|
|
|
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
After the Candy, Cards, Flower and Jewelry
This is Merrillee who is thinking about this day after Valentine's Day. The holiday meant for romance has become rather commercialized with the card, candy, jewelry and flower companies all vying for our money. So how do we show romance the other 364, or in the case of a leap year, 365 days of the year? I think romance sometimes comes down to the "little" thoughtful things we do for the people we love.  Here is a photo of an elevator, not the big fancy kind you find in hotels and office buildings, but the kind you might find in a small apartment building. This looks much like the elevator my daughter got stuck in while she lived in Boston. I'm mentioning this because I want to tell you about it as an illustration of doing things for the people we love. At the time, my daughter was dating a young man who spent a couple of hours talking to her through the closed door of the elevator until someone came to let her out. That fellow is now her husband.  You are probably wondering what the above image has to do with romance. I have another daughter, who has Crohn's disease, and she has a good number of medicines she must take in order to keep the disease in remission. Her sweet husband is faithful to remind her about taking her medicine, even when they were dating.  Here is an image of something we might associate with romance and Valentine's Day, but they can be a real delight when they are completely unexpected. My husband gave me a bouquet of red roses when I received a rejection on the first manuscript that I submitted to a publisher. What a special treat! Another bouquet of roses I'll never forget is the bouquet my kids gave me when I won the Golden Heart at RWA in 2003. They weren't at the ceremony because I didn't think there was a chance that I would win, but my husband called them. They were in NY just so the family could get together while I was there. They showed up at the conference hotel with a beautiful bouquet of orange roses that lasted for nearly two weeks even after traveling on a plane all the way from NY to Florida. So here are some examples of every day things that on the surface don't spell romance, but they are all about love. Do you have a special memory or incident that spells romance to you? Tell us about it. Labels: candy, cards, elevators, flowers, jewelry, medicine, roses, Valentine's Day
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
A NEW DRYER IN A THROW-AWAY SOCIETY
 Hello, everyone. Dana Corbit here. Okay, I admit it. Today when my dryer died for the fifth time in three years, I decided that it was time for it to go to the landfill. Hmm. That's not really how it happened. When I texted my husband this morning, calling for repairs before my wet laundry could take on the aroma of Parmesan cheese, he called back with the suggestion I'd given up on making. "Why don't you look for a new one?" he said. Now you have to understand the significance of my sweetheart's request. He has managed to revive our lovely appliance through EACH of its near-death experiences, even locating outdated parts through the Internet to keep the door from opening during the cycle and sending clothes flying like a Salad Shooter. Let's just say, I was humming the "Hallelujah Chorus" while searching on-line for a replacement. It didn't take long. With so much information at my fingertips, I compared products and prices, read specifications and customer reviews, located a source for free shipping and free haul away and did the most important research step - I called Mom - before placing the order. Only after receiving confirmation that the shiny new appliance would arrive tomorrow, with its much bandaged counterpart being taken away, did my guilt set in. I am sending another hunk of steel to the landfill. I might speak the pledge of "Recycle, Reduce, Reuse," but my husband is better at sticking to those words than I am, even if he's doing it for another unpleasant word: "Budget." I say all of this to explain why I have spent much of the afternoon flipping through the Scriptures and "The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible," looking for references to waste and recycling. I didn't have a lot of success other than to learn from Mark 2:22 that one shouldn't put new wine in old skins or they will burst. Oh, and that the word "waste" in the early 1600s of the King James Version was what happened to the land of those who weren't following God's will. My search was a bust. Still, I have to believe that if Jesus were walking the earth today, He would recycle. I believe that God entrusted us with this beautiful planet, and we should treat it as precious. In my favorite passage, Matthew 6, Jesus tells of the lilies, the birds and the grass of the field, and how God cares for them. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" - Matthew 6:28b-29. Will I send back my brand-new shiny dryer? Sadly, no. My clothes are fermenting as I write. But this exercise has given me cause for thought. It doesn't hurt to try to make things last, choosing repairs over refuse, at least for a while. I guess I'll test my resolve when the washer breathes its last, and I have the chance to make it a matching set.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Hi, Sandra Robbins here to tell you I am so excited that Shattered Identity, the second in my Ocracoke Island Series released from Love Inspired Suspense last week.
If you've followed my posts about this series, you know that several years ago my son, granddaughter, and I took a trip to Ocracoke Island, a barrier island twenty-five miles off the coast of North Carolina. I fell in love with the island and decided to set a book there. The idea for following the adventures of an island family turned into a three book series. Dangerous Reunion released last July, and Fatal Disclosure the third book in the series will release in May.
Shattered Identity is the story of Lisa Wade, dispatcher for the Ocracoke sheriff's office, whose mother supposedly jumped to her death from the widow’s walk of the island lighthouse twenty-five years earlier. When Lisa and Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Michaels find her mother’s journal, they discover clues that someone had a reason to want Lisa’s mother dead, and they suspect she was murdered. As they inch toward the truth, a killer is waiting in the shadows, determined to keep some secrets buried forever. Romantic Times Magazine gave the book 4 ½ stars and called it “a thrilling story about seeking peace from past hurts.”
As I wrote this book, the hero Scott Michaels became very real to me. In Dangerous Reunion Scott was reunited with the family from which he was abducted by a aunt when he was a child. As he struggles to make up for the lost years, he must also face the memory of the military missions he has experienced and the men who didn’t come home. My favorite scene is when Scott tells his sister Betsy about an experience he had one morning when he led a military convoy through hostile territory down a dusty desert road in a faraway land. The story Scott relates is a true one that happened to a friend of mine. He allowed me to use his true-life experience of a reminder of how much God loves us, and the book is dedicated to him and all the men and women who serve our country in the military.
Scott and Lisa both are trying to learn to live with the traumatic experiences that have affected their lives. They find out, as all of us do who seek the Lord in our lives, that Christ's grace is sufficient to bring strength to our weaknesses.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Happy Birthday, Love Inspired
I recently realized that the Love Inspired imprint is celebrating its fifteenth birthday this year. It's hard to believe that the time has gone by so quickly. I still vividly remember meeting with the editors to hear about the proposed new line at a Romance Writers of America conference. That's where I met my dear friend, Carol Steward, one of the first writers for the line. I had been led to try writing an inspirational novel some time earlier, and when I heard what was planned for Love Inspired, I felt that not only had God opened a door for me, God was pushing me through! I submitted my manuscript, and it sold that first year and came out in 1998. A FATHER'S PROMISE wasn't my first published book, but it was one I especially loved, and it opened a new writing career for me. Now, many, many books later, I'm happy still to be writing for Love Inspired, with my new book, HER SURPRISE SISTER, coming out in July. As part of the celebration, there's a lovely short film available that you can view here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=CA&v=CYrCM-uKVxc It will also lead you to a link where you can download a free Love Inspired book. I hope you'll check it out and take advantage of the offer! So Happy Birthday, Love Inspired. May you continue to bring stories of family, faith, and love to readers for a long time to come! Labels: Love Inspired
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Fifteen years of writing what I love--Lenora Worth
I'm so excited! This year marks the fifteenth year anniversary for Love Inspired Books. I was there at the beginning and I'm still here. I'm also still amazed that I get to write my stories every day! This is a dream and a blessing and the best job ever. Of course, this is a job and some days, it seems exactly that--work. But most of the time I feel as I've been set loose to play away in a fantasy land. I love creating my stories and learning about my characters. I love hearing from readers and knowing that I've given them some entertainment and food for thought. It touches all of us to hear from readers who have turned back to God because of our books. So ... this post won't be long and drawn out. Just a big "Thank-you" to our publisher Harlequin, our editors at Love Inspired and our readers who have remained so loyal for all these years. We are truly blessed to be a part of the wonderful world of fiction. C'mon, readers, tell us what you love about our books. Tell us what you'd like to see in the future. We so appreciate the support. And I for one hope to continue writing my little love stories for a very long time to come. Labels: entertainment, Lenora Worth, Love Inspired Books, readers
Friday, February 3, 2012
More about Heroes...and Conflict
Missy Tippens, here. I saw that y'all had a fun discussion the other day when Jenna posted about different types of heroes. I love all of the many types you discussed! Jenna mentioned bad boy heroes, and that describes my hero is in my February release, A House Full of Hope.
Mark Ryker got in a heap of trouble (and dragged the heroine's sister into trouble with him!) when he was in high school. He was grieving and miserable and finally just left town. Now, years later, he's a changed man, successful, a new Christian...and he heads back to town seeking redemption.
Of course, no one, not even his own father, wants to welcome him. Especially not the heroine, Hannah, who holds a grudge against him.
I had so much fun writing this story! A tortured hero. A woman with a grudge who's four children fall in love with the guy. How can Hannah ever forgive him and admit she's falling for him herself?
Sometimes it's hard for me to write conflict in stories since in real life I tend to avoid conflict at all costs. :) But I really had fun writing this story. What do y'all think about conflict in the books you read? Do find yourself really rooting for a character who comes up against trouble at every turn?
**********
A House Full of Hope is Missy Tippens' fifth book from Love Inspired.
Read an excerpt by clicking here.
FROM BLACK SHEEP TO FATHER OF FOUR...
Before becoming a Christian, Mark Ryker ran with a bad crowd and broke hearts. Including his father’s. Now a successful businessman, Mark has come home to Corinthia, Georgia, to make amends. But no one will forgive him. So when the widowed mother of four renting his dad’s run-down house needs help fixing up the place, Mark gets to work. Pretty Hannah Hughes and her sweet kids have him longing to be part of the clan, but Hannah isn’t ready to let go of the past. Still, they are working together on a house full of hope—and that’s all Mark needs.Labels: heroes, Missy Tippens, New book
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Winter Adventures And Story Ideas
What is more inspiring than a setting like this? Although we know the Lord surrounds us each day, the grandeur of His natural beauty is awe-inspiring. I've wanted to winter in a place that would offer adventure and rest, and Sedona, Arizona is one of those perfect settings.
Usually a computer potato--never a couch potato since I'm always writing and I use a mouse--I find myself walking daily and hiking up the sloops of the red rocks when I have the courage and energy. A hiking stick helps, and I've enjoyed seeing the views from higher up.
We've had the frightening thrill of running into wild animals on our journeys, and my husband had the good sense to bring along his camera. Our first encounter was a bobcat who looked up at us while he lounged in the shade and then decided his nap was more important than lunch. We were grateful.
Our next adventure was running into a javelina who was not with the usual herd or pack but was alone. We were grateful because they are wild and can be dangerous. Though the javelina looks like he'd be from the pig family, he is a peckery and if you look closely you'll see he has hair.
We've seen mountain lion tracks but that's one adventure I'll pass up. I'm still longing to see a roadrunner.
The setting, hiking, and wild animals has naturally stirred my creative juices and I can feel a novel budding in my mind. I've been here before but never for more than a week, so this extended trip---away from Michigan's winter---is both inspiring and exciting. One of these days (more likely years), I hope to offer a series or a novel set in this magnificent location.
This is not all fun either. I'm working on a novel to come out months from now which I've titled Waiting for You. It will be the first book in a new series. So for now from our deck with a view of castle rock and bell rock, think of me, and if you enjoy my novels, look for the next LI, A Dream of His Own (the last in the Dreams Come True series) that will be in stores at the end of May through June. If you wondered who is the donor for this wonderful foundation, you may just learn the secret in the last novel. : ) Labels: Gail Gaymer Martin, LI romance, Love Inspired, romance
|
.jpg)
