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When the World Stopped

It took a couple hours to get through the cobwebs to find this page. It’s been a little over a year since I wrote my last blog post. I figured it was a waste of time, and I had better things to do. Better things to spend my time on. Time was precious.And now there…
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And So We Plant

It’s been a hard season. A scary few months. We began May with much joy, still celebrating the birth of our first granddaughter, Annabel Rose, born at the end of April. And she is everything we and her parents prayed for. She is beautiful. Perfect. All amazing baby cuddles and snuggles and sleepy smiles and…
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It's ACFW Conference Time!

I know, it’s been an age. And honestly, I’m not sure you’ll hear much from me around here anymore. I haven’t quite ‘hit’ the formulae that keeps people hooked. So this is more of a fun post that my friend Laurie Tomlinson has going, so I thought I’d join in the fun. It’s almost time…
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And So We Choose This Thing

Thirty one years. Today. I stood before him in a long white gown that cost more than my father wanted to spend, but he bought it for me anyway, because it was the one and he was ‘the one’ and my Dad would have bought me the moon if I said I wanted it. I stood…
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Is It Supposed To Hurt This Much?

That was a text I got from my daughter a few hours into labour. “Is it supposed to hurt this much?” I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t. Because, yes. It is. And it does. And it will continue to. With every challenge that comes with being a parent. Being a mother or father or…
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We're Waiting For You!

Dear Baby E, You’re late. I suspect this may be a good indication that we will get along well. (I think this trait may come from both sides!). As your grandmother, I reserve the right to tell you what’s up, and rest assured I probably will, whether you like it or not. Heads up –…
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Onward to 2017!

I hope your Christmas was fabulous! We spent a quiet day together, and then, in a shocking break from tradition, we went to a restaurant for Christmas dinner! It was lovely not having to spend the day chopping, peeling and cooking, constantly checking the clock to make sure everything was running on time. I’ll admit,…
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Where Is Your Identity?

I’ve just returned from a few days in Nashville, where I attended the American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference. I was trying to figure out dates in my head and I think this must be at least the eighth conference I’ve attended, and still, I’ll be honest, it’s the best of times and it’s the…
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Grace Awards 2015 Winners ~ in Faith Based Fiction

So honored to be a recipient of this year’s Grace Awards! And since I’m knee deep in edits this week, it gives me something to celebrate! And blog about. 😛
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Guarding The Writer’s Heart

Source: Guarding The Writer’s Heart
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Do You Think About The Author?

November 21, 2011 |

I know many of you who review books also write them, so you probably don’t need to read this post. But I have a question for you. As a reviewer, do you ever stop to ask yourself this, “How will my words directly impact this author?” I don’t write a ton of reviews. I will…

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Chit Chat – The Hunger Games

November 17, 2011 |

So I may be one of the last people on earth to read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, but I’ve just finished it. I heard all about it when it first came out. A lot of my friends read it and raved about it. I didn’t get around to reading it. Truthfully, I wasn’t…

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What Are You Reading Right Now?

November 9, 2011 |

Every now and then, I’ll throw this question out at you. What’s on your nightstand or Kindle or whatever, RIGHT NOW? And if you’re one of those lucky people who can manage to read several books at the same time, which one is really grabbing you the most? Why?

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Writing A Review – What Makes The Difference For You?

November 1, 2011 |

 Being the curious being that I am, I’m always asking questions. Always asking “Why?” “Why’d you do that?” “Why’d you say that?” “Why in the heck are you wearing that…” Okay, I digress. As an author, a published author since March 2011, I’ve had to curtail my obsession with the why questions, because sometimes I’m…

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Talking Books

October 26, 2011 |

Okay, let’s talk about books. We love them. Reading them. Writing them. For those of us who write them, the challenge comes in trying to keep up with our always growing TBR pile, right? I struggled with this for a long time, but this past year I’ve read a lot of really good books. Have…

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How This Works…

October 14, 2011 |

I usually have a bit of trouble explaining myself, (yes, I know I’m a writer), so it’s no wonder I’ve received a few emails from confused people. Let me try and break it down. This blog is for READERS. This blog is for READERS WHO REVIEW CHRISTIAN FICTION. This blog is for AUTHORS WHO WRITE…

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Welcome to The Blog About Books!

October 12, 2011 |

As a debut author, I’ve spent the last six months connecting with readers, authors and reviewers. It hasn’t been easy. In fact, at times it’s been downright difficult. Why? Because there are thousands of blogs, thousands of bloggers who love books, and thousands of bloggers who love books and review them! How do you sift…

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When the World Stopped

It took a couple hours to get through the cobwebs to find this page. It’s been a little over a year since I wrote my last blog post. I figured it was a waste of time, and I had better things to do. Better things to spend my time on. Time was precious.
And now there seems to be so much of it.
Seems like we’re just crawling through the days, trying to get through one, only to do the same tomorrow. Trying to make it through without losing our ever loving minds.
For anyone living under a rock, or for the reader who may inadvertently stumble over this post ten years from now, the world is in the midst of a Pandemic. COVID19 launched its attack a few months back, and now most of us around the globe are on lockdown in one form or another.
Social Distancing. Self-isolation. Quarantine. Curfews.
Ventilators.
Death toll.
These are words we have all become uncomfortably familiar with.
Borders are closed. Flights grounded. Storefronts shuttered.
And so many many people wondering how they’re going to make it through the year.
If they’re going to make it through the year.

That’s the kicker with this thing. You can be walking around with it for days before showing any symptoms. By then you’ve already infected a whole bunch of people, and they’ve infected a whole bunch of people, and on and on and on it goes.
I don’t need to tell you that. You’re living it with me.
And I guess if there are any beautiful moments to be found amidst this ongoing horror movie that has no off button, it’s the knowing that we’re not alone.
We’re all in this together.
For better or for worse.
Let’s not make it worse. Yeah, it’s easy to freak out. We worry about our elderly parents and grandparents. We worry about our teens and young adults and grown adults. We worry about our healthcare worker relatives and friends. We worry and we worry and we worry. Because none are spared. We are all at risk.
Raise you’re hand if you’re NOT having trouble sleeping.I’m getting in the habit of taking deep calming breaths, at least once or twice every hour. If I didn’t, I’d let my thoughts run wild. It’s easy to do, right?
Last year was a tough one for me. I cheered on 2020 with an exuberance I scoff at now. Because, what the heck is this?? This is not what we signed up for!!
Yet here we are.
Where is the good?

Well. We have more time to think. To talk. To listen.
To be creative.

Okay, I have to be honest. Being creative right now? It’s not really happening for me. These are the first words I’ve written in weeks. My anxiety level has been a bit off the charts and I can’t seem to concentrate on anything for long. But maybe this is a start. Maybe I’ll write more tomorrow. 

We also have more time to spend with our loved ones. Maybe more time than we want, but we can still go for walks, alone. Right?
And let’s thank Jesus for the Internet, because if you mute all the garbage, there’s good stuff to be had too. My husband and I chatted with my brother-in-law and his wife for an hour on Saturday on Facetime. Don’t think we’ve done that in a long time and it was awesome. We’re having to do Facetimes with our granddaughter right now because my husband is a pediatrician and he doesn’t know if he’s putting her at risk by seeing her. I’m seeing my less of my dad and stepmother because I’m afraid of putting them at risk. So that’s how we’re doing life right now. Online. Which is a whole lot better than nothing.

I’m spending a lot of time outdoors. I’m thankful that it’s Spring and we can leave the windows open, flooding the house with fresh air. We can go for walks. The birds are louder this year. I can hear the tree frogs at night because there is no traffic. The sky seems bluer. The sun warmer.

I have time to notice these things.
I have a lot of time. So do you.
How are you spending it?

I would encourage you by saying something I am sure you’ve heard a million times already; this too shall pass. At what cost, I couldn’t say, but I do know that at some point, this will end. And life will resume.
But it will never be the same.
This will have changed us.

I think we’ll all come out of this with a different perspective, but perhaps we may be a little kinder. A little slower to anger. A little less inclined to judge. A little more willing to stop, and give, rather than wonder what’s in it for me. Imagine what our world would be like with more love and less hate.

We have learned quickly how to protect ourselves. How to wash our hands. How to not touch our face. How to reach out to those in need.
How to love our neighbor. From six feet away.

Let us remember the good things that are happening in the midst of this hard hard time. Let us all learn from it.
Let us remember that when the world stopped, we carried on.
And survived.

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