Introducing Starsongs magazine

We writers often refer to our work as our "baby". We nurture our efforts like a newborn, beam with pride as we watch our story grow, defend it against attack when it is criticized, and constantly seek advice about the health of our manuscript.

Today, my baby entered the world for the first time. No, it's not a novel, a poem published on a web site, or even an article that made it into the local newspaper. Few of the words written on its pages are mine. It is the first issue of Starsongs magazine and I am its editor.

These past few months have been filled with a great excitement, a little frustration, and a whole lot of challenge. The opportunity to meet, motivate, and mentor young people has proved truly a valuable experience for me. The work my contributors created, the patience they demonstrated with rewrites and critiques, and the gratitude for the simplest words of encouragement provide more than enough reward. I am grateful to the parents who supported their children with their writing efforts, who wrote words of encouragement to me, and who have been most patient during the process of putting the magazine together.


There are so many others who deserve my thanks. Kristine, the CEO of Written World Communications (WWC), gave me her vote of confidence when she offered me a position in her company. Dale and Chris patiently answered my questions, sometimes more than once.

My room-mate and coworker within WWC, Ro, who I met for the first time at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference (GPCWC) embraced me as a friend the moment I met her. So many others at GPCWC, whether conferees or faculty members, offered words of encouragement.

Marlene, GPCWC and Colorado Christian Writers Conference Director, has always been a source of motivation and guidance to me. There is Corinne, our talented and creative layout editor, who used phtoographs and design expertise to add character and depth to the words on the pages. Her talent amazes me.

I am blessed to have all these wonderful people in my life, and that miracle, of course, I attribute to God, who knew all along what path he was leading me down. Even when I resisted, He patiently waited and quietly nudged.

Now that Starsongs is out there on the Internet and available for purchase, I know this is only the beginning of the journey. Next comes the job of marketing it, promoting it, and looking toward putting together the next issue.

I don't expect many adults to be interested, but if you have kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews, or know kids in the 9-19 age range, I urge you to point them to this first issue of Starsongs. I hope all the young people who explore it will find something interesting, entertaining, or educational. Most of all, I hope it encourages young writers to test their own creative ability.

Go to MagCloud and check out my new "baby". Follow its progress and watch it grow. If you would, tell as many young people about Starsongs as you can.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Interview with Author Darlene Franklin

Darlene and I began our friendship when we met at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference some years ago. Since then, I have followed Darlene’s writing career with admiration. I was part of a critique group with her and had the pleasure of critiquing The Prodigal Patriot before it was put into print.

Darlene, a mere eleven months has passed since you were a guest on my porch. To refresh your memory, we chatted on October 5th. Tell us what has been happening for you during that period of time.

Pat, I treasure your friendship. It’s a pleasure to meet with you again. A lot has happened since last we visited on your porch. I have settled in Oklahoma City as my new home. For several months I felt very adrift and without friends. Now I have a group of friends, both at church and within the writing community. Praise the Lord! My mother died. I bought a house. My daughter-in-law is expecting another grandchild—this time a boy, after three precious girls. And my writing career has taken off. Praise the Lord!

Tell us about your Heartsong release, The Prodigal Patriot. What prompted you to write about the Revolutionary War era?

I was looking for good Vermont stories to suggest to Heartsong and ran across a website that had a lot of great folk tales. One of them gave an account of Ann Storey, who hid in a cave and farmed her land in spite of Torey opposition. That gave me the inspiration for my heroine, Sally Reid.

You made a move from Colorado to Oklahoma some months ago. A move like that can totally disrupt a person’s routine. How have you managed to continue to be so productive in the midst of probable chaos?

To be honest, I live with the chaos. I’m a terrible housekeeper. I have been in my house for 3 months now. And after I unpacked enough to live with, I stopped unpacking. The only room that is “finished” is the living room. The kitchen and my bedroom are almost there. My mind and work are organized; my surroundings aren’t.

If you were asked to teach an online course or conference workshop about any subject related to writing, what would that subject be and why?

I have taught several workshops, but one that I am passionate about is Empowering your Writing through your Spiritual Gifts. One of the most interesting workshops I led was a time we considered one subject—homelessness—and how many angles on that subject we could find by examining spiritual gifts. I know my gifts of encouragement, teaching, and missions come through in a lot of my books.

Ah, Darlene, you touched on a subject that fascinates me, spiritual gifts. I have known you to be a great encourager through our critique group, but you commented to me recently that you don’t always feel like an encourager. Can you explain?

I feel like I’m (often) a complainer. Yet people tell me I’m a good listener, a good friend—an encourager. People I hardly remember greet me as a long last friend, indicating I had some positive impact on their lives in the past. Shame on me for not remembering and you definitely don’t fall in that category, Pat!

I think that’s the way spiritual gifts often work. That’s the supernatural aspect of it! God uses me to encourage others when of myself I might not. My experience with spiritual gifts falls into two categories: (1) I don’t see it as a gift because “well, everybody does it.” (but they don’t, at least not naturally, any more than I’m the one to set a room to rights after a meal). And (2) I know I have a gift because I have seen God take my humble offerings and multiply them with heaven-sent power. I first experienced that when I played piano for a church revival. When people tell me I’ve encouraged them, the same thing has happened.

My spiritual gifts also impact my fiction (which is my primary writing ministry. I've been told I weave scripture into stories in a very natural way--that it doesn't sound preachy--and I think that's an outgrowth of the gift of encouragement. Or a lot of my characters have some aspect of missions and evangelism, my secondary gift cluster.

If you write fiction, your spiritual gifts still make a difference!

Your web site indicates you have worked in the field of children’s ministry and missions. Can you give us an overview of those experiences?

I’ve taught children, from preschool through sixth grade, off and on since I was fifteen. At present, I’m not teaching kids, but I expect that time will come again. Lately I’m having a little more interaction with middle schoolers and wonder if that’s where God will put me next. I have written children’s curriculum for David C. Cook and Lifeway.

I’ve spent two summers involved in missions, have been involved with several start-up churches, and was involved with a mission to the Salt Lake City Olympics with my daughter. That was truly special.

Do you believe your spiritual gifts have changed since you started writing?

No. But I have seen them grow in unexpected ways. That gift of encouragement has me writing
devotionals, for instance, or the gift of teaching translated into writing curriculum.

Just for fun: What is your favorite food and when was the last time you had an opportunity to enjoy it?

I love a good steak, and went to Outback Steakhouse for my birthday last month.

Thank you so much, Darlene, for coming back to the porch for a visit. May God continue to bless you with the realization of your writing goals.

Below, find my review of The Prodigal Patriot.

The Prodigal Patriot depicts a time of turmoil, uncertainty, and war. Sometimes, even family members held opposing views about whether the colonies should stay loyal to the king or fight for their independence.

Darlene Franklin tells a gripping tale of one family who showed the courage to work for what they believed in against all odds. The Reids face danger and risk discovery as they strive to hold on to their land. Hiding in a cave nearby, they tend to their fields under cover of darkness.

Josiah Tuttle, despite his brother’s death at the hands of the enemy, offers his help to the Reid family. Not only does he believe in the Patriot cause, he also loves Sally Reid. Yet, to help the Reid family deems him disrespectful to his father.

Sally meets Josiah’s offer of assistance with suspicion and fear. Is he acting as a spy for the cause his father so staunchly believes in? Trust and love build as she is faced with situations that require Josiah’s assistance and support.

This story brings characters from the Revolutionary War period to life, portrays their struggles and their courage, and culminates in a conclusion that portrays the power of faith and forgiveness.

Again, Darlene Franklin takes her readers to another place and time with a story that entertains, teaches, and satisfies.

Leave a comment to receive a copy of Darlene's book, The Prodigal Patriot. Contest ends Sunday Sept 19th, winner will be announced via email Monday Sept 20th.

Thanks for reading my blog!

How Did You Spend Your Labor Day?

When I asked my husband if he knew the year the first Labor Day was celebrated, he sort of grunted a disinterested response. I proceeded to inform him that it was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. He chuckled and responded, "oh, of course, I remember that! I was standing in Times Square watching the parade!" My husband does have a sense of humor.

Seriously, Labor Day is meant to be a tribute to the social and economic achievements of the working man. It's interesting, in view of that, to see how many people are working on this holiday. Federal institutions, like banks, credit unions, etc. are all closed. Grocery stores and convenience stores are dong business as usual, and I even ran across the Pepsi delivery man as I went on the hunt for my caffeine free diet pepsi, which is becoming harder to find in this town. Unfortunately, he is not authorized to sell it to me off the truck!

Today was part holiday, part work day for me. I slept late, then after a run to the grocery store, and a nice visit with mom on the phone, settled down to do some writing. I labored over a post I had been wanting to prepare for my other blog on this website (kids getting published) and finally got that completed to my satisfaction. I still have work ahead as I plan to respond to some emails that have needed attention for a while now. I guess you could call that part work, part enjoyment.

I set aside three hours (this has become a daily ritual!) to relax and enjoy the Rockies game with my husband. This one had me on the edge of my seat for several innings. Rocks were on the losing end when Cincinnati scored 4 runs in the first two innings. We pulled ahead at 5-4 in the next inning, but that wasn't enough insurance to feel assured of a Rockies win. Things got shaky when pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez seemed off his game after a great first and second inning and struggled through the next few. However, his efforts and the support of some great hits brought the Rockies to a 10-5 win. Sure hope they make the play-offs!

Now it's time to start fixing dinner and the evening will creep into night time before I know it. No matter how you spent your Labor Day, I urge you to take a few minutes (even if its the day after) and contemplate on the common working man and all they contribute to our daily way of life. Fireman or janitor, nurse or bus driver, every person's job is important. If you are one of those working men (or women), remember to always give your best to your job. Take a moment to give thanks to all those who worked so hard to ensure fair labor practices for all.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Am I A Writer or Not?

Greetings and welcome to the porch. There is a lovely breeze flowing through the screens today, which ignites the hope in my heart that the summer heart is waning and we are on the cusp of autumn weather.

Every month, I try to remember to change the thought for the month on my sidebar. Sometimes I forget all about it and two or three months go by with the same quote. I wonder if anyone notices!

Today's quote is from a French poet, essayist and editor by the name of Charles Peguy. He lived a short life, born in 1873 and passing from this life in 1914, which means he was a lot younger when he died than I am now. I probably never read a word the man wrote until today, when I was scouring the Internet for a suitable quote. This one caught my eye because it suits the mood I am in right now. "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket."

Sometimes I feel like every word I try to put on paper requires hours of thought, consternation, and discontent. The ideas are there, but when they come out on the paper, they remind me of those water color paints i used to play with as a kid. The paints looked so vibrant and bright in the paint box, but once on paper, they are watered down and only a dull shadow of the original hue.

I marvel at people who can whip out a blog post in a few minutes, a magazine article in a couple of hours, and a novel in four months. Sentence structure, spelling, and grammar come easy to me, but when I try to put it all in some order that makes sense to the reader, I find myself agonizing over every thought.

When I attended the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference, I made contact with several magazine editors and so many ideas ran through my head as to what I could write for their publications. Now that I am home, the ideas that seemed so clear then are now hazy and faded. It brings to mind the way a dream is so vivid when you first wake up from it, but as the day wears on, the details get dimmer and dimmer.

Maybe, as I've heard said at conferences, I'm not really a writer. Maybe I'm a person who is in love with the idea of being a writer. If I were a real writer, wouldn't the words come a lot more freely than they do?

That takes us right back to the quote I mentioned above. How many of the great writers of past generations and the current day spend hours expending blood, sweat, and tears over their words? I suppose there are others who feel as I do, then there are the lucky ones who sit down and pull the words out of an overcoat pocket.

Let's see, how long has it been since I wore an overcoat???

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It's About Time!

Good grief, more than a week has passed since I last posted. I guess I need to start writing posts ahead of time so I can just copy them into my blog page.

There is news from Written World Communications! Our very first publication, Scattered Thoughts, is in print and available! Scattered Thoughts is a sample magazine that we put together to learn all the little things we needed to know about magazine publication. Each of us with Written World contributed a piece to the magazine.

I ordered some print copies to send to folks I thought would enjoy it. I am impressed with the talent within our company. Everyone brings their own unique abilities to WWC. I feel that, considering our physical distance from each other, we have done a great job of pulling a project together with many, many more to come.

This next month will see the launching of three magazines and one, possibly two, books. It is an exciting time and I would like to invite you to celebrate with us!

Starsongs is in the final stages of publication and I will let you know the day it goes into print.

In the meantime, come visit our website to take a look at Scattered Thoughts. Are you on Facebook? Join our Written World Communications page! I'll see you there!

Thanks for reading my blog!