Friday Book Pick: City of God Series

Happy Friday to you! Looking for a good weekend read? Every Friday I post my recommendation for great weekend reading material, largely emphasizing Christian fiction. This week I am recommending Randall Ingermanson's City of God series. I read book one in the series, Transgression, last March and was completely astounded by Randy's writing style. He mixes science, history, suspense, and faith into a novel that is impossible to put down. I recently finished book two, Premonition, and it took the story in directions I didn't expect.

Book One, Transgression, is the story of a rogue scientist, determined to change history, that travels back to first-century Jerusalem to kill the apostle Paul. He is followed by Ari and Rivka, two students determined to stop him. In Book Two: Premonition, Rivka and Ari, now trapped in Jerusalem, struggle with the difficulties which arise from knowing the future.

The scientific and historical detail made these stories come alive for me. I have always been fascinated by time-travel stories. I love watching characters deal with "time-shock" and culture-shock. Ingermanson does a superb job of immersing his characters into the events of the time, as well as mixing in intrigue and suspense.

I am looking forward to reading the third book in this series, Retribution, as Ari and Rivka watch Jerusalem spiral out of control and into one of the bloodiest times of the city's history.

If you are a writer, I would highly suggest signing up for Randy's Advanced Fiction Writing E-Zine. He is an amazing teacher -- known to many as "that snowflake guy" based on one of his popular writing models. He is currently working on a new project, Writing Fiction for Dummies.

Have a great weekend and happy reading!

It is for Freedom...

For those of you that have been following the saga of Chrys, Emily and the newly emerged "Freedom," I thought I would give you and update on their status.

Freedom had some difficulties upon his (her) arrival. She got stuck on her back while her wings were drying. After kicking furiously for about 10 minutes, we decided to stick in a small pipecleaner for her to grab. She got a hold of it and we turned her over, but the damage was already done. She has a sadly crumpled wing and is not flying.

So this morning, we decided to release Chrys and Emily, but hold onto Freedom for another day in hopes that she (he) will recover. Here are some photos of the grand release.

Emily is the first out of the bungalow. She grabbed onto my finger and allowed herself to be lifted out and photographed. Isn't she gorgeous?

We placed her on a rose in our garden.

Chrys -- always the independent one (first out of the chrysalis as you might remember) -- chose to fly out on her own. She quickly took refuge on a white rose.

And clambered inside to hide.

My kids had fun watching them adjust to the outside world. We had some good chats about what it was like to go of into the world.

We were a little nervous about all the birds waiting around expectantly. Here's a scrub jay on the power lines.

And here is Freedom with the crumpled wing. I think there is a lesson here, but I'm waiting until it fully plays out. My daughter was in tears this morning: "How can she be named Freedom if she can't go free?" I wasn't quite sure what to tell her. We'll be praying for the little bug, that's for sure. Hopefully we'll have good news to report tomorrow. We'll also be praying for safety for the two that have gone free. My daughter was sad to see them go. We decided it was both happy and sad. It's just like when someone we love goes to be home with Jesus. Sad for us, glorious for them.

The Power of a Name

My kids and I have been conducting a science project this summer. We bought a "Butterfly Bungalow" at Frogs and Pollywogs and sent away for our painted lady butterfly larvae.

They sent us three caterpillars, sealed in their jar complete with their rapid-growth food. I remember looking dubiously at the three critters, so tiny and feeble looking. "There's no way that all three will become butterflies," I warned my excited children. "They probably send you three so that maybe ONE will actually make it all the way to wings."

We watched them over the next two weeks as they grew rapidly. It was remarkable. Every time we looked at them, it seemed they had doubled in size. I don't know what they put in that food... Then one day two of them climbed to the top of the jar and transformed themselves into chrysalids. How do they know how to do this? The other one hung around, chowing down for a few more days before finally joining his buddies.

So far, two have emerged as butterflies. My kids have taken turns naming them. My son named the first butterfly, "Chrys," because it was the first out of its chrysalid. My daughter named the second one, "Emily," after a friend.

I have the honor of naming the third one. I feel unworthy of this honor since I was the one who kept saying not to expect all three to make it. Now as I peer into the bungalow at the two flapping butterflies waiting to be freed and the one remaining chrysalid, I feel a little ashamed at my lack of faith.

I've joked with my kids about naming the last butterfly. "How about 'slowpoke?'" I asked. I got dirty looks.

"Hmmm. Birdfood?"

"MOM!!!"

I keep peeking at the little thing. I can imagine what it's thinking. "I'm NOT going out there. She doesn't think I can, so why should I bother?"

My husband and I listened to a radio broadcast this morning by Wayne Cordero. He spoke about the power of our words. He told the story of a toddler who had been nicknamed "Mean Mike" because of a tantrum he had (at age two) when his father tried to take away a toy. This nickname followed him through his life. He is now serving a life-sentence in prison. Is it because he grew into his name? Perhaps.

My parents were (are) experts at speaking encouragement into my life. I give them a lot of credit for the person I am today. I try to remember that when I speak with my own kids and I cringe when I hear other parents bad-mouthing their kids, even in jest.

So today I whispered to the chrysalid. "I'm sorry. I was just joking. I know you can do it. Please come out." We're going to keep encouraging it until it flaps its little wings in freedom.

I've decided to name it 'Freedom,' because the Bible says "It is for freedom that Christ has set you free." (Gal 5:1).

Now, little Freedom, get out here and so you can be free.

***News Flash ***

As I was finishing this, just about to his "publish post" I got a call from the other room. "We have THREE butterflies!"

Little Freedom is lying on his back, kicking his legs, but he's out of his chrysalid! Woo-hoo!

Advice from the Experts

I'm neck-deep in a rewrite of Shaken, so I decided to go to the experts -- a.k.a. the Internet --for some advice. You can find some great stuff on google. :) Here are some great quotes about editing and rewriting. Enjoy.

Sit down, and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it. ~Colette, Casual Chance, 1964

Read over your compositions, and when you meet a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out. ~Samuel Johnson, "Recalling the Advice of a College Tutor," Boswell, Life of Johnson, 1791

A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one. ~Baltasar Gracián

I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top. ~English Professor (Name Unknown), Ohio University

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. ~Author Unknown

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov

Friday Book Pick: City of Angels by Peterson and Bell

Happy Friday to you! Looking for a great weekend read? I just recently finished a great book, City of Angels by Tracie Peterson and James Scott Bell.

This novel unites the talents of two of the most successful writers in Christian fiction: Tracie Peterson, with an incredible 82 books to her name (mostly historical Christian fiction with romantic themes) and James Scott Bell (19 books) a former trial lawyer turned best-selling author.

City of Angels is the story of Kit Shannon, a young woman who arrives in 1903 Los Angeles with a dream and a calling to become one of the first female trial attorneys. Filled with fascinating historical detail, hints of romance, strong characters, and suspenseful legal twists and turns, this book has something for everyone.

This novel is first in the Shannon Saga, a three-part series. I just recently discovered that James Scott Bell continues the Kit Shannon stories in three more novels called the "Trials of Kit Shannon." I am looking forward to following this character as she battles for God's justice in a world filled with corruption.

Enjoy your weekend and happy reading!

Starbucks

I told you folks to enter the Starbucks contest! Just because I stacked the ballot box didn't mean you didn't have a shot. Well, I won! (Thanks Bethany). Now I have to figure out how to order. Someone is going to need to help me. I've only ordered at Starbucks once and I felt like a total fool because I didn't know their language. I've only started drinking fancy coffees since I started writing in earnest this past fall. I started out at a little local shop (Bocherinni's for you local folks), and when they closed, moved to one located in a bowling alley. I never had problems ordering in either of these places.

This was my experience at Starbucks last December.

Me: "I want a small..."

Clerk: "You mean a tall."

Me: "Huh? No, I said 'small.'"

Clerk: "Our 'tall' is our 'small.'"

Me: "O-kaaaayyyy. I'll have a tall, non-fat..."

Clerk: "Skinny?"

Me: "Well, that's what I'd LIKE to be, hence me ordering the 'non-fat.'

Clerk: puzzled look.

Me: "Okay, so I want a 'tall' and 'skinny'-- hey, it sounds like I'm ordering a supermodel -- oh, so, what do you call a latte here?"

Clerk: Looking bored and not overly amused. "A latte."

Me: (turning red as the line of cranky un-caffeinated people starts jostling behind me.) "Yes, that's what I want. A latte, small non-fat. With sugar-free vanilla."

(I hand him a card that I got as a Christmas gift a few years ago) "Is this still good?"

Clerk: (laughing to co-worker) Hey, Tiffany, you gotta see this! I haven't seen one of THESE cards in YEARS!!!"

I grabbed my "supermodel" latte and dashed out of there, cheeks burning. Apparently Starbucks is a culture of its own. Does anyone have a translation dictionary I can borrow? I'm determined to use my new card before it becomes another source of entertainment for the staff.

Thanks to Bethany of BethanyHailePhotography for letting me participate in her Starbucks gift card contest. She is an amazing photographer who focuses (pun intentional) on portraits of families, kids, babies, "baby-bellies" (pregnancy) and high school seniors. Check out her site to view her amazing work. She took shots of me for my business cards and promotional material and I had a blast working with her. Bethany, tell Adam that I'm sorry for stealing the card from him.

So, what should I order next time?

God's Heart Crashes My Pity Party

Okay, confession time! One of my biggest struggles is discontentment. I find it difficult to go to other people's homes because I always come home feeling bad about my own. In truth, I love my house. It's got character, it's got space, it's got a nice layout and it has a MASSIVE backyard. I know it's a great house. It's more my own care of the house that gets to me. I need to de-clutter, clean, paint, decorate, organize and so on. And yet, the very idea of accomplishing these tasks overwhelms me. These things really weigh down on me sometimes.

I was really struggling with this recently. I was feeling down about myself the entire day. I kept praying for contentment. I kept trying to "choose" contentment. But, inside my heart I was sinking into a pity party.

That's when God showed up. He wasn't an uninvited guest, and yet I was surprised to see Him arrive. I didn't think God usually came to pity parties.

You might find this silly... I think maybe God does silly sometimes--after all He invented silly, right? But it made me smile and then laugh. Then I had to run get my camera.

In moments when I'm fretting about the cleanliness of my home, I'm going to look back on this picture and laugh. And I will remember that in the midst of a pity party -- God has a way of making His heart known, even when you aren't looking for it.

In case you can't tell, this is a picture of my bathroom faucet as it looked when I went to brush my teeth.

Friday Book Pick -- Sisters in Time

Since our local schools are just letting out for summer, I decided to dedicate this week's Friday Book Pick to more summer reading suggestions for kids. A few weeks ago I lined out three series that I recommend for different age groups. This week, I'm adding another series for young girls, Sisters in Time put out by Barbour Publishing.

This series gives young teen and pre-teen girls a chance to explore different time periods throughout American history through the eyes of a strong girl character. In each book, elements of the character's faith affect their choices and how they view the situations around them.

In researching Christian historical fiction for kids, I read two of these books: Maureen the Detective: The Age of Immigration (Veda Boyd Jones) and Mandy the Outsider: Prelude to World War 2 (Norma Jean Lutz). The books were fun, suspenseful and full of interesting historical detail. Both characters were challenged in their faith and grew as a result. They also dealt with real-world challenges with which any young girl can relate: friendships, family relationships, and school issues.

Sisters In Time series has a fun website that allows kids to learn more about history and about the characters. The books can be purchased through Amazon, ChristianBook.com or anywhere Christian books are sold. If you are looking for other titles for girls, for boys or for older teens, check out my other summer reading recommendations.

Have a great summer!

Summer Camp

My kids are out for summer and so that means making plans. A few days of lazy fun is nice, but then I start hearing those annoying words, "Mom, I'm bored." It always annoys them when I answer, "Nice to meet you Bored, I'm Mom." I know, I know -- do not exasperate your children. Though, as I always remind my husband, the words to that verse are "Fathers, do not exasperate your children..." (Eph 6:4).

So, we've been looking at day camps and summer classes to keep them somewhat busy. Personally, I think most kids today are TOO busy, but a few classes won't hurt, right? The one both of my kids jumped at is offered by our Parks and Recreation Department. Get this -- Ice Cream camp. How awesome is that? I want to go, but it's only for 7-11 year olds. Rats. It's three days of fun learning to make ice cream, touring Cold Stone Creamery and other fun activities. They also both signed up for "Young Chefs." Learn to cook? And in someone else's kitchen? Sounds like a winner.

Then came the tough one. Sleep away camp. My nine-year old (almost 10) decided that this is the year. We have family connections with the Christian camp, Tadmor, so we signed him up there. He's very excited for a week vacation from Mom, Dad and sister. As he puts it, "You guys can get a little annoying at times." Hmmph. At least he said that with a twinkle in his eye. I suppose with that kind of attitude, a little church camp might help.

Now if Mom can just let go...

Also, my friend Bethany is turning 30! Happy Birthday old lady! (Of course, I turn forty later this summer, so I can't throw any stones.) In celebration, she is giving away a Starbucks giftcard. Interested in participating in the contest? You're going to have to beat me... Check it out at http://www.bethanyhailephotography.blogspot.com/. Good luck!

Voices Together

Have you ever sat back and listened to your church sing? I mean, really listened? This past Sunday, I did just that. I closed my eyes and listened. It was gorgeous. I don't mean the worship team -- of course they were amazing, they always are. But this time, I listened to the people sing. It gave me an overwhelming sense of unity. We all believe the words we are singing and by singing them together... for some reason it brings a power to it. I have the same feeling when I listen to the kids sing in Sunday school.

My 7 year old daughter memorized Hebrews 10:25 for school this year: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Why does God want us to meet together? I imagine it is so that we encourage each other and remind each other that we are not alone in our beliefs. With the way our culture is developing, it would be easy to think that our entire country has turned its back on God. We've almost become anti-God. It would be easy to believe that we are alone.

So, this week, make sure you meet with fellow Christians. If you get an opportunity to sit in worship together, take a moment and listen to the voices raised in song. We sing together, we stand together, we worship the Father together.

Thanks for being there -- together -- with me.

Some Words about Writing

For all the writers out there, or if you are just interested in the process... here are a few quotes to brighten your writing day. (Please excuse the language).

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain

Don't be too harsh to these poems until they're typed. I always think typescript lends some sort of certainty: at least, if the things are bad then, they appear to be bad with conviction. ~Dylan Thomas, letter to Vernon Watkins, March 1938
Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. ~Author Unknown

If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster. ~Isaac Asimov

Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"

Being an author is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum. ~Graycie Harmon

Two steps forward...

This post is for all you writers, writer-wannabes and those just interested in the process. Lots of folks have been asking me about my progress on Shaken. Well, I have to say it's been a bit of a dance lately. Two steps forward and one step back.

I am trying to follow recommendations made by two different agents and one published author to lengthen the novel to 60,000 words. Since it was 30,000 at the time, that meant doubling it. Wow. That is tough for me, since whenever I edit, I tend to go through and cut extraneous words and phrases. If it doesn't move the story along, snip. Too wordy? Clip. Lacks a point? Cut. But adding? After the story is complete? That's been a challenge.

Lately it's been like hiking a zig-zag path. I write 2500 words in one spot, cut 1200 in another. So my word count is edging up, but slowly. I keep a spreadsheet of my progress. Yesterday was a discouraging day. I worked for hours, adding whole sections, dialogue and fun historical detail. Then I went and cut a large section of backstory that didn't really move the story along. I ended up with a word count for the day of negative 425 words. Ugh. Not the direction I was wanting to travel.

And yet, as I go through this process, the story is getting edgier, tighter and more exciting. Today, I worked for another few hours and added 1,200 words. I actually added more than that, but when you calculate in the words I cut... Well, you get the picture. My total word count is up to 49,300. Only 10, 700 to go. Or as my hubbie says, add another 20,000 and then I can feel free to cut 10,000.

I am determined to get the story up to 60,000 if I have to write the last 5,000 in blood. And that might be a challenge with a laptop.

And yet, I do not want to add words just to make the story meet some pretend goal that someone set out for it. I only want to add words that strengthen the plot and the characters. Though I was hesitant to add words originally, Shaken is so much better than it was when I started the rewrite process. It has pushed me to dig deeper for this character and the plot. I am excited to see where the next 10,000 words (or 20,000 minus 10,000) takes things. It's very possible that the best parts of this story are not even written yet. And that gives me chills!

Friday Book Pick -- Waterfalls by Robin Jones Gunn

This week for my Friday Book Pick, I'm recommending Robin Jones Gunn's Waterfalls. It is book number six of the eight part Glenbrooke series. I have not read the others in the series, but I thoroughly loved Waterfalls.

All of the Glenbrooke books take place in the fictional community of Glenbrooke, Oregon. Being an Oregonian myself, I felt right at home in this town. Waterfalls tells the story of Meredith Graham, an acquisitions editor for a children's book publisher. When Meredith meets Jacob Wilde, a movie star, she is swept off her feet, but he doesn't necessarily feel the same way. Will she ever recover her balance?

This gentle romance is full of fun and laughs. Robin Jones Gunn is talented at getting her characters into hysterical situations that lead to surprising results. Let's just say that this is the only novel I've read where one of the characters is inflatable. Don't ask -- just go read it.

Robin Jones Gunn has 70 books published (51 of which are novels) and has won three Christy awards. She is the author of the popular Christy Miller, Katie Weldon and Sierra Jensen series for teen girls as well as the Sister Chicks series for women. I have read several from each series as well as a few of her non-fiction books. I have yet to read of book of Robin's that I have not enjoyed. Her books will inspire you and stretch your faith as they entertain. It's great summer reading!

Delight

I guess I was too traumatized by the "spider incident" to get a blog post written yesterday. Or maybe life just got in the way!

Today I want to share about a bible verse that keeps popping up in my life lately. Do you ever have that happen? It always makes me wonder if God is trying to tell me something.

It is Psalm 37:4. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Isn't that a great verse? I've heard two speakers mention it over the last two weeks and it's been buzzing about in my brain like a mosquito ever since.

It's easy to get hung up on the last part of the verse... He will give you the desires of your heart. Who wouldn't want that? God as Santa Claus. How fun would that be? And yet, we know that God doesn't usually act that way. So why is it in the Bible?

Maybe it's sort of an if-then statement. IF you delight yourself in the Lord, THEN he will give you the desires of your heart. Okay, if I delight myself in the Lord, then I get to go to Disneyworld. Right? Maybe... So how do I do that?

After spending so much money each summer taking our kids to the local pool and water park, we decided that this year we would invest in one of those vinyl above ground pools. You know the ones-- they show up in the Target and Wal-mart ads around Memorial Day each year. After much wrangling, we got the monstrosity set up in the backyard and started the hose. It took two days to fill the silly thing and it was as cold as ice. But the kids are happy as larks (or fish), splashing in it every chance they get.

I was watching them the other day as I pondered this verse. Suddenly the "delight yourself in the Lord" section made more sense. My kids were delighting themselves IN the water. They were "delighted" and they were "in." So what does it mean to delight ourselves in the Lord? I think it must have to do with being fully immersed in His will. In His plan. In His word. I'm not much good at that. I'd rather sit on the edge and dangle my feet in. The water looks a little cold and deep sometimes.

Can we delight ourselves in the Lord by dangling a foot over the edge of faith? I don't think so. We have to jump in with both feet. We have to soak in it.

And then? The desires of my heart? Hmmm. Well, I am suspicious that there is more to it than that. I am thinking that if I am soaking in God's word and His spirit that my desires may change a bit. What do you think?

Let's try soaking and see what happens.

Shower Terror

Okay, I've never actually seen the movie Psycho, so all I know about it is that it has a terrifying shower scene. I had my own terrifying shower scene this morning. Want to hear the story? I'm sure it rivals the movie. :)

I had just stepped into the shower for a refreshing morning wake-up when I discovered I wasn't alone. In the shower stall, we have one of those pressure mounted corner shelf units for holding shampoos and soaps and such. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a black critter scurry out from behind the rod on the floor.

He was very polite.

"Um, excuse me Madam, but I seem to have gotten myself in an awkward predicament. I was looking for a quick sip of water and I have now gotten myself trapped. If you could be so kind as to--"

Me: "AAAAAAGGGGHHHH! SPIDER!!!!!"

Him: Waving his legs, politely. "Um, yes, I am. But if you would just--"

Me: "SPIDER! SPIDER! SPIDER!"

Him: Taking a few hesitant steps backward, "Yes, but please, I don't mean to frighten you, I just seem to have gotten trapped in here and I'm really not to pleased about it. I do not need a shower and I really am not fond of water. If you could just open the door--"

Me: Grabbing the shower nozzle and pointing it in his direction, "SPIDER!"

My husband dressed in a shining suit of armor and hearing my distress, pokes his head into the shower. "Where?"

Me: "In the corner, over there." I aim the water jets at the spider and catch the arachnid square in the face.

Spider: sputtering, "I said, I don't need a shower! I don't like water! Help!" He scampers back behind the rod for safety.

My husband: "Well, I can't reach him now. Just leave him, he won't hurt anything."

Me: whimpering. "Spider, spider, spider..." I blast the water jet at the corner shelf trying to flush him back out. Unfortunately, our water pressure is minuscule and the stream of water merely trickles down the pole where the spider remains hidden, getting MY refreshing morning wake-up shower.

Spider: whining, "Please, stop..."

Me: "Get out here so I can wash you down the drain!" The water continues to stream down the corner pole.

My husband: "Is anyone hearing 'the itsy-bitsy spider' in their head, or is just me?"

Me: Sighing. "Okay, you big ugly spider, stay there. But if you move, you're going down the drain. Hear me?"

Spider: "Loud and clear. I'm never stepping one of my eight legs from behind this pole ever again."

Me: "See that you don't."

Right now I think that spider is still cowering behind the pole. Maybe he's writing out his own frightening shower scene to share with his friends. "I was trapped in this strange white room lined with slippery tiles when in stepped this terrifying, ugly, naked human armed with a water gun!" Come to think of it, his story may be more frightening than mine. Too bad he doesn't have a blog.