tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71994014703478201042023-11-16T10:30:05.829-07:00Patti's PorchPatti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-9338987290416756262013-03-21T12:59:00.001-06:002013-03-21T12:59:29.985-06:00I've moved!<span style="font-size: large;">Hi. I notice a couple of people are still stopping by this site, so wanted to let you know that if you should stumble onto it by accident, I'm not here anymore! Find Patti's porch at <a href="http://www.pattishene.com/">www.pattishene.com</a>. Come on by and let me know you've been there with a comment! Thanks!</span>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-25817406551939672132012-12-03T08:54:00.000-07:002012-12-03T08:56:29.769-07:00News From Nashville & Beyond<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Once in a while, an author offers readers an in depth view of her work. Author Staci Stallings does just that as she takes us to Nashville for an interview with the main characters in her book, <i>Cowboy</i>.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Wait til you see the special offer Staci has after the interview!</span><br />
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News From Nashville & Beyond<br />
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Character Interview with Ashton Raines and Kalin Lane<br />
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(Transcribed from a television interview with “The Music Plays… World Tour” featuring opening solo artist Kalin Lane and headliner Ashton Raines, both accompanied by their wives, Beth Raines and Danae Lane.)<br />
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<b>NFNB:</b> First of all, welcome to you all. Thanks for sitting down with us.<br />
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<b>Ashton:</b> Thank you for having us.<br />
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<b>NFNB:</b> Let’s start with what it’s like to be on a world tour. What cities? What are the crowds like?<br />
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<b>Kalin:</b> Well, for me it’s been an absolute dream come true. I mean, getting invited to be here with Ashton who, let’s face it is the King of Country music right now. Standing on that stage every night, hearing the fans singing my songs, cheering, in all these different countries…. it’s truly amazing.<br />
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<b>Ashton:</b> I have to agree. I stand down there as Kalin’s playing, and there’s just this incredible energy that sweeps through the whole place, no matter if we’re playing for 20,000 or 60,000. To hear those fans, to get to connect with them. It’s what I came here to do, it’s why I started singing in the first place, and to get to do it night after night has been such a blessing.<br />
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<b>NFNB:</b> How’s it been working together? The two of you play country music, but it’s really not quite the same kind of country.<br />
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<b>Ashton (laughing):</b> Yeah. I could never pull off the hair! (Reaches over and ruffles Kalin’s famously stringy blond mane then shrugs.) But it works, you know? I play the more traditional stuff, Kalin rocks the house, it works.<br />
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<b>Kalin:</b> I have to agree. I think it has really come together because we’re not two performers who happen to get on the same stage every night. We really understand each other and respect each other for what life has thrown at us and the hard knocks it’s taken us to be able to play from the heart so to speak. So it doesn’t matter that he plays the acoustic and piano, and I’ve got more electric and keyboards to my style of music because I think deep down we both really see that we’re doing what we love to do, making the kind of music we love to make. When you do that, somehow the synthesis of what comes out of it just works even if on the outside it doesn’t look like it should.<br />
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<b>NFNB:</b> You mentioned what life has thrown at you. Would you call the road to get here bumpy or smooth?<br />
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(Ashton looks to Beth who smiles back, and Kalin grins at Danae who brushes her brown locks from her forehead and shakes her head with a soft laugh.)<br />
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<b>All:</b> Bumpy.<br />
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<b>Ashton:</b> Definitely bumpy. (Beth nods, her eyes filled with respect and love as she looks at her husband, and the two of them share a moment. When he turns back to the camera, Ashton seems to drift into another world.) After my first wife died of cancer, there was a long stretch in there that honestly I didn’t even want to be here. I mean here as in making music here, but even here as in on the planet. Then one night I wound up in this little diner in the middle of nowhere (He looks over to Beth.) And an angel from Heaven pulled me back and gave me a reason to keep on living. (As if no one else is watching, he leans over and kisses.) Thank you, babe (he whispers so the camera barely catches the words. Then he turns back.) To be real honest, I’m not even sure I’d be here without her.<br />
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<b>NFNB:</b> So Beth, what was it like? I mean, he is Ashton Raines. It’s like every girl’s dream to have the king of music to walk in and sweep you off your feet. That must have been surreal.<br />
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<b>Beth:</b> Well, to be honest with you, I didn’t even know who he was that night.<br />
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<b>NFNB:</b> You didn’t?<br />
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<b>Beth:</b> No, really I didn’t. It’s a long story, but let’s just say I fell in love with a man, not a music star.<br />
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<b>NFNB:</b> Okay. Well… (Turning to the other couple.) Kalin, you also said bumpy. Now we know a little about your career’s early fits and starts what with having to go back to your home country the first time around. What was that like?<br />
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<b>Kalin:</b> Rough. Really, really rough. To be honest with you, that first time I let the fame and the money and the adulation of all the people around me go straight to my head. I fell in with a lifestyle I thought was great at first, but it caught up with me real fast. When I lost everything–the dream, my meal ticket in Nashville and almost my life–I thought it was all over, you know? Back then, there was no way I could have seen the amazing grace God was waiting to give me and the joy and the mercy and the grace He gives me every day now. Getting to be here now, like this, with the Raines family, and my beautiful wife. (He turns to Danae and smiles. She smiles back.) I’m telling you it’s more than a dream come true. In fact, it’s the reason I sing “Lucky” every night out there on stage.<br />
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That line about, “And it’s not fate, it’s not luck, it’s a gift from God above, that I found you, you found me, and we found love”? Those aren’t just nice, pretty words. I really believe that, you know? Because if it was not for God and the love of this wonderful, strong woman sitting next to me, I can almost guarantee I would not be sitting here today. It’s more grace and love than I’ve ever deserved or imagined, I’ll tell you that.<br />
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<b>NFNB:</b> Well, it’s almost time to wrap this up. Closing thoughts, anyone?<br />
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<b>Ashton:</b> The tour’s been amazing. The fans, the cities, the experiences. All out amazing.<br />
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<b>Kalin:</b> Come out and see the show!<br />
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<b>NFNB:</b> That’s it for now from News from Nashville & Beyond. Now back to you in the studio.<br />
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<i>Copyright Staci Stallings, 2012</i><br />
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<strong><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">Staci Stallings, the author of this article, is a #1 Best Selling Contemporary
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cowboy</span></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Timothy Ashton Raines is at the top of
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-The-Harmony-Series-ebook/dp/B0049B2E82/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t" style="font-size: x-large;">http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-The-Harmony-Series-ebook/dp/B0049B2E82/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t</a></span></div>
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Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-5978031445248812702012-11-18T16:49:00.000-07:002012-11-18T17:15:54.844-07:00An 1830's Thanksgiving<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ever wonder how our ancestors in 1830 celebrated Thanksgiving? Donna Winters shares what she has learned while researching her new novel.</b></span><br />
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For the past couple of years, I've been steeped in the history of 1830 for the writing of my latest historical novel, <i>Bluebird of Brockport, A Novel of the Erie Canal</i>. The story takes place in my hometown of Brockport, New York, and along the Erie Canal. With Thanksgiving a few days away, I got to wondering what the holiday would have been like for the characters in my story. In researching Thanksgiving in 1830, several delightful traditions surfaced which are not part of our modern-day practice.<br />
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My characters would have started their day with a church service. While some churches today hold Thanksgiving Day services, the vast majority with which I am familiar do not. The sermon, we can assume, would have focused on God’s provision for which the congregants could give thanks. It might also have focused on the history of the locale and or the parish. The latter was the case with the sermon I discovered at the Library of Congress website (link below). The sermon was dated Dec. 2, 1830, reminding me that in 1830, Thanksgiving was not a national holiday. Back then, each state’s governor would annually write a proclamation for Thanksgiving. While the week of the holiday could vary from state to state,it would always fall on a Thursday in late November or early December.<br />
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After church service, my characters would have returned home for a sumptuous feast. Their relatives for miles around would have joined them. The menu would have included several types of meat, not just turkey. By the way, the turkey wouldn't have been a plump butterball-type like we know today, but would have likely weighed ten to fifteen pounds at most, having thinned down under the strain of being driven (on foot) several miles to market.<br />
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The bird would have been cooked over an open hearth fire dangling by a string which rotated it, or in a new-fangled invention called a “tin kitchen” or reflector oven with a spit that turned. The stuffing for the turkey probably included many of the same ingredients we use today, and a few less common ones: chopped bread, beef suet, eggs, wine, salt, pepper, sage, and parsley.<br />
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One delightful dish that would have accompanied the feast, but is virtually unknown today, is Marlborough Pudding. This is much like our custard pie with a few additional delights such as pureed apples, lemon juice, and wine. The “pudding” wasn’t considered a dessert, but a main dish that was served alongside the meats and vegetables. In addition, the meal likely included hot slaw – braised shredded cabbage served with vinegar, salt, and pepper –and mincemeat pie containing real meat (beef) as well as suet, apples, raisins, and spices.<br />
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Now for the best part of Thanksgiving Day – a wedding. Since the harvest season was now over and the extended family had gathered in one place, Thanksgiving Day weddings were common. I can imagine my hero or heroine celebrating the wedding of one of their siblings on Thanksgiving Day. The groom would wear his tailcoat, the bride her best Sunday-go-to-meeting dress. The preacher who had expounded on the blessings of the Lord or the origin of the locale in his morning sermon, would arrive to unite the romantic couple in holy wedlock. What a delightful way to spend Thanksgiving afternoon!<br />
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To learn more about an 1830 Thanksgiving, watch the feast at Old Sturbridge Village here (approx. 3 min.) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrJYS9nD2w0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrJYS9nD2w0</a><br />
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You can get the recipes for stuffing and Marlborough Pudding, and watch them being created here (approx. 8 min.) <a href="http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/mass_appeal/taste/authentic-1830s-thanksgiving-day-feast" target="_blank">http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/mass_appeal/taste/authentic-1830s-thanksgiving-day-feast </a><br />
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You can read the original text of the Thanksgiving Day sermon delivered on Dec. 2, 1830 at Ware First Parish (Congregational), Ware, Mass., here: <a href="http://archive.org/details/historicalsermon00reed">http://archive.org/details/historicalsermon00reed</a><br />
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What about your Thanksgiving Day? Do you have favorite recipes, games, or other traditions you look forward to each year<br />
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You can connect with Donna at the following links:<br />
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<a href="http://www.greatlakesromances.com/">http://www.greatlakesromances.com</a> wholesome fiction for readers 12 and up<br />
<a href="http://greatlakesromances.blogspot.com/">http://greatlakesromances.blogspot.com</a><br />
twitter:@bigwaterpub<br />
Facebook Profile: Donna Winters<br />
Facebook Book Page: Great Lakes Romances<br />
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Here’s a little about <i>Bluebird of Brockport, A Novel of the Erie Canal</i>. (You can buy Bluebird of Brockport for 99 cents (Kindle) or in paperback format at <a href="http://ow.ly/eWu9y">http://ow.ly/eWu9y</a>)<br />
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Dreams of floating on the Erie Canal have flowed through Lucina Willcox’s mind since childhood. Yet once her family has purchased their boat and begins their journey, they meet with one challenge after another. An encounter with a towpath rattlesnake threatens her brother’s life. A thief attempts to break in and steal precious cargo. Heavy rain causes a breach and drains the canal of water. Lucina comforts herself with thoughts of Ezra Lockwood, her handsome childhood friend, and discovers a longing to be with him that she just can’t ignore. Can she have a future with Ezra and still hold onto her canalling dream?<br />
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Ezra Lockwood’s one goal in life is to build and captain his own canal boat, but two years into the construction of his freight hauler, funds run short. With his goal temporarily stalled, and Lucina Willcox back in his life, his priorities begin to change. Can he have both his dreams — his own boat, and Lucina as his bride?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Donna adopted Michigan as her home state in 1971 when she moved from a small town outside of Rochester, New York. She began penning novels in 1982 while working full time for an electronics firm in Grand Rapids. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">She resigned from her job in 1984 following a contract offer for her first book. Since then, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Zondervan Publishing House, Guideposts, and Bigwater Publishing have published her novels. Her husband, Fred, a former American History teacher, shares her enthusiasm for history. Together, they visit historical sites, restored villages, museums, and lake ports, purchasing books and reference materials for use in Donna’s research.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Donna has written fifteen historical romances for her Great Lakes Romances® series. Recently, she turned her attention to her hometown on the Erie Canal and produced an historical novel, Bluebird of Brockport, A Novel of the Erie Canal, which released as a paperback in June, and has now been offered in Kindle format for 99 cents. </span><br />
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<br />Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-20174201822398346092012-11-14T01:11:00.000-07:002012-11-14T01:11:30.052-07:00Introducing K Dawn Byrd's Amazing Love<br />
<b>I've been tweeting about this one for several days. Now it's time to give my readers a closer look at K Dawn Byrd and her new release, <i>Amazing Love</i>.</b><br />
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<b>Welcome, Dawn! Tell us about your latest release and what you think readers will enjoy about it.</b><br />
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My latest release, Amazing Love, is the modern story of Hosea and Gomer. It was a tough story to write because my heroine suffers severe consequences for her sins, but it was necessary to portray how low we can go and how much God still loves us through it all. I hope readers will take away the fact that no matter what we do, God loves us with an unconditional love and is ready to accept us back into His loving arms.<br />
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<b>What would you like readers to take away from your book?</b><br />
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Amazing Love is the modern-day version of the Hosea and Gomer story from the Bible. I'd like for readers to take away that God loves us with an unconditional love. My heroine, Dee, does some pretty terrible things and believes that God could never forgive her, but He does.<br />
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<b>What did you learn while writing this book?</b><br />
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I learned that even though the Bible gives us stories about individuals who lived in Bible times, it's vague at times about specifics. This give a fiction writer a lot of leeway to let their imaginations run wild.<br />
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<b>What is the toughest test you've faced as a writer?</b><br />
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Finding time to write. I work a full-time job and also a lot of weekends, which means that I have to be really devoted to my writing time. I set aside at least an hour every night, six days a week if possible. The fact that I start with a well-developed plot makes things move faster.<br />
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<b>What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, writing-related or not?</b><br />
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I'm proud of earning a master degree in professional counseling from Liberty University. I believe this degree helps me to understand my characters better and what makes them tick.<br />
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<b>What kind of planning do you do before writing a novel?</b><br />
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I fill out character sketches in order to get to know my characters better. I ask myself what their goals are, what motivates them, and what's keeping them from reaching their goals. Sometimes, I start by writing a synopsis. This gives me information about the plot as it develops. I usually have a pretty strong plot before I actually begin the story.<br />
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<b>Why do you write?</b><br />
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I write because I can't stop. It's more than a hobby, it's a passion. It's the most fun I've ever had in my life!<br />
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<b>Are you a plotter or a pantzer?</b><br />
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A big time plotter. Because I write all of my books in 30-day marathons, I have to start with a thorough plot. That doesn't mean that sometimes the story doesn't take a life of it's own, surprising me when it takes me down a road I hadn't planned to travel.<br />
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<b>What would you be doing if you weren’t writing?</b><br />
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Probably still riding a Harley. I sold my bike in order to have more time to write. On weekends, I'd rather curl up with my laptop and the story in my head.<br />
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<b>What do you do for fun when not writing?</b><br />
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When not writing, I love to read. Romantic suspense or young adult novels are favorites.<br />
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<b>What is your personal definition of success?</b><br />
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My personal definition of success has nothing to do with money. To me, a successful person is one who is happy and enjoys life.<br />
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<b>How can readers get in contact with you? </b><br />
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<b>Email:</b> kdawnbyrd@yahoo.com<br />
<b>Blog:</b> www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com<br />
<b>Twitter:</b> kdawnbyrd<br />
<b>Pinterist:</b> kdawnbyrd<br />
<b>Facebook:</b> kdawnbyrd<br />
<b>Youtube:</b> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLtz_kGEFFk&feature=plcp<br />
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Now a little more specific information about <i>Amazing Love</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6a8q7SrrAA6C1Ww_8RoIW7mai4jEH8qn7q_FMZZHhAd3QkPaD5YCS5E65a4c38mHv1vVwHG2_WgVGW4xE2JloipGjfBrCDCzCqunZTrelxRmqOEmvUbwSBvXrsufYrJjfg3mWk8kAPDfp/s1600/AmazingLove_SMASHWORDS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6a8q7SrrAA6C1Ww_8RoIW7mai4jEH8qn7q_FMZZHhAd3QkPaD5YCS5E65a4c38mHv1vVwHG2_WgVGW4xE2JloipGjfBrCDCzCqunZTrelxRmqOEmvUbwSBvXrsufYrJjfg3mWk8kAPDfp/s320/AmazingLove_SMASHWORDS1.jpg" width="213" /></a>Gabe Knight, a pastor in a small coastal town, finds his life is turned upside down when Dee Dillow arrives and hires him to remodel an estate she's inherited from her aunt. Dee dashes his plans for wedded bless when on a drunken binge, she divulges that she's the highest paid call girl in Nevada and part-owner of the ritziest brothel in the state.<br />
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Gabe falls in love with her, but can't believe he's hearing the voice of God when a still, small voice tells him to marry her. After much questioning, they marry and he is deliriously happy. Until, Dee betrays him.<br />
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Gabe soon discovers just how hard it is to have the unconditional love God calls him to have for his wife, the kind of love God has for his children. When faced with losing her, Gabe realizes what true love is, how much it hurts, and just how much God loves and is willing to sacrifice for his children.<br />
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<b>Interview with the heroine:</b><br />
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<b>Dee, tell me the most interesting thing about you.</b><br />
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I'm not sure how interesting it is, but it would be pretty shocking to most people. I grew up in a brothel outside of Vegas. My mother owned it and since I was home-schooled, I spent most of my life there. I don't know exactly how it happened, but I became the highest paid call-girl in all of the state.<br />
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<b>What do you do for fun?</b><br />
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Shop. I love fancy cars, fine jewelry, and designer bags and shoes. I also like to invest money. It's exciting to watch it grow. I left the brothel when I was teenager and ended up trying to survive on the streets when my mother turned her back on me. I never want to live like that again and that's why I save money.<br />
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<b>What do you put off doing because you dread it?</b><br />
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I put off going to church with my husband, Gabe. I'm just not into all that religion stuff. I know he expects me to go, but I'm pretty good at coming up with excuses why I can't.<br />
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<b>What are you afraid of most in life?</b><br />
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I'm afraid of having to live on the streets again as a prostitute like I did when I was a teen. I'm also afraid of going hungry.<br />
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<b>What do you want out of life?</b><br />
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All I want is to have a family. I never even thought about a husband and kids until I met Gabe and now that's all I think about.<br />
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<b>What is the most important thing to you?</b><br />
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My money and Gabe.<br />
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<b>Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book to read?</b><br />
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Remodeling magazines. Gabe is remodeling a huge estate I inherited from my aunt.<br />
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<b>If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?</b><br />
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I'd want to make Gabe happy. He expects me to accept his God, but I just can't. It's hard to believe in a God you can't see.<br />
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<b>Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?</b><br />
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No pets. I really don't have time for them.<br />
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<b>If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?</b><br />
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I would go back to the day I was born and find a way to take me away from my mother. She allowed terrible things to happen to me.<br />
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<b>Interview with the hero:</b><br />
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<b>Gabe, tell me the most interesting thing about you.</b><br />
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I'm a preacher and God told me to marry a prostitute. Am I crazy? Am I hearing voices? I know God told Hosea to in the Bible, but this is 2012!<br />
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<b>What do you do for fun?</b><br />
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I love working with my hands, especially carpentry work. I also own some old vehicles and like to work on them. Sometimes they're a challenge to keep running and my wife, Dee (the prostitute) hates them, but I can't afford all those fancy sports cars she drives on a preacher's salary.<br />
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<b>What do you put off doing because you dread it?</b><br />
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I put off dealing with drama. An ex-girlfriend has stirred up all kinds of trouble in my relationship with Dee. Maybe I shouldn't look the other way so much. Maybe I should tell her like it is. I just hate hurting people and I have the church to think about. My greatest fear is that something will split it.<br />
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<b>What are you afraid of most in life?</b><br />
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Dying alone. I want a wife and kids.<br />
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<b>What do you want out of life?</b><br />
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I want it all. A wife. Kids. A little white house with a picket fence. Of course, I'll settle for Dee's mansion on the hill overlooking the ocean since that's where she wants to live. She inherited it from her aunt and I've been working on it for her.<br />
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<b>What is the most important thing to you?</b><br />
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My faith. I've worked long and hard to get as close to God as I am and I don't want anything coming between us.<br />
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<b>Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?</b><br />
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I read remodeling magazines.<br />
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<b>If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?</b><br />
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If I could change one thing about myself, it would be my past. I didn't always live for God. I did my share of drinking and had my share of women. If I could go back in time, I'd live my entire life for God.<br />
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<b>Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?</b><br />
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No, I don't own any pets. I'm so busy with my job as a preacher and my side jobs remodeling that there's no time for them.<br />
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<b>If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?</b><br />
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I'd love to meet Hosea face to face. Dee has put me through torture. She's ripped my heart out. I'd like to ask Hosea how he dealt with that kind of pain when Gomer was unfaithful to him.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational novels in several genres, including, historical, suspense, romance, and young adult. Some of her favorite things are chocolate, cars, and her pets. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and riding down country roads in the passenger seat of her husband's Corvette Stingray. When asked why she writes, her response is, "For the simple joy of placing words on the page!"</span></div>
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Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-23558934800221958502012-11-11T22:30:00.001-07:002012-11-11T22:30:39.249-07:00Nano Day 11 - um - day 1?<span style="font-size: large;">OK, on October 31st, I signed up for that totally maniacal and obsessive November event, NaNoWriMo. For those of you non-writers who don't know what that means, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's a commitment to write 50,000 words during the thirty days of November.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The problem is, I'm a huge procrastinator. I often find a reason to do something else instead of doing what maybe I should be doing. Sometimes, though, there's a need that drives a person to where the decision finally has to be made to do what has to be done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In other words, I've put off my writing for way too long, so long that I have this kind of dull ache deep inside that begs to be relieved. The remedy is to pull my long neglected novel up from the depths of my computer files, scan through the 100K+ words I already have written, and take it from there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yeah, 100K is a lot for an unfinished novel, but much of it is rewrites of the same scene or even scenes I know will eventually be cut altogether. I got so tired of searching dozens of files with names like Chapter One (second) or rewrite of Chapter Four or rewrite of Chapter Six scene after Crit Group comments. You get the idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, last night, I stayed up later than I should have, scanning through my 415 page document so I could "sleep" on how to advance the story today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, after church and spending some quality time with our daughter and granddaughter, I settled down and started writing. It was slow going because I kept referring back to scenes and refreshing my memory of character names, but I did manage to get 1049 words on paper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not a lot, but it's a start. I'll do more tomorrow (maybe even later tonight if I can't sleep). Will I make 50,000 words by November 30th? Highly unlikely. Yet, over the next twenty days of this challenge that remain, I'll do my best to peck the computer keys enough to rack up 20,000 words. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maybe I'll only hit 10,000. Still, that will be 10,000 more words than I have today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the ache is starting to ease - a little. </span>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-58629194000881574252012-11-08T03:21:00.000-07:002012-11-08T03:27:52.072-07:00Author Susan Sleeman offers great advice about worry<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's a delight to welcome author Susan Sleeman to Patti's Porch. Susan talks about worry, the theme for her new release, <i>Dead Wrong</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I contemplated sitting on Patti’s porch and thinking about Dead Wrong, my new book release, my mind went to one of the questions I’m often asked. What inspires me to write the books I write? No better time then sitting in a rocker—I’m assuming you have rockers, Patti—on a porch sipping a tall glass of iced tea to answer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The simple answer is that each book is inspired by a different event or situation, but what doesn’t vary from book to book is the way I choose a spiritual theme for the story. I’m a firm believer that the Lord allows trials and tribulations in our lives to grow our faith so that we can help others struggling with the same problem. So my first step in writing a book is to choose a Bible verse for the story that has impacted my life in a significant way. I want something that has helped me live through the difficult times in life so I can share that with readers through my characters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The theme or area I chose for <i>Dead Wrong</i> is worry. The verse I chose is, Matt 6: 27 - Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Through the years, I have worried with the best of them over little things and big things. But several years ago when my husband lost his job, we had zero income and had spent all of our savings on my medical bills, I knew I could do nothing about it and worrying about it wouldn’t improve my life in any way. As the Bible says, worry certainly didn’t add an hour to my life. In fact, all worrying accomplishes is to tell God that we don’t trust His timing. We don’t trust Him to work things out in His way. Point blank, we don’t trust Him to know what’s best for us. He does of course and He doesn’t want us to step ahead of Him or worry about things that are out of our hands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what did I do? I stopped focusing on the problem and left it in God’s hands. Of course, He not only took care of the problem, but gave my husband the best job he’s ever had. A blessing far beyond income. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have I given up worry for good? No, but every time I am tempted to worry, I remember that whenever I focus on anything, be it good, bad or indifferent, it will grow in my life and take over everything else. I made a commitment to myself that as soon as I realized I was worrying that I would turn the thing I was worrying about over to God and each time it came back up, I’d recommit it. It took time and lots of effort to let it go, but the ensuing peace was well worth the effort. Kat Justice has to learn the same lesson in Dead Wrong, but I didn’t give her a simple job loss to bring it to the surface. No, I made her struggle with life and death issues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now what about you? When you have that feeling in the pit of your stomach, your hands start sweating, or maybe you just don’t feel peaceful do you give it to God in prayer and leave it with Him and wait with expectation for Him to solve your problem?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A KILLER’S CLOSING IN…</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When her client and old college friend is murdered, P.I. Kat Justice knows the killer will come for her next. Her survival depends on finding her unknown enemy first…and working with homicide detective Mitch Elliot, her onetime crush.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’ll take all her professional skills to ignore the sparks between them, but Kat can’t allow the handsome cop to get close. She’s seen too many people she loves die, so she vows just to do her job without getting emotionally involved. Yet keeping her distance may not be the best way to protect her heart—or their lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For more info about and to read and except for Dead Wrong visit Susan’s <a href="http://www.susansleeman.com/books/dead-wrong/" target="_blank">website</a> </span><br />
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SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense and mystery novels. Her first romantic suspense title, High-Stakes Inheritance earned a spot on the ECPA bestseller list and her Garden Gate Mystery series, which features Nipped in the Bud, and Read Between the Tines has enjoyed time on Amazon bestseller lists as well. And The Christmas Witness was named a finalist in the 2011 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. In addition to writing, Susan hosts the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com. </div>
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She currently lives in Florida, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. To learn more about Susan stop by any of these locations on the web.</div>
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To learn more about Susan stop by any of these locations on the web. </div>
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<a href="http://www.susansleeman.com/" target="_blank">Website </a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/SusanSleeemanBooks" target="_blank">Facebook </a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.twitter.com/SusanSleeman" target="_blank">Twitter </a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.thesuspensezone.com/" target="_blank">Review Site </a></div>
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Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-36205681394083706532012-10-25T01:41:00.001-06:002012-10-25T01:41:58.890-06:00An Interview with Author Eddie Jones<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Today I welcome author Eddie Jones to Patti's Porch. This dynamic author talks about his writing, his ministry, and his commitment to carry out Gods will to the best of his ability.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tell us about your upcoming release, <i>Dead Man's Hand</i>, with Zondervan.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, it’s a fun, fast read aimed for middle school boys, but we’re also getting nice reviews on Goodreads from teachers and mothers. But my aim is to give boys a book they can enjoy, one that taps into today’s fascination with the occult. This is the first book in the Caden Chronicles series and each story involves one element of the supernatural. Book one explores the concept of ghosts, spirits and what happens to our souls when we die.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Zonderkidz is a Christian publisher, so the paranormal aspect is surprising.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I added the paranormal aspect because I want parents and youth to struggle with eternal questions. We’ve created such a culture of blood-letting through books and movies involving vampires, zombies and survival contests, that the reality of death doesn’t carry the sting it once did. In high school my youngest son lost several friends to driving accidents. When another friend recently died, we asked how he felt and he replied, “I’m numb to it.” I fear that’s what we’re doing with our youth: desensitizing them to the horrors of death. In Dead Man’s Hand, Nick and his family discuss spirits and ghosts and the afterlife because I think it’s important for teens to wrestle with these questions before they’re tossed from a car and found dead on a slab of wet pavement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>You've spent the last few years dedicating yourself to helping others get published. Tell us a little about your publishing company and what motivated you to take on such a huge endeavor.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We started the publishing arm to publish devotional compilations for Christian Devotions Ministries. We wanted to give some of our devotional writers their own byline in print. Part of the mission is to launch new careers for first time authors. We wanted to create a publishing house where writers were happy selling from 2,000, to 5,000 copies of their devotional book. There is a big jump from unpublished author to “three-book contract” author and we wanted to serve as a stepping-stone for those writers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My problem is I hate telling people no, especially when they have a solid project. When it comes time to reject a manuscript, it pains me because I've been and continue to be on the other end of rejection. I will delay saying no as long as I can in order to rework the e-mail. I try to give authors good advice for how they can improve their writing. The problem is, if I’m too nice, then they keep coming back and asking to resubmit the same project. My advice to those authors is, improve your writing and send me something new.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We currently have forty authors under contract, have published over thirty books and distribute around four thousand dollars a month in royalty checks. We pay our authors monthly, not quarterly, because we want them to feel like writing is a real job. In fact, I teach a class on how, if an author will write five books a year, they can make over twenty-five thusand dollars. And these are not large books. Most are under thirty thousand words. The goal is to have five books that sell 125 copies, (print and ebook combined). a month.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I get jazzed when one of our books launches or sells well. I know what it feels like to see your book growing legs and garnering positive reviews so I get excited for our authors. Sometimes I think that’s how God feels when we’re doing the thing He’s called us to do. When we’re in our zone, doing the thing we love, we feel His joy. That’s what is great about working for God: sometimes you get paid for playing. J</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But the only reason I’m able to publish books and write full time is because four years ago I told God I’d work for Him full time. I figure if I was working for God I’d never be out of work. I may not make a lot of money, but he says there’s plenty of work and not enough laborers, so to me, that means job security. I took a blank sheet of paper and signed it one day during my devotions and said, ‘Okay, God, I’ll do whatever it is you ask me to do, because I’m tired of working for other people. I want to work for You.’ Making up stories for boys, writing devotions, creating humorous romantic novels for adults, I get to do all this plus make dreams come true for other authors all because I agreed to work for God full time.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>You're passionate about getting boys interested in books. Why do you feel it's so important to get boys reading fiction at an early age?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I fear we’re on the verge of losing the male reader. I don’t mean men and boys won’t learn to read: they will. But the percentage of males who read for leisure continues to shrink and this could be devastating for our country. We can’t lose half our population and expect America to compete on a global level. Reading forces the mind to create. With video, the scene and characters are received passively by the brain. There is very little interaction; it’s all virtual stimulation, which is different from creation. When you read, you add your furniture to the scene, dress the characters, add elements not mentioned by the author. This is why readers so often complain, “the movie was nothing like the book.” It’s not, because the book is your book. The author crafted the outline of the set but each reader brings their emotions and expectations to that book, changing it forever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In general, boys would rather get their information and entertainment visually. This is one reason books have such a tough time competing for male readers. It can take weeks to read a book, even one as short as Dead Man’s Hand. In the meantime, that same story can be shown as a movie in under two hours. So in one sense the allure of visual gratification is robbing future generations of our ability to solve problems. I believe Americans only posses one true gift, creativity, and it’s a gift from God. Other nations build things cheaper and with fewer flaws. They work longer hours for less pay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the thing that has always set America apart is our Yankee ingenuity. We have always been able to solve our way out of problems. That comes directly from our ability to create solutions to problems we didn’t anticipate. If we lose male readers and fail to develop those creative connections necessary for the brain to conceive alternatives, then we will lose our position as the world’s leader.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What advice would you offer to parents to get their children interested in reading at a young age?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Watch for clues. If your child shows any interest in reading, reward the activity with trips to book fairs. I remember in grade school how excited I got when we were allowed to order books. All we had to do was check a box, (or so I thought), and wham! A few weeks later boxes of books showed up and the teacher began dealing them to the students. I didn’t learn until later my parents had mailed the school money for those books. I still have most of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But not all children like reading and you can create an anti-reading environment if you push too hard. An alternative for boys are comic books, graphic novels, or simply cartoon books. I read a lot of Charlie Brown cartoon books and still remember the plot: Lucy has the football. Charlie wants to kick the ball. Lucy promises she will hold the ball in place but at the last moment… We know this story because it’s repeated, not in a novel, but in a cartoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Okay, we're going to be really nosey now, you've been married a long time. Tells us a little about your family, how you and your wife met and your family.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I met my wife at a stoplight in West Palm Beach, Florida. She was in the backseat of the car behind us. The driver honked and I crawled out the passenger window, a brown Pinto. The door didn’t work so it looked like I was a NASCAR driver getting out on pit road. The car behind us was full of girls from Meredith College. They asked where I went to college and I told them I went to Meredith, too. "It's a girl's school, you dork," one of them said. I told them I was taking Old Testament that semester, can’t remember the professor’s name, now, and one of the girls yelled, "Hey! You're in my class!” I explained I'd been surfing all day and didn’t have a place to stay and needed to hose off and asked if we could borrow their showers. They led us back to their hotel, my buddy and I washed off and left. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Driving home a week later we came upon the same car in the slow lane of I-95. The girls were afraid we’d fall asleep driving home, my buddy couldn’t drive at night, so they agreed to put one girl in the car to keep us company. She’d get in, tell her life story and at the end of the hour, another would get in the car. Our last passenger was this cute girl wearing a funny Gilligan hat. She never said a word, not for the whole hour. We put her out, the girls drove off and I finally got home, exhausted. The next week I invited that shy girl to a Warren Zevon concert. Four years later, I married her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>You've freelanced writing newspaper columns for the last few decades on boating. Do you have an interesting boating story you can share?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All my boating stories are interesting. I collected the columns into two books, Hard Aground and Hard Aground… Again. The column began in the late eighties when an editor read a couple of essays I'd written about trying to sail a boat with my wife. He seemed genuinely amused someone of my limited boating experience would think a woman of my wife's refined nature would enjoy peeing in a bucket in the cockpit of a small sailboat. He informed me that I had correctly spelled the minimum number of words to meet his editorial standards and since someone on the staff had mistakenly sold one ad too many for the next issue, the publication was in need of some copy to balance out that page. I didn't know this at the time. I thought he was genuinely impressed with my writing abilities. I've been told I still suffer from this delusion."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The editor told me the column needed a catchy name. I purchased a few sailing publications and knew all boating columnists were subject matter experts. The only thing I was an expert on was running off the boat ramp, running aground on clearly marked shoals and running into the dock. I decided I would become an expert on making the best of tough times. When you run aground in a boat – in life - you have two choices. You can cuss and complain or you can grab a good book, kick back and wait for the tide to float you off. It's all a matter of perspective and pennies and I'm cheap so I usually wait for the tide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tell us about your ministry, Christian Devotions. How it got started, what you all are up to these days and what your plans are for the future.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cindy Sproles and I started the ministry years ago to help authors publish their devotions. We’d go to writers’ conferences and on the last day find all these writers in tears because no one wanted their work. I had a web business and knew how to build web sites so I put up a home page and invited contributing writers. We figured we could at least give new writers a byline, even if it was only on the web. Cindy had been writing devotions every day for two years, partly because of something Alton Gansky said at a Blue Ridge Conference and partly as a commitment to God. The odd thing was, Cindy and I didn't know each other at that first conference but we both wrote down Al’s words. It was like God spoke to each of us separately to work together. Weeks after that conference I was under my willow tree doing my devotion when I heard God whisper: ChristianDevotions.com. I meant to register the domain but by the time I got to my upstairs office, I forgot. A few weeks later God spoke again. Once more, I forgot. A few more weeks past and this time I wrote it down in my journal and marched upstairs only to find that ChristianDevotions.com was taken. I registered <a href="http://christiandevotions.us/">ChristianDevotions.US</a>, instead. The dot com domain is worth over ten thousand dollars now. Procrastination has a price.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For months Cindy and I were the only writers on the site, then slowly God grew the readership. Now we have thousands of readers, a ton of subscribers who get the devotions daily in their email and Kindle, subscribers who receive the daily devotion on their Kindle eReader (99 cents a month). We have a teen’s ministry, <a href="http://ibegat.com/">iBeGat.com</a>, kid’s web site, <a href="http://devokids.com/">DevoKids.com</a> and last year we purchased <a href="http://inspireafire.com/">InspireAFire.com</a>. That’s our mission-oriented web site. We have a radio ministry, prayer team, finances ministry and of course the book publishing. We didn't set out with a marketing plan to do what we’re doing. We simply responded to a need in the marketplace, walked the mountain with God and asked how we could help. Find a need and fill it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What's one thing you wish I wouldn't ask you and pretend I asked you that question.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">How I became a writer. I started my sophomore year of high school when I told my English teacher I wanted to write for </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Cat Talk</i><span style="font-size: large;">, Millbrook High School’s newspaper. Mrs. Hough said, “Eddie, you can't spell and you’re a terrible grammarian.” But I wrote a couple of articles, and she seemed to like the way I could put words together, so I won a spot on staff. My senior year, Mrs. Pollard begged me not to major in English. In fact, she was shocked I would even consider going to college because I’d never be accepted. She was right. NC State rejected my application. A few days later I made an appointment with the admissions office. The day of my interview I wore a pair of red and white checkered polyester pants my mom made me, white shirt and a red tie. State admitted me into Industrial Arts, which I thought would be pretty cool since I thought Industrial Arts meant I’d get to paint buildings. I flunked English 101 twice before passing with a D. I graduated from N.C. State four years later with a degree in English/Journalism and four years of writing experience for the Technician. I’m still a lousy proof-editor but I learned long ago storytelling trumps grammar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>You're writing for children right now with Zondervan. Besides the upcoming Cadence Chronicles Series, what are your dreams for your writing future?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each day I walk around my yard reciting the Lord’s Prayer. This is my conversational time with God. Part of that prayer time is me putting on the armor of God. When I’m about halfway fitted out I say, “Lord place across my chest your breastplate of righteousness that my thoughts may be pure, honorable and good and my dreams secure: my dreams of sailing around the Caribbean, writing a best selling novel and surfing reef breaks.” Beyond that I don’t have any grand writing goals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Write devotions, don’t focus on the praise, book sales and reviews. Forget about trying to find an agent and editor. Once you’re successful, they’ll find you. Explore the wounds in your life and minister to others through your writing. If God allowed you to be hurt, you can speak to that with authority. The rest of us cannot. Ask yourself where your passions lie. I love surfing. If I could do anything, be anywhere, I’d be in a hut on a beach surfing a point break alone. I love playing and hate work. This is reflected in the types of books I write. I love pulling for the underdog, this comes out in the ministry God gave me. Only you can write the stories God dropped in your lap and if you do not, they will die.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Where can we find out more about you?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Please come find me on <a href="http://www.eddiejones.org/">www.Eddiejones.org</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEJKx2QiaBOquvuWqCvkjc96l6S-FMwZ0Lh4bDYv-cemrzE-iAyO3I1eLDlnThq_Tuz6UikCX4SKrmrMIbZwaDRVQMavq2Eh5ij_JKgXqPDgBkHCVrBt7vCtAXNHnCEeVaHxsyQqK6laa/s1600/eddie-jones-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEJKx2QiaBOquvuWqCvkjc96l6S-FMwZ0Lh4bDYv-cemrzE-iAyO3I1eLDlnThq_Tuz6UikCX4SKrmrMIbZwaDRVQMavq2Eh5ij_JKgXqPDgBkHCVrBt7vCtAXNHnCEeVaHxsyQqK6laa/s200/eddie-jones-500.jpg" width="168" /></a></div>
Eddie Jones is the author of eleven books and over 100 articles. He also serves as Acquisition Editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. He is a three-time winner of the Delaware Christian Writers' Conference, and his YA novel, <i>The Curse of Captain LaFoote</i>, won the 2012 Moonbeam Children's Book Award and 2011 Selah Award in Young Adult Fiction. He is also a writing instructor and cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries. His He Said, She Said devotional column appears on ChristianDevotions.US. His humorous romantic suspense, Bahama Breeze remains a "blessed seller." When he's not writing or teaching at writers' conferences, Eddie can be found surfing in Costa Rica or some other tropical locale.<br />
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Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-11853080843450941552012-10-19T22:49:00.000-06:002012-10-19T23:02:07.090-06:00MEET AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR ADA BROWNELL<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t_UoxQju8c_tzRITsgyMT4IXa9SVh9v0_URA2-5LiCZOaW61SXZeRbzfyn5YW48n3vgiagPOP5O-8Xak6vjneICxO3jkfjFmCLYLDtKizuhEwwg-bdVOrT6OpQiL-0hYcAS09SCLglDA/s1600/adabrownell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t_UoxQju8c_tzRITsgyMT4IXa9SVh9v0_URA2-5LiCZOaW61SXZeRbzfyn5YW48n3vgiagPOP5O-8Xak6vjneICxO3jkfjFmCLYLDtKizuhEwwg-bdVOrT6OpQiL-0hYcAS09SCLglDA/s320/adabrownell.jpg" width="320" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I'm pleased to welcome Ada Brownell to Patti's Porch. Ada shares a message of hope and healing with her new book.</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">Hello Ada! Tell us about your book.</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My new book is </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Swallowed by LIFE: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal</i><span style="font-size: large;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Did you know we have scientific evidence that we are more than a body? Because of cell death and regeneration, we aren’t even walking around in the same bodies we were born with—or even the one we had last year. Although we started about the size of a mite, we can gain hundreds of pounds, then lose weight—and we are the same person who began in our mother’s womb. Our limbs may be destroyed, surgeons can remove parts of our brain, vital organs, and even transplant someone else’s heart or kidneys into our bodies and it doesn’t change who we are. Our parents were involved, but God designed us as living souls that will never die and we will live beyond our flesh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What inspired this book?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just as we know leaves on a tree will one day flutter to the ground, we all know our days on earth are numbered. But what then?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I thought I knew all the answers until we lost our 31-year-old daughter to cancer. Did I believe what I thought I did? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That question haunted me until as a medical reporter for The Pueblo Chieftain in Colorado and a student of the Bible I searched for evidence that we will live beyond the grave. I picked the brains of medical experts, did research, and underlined every passage in the New Testament about eternal life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I found what I previously believed was still true. Jesus did something about death when He came as our Redeemer—and death’s the reason He slipped into flesh and blood to be our Savior. That’s why we sing, “Joy to the World, the Lord is come!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>How long have you been writing?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I submitted ideas to a youth magazine when I was age 15. Then I started writing articles. Sold the first one to <i>The Pentecostal Evangel</i> and someone made it into a tract. Then I wrote an article for David C. Cook’s <i>Leader</i> magazine about my mom’s Sunday school methods, and it was accepted. So I sold my accordion, bought an electric typewriter and enrolled in a writing course. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have a non-fiction book published by the Assemblies of God and more than 275 of my articles and stories have been published in about 45 different Christian publications. During my early years, though, I became a newspaper correspondent and it blossomed into a career. I took time off for our five children, then went back to work and am now retired after spending 17 years as a reporter, mostly for the Chieftain. I now have branched out into novels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What do you hope readers will take away from <i>Swallowed by LIFE?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hope. Joy. Peace. An urgency to tell the world about Jesus. The book is written for support groups, religion classes, people with chronic or terminal illnesses, individuals who fear death or are curious, the grieving, and those who give them counsel. The book has questions and answers for each chapter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What is your favorite season?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I live in Missouri now and the trees are beautiful in the fall. They’re starting to turn now. But spring is also gorgeous with all the flowering trees and bushes. Yet, I’m a transplanted Colorado native and in my youth winter was a wonderful time. I enjoyed ice skating, and after we married when we lived in Minturn (six miles from Vail), our house was on a hill above the railroad depot where my husband worked. I’d jump on a sled and take his lunch to him. But we loved playing tennis in the summer, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seasons of life are similar. You can find something good about them all. I have a friend who said, “When you know Jesus, each season of life is more exciting that the last.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I like to read historical novels from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. I probably would have enjoyed living then or during the Great Awakening era. But I feel privileged to live in this time and place, as well as growing up in a big family when we didn’t have to lock our doors and almost everyone believed in God and the Ten Commandments.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What project are you currently working on?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’m marketing Swallowed by LIFE by speaking, book signings, being a vendor at conferences, on social media, and I’ve sent out some news releases and do some direct mail. My teen novel, Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult will be out for Christmas. Then I will put final touches on my historial romance, The Lady Fugitive., Hopefully I’ll start on sequels and continue to write for Christian publications and op-ed pieces for newspapers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What else would you like to tell us?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Swallowed by LIFE</i> is free Oct. 19-21. Tell your friends and Bible study groups!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Where you can find <i>Swallowed by Life</i>:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">(click on the links below)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><a href="http://amzn.to/Jnc1rW" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><a href="http://bit.ly/JnbKVL" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><a href="http://ow.ly/cJmx8" target="_blank">Booksamillion</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">And you can see <a href="http://ow.ly/cJmMe" target="_blank">reviews</a> on GoodReads </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Visit Ada at her<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a></span>.</span><br />
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Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-37994713760936376912012-09-29T21:01:00.000-06:002012-09-29T21:01:50.794-06:00Going Home<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3RQOKqJfO6C0kqQmv2MCNGnvPk_CfLkr46J8TRMi5L9D2CPudmmmJ-Vvz-_Wf8HeS1vHmt72l1n2BXKMJG3sfAdek_np_f1fY4P6GzdGjvAIGyT5H3d5iC2uGmLUipWdH-6MYbpCfURt/s1600/Kathy+Barn+Pony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3RQOKqJfO6C0kqQmv2MCNGnvPk_CfLkr46J8TRMi5L9D2CPudmmmJ-Vvz-_Wf8HeS1vHmt72l1n2BXKMJG3sfAdek_np_f1fY4P6GzdGjvAIGyT5H3d5iC2uGmLUipWdH-6MYbpCfURt/s320/Kathy+Barn+Pony.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I am excited to welcome my good friend Kathy Harris. Although we have not met in person, Kathy and I are members of a close-knit group who share hopes, dreams, successes, disappointments, and confidences in cyberspace. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Join us as Kathy talks about something near and dear to all of us at one time or another in our lives: going home.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many times over the past few years, I've dreamed of being back in my grandparents’ house. The small white bungalow, tucked behind a double row of trees, was surrounded by fields of corn. The stalks were taller in maturity than I was at the time (or, for that matter, than I am now).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The vegetable garden, henhouse, pond, and barn are indelibly engraved into my memory. It has been almost twenty years since I last visited that old homeplace, but I can still taste the first ripe tomatoes of the season, hear the cackling of the chickens, and smell the musty scent of the hayloft. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I can mentally slide my hand across the faded gray, rough-hewn barnwood—and delight in the memory of a dairy cow licking my fingers with her raspy, pink tongue. In a flash, I’m sitting on my grandpa’s knee, trying to learn how to milk one of those cows, and then giggling when a thin white stream of milk misses the pail and lands on his bare foot.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As an adult, well past childhood, I would drive for hundreds of miles in rain or snow to return to that family home on special occasions. The place—and the people who inhabited it—brought me comfort then. Thinking about it—and them—still does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There’s something special about returning to our roots, remembering where we came from. Like human carrier pigeons, we often try to go home. If not physically, then within the confines of our minds. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps by way of a built-in spiritual compass, we also understand that our eternal home is waiting. We can’t yet see it. But we know it’s there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the meantime, we each have a journey to complete here . . . miles, rain, snow, and winding roads set out before us on our way “home.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">QUESTION: What are some of your favorite childhood memories? </span><br />
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<b>(Answer this question in comments between now and October 31st to be entered in a drawing to win a copy of Kathy's book, <i>The Road to Mercy</i>. Be sure to leave your email address!)</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The
Road to Mercy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">by</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Kathy Harris</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tragedy</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">, love,
and secrets meet on a journey of faith.</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Have you ever dared to believe you could find God's
forgiveness, even when you can't forgive yourself?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpeVN7yZFF_Vap2foKX2ta-ZtZ4XMegWG0HMy3VBF6PjvBBJT8l8JMZZXVRJ6-kuemjyeqhGot9ts9A6vlFPXbgaJcfIxCNSjdibdP9DxHdA6D4MCTborU-7BP15NPAItXXFzOKyQw7OG/s1600/The+Road+to+Mercy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpeVN7yZFF_Vap2foKX2ta-ZtZ4XMegWG0HMy3VBF6PjvBBJT8l8JMZZXVRJ6-kuemjyeqhGot9ts9A6vlFPXbgaJcfIxCNSjdibdP9DxHdA6D4MCTborU-7BP15NPAItXXFzOKyQw7OG/s320/The+Road+to+Mercy.jpg" width="209" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Dr. Ben Abrams, rescued as an
infant from a fiery crash that killed his family, turned his adversities into
success but lost his heritage of faith. Fifty years later, Josh and Bethany
Harrison face a difficult decision that also tests their faith. A rupture in
Beth's carotid artery leaves her on the brink of death, even as she's pregnant
with their first child. While Dr. Abrams urges her to abort the baby to save
her own life, she and Josh step out on faith and continue the pregnancy.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">During the next few months, Josh, a contemporary
Christian singer, struggles with his faith while Beth hides a secret that may
destroy their marriage. She also discovers a decades-old connection to Dr.
Abrams that could change his life forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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- <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Abingdon Press, September 2012</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tFZKGkjsEvZbbOjrrZzRlkizS3gyEzkpNLbixEzyTJy317IHXVZ6DcY4DRaQRBTeKfoUSnCQ3WvU4JFfn27K9nBeitdEqMyqKcXg5UyYMF-i6TYv_stlHQostY57_r58pQnoiu4DLzIp/s1600/KathyHarris+headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tFZKGkjsEvZbbOjrrZzRlkizS3gyEzkpNLbixEzyTJy317IHXVZ6DcY4DRaQRBTeKfoUSnCQ3WvU4JFfn27K9nBeitdEqMyqKcXg5UyYMF-i6TYv_stlHQostY57_r58pQnoiu4DLzIp/s320/KathyHarris+headshot.jpg" width="264" /></a><br />
Kathy Harris is an author by way of a divine detour into the Nashville entertainment business. She graduated with a B.S. in Communications from Southern Illinois University and has spent the past two decades employed as a marketing director in the Nashville music industry.<br />
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An active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the publicity officer for Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, Kathy lives near Nashville with her husband and their two Shiloh Shepherd dogs. Her fiction debut, <i>The Road to Mercy</i>, was released by Abingdon Press on September 1, 2012.<br />
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Kathy regularly interviews literary and music guests on her blog, <a href="http://www.divinedetour.com/" target="_blank">Divine Detour</a> . Visit Kathy's <a href="http://www.kathyharrisbooks.com/" target="_blank">author site</a>.. She can be found on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KathyHarrisAuthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or Twitter @DivineDetour.<br />
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Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-39224107880980911372012-09-27T00:38:00.000-06:002012-09-27T00:40:17.221-06:00Confessions of a first book editor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjLjBB37J7FBU5oNoRN-xxeAFKqFp3F2BHCov5x7V3raBYWGPpOPL4oLKtc3m9mNQkaPWoxP8f3WJ7zqTozXvm0w2wK1dpH4VKq8nzAugTuYnw3BxEcCjhM-en_t8aJEiOmVJ3tjI4Ov_/s1600/Byron+Suggs+booksigning+%233+9-22-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjLjBB37J7FBU5oNoRN-xxeAFKqFp3F2BHCov5x7V3raBYWGPpOPL4oLKtc3m9mNQkaPWoxP8f3WJ7zqTozXvm0w2wK1dpH4VKq8nzAugTuYnw3BxEcCjhM-en_t8aJEiOmVJ3tjI4Ov_/s320/Byron+Suggs+booksigning+%233+9-22-12.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the book launch for Written World Communications' most recent release, the prarnormal/action/adventure novel <i>Rockapocalypse</i> by Byron Suggs. Although all WWC book releases are exciting, this one holds a special place in my heart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is the first book edited by me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For months, author Byron and I emailed, talked by phone, quibbled over words, debated grammatical issues, discussed scenes, and at times, agreed to disagree. I can't say I ever got inside Byron's head, but I did start thinking the way his characters would think. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a while, I no longer had to ask <i>grammar or local flavor? </i>in a character's dialogue. I just knew. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I turned in the final proofread, and in a matter of days, the manuscript was off to press. That's when the doubts bombarded my brain. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Had I caught all the typos? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Had I corrected inconsistencies in capitalization? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Had I been tired when I read the final copy and missed something really important? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It thrilled me to make my way through a throng of people to the back of The Written World on Saturday where Byron sat behind a table with a stack of books next to him - real printed books we and other members of the Written World team had worked on and perfected together. The cover art we had all agreed on was replicated in a big poster located next to him.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Even though Byron and I had joked about never reading the book again, I couldn't resist thumbing through the pages, skimming sentences and scenes I'd read at least a dozen times over the past weeks. Somehow, the words looked different between the pages of a bound book than they did on a computer screen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then I found it The one thing I had feared. It jumped out at me like a mole on the end of a model's nose. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A mistake! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I won't repeat the sentence itself to avoid ruining any portion of the story for readers, but there is a period where a comma should be! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Readers might not even notice, but that particular oversight is one of my pet peeves. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This example will explain what I mean.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"Let's go<b>.</b>" Sue said. (incorrect) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Let's go<b>,</b>" Sue said. (correct) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">UGH!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My granddaughter, who accompanied me to the booksigning, saved my crushed ego. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"Look, grandma. All books have mistakes." She showed me the book she had brought with her, a novel written by a world renowned author that has sold millions of copies.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sure enough, at the end of a paragraph of dialogue, there was no closed quotation mark! I double checked to be sure the same character was not continuing his dialogue in a new paragraph. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Nope, this was a genuine, bona fide mistake!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">When it comes right down to it, the only book where I have never, ever seen a single error, whether it be typo or missing comma, is the Holy Bible. How fitting that God's book is the only perfect one I've ever found!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRACLDfNhsw_saiYrOuNxiDbtTntyNbShgVkG7zjaPI0FVB9r9MMU2Lr-VVstLr28DUbvAqiW0sOnbXGokrRU4JidMDSXYAp4dbNG0oQsRI-57pDHLYsHo61J2FyBSmzDst8Wa4uTAuj7l/s1600/Rockapocalypse+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRACLDfNhsw_saiYrOuNxiDbtTntyNbShgVkG7zjaPI0FVB9r9MMU2Lr-VVstLr28DUbvAqiW0sOnbXGokrRU4JidMDSXYAp4dbNG0oQsRI-57pDHLYsHo61J2FyBSmzDst8Wa4uTAuj7l/s320/Rockapocalypse+cover.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are probably other errors in <i><a href="http://www.written-world.com/WWC/book_rock.html" target="_blank">Rockapocalypse</a>, </i>things I missed. I heard that during the printing process, </span><span style="font-size: large;">in one place,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">the word "chief" lost its "c." Bet any reader smart enough to read the book will figure that one out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I believe in this story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The message overshadows the mistakes by miles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-88530303595667550502012-09-15T22:10:00.003-06:002012-09-15T22:10:28.347-06:00Welcome Home!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdGSp3XWgn34KOEPVS2yOwQ8ROuiW4Jnb70G5b5iGLkrqc4Eldz7Lqa9K4beMlQmTAQpfP_-caeKNT_ICuPIbpQLSVfQFbtnZssWMhor_R-n9FzLpGjcqR_eBPxyZc2_YmZybWqM0qngQ/s1600/0100+from+Central+Park+NYC+June+08,+2010+%236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdGSp3XWgn34KOEPVS2yOwQ8ROuiW4Jnb70G5b5iGLkrqc4Eldz7Lqa9K4beMlQmTAQpfP_-caeKNT_ICuPIbpQLSVfQFbtnZssWMhor_R-n9FzLpGjcqR_eBPxyZc2_YmZybWqM0qngQ/s400/0100+from+Central+Park+NYC+June+08,+2010+%236.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">About a year after they married, o</span><span style="font-size: large;">ur son Jason and his wife Jaque decided to make their home in New York City, a fair distance from our Colorado home. Two years ago, they stretched the mileage chasm even further when they moved to the UK. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Two years is a long time to not see your son, but contact such as instant messsaging on the computer, gmail chat via cell phone, and an occasional Skyped conversation along with a phone call every few weeks kept us pretty well in touch.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Three weeks ago, our daughter told us she was taking our granddaughter to the mall to do some back-to-school clothes shopping. My husband and I took our granddaughter, Madi, with us to look for a new laptop that morning, and when we took her home, we stayed for lunch and watched a movie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I thought it strange, when it got to be late afternoon, that they had made no move to leave for their shopping trip, especially since the mall is eighty miles away. </span><span style="font-size: large;">"The sale doesn't start until six, Mom," our daughter, Joelene, told me. "We have plenty of time." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I texted her at 11:00 PM and she told me they were just leaving Pueblo, I was surprised. "Madi talked me into taking her out to dinner and we played some mini-golf." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh, OK, that made sense. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">When 12:30 (A.M, mind you) rolled around, I was getting tired and thought I would text again just to be sure they were home before heading on to bed. No sooner did I get the text sent when I could have sworn I heard a car drive in the yard. I chuckled to myself. Madi must have talked her mom into letting her come over and show us all of her new school outfits, even though the hour was late.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I heard a knock on the door and went to unlock it with a smile for Madi, Towering above me with his six-one frame stood Jason! Joelene and Madi had been to DIA to pick him up, and they'd been keeping the secret that he was coming since April!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We had a wonderful couple of weeks together. Jaque had also come along, but they had parted ways in Charlotte, N.C. They had brought a friend from the UK, Josie, who had never been in the US, so Jaque and Josie flew on up to NYC to do some touring there while Jason flew on out to Denver.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">A couple of days later, the girls flew to Denver, spent the night with a friend, and Jason drove up and picked them up the next day. They had a chance to visit friends and family here locally as well as take a couple of days to visit friends in Colorado Springs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucQux1XSp-9oNtnalAlq_MMZWMeM2kf1h3lTW5d77vH5dcJ7wfLqmreKh6X2VSvjqqivsh_9dY813sbWQVBLzZQDphESc5cVdxkP9H-LVY8Ojs2M2kk9qggQfl9X_BBNCY-B8HcUlfutJ/s1600/014+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucQux1XSp-9oNtnalAlq_MMZWMeM2kf1h3lTW5d77vH5dcJ7wfLqmreKh6X2VSvjqqivsh_9dY813sbWQVBLzZQDphESc5cVdxkP9H-LVY8Ojs2M2kk9qggQfl9X_BBNCY-B8HcUlfutJ/s320/014+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was fun to watch "the kids" do some of the silly things they used to do together years ago, like climb on the garage roof! Back in the day, I would have been up there with them. Not any more!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFryEMaoE5hSwlXq_eGSIVEmPR7wMIoGoS_oDLMzUTMuuKGGcpVSdippk2i7gysMSAZsOKhAjOjZYXiCzBLplohyd6REdu3oemdyI7GZGHt9SyvQ2Yauk9Jafef8pmoDHqtZsSaveWBj6/s1600/020+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFryEMaoE5hSwlXq_eGSIVEmPR7wMIoGoS_oDLMzUTMuuKGGcpVSdippk2i7gysMSAZsOKhAjOjZYXiCzBLplohyd6REdu3oemdyI7GZGHt9SyvQ2Yauk9Jafef8pmoDHqtZsSaveWBj6/s320/020+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jason sure misses Mexican food, so we went out to dinner at one of our local Mexican food restaurants.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Um, Little Bro, did you really just take a drink of MY pop?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dairy Queen is the only fast food restaurant in our small town, and of course we had to make a visit there!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMc6DsqhcHcZB7munGNRAbGjmwvlRI59HOmooBWFTtb1z-871Bw58maRnKNs1vRCAn5klidYwWkbinM6VsVR8y3yqdByvq37nx5mAgez3HZJ7I2nkue2xPwe0c8P0CL7Cb48fzs0zEa0Ln/s1600/032+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMc6DsqhcHcZB7munGNRAbGjmwvlRI59HOmooBWFTtb1z-871Bw58maRnKNs1vRCAn5klidYwWkbinM6VsVR8y3yqdByvq37nx5mAgez3HZJ7I2nkue2xPwe0c8P0CL7Cb48fzs0zEa0Ln/s200/032+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+032.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One day Josie treated us to home-made crepes. Oh, man, were they ever good! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2ojJ1hBRYIeZaEKsCMup4lisuLiRNfGp5NWWJGT828KkF-po07q6yBJinxVTRA5UIe1jdjfPTcZIDVarxO0HeBwPwlPOFr7KqvHPO6qr9CzIKhREsaS2Kt7eGGsYTxKku2t9Fv2d8Wnu/s1600/031+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2ojJ1hBRYIeZaEKsCMup4lisuLiRNfGp5NWWJGT828KkF-po07q6yBJinxVTRA5UIe1jdjfPTcZIDVarxO0HeBwPwlPOFr7KqvHPO6qr9CzIKhREsaS2Kt7eGGsYTxKku2t9Fv2d8Wnu/s200/031+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+031.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jaque mastered the art of flipping them, but, nope, I didn't even try!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0t_HUjhWuUXCapRLvFynEXlkDi5K8a4XpBipoD98BOBf-hTg2P9bUI_547ev-ofpi96IMEaet3p0YQzosvADoJgJ8EUyWAjteOQnkxAEBrRRt2jwoKb3t7XZoxSqCpnztaMM7aw_jC8Dr/s1600/035+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0t_HUjhWuUXCapRLvFynEXlkDi5K8a4XpBipoD98BOBf-hTg2P9bUI_547ev-ofpi96IMEaet3p0YQzosvADoJgJ8EUyWAjteOQnkxAEBrRRt2jwoKb3t7XZoxSqCpnztaMM7aw_jC8Dr/s320/035+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+035.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">One evening, Jason and Jaque brought out a whole bunch of sweet treats from the UK. We're still enjoying the variety of candies and cookies! In the meantime, they purchased some of the favorites they miss, mainly Mountain Dew and Chips Ahoy cookies!</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtYt0uPwH2Z27zdGyjTkQsfA4Dn8-lt0qosk65Ye5b-dvAr4L3M9YqkOFJEMXlczsXiYxhq8aLDcBn5OlZRkr3owN5CWBnLTl0lUAwCR-fbUNYbLei8RP9fBL69XBztrNDU1C8TuXWqYH/s1600/038+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtYt0uPwH2Z27zdGyjTkQsfA4Dn8-lt0qosk65Ye5b-dvAr4L3M9YqkOFJEMXlczsXiYxhq8aLDcBn5OlZRkr3owN5CWBnLTl0lUAwCR-fbUNYbLei8RP9fBL69XBztrNDU1C8TuXWqYH/s320/038+Jason+&+Jaque's+visit+Aug-+Sept+2012+038.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">The vehicles overseas are smaller than here. They don't have many "big trucks" or SUV's, so I invited Josie to take my Ford pick-up for a spin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The second week of their visit, the girls and Jaque's family went on a road trip out west to see Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jason was able to arrange to work while here, since he normally works from home on a computer. He brought a laptop with him and the company supplied him with a phone. Due to the time change between the UK and here, he worked his shift at night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, I didn't remember to get any more pictures until we were at the airport and the three were leaving!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpduBkfcTu7JVKaAT_n46iZLBOaSUsY-HGdnh9e7E1Bp4T5zcVGC-2yDMP1t7bpKDFFmsrqJjYqQJjFkvXGRMiSxIiIs-k0EJJqK7UKKS0HJfs3fQVaoaIcJKkaUq_hvgE0GGevgDcO1AV/s1600/051+Jaque+&+Jason+at+DIA+Aug+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpduBkfcTu7JVKaAT_n46iZLBOaSUsY-HGdnh9e7E1Bp4T5zcVGC-2yDMP1t7bpKDFFmsrqJjYqQJjFkvXGRMiSxIiIs-k0EJJqK7UKKS0HJfs3fQVaoaIcJKkaUq_hvgE0GGevgDcO1AV/s200/051+Jaque+&+Jason+at+DIA+Aug+2012.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaque & Jason</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisySK7izsrKQ3j3vLT3oyyTiQL5BofjSIbNsmBw2k3i_BhyQ8sDfT0AmeWIXLy12Xk7KAmbQu6O81wzX_vM_RNVPy-LeYUODzr0SmViWFIzeWZYWxIn7Jkekdqq-vJUocCndqMuAoFdZf7/s1600/052+Jaque+&+Josie+at+DIA+Aug+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisySK7izsrKQ3j3vLT3oyyTiQL5BofjSIbNsmBw2k3i_BhyQ8sDfT0AmeWIXLy12Xk7KAmbQu6O81wzX_vM_RNVPy-LeYUODzr0SmViWFIzeWZYWxIn7Jkekdqq-vJUocCndqMuAoFdZf7/s200/052+Jaque+&+Josie+at+DIA+Aug+2012.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaque & Josie<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-h-QGe90NR5QiQXiz0d6y7QeVvlRU5DT0XPADpb2PByUt9DUglH3IoNdarg3O8iLeLyAb4-eNrBSc3NwhLani8_O1nXR5qaYifpfXgMdVZHdHbeXYco8AQ-1vlPQg3WnSQvAUDFPyhdo/s1600/053+Pat+%2526+Jason+at+DIA+Aug+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-h-QGe90NR5QiQXiz0d6y7QeVvlRU5DT0XPADpb2PByUt9DUglH3IoNdarg3O8iLeLyAb4-eNrBSc3NwhLani8_O1nXR5qaYifpfXgMdVZHdHbeXYco8AQ-1vlPQg3WnSQvAUDFPyhdo/s200/053+Pat+%2526+Jason+at+DIA+Aug+2012.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jason was not thrilled about having to go through the body scanner at the airport, but they all made it out okay. As you can see, we had a chance for one last wave good-bye!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FeGAwWPJclV1TcJFxWShUht-MP24NOo5zUUVwYvACgAqy23c5iBwr9Z19wFj4jFwBL4YyIHnhKBvvzfvEmB0ozDn89thba2qsKFOzNwrtDL7C21UCccJbqxRiBlUcpr5deXwKP9I19Xk/s1600/060+Jason,+Jaque,+&+Josie+at+DIA+Aug+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FeGAwWPJclV1TcJFxWShUht-MP24NOo5zUUVwYvACgAqy23c5iBwr9Z19wFj4jFwBL4YyIHnhKBvvzfvEmB0ozDn89thba2qsKFOzNwrtDL7C21UCccJbqxRiBlUcpr5deXwKP9I19Xk/s400/060+Jason,+Jaque,+&+Josie+at+DIA+Aug+2012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A lot of people say they miss the days when their children were young. I guess in a way I do too, but I'm also proud to see the adults both of our kids have become. It's fun to relate to them as adults, to listen to their view of the world, their experiences, and the sibling banter that occurs when they reminisce about their childhood. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Modern technology allows us to stay in touch with loved ones, no matter how much distance separates us. When kids move away, it's still hard, but not quite as hard as it was back in the day when the only means of communication was by letter or a phone call.</span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Still, it's not the same as giving a child (even an adult child!) a hug, seeing them smile with their sibling at some silly memory, or watching your once little boy stride across the room with the determination and maturity of a grown man. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We will cherish the memory of every moment of this visit and can't wait for the next one!</span>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-39103999383215133992012-08-24T21:48:00.000-06:002012-08-24T21:48:53.398-06:00Vacation in the Adirondacks of New York<span style="font-size: large;">After the Philadelphia writer's conference, I flew to Albany, NY, on Sunday, where my sister picked me up and took me ninety miles north to her home in Schroon Lake, the heart of <a href="http://www.journeymart.com/dexplorer/northamerica/usa/nationalparks/andiron.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Adirondack country</span></a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had a wonderful ten day visit, laughing about everything, sharing memories, and enjoying our time together. Here are a few of the things we did while I was there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monday, we went to the <a href="http://www.kvnh.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Neighborhood House</span></a>, the assisted living facility where our mom lives, to pick her up and spend the day. She had a doctor's appointment in <a href="http://www.saranaclakeny.gov/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Saranac Lake</span></a>, she and dad's former home. We brought a picnic lunch, but cool weather caused us to eat lunch in the eating area at the Adirondack Medical Center. We finished up the afternoon with some shopping.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Monday evening, we went to town to check out the performance at the boathouse, located on the lake. The event draws quite an audience.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5szdrytEhiOgfL87rfBWEsq1aPIzDFbKETBig7eTOxN8ztYNK4OSvNUNhD4mmVNoqv-uh4pMRvG-N82bTaKYljSpvjeHRJ6WOc2A-uYcJyCz8prO9pHwCE6tBSjrxQtDr2OjAFkkhkdS/s1600/024+performance+at+boathouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5szdrytEhiOgfL87rfBWEsq1aPIzDFbKETBig7eTOxN8ztYNK4OSvNUNhD4mmVNoqv-uh4pMRvG-N82bTaKYljSpvjeHRJ6WOc2A-uYcJyCz8prO9pHwCE6tBSjrxQtDr2OjAFkkhkdS/s320/024+performance+at+boathouse.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Scaroon Manor is close to my sister's house. Tuesday, we went for a little hike...</span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">and came out at the lake.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kPiOoKiH-6dc7ODS3_jnyYzXjaI91aVjeDTTAd073NCyaU0nTnFl56Pj5BiwtCBsar8vLDKw2XHPHLp_vj0ygH4L54voGOXNfPY5U4Fpy11BSfzbc_4EzvagAtLDrs038Ve3Zjknw9ye/s1600/034+Scaroon+Manor+(Schroon+Lake)+Pat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kPiOoKiH-6dc7ODS3_jnyYzXjaI91aVjeDTTAd073NCyaU0nTnFl56Pj5BiwtCBsar8vLDKw2XHPHLp_vj0ygH4L54voGOXNfPY5U4Fpy11BSfzbc_4EzvagAtLDrs038Ve3Zjknw9ye/s200/034+Scaroon+Manor+(Schroon+Lake)+Pat.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Schroon Lake at Scaroon Manor</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were going to go back to the picnic area on Saturday with our mom, my brother-in-law, and the ruler of the house, Wesley, but the rainy week-end forced a change of plans.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-xg0C2OPIwLmlnuzsJUSyFWdpMmQN01_YZu89fGrggMBIbKRLNQ506JQxD4kr6bfJalATi8Xf-Jo9Idx493FEO_IcdjWmiO3OiF1-fWYGBHQlt1Dv4Z_0ZGE61eqVQxkrmk_q5a_W-u0/s1600/043+Scaroon+Manor+hike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-xg0C2OPIwLmlnuzsJUSyFWdpMmQN01_YZu89fGrggMBIbKRLNQ506JQxD4kr6bfJalATi8Xf-Jo9Idx493FEO_IcdjWmiO3OiF1-fWYGBHQlt1Dv4Z_0ZGE61eqVQxkrmk_q5a_W-u0/s320/043+Scaroon+Manor+hike.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGIIQ6WW1oPu5Ppe7mXK4My6MkxKAtkERakjj-8PhVztut7Vm57-RyDkWmvsJ5Kl_ZyAJZmC9BhOCZQjrljsl-W-1aqSqFTo9s4ejvT1gxTMzGM8_YUmdUQOHdIDiCB74GKuYlUtYR9-G/s1600/018+Pete+%2526+Wesley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGIIQ6WW1oPu5Ppe7mXK4My6MkxKAtkERakjj-8PhVztut7Vm57-RyDkWmvsJ5Kl_ZyAJZmC9BhOCZQjrljsl-W-1aqSqFTo9s4ejvT1gxTMzGM8_YUmdUQOHdIDiCB74GKuYlUtYR9-G/s200/018+Pete+%2526+Wesley.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPeJmrAltIfqxTzKOOb80eohWedbiy3R3NeziGxvPLnKTBuVB9kY2e2LqE1Y2M-ZTdd44NDM7deo3Fsu9nBkHbcEnGX8b0ByhMJhxsDT_WlfEOrcy5j0f1FeX3WkTUOGk9s8QYTxfJE29/s1600/0114+Terry+%2526+Pete%2527s+SL+-+Mom+%2526+Wesley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPeJmrAltIfqxTzKOOb80eohWedbiy3R3NeziGxvPLnKTBuVB9kY2e2LqE1Y2M-ZTdd44NDM7deo3Fsu9nBkHbcEnGX8b0ByhMJhxsDT_WlfEOrcy5j0f1FeX3WkTUOGk9s8QYTxfJE29/s200/0114+Terry+%2526+Pete%2527s+SL+-+Mom+%2526+Wesley.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">Wednesday, we went back up to Neighborhood House for coffee with mom. Terry and Pete had a golf engagement that afternoon, so I relaxed and caught up on a little work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">Schroon Lake is a tourist town with all kinds of activities in the summer. Wednesday evening, we went back to the town park to watch the square dancers.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFK_djrr83J84B1-gDiAMchs4vJL9aoWIsDa8til3z9W1Wr14wK9yyTQzVPtTJ6VdmhpWE0GXhvd7s8i2IZqcJgMaF1rZUukR4aIaV3Am05o6l6p19V1KPfOwJv5k5HhNSLOPIH62Xvmd/s1600/046+square+dancing+at+Schroon+Lake+town+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFK_djrr83J84B1-gDiAMchs4vJL9aoWIsDa8til3z9W1Wr14wK9yyTQzVPtTJ6VdmhpWE0GXhvd7s8i2IZqcJgMaF1rZUukR4aIaV3Am05o6l6p19V1KPfOwJv5k5HhNSLOPIH62Xvmd/s320/046+square+dancing+at+Schroon+Lake+town+park.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">square dance in town park</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We took a walk along the beach.(</span>Notice, my beautiful sister is taller, thinner, and younger than me!<span style="font-size: large;">)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF80zUskn7pKUaXC8hAO7sZ0_lSeEvyb1qEuh3lCpTVsgJFzHH2GLi-WCB_DRaj-VkFrHfKfukSHG2l0CCscSsGW1O_A1k3CcNSgRtYzfHit5jZTXizuqTDzl063yHoupTIh3GOy1qIRCT/s1600/059+Schroon+Lake+town+park+-+Terry+and+Pat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF80zUskn7pKUaXC8hAO7sZ0_lSeEvyb1qEuh3lCpTVsgJFzHH2GLi-WCB_DRaj-VkFrHfKfukSHG2l0CCscSsGW1O_A1k3CcNSgRtYzfHit5jZTXizuqTDzl063yHoupTIh3GOy1qIRCT/s200/059+Schroon+Lake+town+park+-+Terry+and+Pat.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SHJxNSWZaQAICjTOi25slMiQagXa2qY3jiiuO_OZjNSyMKjWuJ92nRuBOzLoKkFKVRyH_RhH8c_8dYzvW5QMmDRmMLtuvmvK1rGnLSY0U9QrRQbQtG4KD3T841Q8RlwVR6mk6uQKW-OA/s1600/052+grandma+tree+(Schroon+Lake)+-+Pat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SHJxNSWZaQAICjTOi25slMiQagXa2qY3jiiuO_OZjNSyMKjWuJ92nRuBOzLoKkFKVRyH_RhH8c_8dYzvW5QMmDRmMLtuvmvK1rGnLSY0U9QrRQbQtG4KD3T841Q8RlwVR6mk6uQKW-OA/s320/052+grandma+tree+(Schroon+Lake)+-+Pat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the tree we planted when our dad passed in 1996. We call it "grandpa tree'.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdNOGctpLXkh7Kll0X3Bjrhdvglck9K9mEe_JXzoPOK9UmLcWZ6gnn1UrhemIXh17fzodvZj210fg6bWpQhwV9YD04Riw_Ig5KSNRkiSzC8qp9EuUcCygQg0io7aFEJ90jeHhrYPAjS33/s1600/070+sunset+on+Schroon+Lake+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdNOGctpLXkh7Kll0X3Bjrhdvglck9K9mEe_JXzoPOK9UmLcWZ6gnn1UrhemIXh17fzodvZj210fg6bWpQhwV9YD04Riw_Ig5KSNRkiSzC8qp9EuUcCygQg0io7aFEJ90jeHhrYPAjS33/s400/070+sunset+on+Schroon+Lake+%25232.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunset on a lake is one of the most beautiful of natural wonders</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Thursday, Terry wanted to take me on the <a href="http://www.wol.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Word of Life</span></a> guided boat ride, but it was full. However, she met a friend in town who offered us a ride on her and her husband's boat. </span><span style="font-size: large;">We went for a long ride that would have been even longer if the storm hadn't come up. It lightninged, thundered, and rained like crazy for the rest of the afternoon.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could get used to this!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCe5ljf5nlOL79DVzyFuy4-nU7pt4dictO96kCKxmEkpL-dSH06xESEk5Yxl0aVQBcKvO-rdVR-5pTJsGqTuwywb-gp041EYLMpGP8RWeTHFvgcA2YbJNAjN8LhiXQsq4XsjiIacd7Zei/s1600/084+Boat+ride+w+Linda+&+John.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCe5ljf5nlOL79DVzyFuy4-nU7pt4dictO96kCKxmEkpL-dSH06xESEk5Yxl0aVQBcKvO-rdVR-5pTJsGqTuwywb-gp041EYLMpGP8RWeTHFvgcA2YbJNAjN8LhiXQsq4XsjiIacd7Zei/s320/084+Boat+ride+w+Linda+&+John.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;">We picked mom up on Friday and brought her to Terry's for the week-end. Friday evening, we had a "girls' night out" with some friends of Terry's that mom and I have come to know over the years.</span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The weather squashed any outside plans for the week-end, but we did get out of the house to do some shopping. Sunday, we attended church, and in the evening, we went to the <a href="http://www.seaglecolony.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Seagle Music Colony</span></a> for vespers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monday, we took mom back to Neighborhood House. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> That evening, I met a couple of friends for dinner who graduated from nursing school with me way back in 1972. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of us together! That day was my sister's birthday, so she and Pete went out to a dinner of their own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday, Terry and I were able to take the Schroon Lake Cruise on the Word of Life Pontoon boat that we had missed on Thursday</span><span style="font-size: large;">. That was great, since Linda and John had taken us to the south end of the lake and the cruise traveled to the north end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Later that day, we went in search of a place called Blue Ridge Falls. Wow, this place reminded us of our childhood days, when we used to stop by those mountain streams on our way up-state from Long Island and run along the rocks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday, it was time to go back to the airport for my trip home. The suitcase that had weighed in at 46 pounds when I left Colorado now weighed a whopping 64 pounds, which meant a fee of $90 additional dollars! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My husband, daughter, and granddaughter met me at Colorado Springs airport. We made the long drive back to town, another two and a half hours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Vacation was absolutely wonderful! Still, it's always good to get back home! </span></div>
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Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-19722188906111064282012-08-19T18:56:00.000-06:002012-08-19T19:27:19.011-06:00GPCWC in retrospectI've been away from home for the past couple of weeks. Hence, the reason there is a big gap in my posts from the end of July until the present.<br />
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First, I had the pleasure of serving on faculty at Marlene Bagnull's <a href="http://www.writehisanswer.com/philadelphia/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference</span></a>.Marlene is one of the most inspirational people I have ever
met in the world of writing and publishing. She blesses conferees and faculty
alike with her ability to bring God up close and personal. Unfortunately,
this is the only photo I have of Marlene. (lady with the blue jacket.) I
managed to delete just about all of my other pictures from the conference off
my camera before I could get them downloaded. Don't even ask me how I managed
that!</div>
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I enjoyed many different experiences at the conference this year. Sometimes, I feel like the conferees taught me more than they learned from me.</div>
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After a long day of travel that started at 3:00 AM for me, Wednesday evening was fun because it provided a chance to greet old friends and meet new ones. Everyone was charged with excitement and the anticipation of teaching and learning. I was especially excited to see my coworker with <a href="http://www.written-world.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Written World Communications</span></a> (WWC), <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rowena.kuo.5" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Rowena Kuo</span></a>, who was also my room mate. She lives in the Chicago area and we had not seen each other for two years. I was also excited that another coworker, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.richards3" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Chris Richards</span></a>, was able to attend the conference as well. Chris lives in Colorado, but the distance between us is about 200 miles, so we don't get to see each other often either.</div>
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I had a few appointments Thursday morning. This is one of my favorite parts of serving on faculty because it is a time to connect with writers, hear their creative ideas, and share thoughts about the writing life. Appointments are ongoing between other responsibilities from Thursday to Saturday.</div>
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Thursday afternoon, I taught a segment of <i>Teens Write</i>. This year, the theme was The Publishing Games, which mirrored The Olympic Games. Each presenter was assigned an event. Mine was archery, about which I know next to nothing I know the contenders use a bow and arrow, but that's about it. I figured I was fairly safe, though, since the chances of any of the kids knowing a lot about it would be pretty slim. I did look up the names of this years's US competitors. When I asked if anyone recognized the names, didn't one of the kids raise her hand, her eyes filled with excitement. Archery is her favorite sport in the entire Olympics. I learned a lesson there. Never underestimate the knowledge of your audience!<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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The magazine editor's panel, held on Friday and Saturday, gave me an opportunity to talk about my "baby," <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Starsongs-Magazine/221863877893574" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Starsongs</i> magazine</span></a>. Rowena and I also made conferees aware of the many magazines WWC already prints or plans to launch over the next few months. The lovely lady standing behind us is Cindy Sproles, who moderated the panel and serves as editor for <a href="http://www.christiandevotions.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">christian devotions</span></a>.us. It's always interesting to sit on the panels and learn about what other editors guidelines are and what type of content they are looking for.</div>
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This year, I was assigned two paid critiques. A paid critique allows a writer thirty minutes of one-on-one time to discuss a piece the critiquer has received and evaluated several days prior to the conference. I have to admit I was nervous about this. What if the writer felt I was too critical? Suppose she felt I didn't provide enough information to help? As it turned out, both of my paid critiques were delightful ladies with a passion for writing, open to suggestions for improving their work, and filled with a desire to improve their skill. </div>
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Saturday, I taught <i>The Over Fifty Writer</i>, which is a bit out of character for my persona as the Division Manager for YA and Children's Imprints with WWC. However, as the picture above definitely indicates, I am - well - well over fifty! I began the session with a written speech I had started to prepare several days prior to the conference, but ended up completing between 1 and 3 AM Friday night. Yeah, I still haven't conquered the procrastination thing. I had forgotten all I learned in <a href="http://www.toastmasters.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Toastmasters</span></a>, that a written speech is not always the best speech. Twenty minutes into class time, everything written on paper had been said, so I had to rely on extemporaneous talk, which, in my opinion as I listened to the recording of the class later, sounded much more natural. What ensued was a discussion among the class members about some of their experiences. A lot of emotion came out during that segment of the workshop. Perhaps that was more important than anything I had to say.</div>
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There are a great selection of workshops, continuing sessions, general sessions, and clinics offered at Marlene's conferences, both in Philly and <a href="http://www.writehisanswer.com/colorado/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Colorado</span></a>. I had planned to attend a couple of the workshops, but was so busy that I didn't get the opportunity. Not that I'm complaining! I love to encourage other writers and spend time with them. I am so blessed to be a part of Marlene's faculty. Another great thing about the conferences is that all workshops and sessions are <a href="http://wha.skwdassociates.com/resources/23281.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">available on CD</span>,</a> the entire conference can be obtained as an MP3 file.</div>
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The speakers Marlene engages for the worship sessions, like <a href="http://www.timshoemakersmashedtomatoes.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Tim Shoemaker</span></a>, and <a href="http://www.jameswatkins.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Jim Watkins</span></a>, are inspirational and engaging. Oh, to be able to speak with the power and the polish of these men someday! Then there are Marlene's prayers. She talks to the Father as though she could see Him standing right next to her. Sometimes I believe she can. </div>
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After the awards ceremony and closing session on Saturday, those faculty who could attend went to Marlene's home for a delicious spread of food. It had been a hectic four days (especially for Marlene!) and everyone was ready to relax. Most folks fly out on Saturday, but those of us who were able to attend had a wonderful time.</div>
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I won't remember the faces of all the folks I met with at appointments. I don't know the names of most of the attendees at Teens Write or The Over Fifty Writer workshop, or of those who were in the audience at the editor's panels. Still, I hope I left the people who came in contact with me something valuable that they can use to further their writing journey.</div>
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If you are a writer, I hope to see you either in Philly or Colorado next year! In the meantime, I urge you to check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=write+his+answer&sprefix=Write+His%2Cstripbooks%2C365" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Write His Answer</span></a>, Marlene's great book for writers. </div>
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If you are not a writer, I urge you to check out the various web sites mentioned in this post anyway. Most of them have wonderful information about the Christian life and books available, from novels to devotionals. </div>
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A huge thank you to Marlene, who has fueled my passion to help others pursue publication as they write His answer! </div>
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(Next, read about the ten days I spent in up-state New York)</div>
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Thanks for reading my blog!</div>
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Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-39490186999796653442012-08-16T08:58:00.000-06:002012-08-16T09:03:21.912-06:00<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZr-ipUAujnsrV-J6kGE53PbP-om0Qxrx4SbsXlckrHRpehmRdhoTNpvF1ihgEMyimRxmDnPpDtcGViJqk-SXoh45OiJUQ7qxM9KDn_IFdBe2DgLzV_ZbpinrHrqLcDHhy8W5yIuiOBtIa/s1600/Staci+Stallings+headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZr-ipUAujnsrV-J6kGE53PbP-om0Qxrx4SbsXlckrHRpehmRdhoTNpvF1ihgEMyimRxmDnPpDtcGViJqk-SXoh45OiJUQ7qxM9KDn_IFdBe2DgLzV_ZbpinrHrqLcDHhy8W5yIuiOBtIa/s200/Staci+Stallings+headshot.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I am pleased to welcome author Staci Stallings to Patti's Porch today. Staci has an inspiring message and a FREE Kindle download of her new book Aug 15 & 16 only.</b></span><br />
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Drowning Lessons<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Any lifeguard will tell you the worst thing someone that the lifeguard is trying to save can do is to “help.” A drowning person in a panicked attempt to “save” themselves by thrashing about can end up taking the lifeguard down with them. It’s a lesson all of us need to learn no matter how good we are at swimming in spiritual waters.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Many people ask: “What is my purpose here on earth?” They go through various exercises and workshops to find out what their purpose is. I will save you some time and money if you, too, are asking this age-old question.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You have one purpose here on earth, and it can be summed up in two words: to learn.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You were sent here to learn—to learn about yourself—your capabilities, your liabilities, your strengths, your weaknesses, your abilities, and your limitations. You were also sent here to learn about and how to deal with others—those who are easy to love and those for whom God’s mercy will have to be super-abundant for their forgiveness to be obtained.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Nonetheless, you were mostly sent here to learn about God and His unending, unfathomable, unstoppable, overwhelming, unbelievable love for you.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>One of the biggest lessons and one of the hardest to take and accept is what has been called a disruptive moment. These are the times in your life when you have been easily walking next to the water when suddenly something pushes you in to the deep end.<br />
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This something might be someone. It might be an event or an illness or death or a sudden change that blows gaping holes in your belief that all is right with your world.<br />
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Suddenly you are buffeted—slapped on every side with wave after wave of despair, doubt, anger, hopelessness, helplessness, grief, anxiety, and fear so strong it pulls you under like a rip tide.<br />
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I believe what we are sent here to learn is that it is precisely in these times of trial and fear that we learn the real depth of God. It is in these moments that the Almighty Lifeguard takes hold of us, rather than us holding onto Him.<br />
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The problem here is that many of us continue to struggle. We continue to try to save ourselves even as the waves wash over us time and again. What God says to us at these moments is exactly what the lifeguard would say to the drowning person. “Relax. Let Me do it. Do not rely on your strength, trust in Mine.”<br />
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Your purpose here is primarily to learn that one lesson as deeply as possible. When the storms blow, quit struggling. Trust the Lifeguard.<br />
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He has the strength you need. Relax, and let Him work in your life, and you will surely see wonders come from the moments you thought you were destined to drown. By your own effort, you would have. In His strength, however, you will be brought out of the waters of chaos and confusion into a new life you can only know when you have felt both the rip tide and His marvelous, sustaining strength.<br />
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In your weakness, His strength can be made manifest. Trust it for it will save you—especially when you feel you are drowning.<br />
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Copyright Staci Stallings 2006<br />
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Staci Stallings, the author of this article, is a Contemporary Christian author and the founder of Grace & Faith Author Connection. Staci has a special surprise for you today and tomorrow only.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSX9_hSkCCR9QngJWcY1RtphkZfrkYC_df0Aaci9Oa2Ri0qRgk_ybmwRuIwAg2jN67yfaa_AfNRqgy5-GMsITyX2xgpWnyKgFgL0EWXwDhJjwPzD8DALBiwj7V2-UDkWATXUQQzuRksNg/s1600/To+Protect+&+Serve+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSX9_hSkCCR9QngJWcY1RtphkZfrkYC_df0Aaci9Oa2Ri0qRgk_ybmwRuIwAg2jN67yfaa_AfNRqgy5-GMsITyX2xgpWnyKgFgL0EWXwDhJjwPzD8DALBiwj7V2-UDkWATXUQQzuRksNg/s200/To+Protect+&+Serve+Cover.jpg" width="133" />l:</a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Reading To Protect & Serve, I'm taken away to another world, a world I want to be a part of and never leave. Staci's characters are real with real everyday problems. I love that.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Available as a free download </b></span></div>
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<br />Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-48163877885877404362012-07-28T09:38:00.002-06:002012-07-28T09:38:55.409-06:00Interview with Author Nike Chillemi<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsE4ouEgYazZ1dyZa339uBbs3sv224wfhm5I_9sEWZ-mkBf0HZsU04L-prmNSAnNEAiN_VJq4fRZd9SO1SGz7OmjtBy9cn2HE8-LlG8XvDTVq36VKJHTzc06TCQTHCHBKCy9XgRIOwTmWi/s1600/Perilous+Shadows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsE4ouEgYazZ1dyZa339uBbs3sv224wfhm5I_9sEWZ-mkBf0HZsU04L-prmNSAnNEAiN_VJq4fRZd9SO1SGz7OmjtBy9cn2HE8-LlG8XvDTVq36VKJHTzc06TCQTHCHBKCy9XgRIOwTmWi/s320/Perilous+Shadows.jpg" width="320" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b><b style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white;">Hello Nike and welcome to Patti’s Porch.</b><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Tell us about your latest release, <i>Perilous Shadows</i>.</b></span></b></b></div>
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Patti, I'm thrilled to be here sitting on your porch talking with you about the third book in my series, Perilous Shadows. Like all of my novels, this romantic thriller is a sweet romance, but it also tackles complex issues and has sophisticated themes…but presents them in a tasteful manner. Just as in all of my stories, this one opens with a body. A coed from a prestigious women's college has been found dead at the local radio station where she was a summer intern. The story is well plotted and as it turns out several people had motives to killer her.<br />
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<b>All of your novels are set in the 1940’s. What attracts you to this time period?</b><br />
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The fashion of the 1940s intrigues me. It's classic and chic. Some of my readers may not realize this, but I graduated college from The Fashion Institute of Technology and worked for several bridal gown manufacturers doing trades shows for a number of years. From a fashion point of view, this period fascinates me. The men were debonair. The women loved to dress up, despite shortages of rayon, nylon, wool, and leather due to WWII. Hollywood drove fashion trends. You had the great costume designer Edith Head designing for the stars and in effect, she became America's fashion designer. Many women knew how to sew and could duplicate what they saw on the silver screen.<br />
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However, there were many other things besides fashion that drew me to this time. I'm fond of common courtesy and civility. This was the norm in the 1940s. Oh, you had your louts, but they were called a dolt or an oaf. No excuses were made for them. Most ordinary people in that time had dignity and class. Despite the great hardship and loss of life in WWII, America looked to go forward after the war. The nation was upbeat, had gumption. All this is attractive to me.<br />
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<b>Newspaper woman and radio broadcaster are interesting professions for 1940’s characters. Is there a story behind this choice?</b><br />
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Well there was no TV or internet. So, radio was king. I did a lot of research on the impact of radio on American society in that time. In the 1940s newspaper reporting and radio broadcasting were exciting professions. Women were beginning to get into writing for publication. You had the emergence of women's magazines where the editors and writers were all women. Practically every newspaper had a gossip column and a fashion column written by a woman.<br />
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And that's exactly where Kiera Devane started out. As far back as Burning Hearts, book one of this series, we hear tiny snippets about Kiera doing society pieces at a newspaper in the neighboring county. Way back then I had the idea she was going to be the heroine of one of the novels in the series.<br />
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<b>What has been the highest point in your writing journey? Lowest?</b><br />
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There have been several high points in my writing journey. The first was when I actually finished my first full length manuscript. It was awful. Got rejected a bunch of times. I'd say all those rejections were some low points. The next big high point was when I got my first contract, with Desert Breeze to release Burning Hearts in ebook format. Of course each contract has been a thrill. Another biggie was when Goodbye Noel won in the 2011 Grace Awards in the Mystery/Thriller/Romantic Suspense category and Burning Hearts finaled in the 2011 Grace Awards in the Romance/Historical Romance category.<br />
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<b>What, in your opinion, is the primary element needed to create a great thriller?</b><br />
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There are several elements that must come together to make a great thriller. The reader may or may not know who the killer is. If the author is going to keep that a secret, it must be a well kept secret. I've been told by those who have read Perilous Shadows that the identity of the killer was a surprise. There must be great difficulty for the main characters. I like for my hero or heroine to get beaten up at least once. It's not a bad idea for the main characters to be dealing with several problems which may throw them into the path of the killer and put them at risk. In a standard murder mystery, there probably is no risk to the detective. In a thriller there should be risk.<br />
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<b>Your blog is Nike Chillemi ~ Crime Fictionista. What does that signify?</b><br />
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As I mentioned before, in my life before fiction writing I worked in the bridal manufacturing industry. In that world, I'd hear the term <i>fashionista</i> bandied about. They'd say, "Oh, she's such a <i>fashionista</i>." So, I thought, why not crime <i>fictionista</i>? I did a little research and learned nobody had thought to use that term, so I took it as my moniker. I'm a crime fictionista all right because my passion is crime fiction. For me a good book starts out with a dead body and then the sleuth/detective character(s) with all their flaws showing must bring the killer to justice. In Perilous Shadows, what constitutes justice becomes a complicated subtheme.<br />
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<b>Where can we purchase Perilous Shadows?</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://is.gd/egHcSR" target="_blank">Amazon</a> (including Kindle) </span><br />
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<a href="http://is.gd/RJF2zy" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> (including Nook)<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Thank you so much for spending some time with us, Nike!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKFRJlQnu-Q2pyTet3T_1fToXYOFjvjzbYg75Pu8cTCtYWV2cUkZHAWu19YSzlpWxPr0px352HxOtr8tX_3V7CNyhVVOCrMG4XrxG2RLM-RTE33S81990Tm2AEFzaWDRNye_SbxfFI6hh/s1600/Nike+Chillemi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKFRJlQnu-Q2pyTet3T_1fToXYOFjvjzbYg75Pu8cTCtYWV2cUkZHAWu19YSzlpWxPr0px352HxOtr8tX_3V7CNyhVVOCrMG4XrxG2RLM-RTE33S81990Tm2AEFzaWDRNye_SbxfFI6hh/s320/Nike+Chillemi.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Nike Chillemi has been called a crime fictionista due to her passion for crime fiction. She was an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category and a judge in the 2011 and 2012 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories. She is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and its Chairman, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She writes book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. BURNING HEARTS is the first book in the crime wave that is sweeping the south shore of Long Island in The Sanctuary Point series, published by Desert Breeze. GOODBYE NOEL, the second book in the series released in December, 2011 won the Grace Award 2011 in the Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller category. PERILOUS SHADOWS, the third in the series released in July, 2012. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers (Ning).</b><br />
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<br /></div>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-626402266612972542012-07-24T23:21:00.001-06:002012-07-27T17:47:15.082-06:00How To Tame a City-Slicker<br />
I am pleased to welcome author Deb Elkink to Patti's Porch. Enjoy a cup of iced tea and relax as she shares an inspirational message spiced up with a generous helping of humor:<br />
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<b><i>How to Tame a City-Slicker</i></b><br />
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<b><i>I was born for uptown living.</i></b><br />
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True, the view from the maternity ward of the Mennonite village that first heard me squawk showed only flat Canadian prairie—not a mall in sight. But my parents soon moved me and my sibs to the big city, and, by the time I was a teen, I could shop nonstop from store opening to store closing. During senior high, my dramatic extroversion kicked into full force and I fought laryngitis from constant chattering. College years in Minneapolis put the polish on my love of metropolis and led to summer studies in Japan—Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka—where I gloried in the lights and crush and din of clustered humanity.<br />
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So I was totally unprepared when my cowboy groom swept me down a long gravel road to the vast and empty sand hills surrounding his secluded cattle ranch, where the ceaseless wind and the endless sky would bring me face to face with myself.<br />
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Only months into the marriage—before I’d yet learned to help round up the herd on horseback or cook for branding crews of a hundred—I experienced a pivotal moment, a tipping point in transition.<br />
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<b><i>I was baptized into rural reality.</i></b><br />
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It was a blustery morning in April during my first calving season on the ranch. Not suspecting the crisis in store for me that day, I’d kissed my new husband goodbye at the door of our cozy bungalow as he set out for chores. I’d admired my choice of wedding stoneware as I washed up the few breakfast dishes, wearing rubber gloves to protect my delicate hands. I might even have perused the latest issue of the fashion magazine that was my connection to civilization. Now here I was in the bathroom, steam rising about me as I removed my elegant trousseau robe and dipped my pedicured toe into the tub full of fragrant bubbles.<br />
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Out of the blue, my husband started hammering on the bathroom door and yelling, “Open up!” I barely grabbed my wrap in time as he and his father broke in with a freezing newborn calf—slimy and shivering violently. “Oh, good!” they both exclaimed in surprised tones of approval, as though marveling that I demonstrated such foresight and rural mettle. “She’s got hot water all ready for us!” And then they plunged that filthy beast into my bridal bubble bath—and, oh, how that ghastly creature’s eyes rolled in ecstasy!<br />
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(Had it, in fact, lived, it might well have been tethered, bottle-fed, named “Pie,” and fattened for slaughter—as had Georgie, Porgie, and Puddin’ before it.) <br />
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This moment is symbolic of my own immersion into the grit and glory of cattle ranching, and the next two decades domesticated me out of my city ways. Sure, I longed for sophistication, fine dining, and foreign adventure (and in time my introverted, country-lovin’ husband—who’d never even eaten lasagna before meeting me—expanded his tastes to include classical music, foie gras, and international travel). But what I found during those years on the ranch I believe would have been lost to me had I remained a distracted city-dweller.<br />
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<b><i>I was forced by the silence of the wilderness to listen for the voice of God.</i></b><br />
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Because of my upbringing, as a child I’d placed trust in Jesus Christ for the salvation of my soul. However, until my move to the ranch, my spirituality included a component of sociability: all my religious learning took place in a classroom or a pew or a youth group. Now my geographical isolation put most believers out of my reach. I managed to drive two hours on most Sundays for corporate worship, but I met God much more immediately and intimately through reading the Bible alone at the kitchen table, and raising my voice in prayer and song out in the wind among the sand dunes without another soul in sight. <br />
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<b><i>My conversion from the public to the pasture refined me.</i></b><br />
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Father, Son, and Spirit continue to transform me through Scripture by renewing my mind, taming my appetite for the constant stimulation of others, and testing me to develop my discernment and keenness in practicing God’s will (Rom. 12:2). I have no doubt that He would have effected this transformation even if I’d held on to my city-slicker status (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 1:6). And don’t get me wrong—I take every opportunity to shop for five-inch heels and silk scarves in Paris and Buenos Aires and Istanbul! But I faced my “dark night of the soul” out on Canada’s western plains and grasslands, where I learned to embrace the holy loneliness necessary to true, communing fellowship with God and others.<br />
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Of course, there’s no sin in loving civilization (the Tower of Babel notwithstanding)! But to serve humanity properly, we must have our spirituality in order. To that end, you might want to follow these steps:<br />
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<b>Step #1: Recognize <i>your</i> setting</b>. I was predisposed to approach God through social relationships. Emotionally, where do you “live”? How do your lifestyle and friendships influence your spiritual outlook? What is your natural bent, and can you see the potential limitations of your viewpoint?<br />
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<b>Step #2: Face <i>your </i>conflict</b>. Admitting the profound difference between my life in the city and my life on the ranch helped me pinpoint my underlying problem: I can get side-tracked spiritually by an audience. What “calf in the bubble bath” are you facing right now? How are you reacting and responding to your circumstances? At what point has your one-on-one relationship with God broken down?<br />
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<b>Step #3: Discover <i>your</i> resolution</b>. Pastoral tranquility was just what I needed to shut out metropolitan noise and pay attention to the voice of God. What distracts you from listening to Him speak in Scripture? How can you adjust your lifestyle to hear Him better? What will you do today to focus on your primary and foundational relationship with God?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigN1YYyZ4ZBowLlpN-gzuDF6bJxlAILMlXrqZYeInVpCM9ZRZ4fqkqSqm9lw1dpZagWt2tQ8oc3DMJtKsYy5wbnRSCX08XdcRinpJAstmgABD5lJx36Ti_pzOJqOTpik9rZnTg-RWHezF/s1600/THE+THIRD+GRACE+Cover(Thumbnail).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigN1YYyZ4ZBowLlpN-gzuDF6bJxlAILMlXrqZYeInVpCM9ZRZ4fqkqSqm9lw1dpZagWt2tQ8oc3DMJtKsYy5wbnRSCX08XdcRinpJAstmgABD5lJx36Ti_pzOJqOTpik9rZnTg-RWHezF/s200/THE+THIRD+GRACE+Cover(Thumbnail).jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
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Deb Elkink writes from her home on the banks of Ross Creek in southern Alberta, Canada—a stone’s throw from the Montana border. Her award-winning, debut novel, <i>The Third Grace</i>, is set in the cities of Paris and Denver, and on a farm in Nebraska’s sand hills, where her main character lives out some of Deb’s own urban/rural experiences. Visit the author at <a href="http://www.debelkink.com/" target="_blank">www.debelkink.com</a>. <br />
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Thank you, Deb, for spending some time with us!<br />
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Thanks for reading my blog!<br />
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<br /></div>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-28422647779531387612012-07-21T03:36:00.001-06:002012-07-21T03:36:11.487-06:00Is God Mad?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">These past few weeks in Colorado have been tough. In the latter part of June, what started out as smoke observed in the Waldo Canyon area west of Colorado Springs evolved over the ensuing days into the most expensive fire in state history. Close to 350 homes were lost and over 18,000 acres burned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday morning, the nation awakened to the shocking report that 12 lives were lost and some 50+ others were victims of a random shooting at a movie theater in the Colorado city of Aurora. Within hours, the tragic news made headlines around the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It makes a person wonder if God is on a vendetta against our state and its residents. Is he mad at us? Have those who fell victim to either of these tragedies done something to incur His wrath?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To assume so would be highly presumptuous. I don't believe for a moment that God singled out those victims because he was "mad." If he's taking revenge on sinners with these tragedies, I probably should have been one of the victims. I'm ashamed to admit my list of sins stays pretty lengthy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The cause of the Waldo Canyon fire remains under investigation. God could have easily whispered a word of warning into the ear of the person or persons who committed whatever act to ignite the fire. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He could have jerked the weapons out of the hand of the gunman who spread panic, destruction, and death throughout a packed movie theater shortly after midnight on Saturday morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yet, God doesn't work that way. I don't believe He targets individuals for tragedy, either, whether He is angry with our behavior or not. He gave us the laws, but He also gave us the freedom to choose to follow or disobey them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have no doubt He is angry with man's flagrant disregard for His laws. Yet, sometimes I wonder if that anger isn't more heartbreak, the heartbreak a parent feels when a child makes a decision the parent knows is detrimental to the child leading a productive and fulfilling life. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I believe God is mad. He's mad, enraged in fact, at His eternal enemy, Satan. Just as a mom or dad would be enraged at someone who leads their child into addiction or abuse, God abhors the evil one who leads His children down a path to destruction. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">He hurts when we hurt. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">His heart breaks when ours breaks. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The difference is that He has the power to take away the hurt and the heartbreak.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We can rest assured that no matter what losses we suffer, He will do just that.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Have you suffered loss in your life due to tragedy? What are your thoughts?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for reading my blog!</span>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-85078888040796805752012-07-11T12:00:00.000-06:002012-07-14T22:12:50.459-06:00Interview with aspiring author Kristena Tunstall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccgDNSzuyDRVoH3Ez9wS_g9VnNAsED4TltLwwricw1p66iN9JrN4EvPwTPOBj2ZZRKP0-LfH075yqFhHUQ7FBLPMurc7qqppYc2htwltb97rP4TDSbTRU4Jadhm2QodpKNVYqiwdkP-X9/s1600/Kristena+Turnstall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccgDNSzuyDRVoH3Ez9wS_g9VnNAsED4TltLwwricw1p66iN9JrN4EvPwTPOBj2ZZRKP0-LfH075yqFhHUQ7FBLPMurc7qqppYc2htwltb97rP4TDSbTRU4Jadhm2QodpKNVYqiwdkP-X9/s320/Kristena+Turnstall.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white;">Today, I am honored to host aspiring author Kristena Tunstall on Patti's Porch. Pull up a chair, grab a glass of lemonade, and join us as Kristena speaks from the heart about the way God used a tragedy to start her on her writing journey.</b></div>
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<b>Welcome, Kristena!</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I have been invited to guest blog
here today and at first I really didn’t know what I’d write about. I put a
little flag in my email to remind me I needed to write something but kept
putting it off.</span></div>
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Then it struck me. How did I get
to a place that I even have a writing journey to talk about? I am kind of
dumbfounded sometimes as I can think back to high school and writing was the
last thing on my mind. It was a chore to be precise. I could never envision
myself as a writer as English was so hard for me. Getting a C was really good.
It just never came easily as I also have a learning disability called Dyslexia
(thank goodness for MS Word <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>).</div>
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Then on July 1, 2008, my one and
only 8 ½ year old child came home early from her special needs summer school
program with diarrhea. As a mom you think, “Oh, this is just a simple case of
diarrhea. It’ll be gone in no time.”</div>
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Well, there wasn’t anything
simple about it. Only fifteen days later on July 16, my husband and I had to
make the hardest decision of our lives when we decided to take her off life
support as we were told our little girl would never be the same and was forever
gone.</div>
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It was during her time over that
two weeks and two days (which included staying at four different hospitals, while
having complete kidney failure, a stroke, cerebral hemorrhage and cardiac
arrest) that I started to keep a daily journal of sorts online for my family
and friends as to her current condition. This all started because somehow she
contracted E. coli.</div>
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That daily journal is how my
writing journey officially started. Then on October 21, 2008, I was sitting at
home having all these thoughts swirling around that started with this, “The
loss of a child, how deep it must go.” It just kept swirling and swirling and I
knew right then I needed to get those words down so I sat at my dining room
table and started to type on my laptop.</div>
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What I wrote that day ended up
being the first post of a dedication website on behalf of my daughter. (To read
that post in full, <a href="http://mommysangelinheaven.com/2008/10/21/we-miss-her-so-much/" target="_blank">click here</a>) What I didn’t know then but know do is that writing turned out to be
an outlet, or cathartic, for myself. I could get out all the feelings into my
writing and to share my journey with those that knew and loved me.</div>
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What has happened since is people
I have never met before, and probably never will, find my website doing simple
little searches for things. They then read her hospital story and are so
touched they leave a comment. I am blessed to see the impact of how sharing my
writing has been for others.</div>
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It has been through this journey
that I have realized God has given me this gift of writing and that through it
I have the ability to touch other people’s lives. People see a strength in me
that I don’t see in myself. Somehow I am able to encourage others as they see I
am making it through this tragedy and I am okay. </div>
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The blessings I’ve received
through this loss never cease to amaze me. I am in the process of writing a
book about my daughter. I’m also writing my first fiction book. I am able to
use the experiences of my life and transform them in a way that may be able to
touch other people’s lives in a positive way. If someone can look at me and see
that I am okay and making it through that maybe they will be able to see the
same thing in themselves.</div>
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So my writing journey has been a
road of discovery and how God has showed me, with more blessings than I could
have ever imagined, this is the path He wants me to take.</div>
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If you feel led, <span style="background-color: white;">please visit </span><span style="background-color: white;">my
daughter’s <a href="http://www.mommysangelinheaven.com/" target="_blank">dedication website</a> and even read about Her Hospital Story. </span><span style="background-color: white;">If you leave a comment, I will personally answer it. I love to hear from anyone
who has taken their own time to visit there.</span></div>
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If you would like to stay up to
date with my latest fiction writing journey, please visit <a href="http://www.kristenatunstall.com/" target="_blank">my author web site</a>. </div>
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Thank you for taking the time to
learn about my writing journey and how I have come to where I am today.<br />
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<b>Kristena, thank you so much for sharing your story with us.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Leave a comment by midnight July 30th about Kristena's post and you will be placed in a drawing to win a free copy of the new release from Bethany House Publishers <i>Angels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters: Real-life Stories of Supernatural Events </i>complied by James Stuart Bell. Be sure to leave an email address!</span></b><br />
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Thanks for reading my blog!</div>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-67216694695242257472012-06-17T19:42:00.001-06:002012-06-17T19:45:43.464-06:00Memories of dad<span style="font-size: large;">I suppose all of us who have lost our dads take a few minutes on Father's Day to wander down memory lane. My dad passed sixteen years ago, at the age of seventy-six.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Dad was always a hard worker. He held two jobs for most of his life, especially when my sister and I were younger. Our uncle owned a stationary store in town and, in addition to his full-time job as a route rider for a milk company, he worked a couple evenings a week and on Sundays at the store.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My sis and I used to ride our bikes down to the store, where dad would fix us ice cream cones. One of our big moments was to meet dad at the corner of our street and the highway when he was on his way home from work so we could hop in the car and ride back to the house with him</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Dad loved his cars. He took good care of them, inside and out. I still remember him in a heated discussion with my uncle, declaring with a vehement punching of a fist on the kitchen table, "you will never, ever, see gas cost a dollar a gallon!"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Dad loved the Adirondack North Country, where he was born and raised. He married mom and raised us out on Long Island, but when we went on vacation, it was back up-state. I remember one time he called mom around ten in the morning and told her, "I'm getting off work at noon today. Be packed." She threw some things in a suitcase and we headed up to spend the week-end with relatives in the Adirondacks.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Dad loved the cold weather. I can recall going for walks with him in the snow. When we walked in the Adirondacks, it would be so cold that the snow would crunch beneath our feet.He never could tolerate the heat. Neither can I.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dad played the piano with a talent that was a pure gift. He never learned to read a note of music and I was told he taught himself on an old pump organ. He loved the music of the big bands era. If I listen hard enough, I still hear some of those sweet melodies as vividly as I did when they floated across our living room fifty years ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I wish dad had been around to meet our granddaughter. I think he would have just adored her. I wish he were here to see our kids in their successful careers. On the other hand, he'd probably be miserable in today's world. All the technology, the economy, the politics, would be a constant source of irritation to him!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He lived a good life, and in those last months, when cancer attacked his body, he fought a brave fight and brought encouragement to all those around him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today, especially, I miss him.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Love you dad!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for reading my blog!</span><br />
<br />Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-28794333159340772412012-06-08T18:12:00.000-06:002012-06-08T18:14:54.415-06:00HEAVEN IS FOR REAL<span style="font-size: large;">It's great to be back in the blogosphere. I've missed my readers and I hope you've missed me!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I can't think of a better topic on Patti's Porch today than to tell you about the Heaven is for Real event my husband and I attended a couple of nights ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm sure many of you have heard about the book <i>Heaven is for Real</i> by Todd Burpo, which tells the incredible story of his three year-old son's visit to heaven while undergoing surgery. I couldn't believe it when I learned this event would be held in a high school gymnasium in the next town, a community of about 8,000 people. Through the hard work and financial contributions of several area sponsors, those of us in the oft forgotten rural section of Southeastern Colorado were able to experience a truly delightful and inspirational evening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The band Read You and Me played praise and worship music for quite a while. It was a bit loud, but it set the tone for the fact that the audience was there to have an encounter with God and give all the glory to Him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mr Burpo, a pastor from a small church in Nebraska, then spoke about their family's experience. He took us through the heart-wrenching moments when they thought they might lose their precious son and the observations young Colton shared with his parents for months afterward that verified he had actually visited heaven. The Biblical references a child could not possibly know or fabricate bring authenticity to his words that, in my opinion, cannot be refuted.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We next viewed a home video, where Colton revealed some of his observations to his dad. There are several videos that can be accessed. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ntPjd6l-azk" target="_blank">This is one</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A local pastor then interviewed Todd and his wife, Sonja. I love the way this family handles the message God has given them to share. They don't exploit their now eleven year-old son by putting him on stage to testify to what he saw and learned. They don't preach "you have to believe this." They simply plant seeds with solid facts and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We saw Colton briefly when he came on stage to sing <i>Amazing Grace </i>with the pure sweet voice of a child who knows without a doubt that God, Jesus, and heaven are for real.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Have you ever had a mountaintop experience? Most of us have, where our hearts are so full that we feel like we will burst with joy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I can't say I felt that type of emotion after this event. What I walked away with was more of a sense of confirmation and anticipation. It reminded me of when I am planning a trip and someone who has been there says, "Oh, yes, all the things you've heard about it are true. You're just going to love it!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There sure have been a lot of questions rolling around in my brain since Wednesday evening, though. Here are just a few:</span><br />
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What kind of work will God have for me to do when I get there?<br />
(Colton talked about homework!)<br />
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Will I really be able to see everything around me without glasses?<br />
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What will it be like to travel with wings? (Colton says everybody gets a pair!)<br />
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Is my dad driving the open roads in the most luxurious car ever?<br />
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Is my grandmother, who loved gardening, tending a garden so gorgeous it is beyond human description?<br />
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Are my mother-in-law's many children who preceded her in death gathering together at the table to enjoy her home-made tortillas?<br />
(Colton talks about meeting his sister, who his mom miscarried long before Colton was born).<br />
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How many people aren't there because I didn't share my faith when I could have? (Wow, that's a tough one!)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Heaven is for real. I have peace in the knowledge that no matter what I endure on this earth, whether it be pain, heartbreak, financial insecurity, or disaster, it pales in comparison to the glory that awaits. There will be stumbling blocks on this path we call life, but all I have to do to reach my final destination is accept the gift God gave me, His son. I am blessed to have heard this story first hand of a little boy who confirms it as absolute truth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If this event comes to <a href="http://www.hifrministries.org/index.php?id=3" target="_blank">your area</a>, I strongly urge you to attend. Read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Heaven+is+for+Real" target="_blank">the book</a>. See for yourself the truths God has revealed through the eyes of a child.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for reading my blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-7887844516378973752012-04-24T15:41:00.002-06:002012-04-24T15:41:29.694-06:00In Case You're WonderingIn case those of you who visit my web site are wondering what happened, I managed to totally mess up all of the changes my web master did to my site. She added a new header, updated my About Patti page and added two new blog pages.<br />
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Enter non-techie me and my creative granddaughter! We thought we would add some font and color changes, but somewhere along the line, we managed to initiate template changes as well, which wiped out all the HTML on my web site! It's all still there somewhere, but my web master is writing on deadline for the next few weeks and won't be able to do a total fix for a while.<br />
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My granddaughter thinks this is her fault because she made all the "clicks" in blogger. I reminded her that it was me who gave her the go ahead to make the "clicks." If only we had known that in our "clicking" fervor to design we were destructive!<br />
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In the meantime, my new web pages are accessible at the top of the sidebar, but until I get everything straightened out, I won't be promoting them a whole lot. My About Patti page also takes you to the Doteasy for now.<br />
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So sorry about this! I'll let you know when I'm back up and running at full speed.<br />
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Thanks for reading my blog!<br />
<br />Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-17786187400587204332012-04-10T11:13:00.000-06:002012-04-10T11:13:02.591-06:00What we need<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">The Lenten season has come and gone for another year. I posted a few weeks back that I was going to give up chocolate this year and explained the reasons why.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I
learned an amazing thing during that period of self-denial. I don’t need
chocolate. That realization leads me to wonder how many other “things” I
indulge in every day that I can do without. God provides so much that we take
for granted. He doesn’t always provide all that we want, but He definitely
supplies all that we need.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Today, I feel God fulfilling one of my deepest needs, the need for His calming presence. My husband is in surgery as I write this for what the medical profession calls a "fem pop bypass" to his left leg. It took him some time to get to this point since he was supposed to have the surgery last year. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">An angiogram ordered by his cardiologist revealed that he needed open heart surgery first. He was supposed to have a quadruple bypass, but damage to his aorta allowed the bypass of only one artery. That was done the day before Thanksgiving. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I don't know why my anxiety level was higher this morning prior to this current surgery than it was the day of the open heart surgery. Maybe it's because a lady in our church recently had leg surgery that went terribly wrong and resulted in an amputation. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Whatever the reason, my husband and I said a prayer this morning and when the two of us together gave it all to God, it lifted a great burden from my heart.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The operating room nurse just called out to the waiting room to tell me everything is gong great. My husband has waited a long time for this surgery and I'm so blessed to know that God is with him every step of the way.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Thanks for reading my blog!</span></div>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-84095505372322899952012-03-20T01:18:00.000-06:002012-03-20T01:18:16.883-06:00Interview with Author Jerri Ledford<br />
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<b>Tell us about your three book Biloxi suspense series.</b></div>
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This is my first fiction series. <i>Biloxi
Sunrise</i> is the story of two homicide special investigators on the Biloxi
Police Department. They’re investigating a string of vicious murders along the
Gulf Coast while dealing with their own personal demons from their pasts. Both
have secrets, and those secrets could be the thing that gets them both killed.</div>
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<i>Biloxi Blue</i>, the
second book in the series, bring Jack and Kate back. This time, Jack has been
promoted to Captain, leaving Kate behind as a special investigator with a brand
new partner. When bodies start turning up again, Kate and her new partner must
find the killer, while she and Jack grow further apart. When the murderer comes
after Kate, Jack and her new partner must race to save her before she winds up
dead.</div>
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The third book, <i>Biloxi
Heat</i>, features Jack’s niece, Lisa, more prominently. She’s all grown up
now, going through school and preparing for her own career when her friend’s
husband dies in a house fire. Lisa thinks it could have been arson, so she
calls Jack and Kate in to help her figure out what’s going on before her friend
(and herself) become victims of a murderous arsonist.</div>
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<b>I've read the first book. Sounds like the next two will provide the same level of great reading. </b></div>
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<b>The first book, <i>Biloxi
Sunrise,</i> touched on many subjects: exploitation of children, the wounds
abuse inflicts on women, and loyalty among police officers, to name a few. What
research resources did you use to create <i>Biloxi
Sunrise</i>? </b></div>
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I use the internet a lot, but I also spent some time at the
Writer’s Police Academy learning about some aspects of the book. I also learned
a lot during that conference that will apply to both of the other books in this
series. </div>
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I also read a lot. I have a shelf dedicated to my resource
books. It includes things like <i>Police Procedure and Investigation, The
Idiots Guide to Criminal Investigations, </i>and <i>Crime Scene Investigation.</i>
In addition, I’ve read lots of books about criminal psychology, abnormal
psychology, and forensics. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhMDnC3er0Jzge6ZQopSVMqgDJiwY7I9ALSjDGmVajSqH6E_rqJidEoJL4o3jBIIHsJD7ZVktJtd48SjSKNfwTHh4w9Vsd_r05p8he4KV7rFZvnbTNEqgCzrDHgxfY9pDcxf7dntkfoKD/s1600/Biloxi+Sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhMDnC3er0Jzge6ZQopSVMqgDJiwY7I9ALSjDGmVajSqH6E_rqJidEoJL4o3jBIIHsJD7ZVktJtd48SjSKNfwTHh4w9Vsd_r05p8he4KV7rFZvnbTNEqgCzrDHgxfY9pDcxf7dntkfoKD/s320/Biloxi+Sunrise.jpg" width="212" /></a>People are another resource I rely heavily on. I’ve traveled a lot in my lifetime, and when
people talk, I try to listen. I pick up
bits and pieces here and there. That always gets filed away for future
use. I’ll also interview experts in a
given field when necessary. </div>
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<b>I think the fact that you used interviews with people added depth to your story. Great job!</b></div>
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<b>What do you like most about writing suspense stories?</b></div>
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It’s the story. How
do people who are otherwise just like me and you get through the circumstances
that they find themselves in? I find that I’m very drawn to understanding how
other people think. And when you put
someone in a life-threatening situation, you’ll see a side of them that might
not otherwise show up. That’s the part
of suspense that I love…when the characters become <i>more</i> than I ever thought they would.</div>
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<b>Television is loaded with cop shows. Did you model your main
character, Jack Roe, after any of them?</b></div>
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I have to laugh at this.
Someone recently said Jack reminded them of Jack Malone of <i>Without a Trace</i>. In fact, Jack was
conceived LONG before the TV show ever hit the airwaves. Jack came to me in the mid-nineties, and he’s
been with me ever since. Driving me up a wall!</div>
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Jack has an amalgamation of traits from people that I have
loved and cared about over my lifetime.
The military background comes from my father and another man that was at
one time in my life. His strength and pride from several people, and his
loyalty to family from someone that holds my heart to this day. He’s all of the
good traits of a bunch of people all rolled into one.</div>
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<b>The books in this series are available only in electronic
format. What do you see as the pros and cons of this publishing venue?</b></div>
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This is a pretty tough question. I am a huge advocate for electronic
publishing. I think it’s definitely
going to be the major publishing platform in a few years. It offers a lot of plusses. For example, time to market is an
often-quoted benefit. I’m currently
working on <i>Biloxi Blue.</i> I started the
book in November. It should be available for purchase around the end of
April. That’s a 5 month lead time. </div>
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Whereas, if I were to go the more traditional
publishing route, the book takes between 12 and 18 months to hit the stands
from the time I finish writing it. By relying on electronic publishing, I’m
increasing my productivity considerably.</div>
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But there’s the other side of digital publishing, right now.
Because it is much easier to publish electronically, without the fetters of the
traditional publishing world, a lot of people are doing it. That makes getting noticed much harder than
it’s ever been. Constant marketing is
required. And because I am self-published, I’m held to a much higher standard
than traditionally published books. I’ve
taken lashes for mistakes in the first book yet I’ve seen traditionally
published books with much worse mistakes that are never called out. </div>
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Traditional publishing, however, also has some
advantages. As of right now, electronic
publishing only claims about 10 percent of the reading market. By not having the book available in print,
then I’m missing out on all the possible sales that would fit into the 90
percent of books that are still purchased and read in paper format. There is just a much larger marketplace for
paper-based books. Personally, I don’t
think it will remain that way, however, and so I’m taking the time now, while
digital publishing is in its early stages, to try to establish a following of
readers that like the types of stories that I write. </div>
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<b>You offer some great insight into this controversial issue, Jerri.</b></div>
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<b><i>SEO: Search Engine
Optimization </i>is one of your non-fiction books. How important do you feel it
is for a new author to be easily located on the web?<i> <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwRX482DnZGtO5edEaOk4hIqqleh01t0JK-ofgHfz_BgMxUAD4YkWy8pPSoycD7LJ9asQqA55xI2h5jjFHV2ALrprRYndLXlZ4YpP87A01Ue4qPEmpeQz-imO6SypXgxJOAB1LsthOym1/s1600/Search+Engine+Optimization.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwRX482DnZGtO5edEaOk4hIqqleh01t0JK-ofgHfz_BgMxUAD4YkWy8pPSoycD7LJ9asQqA55xI2h5jjFHV2ALrprRYndLXlZ4YpP87A01Ue4qPEmpeQz-imO6SypXgxJOAB1LsthOym1/s320/Search+Engine+Optimization.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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If you’re a self-publishing, or indie author, it’s
essential. You name has to be
everywhere. And if potential readers see
your name and want to know more about your books, they better be able to find
that information quickly and easily. The
internet, you see, has made it so much easier to move on to the next name on
the list.</div>
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So, being present means you have to participate in social
media. Have a web presence. And share that with everyone that you know. That alone could be a full-time job. I could hire a person to do nothing but work
my online presence and keep them busy for as many hours a day as I spend
writing. Of course, that’s not feasible,
but I can dream, right? </div>
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<b>You have published many different forms of writing, from
articles and news stories to book-length work in both fiction and non-fiction. If
you could choose only one form of writing, what would it be?</b></div>
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Fiction. Hands down. And I didn’t even have to think about
that answer. I’ve always wanted to write fiction. I have so many stories to
tell. The other writing was a way to
build my skill, earn a living, and mature enough to have something to write
about in the fiction world. But if I could only do one kind of writing, it
would always be fiction. I love telling
stories. I love exploring characters. And I love sharing bits and pieces of who
I am and what I believe with the readers that pick up my books.</div>
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<b>What is your favorite pastime when you are not writing?</b></div>
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You mean there’s something besides writing? =)
Okay. I’m kidding. I DO spend a lot of time writing. Sometimes up to 16 hours a day. But when I’m not writing, my very next love
is my family. I spend as much time as I
can with my kids. Right now, that means
shuttle service and soccer games. But over
the years it’s meant many different kinds of things, from homeschooling to
playground patrol. </div>
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I also usually have a camera slung around my neck. I love
taking pictures. Of people, of places, and things. Whatever happens to strike my fancy. I’ve even had a few pictures published,
though I’ll probably never be the first person that anyone thinks of when they
think of photography. Still, it’s something that I love to do.</div>
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Creativity seems to play a big part in my life. I like to cook. I like to make jewelry. I
used to sew a little, too, though I haven’t done that in a while. And I like
gardening. It’s all about making
something. </div>
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And when I’m not writing, or I need a break from writing, these
other creative endeavors usually kick in to occupy my time.</div>
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<b>I'd say you are a very busy lady!</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>What advice would you give to new, unpublished writers?</b></div>
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Be persistent. Over
the course of my career I’ve learned one thing. The person that hangs on the
longest usually ends up with the job. I won’t ever claim to be the greatest
writer on the planet. I’m not, and
probably never will be because I’m too hard-headed. But that same trait (being hard-headed) has
landed me more jobs than most writers.
Mostly it’s because I don’t know when to stop. I see something I want to do, and I work at
doing it. It doesn’t matter if I don’t
have the right experience or knowledge.
I can learn how to do anything I want to do. And for some reason, hearing the word “no”
doesn’t faze me. I just keep right after
it until it happens. </div>
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I’m not sure what trait you would call that, but I’ve always
said I was just too dumb to fail. </div>
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<b>Where can your readers find you on the web?</b></div>
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Oh, I’m all over the place. </div>
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<a href="http://www.jerriledford.com/" target="_blank">Web</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.jerriledford.com/blog" target="_blank">Blog</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/JerriLynnLedford" target="_blank">Facebook</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.twitter.com/JerriLedford" target="_blank">Twitter</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/JerriLedford" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jerri-ledford/0/713/866" target="_blank">Linkedin</a></div>
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/109093481406250125086/posts?hl=en" target="_blank">Google+</a></div>
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<b>Thank you, Jerri, for stopping by!</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Thanks for inviting me! I’ve enjoyed sharing a little about
myself. And I invite your readers to email me directly if you have any
questions. (jerrilynn (at) gmail (dot)
com)</div>
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<b>Below is my review of Biloxi Sunrise:</b></div>
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It had been a while since I’d read a mystery, and I sure
chose the right one! <i>Biloxi Sunrise</i> hooked me from the first scene and
kept me engaged with the characters right to the end.</div>
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As a police officer, Jack Roe has sworn to serve and
protect. Yet, the fact that he didn’t protect his own wife and daughter from
their deaths haunts him every day of his life. Now, he has a second chance with
his sister and niece, but the job gets more difficult with each new threat to
their well-being. </div>
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Kate, his partner, hides her shameful past from him. Her
shortcoming leaves him vulnerable to danger as he burrows deeper into a murder
investigation.</div>
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Counselor Dana McNally harbors her own secrets as she delves
into the lives of the broken and abused women she strives to heal. Her growing
relationship with Jack puts her on a collision course that thrusts him in
harm’s way.</div>
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This novel carries all the elements of a great story: believable characters, a well-constructed
plot, and suspense that keeps you up all night turning the pages. </div>
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I’d love to read more books by this author. Thanks for a
great read, Jerri!</div>
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<o:p>Thanks for reading my blog!</o:p></div>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-2703034646944161592012-03-11T16:30:00.000-06:002012-03-15T13:05:08.496-06:00Make Money Writing Interview with Janice Thompson<br />
<br />
<b>Janice has guested on Patti's Porch before. Today, she's back with some exciting news for all writers! Janice's book is free on Kindle from March 12th thru March 17th, but there's lots more good news in store. Read on!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5k7e7Jw6hRXI6RJH6Ln_twVv-PGiHipz7Cmq6c3T136jRmVtyMM_oCkrhdqxuN8WTVYozfdhaczlQGCGPyCZFq1PREoQvryRu3zDOkL68_ljZJU57cS7oblCbPA7jUQ5ksA58oX9UkDK/s1600/Janice+Hanna+Thompson.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5k7e7Jw6hRXI6RJH6Ln_twVv-PGiHipz7Cmq6c3T136jRmVtyMM_oCkrhdqxuN8WTVYozfdhaczlQGCGPyCZFq1PREoQvryRu3zDOkL68_ljZJU57cS7oblCbPA7jUQ5ksA58oX9UkDK/s200/Janice+Hanna+Thompson.jpeg" width="144" /></a><b>Welcome, Janice. Can
you tell us about your latest venture? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Thanks for having me. I’m thrilled to share about my latest
book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Money-Writing-ebook/dp/B007IY7QG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331506744&sr=8-1" target="_blank">MAKE MONEY WRITING</a>, which is now available from amazon for kindle users. The
book, which is loaded with helpful hints for freelancers, is free from March 12<sup>th</sup>
– March 17<sup>th</sup>. After that, it will sell for $4.49. </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Can you tell us a
little about yourself and your writing experience? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Sure! I write under the names “Janice Thompson” and “Janice
Hanna.” I just signed contract #79 (For QUEEN OF THE WAVES) and have written in
a variety of genres, including romance, historical, contemporary, cozy mystery,
juvenile fiction, non-fiction and more. I’m best known for my light-hearted
contemporary novels and for my quirky characters. I’m pretty passionate about
writing, and even more passionate about helping others discover their writing
talents and abilities. For the past seven years I’ve worked as a full-time
freelancer, earning my living with my books, teachings, articles, and
write-for-hire work. </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eiL_DOZnh3BEB_sVqHLItNZ1-ZrmxDJavb097akuhoXgJ2j_Gv2TrP2w8SfSSj5iCtgZ69sqmWU5lTxMr-QkQBZ7Jjp6Ve_lXNLf0noxnnfJURFYwpdz2v0AsfLPvOEvjeNHmUrEGsuv/s1600/Make+Money+Writing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eiL_DOZnh3BEB_sVqHLItNZ1-ZrmxDJavb097akuhoXgJ2j_Gv2TrP2w8SfSSj5iCtgZ69sqmWU5lTxMr-QkQBZ7Jjp6Ve_lXNLf0noxnnfJURFYwpdz2v0AsfLPvOEvjeNHmUrEGsuv/s200/Make+Money+Writing.jpeg" width="150" /></a><b>Why did you decide to
write this book? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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For several years now I’ve divided my time between freelance
writing and teaching. So many aspiring writers discover that I’ve published
several books and they come to me to ask the inevitable, “How do I get
published?” question, usually followed by, “Is there really money to be made in
publishing?” Over the past couple years I’ve put together several <a href="http://www.freelancewritingcourses.com/">freelance writing courses</a> to
answer their questions, but I felt the need to do more, so I compiled all of my
mini-teachings into one book. </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Will readers get all
of the same materials they would get in one of your courses?</b></div>
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No, the courses are very specific to their individual
topics. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Money-Writing-ebook/dp/B007IY7QG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331506744&sr=8-1" target="_blank">MAKE MONEY WRITING </a>covers a variety of areas of interest to the freelance
writer, including: earning top dollar, magazine article writing, write-for-hire
work, writing the novel and/or non-fiction book, the submission process,
succeeding as a freelancer, and more. The book is not a textbook. Instead, it
is motivational in tone and focuses on offering encouragement to freelancers
and giving them basic tips for success in each of the areas listed above. </div>
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<b>Can you tell us a
little more about the book? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Sure! It might make more sense to share some of the chapter
titles because they will give you an idea of some of the topics readers will
find in the book. </div>
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<i>Earning
Top Dollar<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Jumping
the Hurdles<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>In
the Beginning. . .the Writer Set Goals<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>What
Industry Pros are Saying about Goal-Setting<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Write.
. .for Hire!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Revolutionize
Your Writing<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Girls
Just Wanta Have Funds<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Double
Your Word Count in Two Weeks<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Cash
in on Magazine Articles<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Sync
Up<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Freelance
Lingo<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Stop,
Drop and Roll (Adding the Crisis Scene)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>From
Mii to Wii (learning how to incorporate the “we” factor)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Make
‘Em Laugh<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Elevating
Your Elevator Pitch<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Seven
Days to Better Writing<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Five
Things a Writer can Learn from American Idol<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Got
Moxie? <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Becoming
a Public Speaker<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Writers
are from Mars, Readers are from Venus</i></div>
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. . .and much, much more!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>What other projects
are you working on?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’m currently writing QUEEN OF THE WAVES, a novel set aboard
the <i>Titanic</i>. Very compelling story, I
must say! And I’m tickled about my upcoming release, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/WEDDING-BELLES-Janice-Hanna/dp/1609366328/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1331423864&sr=1-2-catcorr">Wedding
Belles</a>. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQ-2Pv-I2g7qTxyjw2LTt8FvGnMSu10Bn0ZwUFhYt_yh1RZM1DWA7bS4lZSqXKsqPLJ5PbPJmL9Q4kCw2juobp39LestUtZF-exii6ZIhh8VI9dDJv0WHPP1oWGqonNHsODTe_PfFElOb/s1600/Promo+Writing+course.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQ-2Pv-I2g7qTxyjw2LTt8FvGnMSu10Bn0ZwUFhYt_yh1RZM1DWA7bS4lZSqXKsqPLJ5PbPJmL9Q4kCw2juobp39LestUtZF-exii6ZIhh8VI9dDJv0WHPP1oWGqonNHsODTe_PfFElOb/s1600/Promo+Writing+course.png" /></a><b>You mentioned your
courses. Can you tell us what’s going on in that world? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Yes, thanks for asking. I’m tickled about the recent release
of my <a href="http://www.freelancewritingcourses.com/non-fiction-writing-course">Non-Fiction
Writing Course</a>. I recorded this course in the studio several months ago and
had a blast doing it. I’m convinced this is the most comprehensive package I’ve
ever put together. Non-Fiction writers should be able to take this course and
find some degree of success building their platform, writing short pieces and
fully developing a non-fiction book. There’s even information on how to pitch
(and ultimately market) the non-fiction book. </div>
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Here are the ten topics within the course: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>From
Magazines to Books: Building Your Platform<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7199401470347820104" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Understanding
Non-Fiction Book Types<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Best
Selling Topics<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Compiling
Your Information (Braiding the Book)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>33
Tips to Strengthen Your Writing<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Incorporating
Fiction Techniques in Your Non-Fiction<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>The
Submission Process<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Making
the Sale (Includes all aspects of the contract/sale/edits/production)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i>Marketing
Your Book<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>How
to Stay in the Game</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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As with all of my courses, this one is available online at <a href="http://www.freelancewritingcourses.com/">www.freelancewritingcourses.com</a>. </div>
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<b>How can readers get
the free kindle book? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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They can follow<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Money-Writing-ebook/dp/B007IY7QG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331506744&sr=8-1" target="_blank"> this link </a>to amazon, The book will be free from March 12<sup>th</sup> – March 17<sup>th</sup> and
will revert to is usual $4.49 price after that. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Janice, how can
readers reach you? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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I love to chat with my readers! To learn more about my
books, visit: </div>
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<a href="http://www.janicehannathompson.com/">www.janicehannathompson.com</a></div>
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<br />
To learn more about my writing courses, including my new non-fiction course,
visit: </div>
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<a href="http://www.freelancewritingcourses.com/">www.freelancewritingcourses.com</a>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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Facebook: JaniceHannaThompson</div>
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<br /></div>
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Twitter: booksbyjanice</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Janice, thank you for a wonderful, informative interview. It's exciting to see all the learning opportunities you offer for writers.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Thanks for reading my blog!</div>Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7199401470347820104.post-82925367719911182172012-02-26T18:36:00.000-07:002012-02-26T18:36:16.577-07:00LENT - Fast - Give - Prepare - PrayThis insert was handed out with our church bulletin this morning, so I thought I would pass it on to my readers.<br />
<br />
For Presbyterians the 40-day season of Lent is an important one. But what is Lent? Do the Scripture mention it? Why do we observe it?<br />
<br />
Though the Scriptures do not mention Lent, it was a longstanding tradition in the Church. It began very simply as a time of preparation for Easter. From the earliest times it was customary for Christians in most places to fast before Easter (or the Paschal Feast). At first this was a 2-day fast (Friday and Saturday). As time passed, the fast was extended here and there to a week (E.G. in Alexandria and perhaps Rome). Though we are not certain how it developed, by 350 A.D. the 40-day fast that we now have was already in vogue in most places. Today Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday (Sundays are excluded to preserve the number 40).<br />
<br />
For Christians living in the Fourth Century Lent had two major emphases: (1) It was seen as a time of repentance and denial of self. All Christians were to examine their lives according to the Ten Commandments and other Christian ethical precepts and repent where necessary. They were to remember what it cost their Savior to save them. (2) It was a time of instruction and preparation for the elect. I.E., catechumens who wanted to become members of the Christian Church. During Lent they learned the Christian doctrine by studying the Creed. They were led step by step through prayer and special rites toward baptism. If they "passed" they were baptized and received the Lord's Supper in a joyous service either on Easter Eve (the Easter Vigil) or Easter itself.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading my blog!Patti Shenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253618466810839203noreply@blogger.com0