE to see other adaptations by Mellie – like the Snow White and Cinderella ones she’s mentioned to me in the past!

Overall: 9 out of 10 stars

Did I say ‘love’ enough in this review? 😉

Thanks to Melanie and Zondervan for a free influencer copy to review.

*Apparently, no one calls her Mellie. I dunno where I first got that. But she said I can ;).

**Her first book, The Healer’s Apprentice, is an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty.

Thanks to Gail for doing this! And look! I get to be featured with LOST/Once Upon a Time buddy, Jess!!!!

Thank you to our blog alliance partners

Jessica Keller works from an office her husband set up for her in their Chicago home. Using a bright orange laptop she posts five days a week. She blogged big-time in college, garnering a huge following. She says, “It got to the point where people I didn’t know would walk up to me and start talking…about my life because they were addicted to my blog.”

After graduation she ended that blog and went to work in the records department of law enforcement. She figured her blogging days were over, but she started writing novels. She thought about author blogs she loved and wanted to “create a place like that so…someday when a novel-length piece is published…” she’ll already have a blog.

Her blog reflects her love of baking, her communications and Biblical studies degree and her enthusiasm for books. She’ll read over one hundred this year. On Mondays she muses about life in general. Tasty Tuesdays give cooking advice and recipes. On Writing Wednesdays she shares her writing struggles and advice or hosts experts. Thick-of-it-Thursdays feature a spiritual message, and Fridays for Readers introduces new writers. At least once a month there’s a cookie give away. Yum.

During the past nine years she’s written articles, short stories and a novella and recently made the finals in three contests. When she isn’t writing she runs in 5K’s and mentors college-aged women. When asked for a random fact about herself she said, “I have two cats named for super heroes, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent.”

Visit Jessica’s blog here.

Carol Moncado blogs about life and writing from a big cushy chair in a basement in the Ozarks. She says the area “is slowly becoming my office/library.” She’s written on and off ever since she was a kid, seriously for the last two years. She blogs everyday attracting readers, other writers and friends who want to know a little more about her, her writing and the authors she likes. She says, “I try to have humor – and we all know laughter is the best medicine! I love to get comments.”

As for her writing, she’s currently blogging her way through NaNoWriMo. When she isn’t blogging or working on her own writing projects, she takes care of four children, reads and watches television. Her all time favorite show – NCIS.

When asked to share a random fact about herself she said, “When we moved into our first house, we moved on Friday the 13th to a house on Elm Street. We found and put an offer on our second [current] house on 06/06/06.”

Visit Carol’s blog here.

Marianne Evans started her blog, A Minute with Marianne, a little over two years ago. She says, “I loved the idea of chronicling my thoughts and expanding my writing platform…Call it ‘keeping up with the times.’” An added bonus. “It’s a blast…”
She posts almost once a week. A Minute with Marianne introduces readers to writers and books they may not otherwise hear about. Marianne says, “There are so many wonderful inspirational, Christian themed books out there. I love shining a light on them and getting the word out on new and exciting authors.” Her blog also covers writing inspirations, motivational tidbits, reviews and publishing news.

She keeps her blog casual with highlights on having fun, getting to know people and sharing a passion for great writing. When Marianne isn’t blogging, she writes.  She’s A Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence winner for Hearts Crossing. She was a 2011 finalist for Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year for Hearts Surrender. Marianne says she made the jump from secular romance to Christian Inspirational romance/fiction when “the call on her heart matched the ideas in her head.” Visit her blog here.

Merry almost Christmas!!!

I’m setting a fairly ambitious goal for myself this week. Five, yes, five, book reviews!!! I’ve already read two of them… maybe 3… and one more nearly done. One of my goals for Christmas break [I have a MONTH!!!] is to get caught up on my influencer stack of books. And maybe even read one or two FOR FUN!!! Or just for fun rather, because I don’t often volunteer to influence for books unless I’m pretty sure I’ll like them :).

I’m also hoping to finish a rough draft in the next couple weeks, though I’m pretty sure I’ll fall well short of my 35K goal for the month. Considering I’m still a couple hundred shy of 6K, I think it’s a pretty good guess ;).

We’ve had a Christmas party and two Christmases already this weekend. Another one [and the Survivor finale] tonight, then done with ‘special’ stuff until Christmas Eve :).

But now, I have to go vacuum… because company will be here sometime soon :D.

So I was at school today giving finals. Had printed off the first 25 pages of Finding Mr. Write and the edits suggested by a new critter. And this is what it looked like:

Cuttin’ and pastin’ old school :D!!

And by the time I was done with those two pages they looked like this:

Cutting and pasting the file is going to be… Fun. I have to keep telling myself that ;).

But hey! Posting this from the WordPress iPhone app! Will see how it works ;).

I didn’t write this. Donna is my… second cousin? Something like that. Our dads are cousins if I remember the family tree correctly. But I may not. She may be my dads cousin. Regardless, my point is that I know this story is true, because I know her. 

What a testament to the true meaning of Christmas. I left their request for funds for this year’s toy drive at the bottom, but know that this isn’t meant to be a high powered pitch of any kind. Just something to make us think.

 

Toy Story

The following is a true story. May the spirit of giving burn bright in your heart as you read:

He had a face like any other 8-year old boy. There was nothing special about his features that would make you remember him. But what he did… well, that makes him one little guy we’ll never forget.

It was Christmas Eve. Hundreds of small faces peered through the fence at the array of toys spread out before them. Clutching their ticket as if it were gold, they patiently awaited their turn. One by one they filed down the row of tables, their bright eyes wide with excitement. So many choices, only one toy. “Which one do I choose?” The steady banter of “¡Rápido! ¡Rápido!” from the church staff kept the little ones moving along.

It was our annual Christmas toy distribution. Church groups from across the U.S. had worked all year collecting the toys to give to these underprivileged kids in Mexico. For most of them, it would be the only toy they would receive all year. Church workers had been sent into the poorest of the poor neighborhoods to pass out tickets, and now the big day had arrived. During the distribution Donna’s job was to stand at the tables and make sure that each child had only one toy. I was working in crowd control. There were only so many toys to go around. There were still hundreds of children outside the fence. We wanted to be sure to have enough.

She saw him coming. His oversized coat was torn; the floppy slacks he was wearing carried the trademark of numerous hand-me-downs. His matted hair and dirty face signaled the poverty this little boy had become accustomed to. He carried a truck in one hand and a baby doll in the other. Donna turned him around, gently reminding him that there was a limit of only one toy per child and that he had to choose a toy for a boy. Within moments he was trying to pass her again. This time the truck was in plain view, but the doll was discreetly tucked under his arm. You really had to hand it to this guy for having persistence! Donna was undaunted. She knelt down before him, and looking into those big, brown eyes, she calmly explained that each child was allowed only one toy, and that he had to return the doll to the table. Sadly, the little boy turned away and headed back to the vast display…..

This time the little guy was gone longer than usual. Donna was busy checking other children coming through on their way out. And there he stood before her again. This time the truck was gone. In his hands was the little baby doll he had been carrying all the while. It’s blond hair and fair skin shined in stark contrast to the dark, dirty hands that now cradled it. Looking from the doll up into the now-resigned eyes of the little boy, Donna knew there was more explaining she had to do. “Boys are supposed to take boy-toys,” she told him patiently. “Baby dolls are for little girls. You can get the truck but you have to leave the doll on the table.” The little boy didn’t budge. Instead, he looked Donna in the eyes and spoke for the first time. His shy, quiet words landed with a resounding thud on her heart. “Señora, I was the only one in my family who got a ticket. My little sister didn’t get one.” He continued in a faltering voice, committed to the decision he had obviously thought out. “I would rather do without the truck if I can take the doll and give it to her.”

Need I say more? This little guy, untrained, unlearned in Christian principles, preached literally volumes of sermons to us through his one sincere act of unconditional love. Just to think, he was willing to sacrifice perhaps the only toy he would get all year long to make sure his little sister received one. I believe he made Jesus very happy on His birthday.

What would YOU be willing to sacrifice this Christmas so others less fortunate might receive? Consider your blessings and then think about a small brown-eyed boy sacrificing something he wanted so badly so he could get a doll for his little sister.

What about the truck, you might ask? Oh, believe me, he got it. After a heart-wrenching display of love such as that, how could you possibly deny him? After Donna regained her composure, she sent him back to pick up that which he had strived so hard to get. She made that little guy one happy fellow as he bounded out the gate with the truck in one hand and the doll still clutched in the other, running to his family to show them what he had received. As for us? Well, we were left to contemplate our own degree of love, wondering what we would have done had we been in his same dirty, ragged shoes…..

Again this year, many lives will be touched in Mexico by the toy drive and you can be a part! (See below.) There is a great in-gathering of people into our churches during the holiday season. Entire families have been saved and join the church following the toy distributions. Many of them come to the church out of curiosity, wanting to find out who gave their children nice toys when they couldn’t afford to give to them. Those are the kinds of testimonies that make it worth it all!

In closing, Donna and I would like to thank you for doing your part in helping us win the lost. We wish you and yours the happiest of holiday season. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and give you peace during this most joyous occasion! _______________________________________

If you would like make a donation to help us in this year’s toy drive, please send your check to:

Spirit and Truth Ministries
Randy and Donna Denton
PO Box 2635
Mission, TX 78573-0044

Thank you!

Good Sunday morning to y’all!

How’s that for an Ozarkian hello? 😉

So yesterday I was emailing with a dear writer friend – Mellie Dickerson. Apparently, I’m the only one who calls her Mellie. I could have sworn I read people calling her that, but I guess not ;). She said it was okay though :D. Makes me feel special.

So we were talking about a bunch of writerly stuff as well as life in general stuff. And she mentioned something about one of the down sides of being  a published author. It brought to mind something I’d read earlier in the day.

See… NTRWA’s Great Expectations contest had their early bird deadline yesterday. I entered Suburban Straightjacket and am contemplating entering Finding Mr. Write but that means I need to get the first 25 pages all shiny and polished up. I reread through the first pages, cringing as I did so. The placeholder names [who has a friend named “Friend3”? I mean really!], the wrong destinations and wrong mode of travel [since later needs dictated a change in both].

But then there was this moment of clarity. Hero [Jeremiah] and heroine [Dorrie] are at a local writer’s meeting a few weeks before the big national conference and their group is critiquing each other’s synopses and one sheets etc. Things they’d show to interested agents and editors while at the conference.

I read the snippet below, especially the part in italics, and I thought Wow! Did I write that?! I’m guessing that… yes, I wrote it, but let’s face it. It was divinely inspired. That’s the only answer, because it’s something I struggle daily to remember.

Beth followed with her one page synopsis then Jeremiah showed us his one sheet.

It was… much better than mine. To the point I wanted to cry. How was I supposed to compete with something like that?

You’re not, the still small voice inside me said. You write what I give you to write, the words come from Me. You aren’t competing against anyone – not when it comes to My will.

I knew the voice was right. I wasn’t competing against anyone as long as I was doing what God wanted me to. And Jeremiah and I wrote very different genres. Even if it was a competition we wouldn’t be competing against each other.

I’m not competing against Mellie*. Or even Janice Thompson or Kaye Dacus or Jenny B Jones or any of the other writers of incredible romantic comedies. In fact, I’m not competing against anyone.

All I have to do is my very best. That’s all I can do anyway. This path is in God’s hands. If and when I get published, it’s because it’s in God’s timing.

I still need to learn my craft and get my name out there through networking and so on. I can’t just sit at home and wait for the phone to ring if no one knows I’ve written a book.

So… I’m going to keep writing what He tells me to, what I have to write [and yes, I know how weird that could sound to those without the writing ‘gene’]. I’ll edit and revise and edit and revise some more then send out queries and proposals while starting on the next project until the right one, the one God ordained before the beginning of the earth**, hits the right desk at the right time.

In fact, we stayed home today because Maggie and I weren’t feeling all that hot. But I’m feeling better now and should probably try to add some words to Finding Mr. Write. It’ll never get done if I don’t.

*For the record, I was never felt I was in competition with Mellie. We write very, very different genres ;).

**NIV, Psalm 139:16 – your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Lauren Tarshis has been so incredibly gracious with Maggie and Jadyn [Maggie’s BFF]! She agreed to let them send her ten questions, she answered them with wonderful answers and sent them back. And she had lovely things to say about them! She has been wonderful to work with.

Her latest book is I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941 so today, in honor of Pearl Harbor Day, we posted their interview.

You can find it here:
Pearl Harbor Day Special: Interview with Lauren Tarshis by Maggie and Jadyn

These girls are so great! Love them!