beyond comfort zones

When you're one of more than 500 writers at a huge hotel, you don't meet but a few of them. So today at lunch in this big ballroom, I chose an empty table in a far corner rather than sit with the people I knew as a sort of game to see who would come. So there I was, the only person alone at a huge table for 10, wondering who would sit down with me.

People were pouring in for lunch and taking tables all around me but my table seemed invisible. The waiter, perhaps feeling sorry for me, served me a salad. Long minutes ticked by and I finished my salad. Feeling a bit strange by now and thinking I'd better join one of the other tables, I prayed the right person would come to my table. I was now way out of my comfort zone:)

So over comes a lady who sits down smack beside me. Her name tag says she's from Ohio. I tell her I graduated from college there and asked her a little about herself. The talk always turns to writing. She asked about my publishing journey and I began talking about my brother who's in Spain but so instrumental to this whole book thing. I mention he'd been in Ecuador for 18 years till recently, planting churches and training Ecuadorian pastors for ministry. She said, "Oh, that sounds like the ministry we support - Team Expansion."

Needless to say I nearly fell off my chair! And she almost fell off hers when I told her my brother's name and she told me she's been praying for him and his family for almost 20 years and supporting his ministry!

Only God could have arranged that! Blessings abound here and everywhere. Sometimes you don't even have to go looking for them:)

colorado fall

Greetings from Denver! I have a terrible hankering to flee my hotel and start heading toward the mountains. The leaves are just beginning to turn as nature begins its fall symphony:) Today is my 15th wedding anniversary - away from my husband who is such a good sport about all of this. I did call home last night and talk to the boys a few minutes. They're doing quite well without mom and have likely already eaten all the groceries I bought. I'll be back Sunday.

So...I had such fun last night after falling in with a group of Texans, all writers, and then having dinner with a female doctor who writes medical fiction and also Candace Calvert, nurse and author who has a new book out entitled, Critical Care. If you like those ER dramas on tv this one is for you! I thought of all the nurses in my family and wondered how I ended up a writer. It's really fun to talk books with other authors. That's ALL we talk about which is just fine by me after going solo for so long but must get a little tedious to nonwriters.

The conference actually begins this afternoon at 4 pm for me and then it will be nonstop activity till Sunday noon. I love ACFW's focus on the spiritual aspect of writing. Plus you really never meet a stranger here! I've had wonderful conversations in the bathroom, elevator, Starbucks, and every nook and cranny of the hotel. Of course it doesn't hurt that we have name tags the size of road signs:)

Hope today holds some unexpected blessings and good books for you!

have tote, will travel

I couldn't resist one last post before flying away. My tote is now full as a tick, as Lael would say. Empty water bottle. Check. Crackers/Kashi bars. Check. Seabands for all that chop over the Rockies. Check. Good book (George Washington and Valley Forge). Check. Formal wear which I will never wear again. Check. Dogwood jewelry. Check. Uncomfortable high heels. Check. Notebook and plenty of pens. Check. Sanity. Gone! It might be fun to have a traveling companion come to think of it but I'm a solo kind of gal.

I'm not sure what kind of internet connection I'll have once there and a friend said to forget posting altogether as there will be no time. So have a blessed week if I don't touch base with you again. But I'll certainly try:)

Oh, to be like this:

There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go. -Frederick W. Faber

denver

This is the view of downtown Denver from the prairie. Close one eye and try blocking out those buildings and you'll get a view of what it must have been like for those first settlers heading west long ago. The contrast of blue and brown is stunning. I'm glad I'm heading there in a plane and not a covered wagon:) It's nice to have a non-stop flight from Seattle to Denver but first comes the little hopper over the Olympic Mountains here on Wednesday morning- yikes! That shakes you up a bit.

I don't have a clue what I'm getting into here! First writer's conference ever. First face to face meeting with my agent. I do have a book for the plane...an 18th-century historical. Are you surprised? Last time I flew to Kentucky, airport personnel took my water bottle and it was like taking candy from a baby. Maybe that's changed? It's always interesting to fly alone. Minus 2 boys:)

I'd sure appreciate prayers for this trip. My heart goes out to all those attending the conference who have a writing dream and will be meeting with editors/agents about the books they've written. Books you may be reading in the near future:) With God all things are possible and I don't say that lightly. We can really rest when we entrust our dreams to Him.

Do you like to fly? Ever attend a conference? Ever try to sneak a water bottle on a plane:) Hope to post from Denver if not before. See you then!

In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15

a most amazing verse

It's almost the weekend and I know many of you embrace it:) Some of my friends have had a hard week - one in the E.R., another dealing with a difficult boss, sick children, a big bill, a misunderstanding, a dream on hold, etc. In each of our lives there is always so much happening, both good and bad. One of the most profound things I ever heard anyone say was on Beth Moore's amazing blog, http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com. Not long ago her daughter Melissa made the comment, "He (God) knows it's hard to be us." Those simple words spoke to me in a way many sermons never have.

Ever read the Bible and stumble across a verse you've never seen before and it really ministers to you in a huge way? That happened this week. Sometimes I think He hides certain Scripture from us till we really need it. Or our spiritual vision improves and we appreciate it:) Maybe this is as much for you as it is for me:

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields Him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders. Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)

If you're tired today, take comfort from this verse. I know I have. I'd love to hear some Scripture that speaks to you.

listening

A few months ago I finished a book and was feeling pretty self-satisfied when I began to sense that it wasn't going to fly as written. In fact, during the writing of the book I had the distinct impression that I should add a character. But I ignored it to my detriment. Adding characters when the book is finished is quite complicated! I didn't want to add anything. The book was done, polished and ready to go, or so I thought. But the feeling wouldn't go away so I created someone new and worked him into the plot. But he didn't suit me so I took him out! Three times!! Yes, crazy as it sounds, I kept putting him in and then taking him out which was a little like surgery as I had to keep stitching up the novel and trying to figure out if pre-op or post-op was better. In the end I kept the character.

Now I believe that writing is a gift and your ideas aren't your own. I pray about each project and really feel the Lord gives me the heart and passion to write each and every book. It's His book first, mine second. My job is to listen to Him. So...about a month ago, on this current manuscript I'm loving so much, I had the distinct impression, once again, to add a character. A child. OH NO! The book was 2/3's complete and I really, really liked it as it was. This time I didn't fight it. But I did negotiate:)

Okay, so I had to add a child. But this was complicated as children are so cute and demand lots of attention and dialogue and other shenanigans. How on earth? But then the idea came to me - make her mute. That sure made me smile:) So now I have this amazing, five year old, mute little girl who softens my hero, captures my protagonist's heart, and adds a certain mystery to the novel as a whole. And the book is better for it.

I'm ashamed to say the Lord sometimes has to shout at me to get my attention. But I much prefer His whisper. I love that He speaks to us through His word, Scripture. How has He spoken to you recently? Or in the past? Is there a moment that stands out to you when you knew unmistakeably that it was His voice? What was your response?

corsets, hats, and other 18th-century things

I'm in the midst of helping dress Morrow Little, my protagonist for book 2. Unlike Lael, Morrow likes her corset. And you won't find her going barefoot much. If she and Lael were to meet in the Kentucke woods I'm not sure anything but sparks would fly. But I'm very fond of them both, flaws and all:) And I hope you'll feel the same.

A few days ago the art team sent me pictures of some beautiful 18th-century dresses and I picked my favorite. JOY! There are many amazing parts of publishing but the cover art ranks right up there with signing that contract:) And then there's holding the finished book in your hands...and dreaming of that next novel...and packing for your first writers' conference. These memorable things offset the downside of deadlines, competitiveness, critics, etc.

Did you know that readers tend to prefer historical fiction and historical romance set in the time period of 1880-1900? This is what sells best, or so I've heard. Can anyone guess which movie the above picture is from? The lovely hat you're seeing is straight out of the century I love. I'll not give you any other clues!

summer ends, autumn begins

I'm feeling autumn in the air and my days of hanging clothes out to dry are drawing short! Those early settlers didn't have clotheslines but just strung their wash on whatever bush or fence or porch rail they could. Isn't this quilt beautiful beneath that colorful tree? Actually it's the tree that catches your eye - no mistaking our Creator's design!

It's been a busy week. Wyatt finds middle school "interesting" and Spanish is his favorite class. Paul and I start homeschooling again next week - fiddling, too. Our garden is in - lots of green beans, cukes, tomatoes, and corn. I leave for Denver in just a few days and need to start packing. But my heart is really set on Kentucky.

For you Facebook fans, The Frontiersman's Daughter has a page of its own. Please look it up and come visit! My dear friend, Patti, in Kentucky gave me the idea and she has been such a blessing to me by sharing the word about my book. I recently received news that Kentucky Monthly magazine will be reviewing the book in an upcoming issue. Wouldn't it be fun if Cracker Barrel would start carrying books?! That's just about the first place I stop when I go home:)

Here's a lovely thought:
Be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars. -Henry Van Dyke

Kentucky countdown: 60 days!

ian's castle

This post is especially for my bloggy friend, Mary, over at her winsome http://bellwhistlemoon.blogspot.com. Recently some folks asked me if I really lived in an English castle as they'd read in an online interview. These pictures of Harlaxton Manor/Grantham Castle, or Ian's castle, as I think of it, don't do it justice. The place is even bigger and more magnificent than it looks. I spent my junior year in college living here while I studied the Revolutionary War from the British perspective. And believe me, the British have a vastly different view of George Washington and all those Patriots than we do:) I also studied Shakespeare and 18th-century literature. It was the most amazing experience of my life!

Here is the castle at twilight taken from the gardens. The setting sun turns all those turrets and the clock tower a shimmering gold and it almost hurts your eyes to look at it. To get here you drive down "the long mile," past huge gate houses and a side garden and an immense mews (stables) before coming to the very intimidating front door. All it lacks is a moat:)

Here's the castle in a slightly more Gothic mood. I did think of this amazing place in detail when creating Ian and his crumbling Scottish abode, though I think if Castle Roslyn was truly this magnificent, he'd never have left for Kentucky! Do you think Lael would have liked it? Or would she have found it too formal and stuffy? As for me, I loved every minute and cried when I left.

school daze

Today is the first day of school for my Wyatt. After 8 years of homeschooling he wants to go to "real" school. His rural school is very small and only 1/2 mile down the road from us. The whole 7th grade consists of 18 students or less! I hope and pray he likes it. Middle school isn't for cowards! Our youngest son, Paul, will continue to homeschool and fiddle. I can hardly wait till Wyatt gets home and I can hear all the details. Till then it will be awfully quiet around here with the fridge door not opening and shutting 24/7! Please pray for Wyatt and the many kids in school today nationwide.

I've been hearing from readers hoping for a sequel to The Frontiersman's Daughter which sadly will not be. Another thing I'm hearing is that some readers wish very much to have their questions answered in regards to Captain Jack and Ezekial Click, etc. I'll just say that I tried to write Lael's life as realistically as I could and leaving those loose ends wasn't an accident. Real life leaves quite a few unanswered questions for all of us and Lael's story is no exception. In early Kentucky it wasn't uncommon for settlers to simply vanish - men, women, and children. So this particular thread in the novel is historically accurate, if sad.

Book 3 is humming along and I wish I could slow it down but the story is insisting it be told:) I'm already missing the book and I'm not finished though 270 plus pages is what I've nailed down. I just love my Irish hero. And I'd best say no more...