Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 30

Day 30. 

It's been a fun month, hasn't it? I've enjoyed spending time each day thinking of things for which I'm thankful. Family, friends, writing colleagues, and you, my readers. Thanks for sharing the journey with me.

As the month closes, it's time to look ahead, not back, so I'm heading into December with anticipation of the greatest birthday the world has known.

"Come, Immanuel, Come." 

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 29

Day 29. A Sweet Deal for You.

While writing is a solitary endeavor, many people are involved into the process of a completed novel – agents, editors, copy editors, art departments, publicists, and one of the most crucial in my opinion – critique partners. These are the brave souls who see the ugly parts of our stories, all the dangling participles, misplaced modifiers, goofy and illogical ideas, and atrocious spelling. Finding critique partners who understand your vision and are able to slap you around one minute and offer cyber hugs the next are more precious than rubies. They must be tough on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside.

I’ve been fortunate to have a few critique partners who’ve shaped my work and encouraged me along the way. I’m eternally grateful as these ladies have also become dear friends. But the joy of being a crit buddy is that we are also able to celebrate the successes of one another.



One of my best critique buddies is Camille Eide. She's smart, savvy, and funny, and I’m as proud as a new momma that her first novella is releasing in just four days! It’s a lovely story (I’ve had the pleasure of reading and endorsing this enchanted Christmas tale). So for today I’m going to send you over to Camille’s blog where she has some fun things going on – a Christmas cookie recipe exchange and a chance to win a copy of her “baby” – Savanna’s Gift – an e-book just in time for Christmas. And you’ll get to meet Camille, too, who’s as lovely and witty as her blog.


See you tomorrow for Day 30 of Thanksgiving.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 28

Day 28. 

A frost is in the air. Most of the turkey is gone. ALL of the pie is gone (thank goodness for that!). The house is quiet. All is calm. And I’m thankful for the relaxed Thanksgiving we've had with two of our sons and their families. We enjoyed eating (of course), watching football, playing cards in the kitchen, and doing a jigsaw puzzle in the dining room.

I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed sitting around a table, sorting puzzle pieces by color, elbowing each other looking for just the right piece. It’s a sort of being together that we don’t do much of anymore, and you know I’ve missed that. With our iPads and data phones and laptops, I wonder if we’ve forgotten how to just “be” with one another. No agenda. No volume controls. No clock to watch. And you can get up from the table and meander off to do something else for awhile or stretch your legs. And when you come back with a cuppa something warm, someone will have added a few new pieces and you settle in for another session, heads together, bent over looking for an elusive piece or giving a little hoo-rah when you find it. And always toward the end, the pieces start flying into place and you joke about who will get to put in the last piece. Being the grownups we were, we let one of the grandkids have the esteemed honor.

I’m thankful for the reminder of simpler times, of the pleasure of doing a jigsaw puzzle. And because I enjoyed it so much, I’ve added “get a new puzzle” to the Christmas list. Actually, I can’t wait.

How about you? Were there any reminders of the past from your Thanksgiving weekend? What family activities did your family enjoy?

Day 27. The Letter Z.

Today I’m thankful for the one who is my constant muse and companion. She gives unconditional love with no strings attached, unless you count the daily ritual of an after-dinner treat. I’m never lonely or truly alone with my faithful pup at my side. I can’t imagine a world without animals or my home without this sweet girl – Zelda.

As a puppy almost 8 years ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zelda today, still loved and adored. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 26

Day 26. The Letter Y for You, my readers!

If you have read one of my books, thank you.

If you have attended one of my book launches or book signings, I appreciate the time you took from your busy life to celebrate with me.

If you have written a review and posted it on your blog or online, thank you for sharing your insights and your gift of words.

If you’ve read my blog, been friends with me on Facebook, have liked my Facebook author page, or followed me on Twitter, thanks for hanging out and spending your days with me.

If you’ve said a prayer or given me a word of encouragement, you’ve blessed me in ways you can’t imagine.

If you’ve written me a note, an email, or messaged me, thanks for the sacrifice of your time.

If you’ve shared my books with others or recommended them to a friend, you are a treasure above all things.

To all of you, my gratitude overflows. Because of you, I search for the perfect word, that special turn of phrase, the spark that will make my stories come alive. It’s for you I write.


As a very small way of saying thanks, I’m giving away two of my books in a drawing. I’ll be drawing two names on Dec. 3, and winners may choose either Chasing Lilacs or Broken Wings. To be entered in the drawing, please leave a comment WITH YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION telling me how you first found out about my blog or my books. Even if you already own one or both books, you’re welcome to enter. I’d be honored if you won and gave my book to your church or local library or gave it as a gift. If you’re a first-time reader, my hope is that you will like what you read and tell others.

Thanks for your support and joining this adventure with me!

Note: These are my personal books. Chances of winning dependent on number of entries. Void where prohibited. Open to North American residents only. 

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 25

Day 25 – The Letter X

Today’s letter is the tricky little X, which can serve as a legal signature if you’re unable to write your name. It’s also the unknown in math – the number to be found that will make an equation true. It’s also the symbol that indicates the crossing of two objects or things to come up with something totally different and new.

That said, I have a question for you today:

What happens when you cross a best-selling non-fiction author with a Christy award winning novelist? Since it’s Black Friday and I don’t want to slow down your pursuit of the “perfect” deal, I won’t keep you in suspense.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Marriage Carol Moody Publishers (September 1, 2011) by Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

CHRIS FABRY is a graduate of W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and Moody bible Institute's Advanced Studies Program. Chris can be heard daily on Love Worth Finding, featuring the teaching of the late Dr. Adrian Rogers. He received the 2008 "Talk Personality of the Year" Award from the National Religious Broadcasters. He has published more than 60 books since 1995, many of them fiction for younger readers. Chris collaborated with Jerry B. Jenkins and Dr. Tim LaHaye on the children's series Left Behind: The Kids. His two novels for adults, Dogwood and June Bug, are published by Tyndale House Publishers. Chris is married to his wife Andrea and they have five daughters and four sons.

GARY CHAPMAN is the author of the bestselling Five Love Languages series and the director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants, Inc. Gary travels the world presenting seminars, and his radio program airs on more than 400 stations.





ABOUT THE BOOK

On Christmas Eve twenty years earlier, Marlee and Jacob were married in a snowstorm. This Christmas Eve, they are ready to quit, divorce is imminent. Their relationship is as icy as the road they’re traveling and as blocked with troubles as the piling snow. They take a shortcut to get to the lawyer’s office, on a slippery, no-fault path. She thinks they need to stay on the main road. He disagrees. They fight. Story of their lives and they slam into a bank of snow , spinning, drifting, falling, out of control. Just like their lives. Reluctantly, freezing cold, hungry, scared, she trudges up the hill. Paul is nowhere to be found. Her ears frozen, fingers and hands red, she comes to a house on the hillside, built like a Bed and Breakfast, a green wreath on the red door and the door-knocker is in the shape of a wedding ring.


The red door opens and the first thing she notices is the fire in the room, blazing hot, a warm, inviting, friendly place and the voice of an old man welcomes her in. There are three golden pots on the hearth, shining, glimmering things. The old man claims that they are used to restore marriages. She laughs—and begins a journey through her past, present, and future that will test how she views her lifelong love. There are two futures available. Which will she choose?

If you would like to read the first chapter excerpt of A Marriage Carol, go HERE.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 24

Day 24. Happy Thanksgiving!

Departing from the alphabet today to celebrate Thanksgiving. Hope your day is blessed and filled with all the things you love – turkey and the trimmings, big screen football, sweet reminisces, and barrels of laughter. Love on your family. Have a second helping of dressing and a whole piece (or two) of pumpkin pie. Jump in the leaves. Hug a child. And in everything, give thanks.

You are loved!

Have a safe and glorious day!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 23

Day 23. The Letter W.

Today is a grab bag of things that I’m thankful for that begin with the letter “W”, and at the end of the post, a special surprise for you.

Words: No secret here – I’m in love with words. I’m in love with Writing words. I love it when I think about it for two days and find the exact perfect word for a scene that I’m working on. I know it’s a quirk, but it does give rise to another thing for which I’m thankful – the community of Writers. Thankfully, people in this weird tribe understand what I’m talking about.

One of my writing pals – who is a doll and not weird at all – is Alice Wisler, a two-time Christy award nominee. She writes tender love stories with fun, quirky characters who have a touch of southern sass AND Alice always includes recipes in her books. I love that about her, and I think you’ll like her latest release:

A Wedding Invitation.

After returning home from teaching English at a refugee camp in the Philippines, Samantha Bravencourt enjoys her quiet life working at her mother's clothing boutique in Falls Church, Virginia. When she receives an invitation to a wedding in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, she looks forward to reconnecting with her college friend. Instead her life collides with Carson, a fellow teacher and the man who broke her heart, and a young Amerasian refugee named Lien who needs Samantha and Carson's help to find her mother before Lien's own wedding. When the search for Lien's mother reveals surprising secrets from the past, Samantha must reevaluate her own memories and decide whether to continue to play it safe or take a risk that could change her life.



If you would like to read the first chapter of A Wedding Invitation, go HERE.

Now, the fun for you. I’ll be giving away a copy of A Wedding Invitation on Saturday, Dec. 3. To get your name in the hat for the drawing, please leave a comment WITH YOUR CONTACT INFO on this post and tell me what you are most grateful for this Thanksgiving. I’ve done enough talking this month, it’s your turn!  

Disclosure: This book was provided by Bethany House. Contest void where prohibited. Chances of winning dependent on number of entries.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 22

Day 22. The Letter V for Dream Vacation. 

Last May, Max and I had the trip of a lifetime – a week in Maui. We had not really intended to plan such a trip even though “everyone” said we should. Then, to our surprise, Max found out his company wanted him to attend a leadership conference in Maui – on their nickel. This was not rocket science. Of course we went.

 
Even now, six months later, when I close my eyes, I see glorious sunsets and remember my first glimpse of lipstick trees (which are much more vivid in person than in this photo!) and the rocky cliffs along the twisty road to Hana. Apparently we “just missed” seeing George Lopez, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Steven Tyler, but it wasn’t the celebrities I went for. What I remember most was walking on the beach in the moonlight, sipping MaiTais in an open air café jutting out over the Pacific, and the sweet indulgence of Maui gold pineapple. It was like “everyone” said – paradise on earth – the handiwork of God at its finest.
 

What a special gift. My heart is full with the memories. And lest the images grow dim, I still have 650 digital photographs to remind me. Here are a couple you might like.

 

 

What is your dream vacation? What are you waiting for? 

 

 

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 21

Day 21. The letter U for Unicorn. 

When my boys were young, Roger Whittaker made a children's album – fun, silly songs like Google Eye, Boa Constrictor, Puff The Magic Dragon, Winken, Blinken and Nod, and my personal favorite – The Unicorn Song. The kids loved it, and truthfully, so did we (We still have the album!). Today I’m thankful for those magical songs – the moments of whimsy when for a little while you can almost imagine the possibility of being swallowed whole by a boa constrictor or that once upon a time Unicorns roamed the earth and that they were the loveliest of all creation – those silly unicorns.

Here’s the Irish Rovers rendition of The Unicorn Song – I think you’ll agree a touch of whimsy once in a while is a very good thing.