When I was Just a Kid

Lillian Pierson Warren, My Mother, On Her Birthday

2011-09-01T19:04:00.001-04:00

Lillian Pierson as a Toddler

My mother died in 1997. She had lived 39 years with only one lobe of one lung and raised two children. (She lived almost 65 years total.) She had 6 grandchildren when she died and she is missed greatly by all of us. She lived five years beyond what her doctor predicted, but hey, she lived beyond what anyone expected her to live back in 1958 when she was first diagnosed with TB. For someone who could barely draw a breath, she was very active, had a great sense of humor, was well read, and seemed to know everything.

She was tough and survived many heartaches and illnesses, but yet, almost always seemed to have a smile on her face, except at Christmas. She seemed depressed at Christmas time. I can't ever remember seeing her cry. I think I heard her crying in her room once, but when she came out, she smiled sweetly at me.

I remember another time getting her a yellow gold head scarf with my own money for one Mother's Day. I loved that color(one of my favorites,) but my mother was more at home in blues,pinks and pastels. It wasn't a flattering color for her (I don't think I ever saw her wear yellow.)I was thinking of my favorite color instead of hers (blue.) She still said she loved it and put it in her special drawer with the jewelry she kept but didn't wear. She'd get it out and admire it in front of me and I'd be satisfied.

I'm taking a few liberties here (and there's no one to dispute my answers) but here's what Lillian might say if she were the featured kid today on my When I Was Just a Kid blog (and I heard these stories many times):

Childhood Ambition: To be a librarian or a teacher and to also get married and have many children.I love children and really wanted to be a mother. I lost five children before I was able to have Crystal, right before I turned 30.

Fondest Memory: When my sister Mayme, who was 13 months older than I was, and I were little girls someone gave us a doll for Christmas.We had to share her, but it was so nice having something like that for Christmas.Mayme was my closest friend.I was also close to my sister, Adeline and brothers, Don and Grant.

I also loved it when someone in the house had a birthday. My mother would make a huge deal about it by making a crown for the birthday child, singing to him or her, and making special treats to eat all day--allowing the child to pick whatever they wanted. That person was King or Queen of the Day. It was so much fun.

I also loved it when she made lefse.

Proudest Moment: When I had my daughter, Crystal, and my son, Ricky. But that was when I was an adult. I was proud of my heritage and family, as a child, and of how I could take care of myself and the animals. I was proud of being able to draw pictures and read.

Biggest Challenge as a child or teen: When I was 5 years old, my mother died from TB. I was scared, but was told not to cry by my older sisters. I was afraid to go in where my mother was laid out on the bed and wouldn't go in there after the funeral. I was the youngest girl of five children that my mother had (I had five older half-siblings who were either living on their own, or getting ready to leave home.) My little brother was a baby of two and he went to live with one of the older sisters, so he was taken from us. My father had a farm to run and all of these little kids. He was in much grief--it was the second time a wife had died and left him with children to raise alone.He was 22 years older than she was.

She died in January, and my birthday was in September. When my birthday came, I went to the table and sat down. My older sister who was staying with us (she was a teen) looked harshly at me and said, "And just what do you think you're doing?"

I replied, "It's my birthday. I want oatmeal for breakfast." I fully expected my mother's tradition on birthdays to be carried on.

She glared at me, grabbed my arm and yanked me up to my feet. "Well, you might as well get used to being a big girl now on your birthday. You get your own breakfast. There will be no more birthdays. Today you grow up."

So, I grew up when I was 6-years-old. It was a cruel reality of what was to be for the next 12 years, and really, for the rest of my life. I really never remember being a child. I worked as hard as a man on the farm, and also had to keep house. I was the last child to leave home, though I did go four years to a private Christian academy for high school.

Lillian in the TB hospital in Ft. Wayne, IN

My First Job: Working on the farm and all of us had chores to do from the smallest (me) to the oldest. (The youngest boy,baby Don, was sent to live with my older married sister when our mother died, until he was old enough for my father to take care of him.)

My favorite time of the year was lambing season. Almost always there would be a lamb or two who didn't have a mother, and I'd take care of them. We worked from sun up to sun down in the harsh elements of Minnesota, but always took Sabbath off from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday (though we took care of the animals every day and still did our chores.) We lived so far out in the sticks, as kids, whenever someone came up to the house, we'd run and hide because we were so shy! But we had lots of fun playing and making up games while we did our chores and work.

My second job was when I went to the academy at 14. I worked in the library. Loved the library. I also was a secretary at 18. I wrote in my boss' ledgers as she wouldn't allow anyone else to do it. She was extremely demanding, and I couldn't even leave an i undotted. She was a woman and an attorney, and I didn't realize how unusual that was at the time. She taught me quite a lot.

I also was a nurse's assistant in the nursery at the hospital at 19. I loved that job, bathing the babies and wrapping them tight, holding them. Nothing was more satisfying, except for being a mother myself,than that job.

Childhood indulgence: We didn't really get many "indulgences." Since we were in a family which worshiped on Saturday (Sabbath) and were strict about our diet, too, plus were living on a farm,our indulgences came in the form of reading. I spent a lot of my spare time reading.

I loved to spend time outdoors, too, and watched all of the wildlife that thrived around the Lake of the Woods. One thing I do remember is making games out of daily life. We laughed a lot.

One of the things I remember was sneaking into Papa's room while he slept to play tricks and listen to him talk in his sleep.

"Papa" Aaron Pierson on the left and his brother, Oscar, on the right who died in barn fire

He would talk in his sleep and his language was Swedish in his sleep. We were not allowed to speak Swedish at home, only English, so unless we were visiting a relative, I didn't speak it, just understood it. We would giggle and laugh, and once we brought in a bucket of cold water to stick his hand in. I'm sure he was awake, now that I am older and realize it, but back then I thought we were playing a good trick on him. He didn't even move when we plunged his hand in that water! And doggone it, he didn't do what we were told would happen if you put a sleeping person's hand in cold water. (Do you know what that was?? ha!) We were pretty pesky kids.

And he was rather indulgent of us, considering how cruel his father had been. He broke that cycle of abuse--and was a good man who loved the Lord--and he was our Papa. He had a great sense of humor. He was always giving us riddles, math problems, or telling us stories. I can tell the best stories that he told us!

Favorite Childhood Movie: Our religion forbade us to go to movies. I had never seen a movie until I was 19 years old when I left home and came to Indiana. I enjoyed seeing movies so much, I watched many, many movies after that. I particularly loved historical movies, like Gone with the Wind.

The illustration is from Girl of the Limberlost, and was done by
Wladyslaw T. Benda. (now that's a name!)

Favorite Childhood Book: A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter. I imagined I was Elnora and thought the Limberlost must be a wonderful place. When I grew up, I lived within a few miles of the real Limberlost that Gene Porter wrote about. I loved Indiana and continued to spend a lot of time outdoors, fishing, gardening, observing nature and going to Indiana state parks.

All the Pierson children gathered at Papa's funeral in 1953
(Lillian) I am fourth from the left and Merlin is in the center of the brothers

The sister who told me "grow up" on my 6th birthday is to my right(your left.) When I grew up, I forgave her because her mother had died when she was young and she was having her own growing pains.

Mayme, my best friend/sister, is the last one on the right of the second row.

One sister is missing from this photo because her husband made her leave immediately

Childhood hero: My older half-brother, Merlin, who was a pastor. He was in the first family and his mother died when he was a boy. He was married by the time I came along, but was kind and loving. I was my father's 10th child and the fourth child of my father's second wife. My mother and her mother had taken care of the children from Papa's first marriage when his first wife died. My mother, Anna, allowed the older children from that marriage to name me. They had a baby sister who was the youngest of their family (the first family) and her name was Lillian Arlene Pierson--and that's exactly the name they gave me. She had died as a baby. It was really weird seeing my name on a tombstone next to their mother.

So, anyway, Merlin, was always kind to us, and particularly to me, or so I thought. He'd sit with me and draw pictures with me. I would do anything to please to him. One time I decided to draw a picture of the barnyard, so I was watching the chickens peck and cluck, and I drew them. I noticed that they were also making droppings as they went along, so I drew that into my picture, as well. I thought I was being particularly clever to include so much detail, and my, wouldn't my brother, Merlin, think I was great? He asked me about my picture, and I'm explaining in minute details about those chickens. He got this frown on his face, and told me I mustn't draw things like that--it wasn't a good thing to do. I was just crushed, as he was never displeased with me. It was a heartbreaking moment for me, but I loved him fiercely all the same.

When I was grown up and had children of my own, I saw him and his family less and less. He had two sons, one of whom was very ill and died as a child, and a daughter named Gwen, who was just a little older than my own daughter. He and his wife had a busy ministry in Minnesota. Where my brother lived there was a river and in the spring of 1965, it flooded. He, his wife and daughter got into a canoe, even though it was quite cold, and went downstream to see what damage there was to properties along the river and if there was any way to help others along the way.

When they got to a bridge, the water was flowing over the bridge. The water was going so rapidly, even though he was quite strong, he couldn't stop the boat. The boat overturned and witnesses say he grabbed onto the bridge, but his wife, Hulda, and daughter, Gwen, went under. He was a very strong swimmer, but he could not pull them up to safety and he could not overcome the undercurrent, not to mention the frigid temperatures. They all drowned and that was one of the hardest funerals I've ever been to--to lose my hero, my brother, Merlin, and his family.

They had one son who wasn't with them that day--he was away at school. That son grew up to be a dentist and was a missionary in Africa for many years (Kenya.) I was very proud of him.

Crystal here: It is a great privilege for me to have had such a wonderful mother. I hope that I am even half the mother to my boys, that she was to me.

Lynda Schab: Mind Over Madi, I Mean Matter!

2011-03-12T14:17:00.000-05:00

Lynda Schab as a baby cutie and short model

Lynda Schab got her writing start in greeting cards. From there, she went on to write articles, web content, and dozens of short stories, many of which have been published in articles and anthologies. She has been a finalist in several national contests, including the RWA chapter’s Get your Stiletto in the Door, and American Christian Fiction Writer’s Genesis contest for the past three years.

Award-winning Lynda Schab

Currently, she handles several monthly freelance assignments. She is the Grand Rapids Christian Writing Examiner and the National Christian Writing Examiner for Examiner.com. A few months ago, she also started as a regular book reviewer for FaithfulReader.com.

Lynda's childhood shaped her to infuse humor into handling her obstacles and trials, so as an adult that same unique outlook shapes her characters in their conflicts. Be on the lookout for Lynda's byline in days to come and watch her hair (read below to find out about that.) Let's find out some more about Lynda's childhood and how she outgrew all those haircuts:

Childhood Ambition: Modeling. I was convinced I would be the first 5’4” runway model.

Lynda's senior photo: She wanted to be the first 5'4" Runway Model

Fondest Memory (from back then): Going up to my grandparent’s trailer on the lake every summer. Lots of great memories of fishing with my grandpa, swimming, canoeing …I was heartbroken when my grandpa died and Grandma had to sell the place.

Proudest Moment (from back then): Graduating from high school. There were times I wasn’t so sure I would. LOL.

My Three Sons? Another one of Lynda's haircuts at age 11 and the last family photo before her parents' divorce

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen: My parents’ divorce – definitely. I was twelve when they split up and I was told later that this is the toughest age for kids to go through divorce. Lots of stuff that I struggle with today stem from that time in my life. I went through a period of hating my dad, getting near-failing grades, rebelling in various ways, and major insecurity issues. Yet, at the same time, in so many ways, I am so thankful to have gone through it, as it shaped me into the person I am today. By the grace of God, I turned out okay. Then again, my family might not completely agree with that statement.

Oh, the hair~! Lynda says: "Mom, how could you!"

My First Job (paid or unpaid—something you feel is significant) : My first “real” job was working at Kentucky Fried Chicken. I hated it. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the job didn’t like me either. I got fired for – and I quote – “not doing the dishes fast enough.” That, and I couldn’t quite grasp the dark meat/white meat thing. Hey…I was sixteen, what can I say?

Childhood Indulgence: Ice cream. Was then, is now! Only now my indulgence turns into big bulgence. Ugh.

Our trip to Kentucky--I was often mistaken for a boy with some of my haircuts!

Favorite Outfit as a Child: Oh, wow. Um…I honestly only remember the dreadful outfits my mom used to make me wear on picture day. My favorite worst outfit was a matching light blue pants and top that kids at school used to tease looked like pajamas. And don’t even get me started on the haircuts I was forced into. The Dorothy Hamill cut, the Toni Tennille cut…there were a couple of years I was mistaken for a boy. Seriously.

Lynda age 4 with decent hair

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show: I’ve always been a huge television and movie lover. The first movie I remember seeing in the theater was "The Apple Dumpling Gang." I think if I had to name a favorite, it would be "The Wizard of Oz." Never tired of that one, even if the wicked witch did visit me in my dreams. Television-wise, favorites included "Happy Days," "Eight is Enough," and "The Land of the Lost" (which was nothing like Will Ferrell’s disgusting movie version, by the way). I also remember my dad wouldn’t let us watch "Scooby Doo" because it was too scary. Yet, he took my brothers and me to the midnight movies to see "Jaws" in 3D. Am I the only one who questions this?

Lynda Disney Parade - During a trip to Disney World in Florida, she was selected to be in the parade. :-)

Favorite Childhood Book: Every time we’d visit my grandparents, I’d pull the Dr. Seuss books off the shelf, two in particular - oversized copies of The Sneeches and Yertle the Turtle. Loved those. As I got older, I devoured books. The Bobsey Twins series, The Little House on the Prairie series, Cherry Ames, Ramona the Pest…I do remember a series I read as a teenager that I couldn’t get enough of. It was by author John Benton and all the titles had individual girl’s names. The main characters were prostitutes, drug addicts, and alcoholics and they always found God, ending up at a Christian half-way house. I haven’t been able to find those books since. But they affected me deeply at that time.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime: This sounds really silly, but I used to lie on my bedroom floor against my closet and throw a super ball up at the wall for hours, making up story after story. Then again, it may not sound all that silly to those who know me. LOL. Another thing I loved to do was write stories and draw caricature pictures to go along with them. I also used to rework popular plays like Cinderella, changing the words, for my cousins and me to perform. And, of course, reading was always at the top of my list of things to do.

Lynda in another haircut and on the phone (with her imaginary characters?)

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child? Both. I constantly wrote notes and letters to my friends and boyfriends. I also had a Pen Pal from Ohio. I wish I could remember her name.

Best friends?: They changed through the years. I had lots of good friends, but I’d honestly say I never had a friend who totally “got” me and that I clicked with as much as when I started meeting other writers.

Any Childhood Pets? We had several parakeets. Only one at a time, though. Tiki was the bird we had the longest. He eventually died from starvation because no one fed him. I still feel guilty about that. TikiToo didn’t last as long but at least we weren’t to blame for his death. We also had the longest living goldfish in the history of the world, I think. He lived for several years. Until someone poured beer in the bowl at one of my B.C. (before Christ) parties. Not one of my proudest moments. (I hope I don’t get hate mail about this. I’ve repented…really!)

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become? I started out writing poetry (horrendous, horrendous poetry). The first short story I remember writing was called The Summer I Went to Honolulu, with caricature drawings to go with it. My 6^th grade teacher loved the first few pages and encouraged me to submit it to a particular contest. I never finished it and never entered. I regret that, but I remember that as being the first time I considered writing as a possibility for me.

Check out Lynda's very popular blog: On the Write Track

More from Lynda:

Lynda, now, with a great haircut, I might add

"My ultimate dream is to get published in full length fiction, so that’s what I’m striving for. I do feel I’m getting closer. I signed with my agent, Terry Burns of Hartline, a year ago and he is working to sell my first novel, Mind over Madi, a contemporary women’s fiction with elements of humor. I have a few other projects started, including a mystery that finaled in the Genesis two years in a row, another women’s fiction, as well as a newly started YA.

Other than that, I keep pretty busy with my freelance work. I write monthly newsletters, am the new member welcoming committee, and maintain the blog for FaithWriters.com. I also review books for http://www.faithfulreader.com, and am a contributing blogger for http://www.thebarndoor.net. In between all of that, I regularly submit material to magazines, greeting card companies, and other markets and am slowly building my portfolio."

About Lynda:

Lynda is represented by Terry Burns, of Hartline Literary, who is working to sell her first novel, Mind over Madi, a Women’s Fiction with elements of humor.

She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband of twenty-two years and two teenagers, who keep her young and provide much inspiration for the humor found in her fiction. She is also a member of the writing team for her church’s creative arts department.

Leave Lynda a comment or ask her about how to final in writing contests!

POSTSCRIPT: Lynda has now published her book, Mind Over Madi! Dreams really do come true!

Mind Over Madi: (Published by OakTara)

Madi McCall admits her husband lacks a little in the romance department, but all in all, he’s been a good husband, a good father. Now, though, she suspects Rich is having an affair with Fawn Witchburn, the mother of one of his fourth-grade students. To say Fawn shows off her “assets” more than should be legally allowed in public is an understatement, and Madi’s insecurities kick into high gear. When, in a heated moment, she asks Rich to leave and he complies, Madi is forced to deal with her issues--issues of love and trust she’s tried so hard to avoid. Issues that trail all the way back to her childhood and make her act like a total moron.

Sally Chambers (nee Kessell): When I Was Just a Kid: Happy Birthday, Sally!

2011-01-07T01:02:00.002-05:00

Are you sure you want to brave Crystal's Kid Interview? Sally as she is today! Happy birthday, Sally!

Sally braved Crystal's Questions and Prompts so,ok, here goes! At the computer ready to reveal her heart.

Sally Chambers' Memories

Little Sally with Mom and Dad in 1938

This was a fun interview. I've known Sally Chambers as the list hostess on the Christian Writers Fellowship International (now Writers in Christian Fellowship on Facebook and as a list group on YahooGroups) for...a long time. Today is her birthday! And she has some great photos to go along with her story. Because this is her 73rd birthday, she has many stories to tell, so settle in with a cup of cocoa and travel through horses, first love and sharing with WWII victims. First, she tells her story in her own words. Then, she's responded to the familiar prompts I have for those who are my Kids List. There is much history here and I think you'll agree with me that she has many interesting memories. And her story is not over. Happy birthday, Sally, and many, many more!

Sally in 1938 held by mother Helen with great grandmother and grandmother Jessie

Come along....

Sally Kessell, age 5

Sally's Story

By Sally Kessell Chambers

The whole thing began when the Heavenly Father decided he needed a little girl born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and a guardian angel held her breath to prepare for the ride of her life—which, I’m happy to report, isn’t over yet.

My father was a civil engineer with the Corps of Engineers, Boston District the year I was born. He joined the Du Pont Corporation in 1940 and for several years we lived in Ilion and Utica, NY. Some snapshot memories I have from that time are of our forever-smiling, ample, beloved, dark-skinned Katie, our housekeeper; a huge old house we rented with a massive empty ballroom on the top floor and a gazillion bees in one of the walls; rides in a little cart pulled by a goat; an awful flood when sewage backed up into the entire first floor of our house, and one more memory from back then that helped shape my life which I’ll relate later.

Du Pont relocated us to Richland, Washington in 1944. Not long after we arrived, General Electric took over the operations, and Dad remained with them until he retired. I was entering my freshman year in high school when we moved from Richland to Madeira, Ohio, but my growing-up and best-remembered years were those spend in Richland.

Some of those childhood memories are of tumbleweeds rolling down the streets of Richland, sitting in the midst of our gravel driveway, finding beautiful agates, holding them up to the sun to discover their beauty, occasional fierce dust storms with winds so violent my dad had to carry me from the car to the house, light wintertime snows that quickly melted beneath the warm Chinook winds, finding dozens of arrowheads on the banks of where the Snake and Columbia Rivers meet at Sacajawea State Park, camping on the American River, carving the name, Rebecca Simmons, (the name I wanted to use when I became an actress!) into the wood handrail of a swinging bridge, dust-filled whirlwinds dancing in the sunshine beside the roadways, Saturday afternoon drives in our faithful Pontiac, Jezebel, that ended with a surprise night at the drive-in movies, long drives with visits to vineyards full of fat purple Concord grapes and a farm that scented the air along the roadway with peppermint from the rows and rows of green mint leaves, seeing fields of golden wheat rolling beneath the wind; having a cardboard box with some of my collections of bronze horse statues stolen from school the day of show and tell; Dad getting Jezebel stuck at the very edge of a road that looked more like a sand dune with a terrifying drop-off inches away and my mother’s prayers and sending my brother and I on a walk away from the danger while Dad got the car out of the sand; and endless waves of the spectacular Northern Lights in the night sky, learning of art and music through my parents, who surrounded us with both along with countless books.

His thing was planes and mine was babydolls. Somehow my friend and I got along. He put up with me.

Walking to the stables, passing beside huge orchards filled with ripening Washington apples. And then there were the many hours spent when my mother would take us to watch the planes take off and land at the airfield. I’ll never forget the breath-holding time I rode “shotgun” in the passenger seat of a 1940 Ford, watching the speedometer rise to 100 mph, my parent’s friend at the wheel, racing down the runway, pulling the glider my parents were in, up into the eagle’s domain. Then I worked for an hour, mucking stalls and soaping saddles so I could ride a horse for an hour. I learned to use a lasso to rope a horse and saddle him up for a waiting rider. When I joined the Richland Ramblers, a group who rode their horses together, Ray, the manager of the riding stable taught me how to shape my new straw hat. The hat was part of our “getup” of jeans, white shirts, vests and those straw hats shaped to match. Ray had me dunk it into the horse trough to soften and shape it up.

I remember things like looking at lots of knees when I first went to church, and will never forget how my heart responded in awe at hearing Holy, Holy, Holy sung by the congregation in the church my parents helped to start. I remember saying grace before we ate, and after stories every night, kneeling beside my bed and saying my prayers with “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord, my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take, if I should live for other days, I pray the Lord to guide my days.” And the endless, God blesses for everyone and everything.

I have the cutest little brothers! This is Jimmy. We were being good.

We somehow always seemed to have enough, but things became much more difficult when my youngest brother, Jon, was born with a hole in his little heart. There’s seven years difference in age between Jonny and me. Jimmy and I begged for my parents to have another baby, and we adored our little brother. When Jonny was old enough to travel, my parents traveled by train to take him to Boston Children’s Hospital where he was one of the first little ones ever to have had the delicate open-heart surgery to repair his heart. The hospital has followed his life, and he continues to remain strong and healthy with a beautiful family and a good career. How can I ever, ever not praise God for my life!

Sally in a movie star pose

Childhood Ambition: With an endless imagination happily fueled by my parents, I wanted to attend Pasadena Playhouse and become a movie star like Margaret O’Brien. I spent hours putting myself in her roles and poring over any movie magazine I could get my hands on. Dream on, Sally!

A pregnant Cindy and me on the Tampien Farm

Fondest Memory (from back then): Oh how I adored horses. I remember sitting on a step of the staircase, chin in hands, crying tears of pure love for horses because there were no words. I felt love beyond expression and that was the way it flowed from my heart. The only other time in my life I’ve felt that inexpressible love was when I opened the door to my heart and Jesus came in, and I adore him for doing that. So that love sets the scene for the most awesome memory of my childhood, the Christmas/birthday (thirteen days apart) gift of my horse, Cindy, one memorable Christmas morning.

Sally on her first horse

A highlight of my life, all the gifts for my two younger brothers and me were opened. There hadn’t been a shred of evidence beneath the tree of the one gift I’d been yearning, hoping, and praying for—a horse named Cindy I’d “met” and knew was for sale. I dragged my disappointed self to the breakfast table, trying my very best to put on a happy face and be grateful for all that I did receive. We all sat down. The blessing was said. And then came the moment—the one so indelibly engraved in my memory. My daddy pulled an envelope out from beneath the maple table. He looked at me with his handsome face and crystal blue eyes and handed it to me, saying “It has your name on it, Sally!” and told me that I needed to open that envelope. I couldn’t imagine what could possibly be in that small white square of paper. But I opened it, and I read it.

Yes, this is the card Sally's Dad gave to her!

Cindy says, Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, with me! I’m at the Tampien Farm waiting patiently for you! Yes!—Cindy’s yours!—our best Christmas and birthday wish to you. Mother & Daddy.

I laughed and cried all at once. You never saw such hugging and kissing and loving and jumping up and down going on at a breakfast table in your life—all five of us! I could barely stay inside my skin, I was so happy.

Me and Cindy with her first filly on Tampien's Farm :Love at First Sight

Proudest Moment (from back then): Giving my favorite, much beloved, big doll to another little girl, who didn’t have a doll. Corry Rensing lived (and maybe still does, we lost track years ago) in Tiel, Holland. The story? Jane Jones, a young reporter for the Richland Villager newspaper, started a charitable outreach program from Richland (Washington) to help the war-ravaged European city of Tiel, Holland, after WW II ended. Many families in Richland “adopted” families in Tiel. My family adopted two families, but the one I remember is the Rensing family of four. Albert, Johanna, and their two daughters, Gerda and Corry.

When we first “met” them, the family had not had any soap for two months. Cereals, flour, and oatmeal were scarce. Most of their food and clothing was rationed or not available at all. Fuel was hard to find, electricity was rationed, and they had no window glass, only plastic panes that were little or no protection from the cold. The only spread they had for their bread was lard! I remember how appalled I was when the older daughter, Gerda, wrote in December 1946 “. . . we have had such a terrible time here. We can really say that we have cheated death. As we slept in the cellar, we slept with picks and shovels by our beds so that we could dig ourselves out if necessary.”

In reply to our first letter to them asking them what they’d like us to send them, Johanna wrote that Corry would like a doll. Although she was twelve years old then, through the five years of war she had not had a doll and wished for one. My eight-year-old heart went out to her. I had lots of dolls and couldn’t imagine her not having at least one.

I remember placing my big baby doll into a box. I had many dolls by my side at night. Corry had slept with picks, shovels, and fear at night. Dolls were not an option or even a privilege for her. I had a chance to change that as my mother and I placed my big beautiful baby doll in a sturdy cardboard box, the first of many, for Corry along with cocoa, coffee, flour, sugar, yarn, Crisco, and hope, for a long journey to a friend and her family.

Another proud moment when I was sixteen happened when my beautiful and elegant Aunt Ruth, gave me the three-pearl ring my Uncle Paul had gotten for her when they were the diplomatic corps in Japan. To me, it’s symbolic of her love for me, as is the cross I always wear symbolic of Jesus’ love for me and mine for Him. Every ring I have and wear has a story or two behind it.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen: It’s awfully hard to name just one. I suppose as a child, overcoming shyness was my biggest challenge—I felt too tall and gangly. I knew I had the ugliest elbows in the whole world and hid them the best I could. Having a very lazy left eye and having to wear a big black patch over my good one to make the other work, was another blow to my self-confidence. Suffering from asthma, hay fever, and sinusitis and doing things anyway—like trying to play the flute!

And another challenge was to tone down my fearlessness—taking dares from the boys in a park to launch myself on a seesaw and walking on the edges of stone walls (ruining my poor coccyx on one of those edge-walks, couldn’t sit comfortably for years, and never told a soul!) and that’s the tip of my foolhardy and precarious iceberg, ☺

Then as a teen, the challenge of having to part with my beloved horses, moving across the country, entering a strange new high school knowing no one, then having to transfer to yet another high school as we moved from renting to buying a new home. And later, trying to understand and deal with the shocking shooting murder of a friend and her father and the paralyzing injury to her mother by her ex-boyfriend.

But speaking of boyfriends, the Lord had a new kind of love for me to experience after the heartbreak of parting with my friends and horses when leaving Richland. I dated others, but when I was 14, I met and fell in love with my high school sweetheart, Jerry. We met in the basement of the Methodist Church where he was the president of the Methodist Youth Fellowship! He was a year behind me in school, but I’m five days older than he is. (And so he has the privilege of calling me “his old lady!”)

Jerry took this of me the summer of 1955. Photography, including processng and developing, was his hobby

We became engaged when we were 17, just after my graduation. I went to Business College for a time as my mother insisted I must have skills to work and I can’t thank her enough for that! Later that year, Dad was relocated once more and I moved with my family to Norwalk, CT. There, with my new “skills,” I went to work for Perkin-Elmer as a secretary until Jerry and I married.

Loved those black suede baby doll shoes!Sally at 16.

From l to r: Dad, Grandma Walker, me, Jerry, Bro Jim, and Janet Doerr

During the time we were apart, my sweetheart, instead of taking the usual trip to Washington DC with his senior class, made the drive from Cincinnati to Norwalk just to be with me again. He returned to graduate with his class. Then on July 7, 1956, we were married in Norwalk in a simple and lovely home wedding. I walked down the staircase and arm-in-arm with my Dad, walked with him to stand before our beautiful pine and stone fireplace where he gave me in marriage to my Jerry with my family and the Lord as witnesses.

Jerry and Sally Chambers. I carried a white Bible and orchids.

My First Job (paid or unpaid—something you feel is significant): (Back in Richland ☺) An hour’s worth of work in The Barn for an hour-long horseback ride. That was the agreement my dad and the owner of the riding stable we called The Barn, Ray arrived at. And that was before I had my own horse. I learned to groom, saddle and bridle horses, muck stalls, soap saddles, pitch hay, and use a lasso. I learned the names of every one of the hundred (at least that’s how many Ray said we had) head of horses kept in the corral, and their personalities. Riders would come in and Ray, or Lloyd, his helper/sidekick, would let me cut out the horse-of-choice with my lasso, bring him in, curry, and saddle him up for the rider. Most of the time Dad drove me to The Barn, but it was different way back then—safer. And there were some times when I walked to those stables, by myself, past orchards full of reddening Washington apples and crossed a new highway nicknamed the Speedball Highway.

I was 10 and Colonel was the first horse I ever loved. That's The Barn and Ray and Lloyd, who ran the riding stable. I rode out into a desert area behind the barn. Lots of sand, barbed wire, and rattlers out there. I worked an hour to earn an hour's ride.

Cindy and me, pretty determined to make that jump! Behind us is the corral. You can see the trough where Ray and I dunked my new straw hat and shaped it. I knew the names of the horses and could cut them out, lassooing them to saddle them up for riders.

Favorite Outfit as a Child: Blue jeans, cowboy boots, and that straw hat that Ray showed me how to shape after a dunk in the corral’s watering trough. And the girlie side of me adored the white silk dress with the full circle skirt, my Grandma Jessie sent me when I was 8. I remember sitting atop Daddy’s huge wooden trunk beside the front door, decked out in that dress spread full circle around me, allowed to greet the guests coming to one of their clam chowder parties! What a diva I was! Hmm and maybe still am?

I was 14, about to ride Cindy in a parade and a rodeo with the Richland Ramblers. I met Chill Wills and Tim Holt at the Desert Inn that day!

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show: Movies like Secret Garden and other movies Margaret O’Brien played in. The horse movie, Gallant Bess, and any horse or cowboy movie. Gallant Bess brings exceptionally warm memories of one special and beautiful Saturday morning. The kids in Richland went to free movies every Saturday morning back then, and that was the movie I returned home from seeing the day Cindy’s second foal was born. I’d been waiting with trepidation every day, knowing it could happen at any time. The moment I walked into the house, Dad announced the news that Dusty had entered God’s world. Talk about joy!

Sally age 12

And by the way, the Lord has a delightful, precious sense of humor in arranging countless similar things throughout my life. Even long after I was married and had a family of my own, to the point of plopping me down on an acre plus on Mustang Road, where I still love living in the “Country Gentleman Horse Ranchettes” area, zoned for horses, of course! And I still get teased with the song, “Mustang Sally.” As a teen I loved Singing in the Rain and vividly remember walking home from the movie by myself, singing and just letting go and dancing with joy and abandon, dancing my briefly-uninhibited heart out to the music fresh on my mind because it was dark and nobody cared but me. (Yes, the theater was closer than my walk to school every day.) And I loved the movie, Oklahoma, along with all the other many wondrous musicals. And as a little girl, I listened to Inner Sanctum on the radio under the covers when I should have been asleep. Mother grew up on Cape Cod and when I was about twelve-years-old, she took me with her to visit relatives living there. A highlight of the trip was going to the Cape Playhouse to see Arsenic and Old Lace. Sun-drenched days on the beach overflowed with discussions of the drama and fascinating stories of my mother’s childhood.

Favorite Childhood Book: King of the Wind (did I say I was horse-crazy?) I was a voracious reader and loved books. The Black Stallion series, My Friend Flicka. Little Women, Little Men, The Bobbsey Twins—the list is endless. I remember running to get the dictionary when I first read the word, odious, as in odious old man. To this day, I run to or reach for the dictionary or the thesaurus for words.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime: Reading, camping, hiking, finding arrowheads and agates. Horseback rides that began at the stable, led away from the green of trees and grass, to the golden brown of the desert sand with its rolling dunes. And out there, tussles and dangers my guardian angel faced probably drove her to distraction! Like when a line of the detested barbed wire wrapped around Cindy’s fetlock or when she stopped and refused to move and seconds later I saw why as the sound and sight of a coiled rattlesnake unlocked my brain. Later, joining the Richland Ramblers and taking part in parades and rodeos held annually during Richland Days was a highlight.

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child? Corry Rensing who lived on Tulipstraad in Tiel, Holland, and I exchanged post cards. And supposing I will be God’s child all my life, I’ve had a long “pen pal” relationship with a now-dear friend in Canberra, AU.

Sally's Senior Photo June 1955

Best friends? Ann Tampien, who walked with me through enduring the death of Cindy’s first foal and helped lay a huge hunk of my faith foundation when she took me by the hand early one morning after I’d spent the night on her farm. Mostly sad, I moped, but she played “It Is No Secret What God Can Do” on the old Victrola in her living room, and talked to me about how much God loved me and cared. Years later, my precious friend, Ann went to be with the Lord when she died of influenza while at college.

This is Ann Tampien with Dusty, Cindy's second filly. I was 14 then in 1952.

And then there was Patricia Kelly whose parents were from Scotland and had the most wonderful brogue. Patricia introduced me to quite formal dinners and iced, sweetened tea, which I’d never been allowed before and England’s beloved royal family through many photographs. Then, in high school, there were my two Shirleys and Beth.

I love this photo. My mother enjoyed photographing with natural light. She did a beautiful job with me watching the cat lap up the milk.

Any Childhood Pets? Tootsie the cocker spaniel became part of our family when I was seven (her full name being Tootie Roll Kessell as she was as brown as the candy), and then later, Cindy my American Standard/American Sadler horse, and Dusty (for Stardust, of course) the filly. And, by vicarious adoption, a friendly monster pig named Sam who lived on the Tampien’s farm—until I faced something very normal for the Tampiens, but not one little bit normal for me—Sam on the dinner table. I wasn’t the slightest bit hungry for anything edible that evening! And that’s another story.

Now you've done it! I broke the head off the plastic turtle.

Sally on the Tampien Farm with Cindy's first foal, Twink, a beautiful silver filly.

Childhood Hero: My dad who unabashedly adored and spoiled me, who called me Kitten when I wanted a nickname like the other daddies called their little girls, who totally embarrassed me when he swooped me up from the playground and flipped me upside down with my bleeding head beneath the Grange Hall’s water faucet. I’d taken a dare from some boys who advised 7-year-old-me that if I jumped from the monkey bars onto the upended seesaw, that I would fly! And who, rescued me from being practically blown off the planet by a terrible dust storm, and who picked me up when I was a complete dummy and walked behind Cindy and her new baby and she hauled off and kicked me with both rear hoofs smack in the back, knocking the wind out of me. I wore hoof prints for at least a week!

Then there was the time Cindy stopped short for a low-hanging tree branch—and I didn’t—and dad had to scrape me up yet again. And he’s the one who sneaked upstairs during one of my parents’ renowned Clam Chowder Parties, made me close my eyes and open my mouth as he popped in a steamed shrimp (me, who hates anything fish), which he made me admit I liked—until I opened my eyes and saw the remainder! He’s the one who in the middle of the night came and woke me and carried me outside to see the spectacular, undulating Aurora Borealis, saying it was much more important right then than sleep. He was an artist in pastel chalk, had a wonderful tenor voice, and played the piano. He endlessly drove me to the Tampien Farm (a dear family from Sweden) and The Barn to be with my horses.

And then my hero, just before I married my high school sweetheart and left him behind, took me on the train from Norwalk where we were living, into New York City and walked with me down Fifth Avenue and bought me a beautiful faux emerald bracelet from~~no, not Sak’s~~ but Bloomingdale’s. He ended the day by surprising me when we went to see the Rockettes—this among a billion other wonderful things he did for me. I adored him.

Childhood Indulgence: Everything horses, but my parents encouraged me in all things and nearly anything I wanted to try, they worked it out. As a result I dabbled in tap, ballet, acrobat, flute, piano, and more—learned a little about a lot and was proficient in none of them. Never forced to continue with any of them, I feel I was much loved and terribly indulged! Nevertheless, because I tried, to this day I have an appreciation for them all. The one thing I stuck with was horses and anything to do with them. I was unutterably sad when they had to be sold when we moved from Richland to Madeira. But, my parents took two weeks of allowed travel time and two weeks of vacation. We saw everything we could, all the way down the west coast, Crater Lake, the Redwood Forest, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon, and another indulgence, just for me, promised by my Dad an exciting and leisurely drive right through the middle of glamorous Hollywood, California!

Then, faithful old Jezebel made it past many other cars with their hoods up and steaming engines, up steep Mount Palomar to the observatory and we met and spoke with astronomers there and saw the huge telescope. From there, we dipped beneath the border into Tijuana then crossed the Mohave Desert—on and on. So I admit to prodigious indulgence! There is not a single doubt in my mind that we were hedged about and protected by the Lord. Nor is there any doubt that it was my parents’ prayers which were graciously listened to, as with every story, real or fiction, there is more, much more. But do you know what else I see as I grow older? I see and sense the generations of my family of devout lovers of the Lord in all I am and will eternally continue to be. And I begin to see how my life and the prayers for my children and the generations to come are and will be affected by how and why I have lived. Amazing grace.

Childhood Heroine: My mother who grounded me in life and gifted me with an example of what a woman of God should be. She chose homemaking and nurturing the lives of three children over a fulfilling nursing career. Every morning of our lives, we awoke to her cheerful “Time to rise and shine.” How could you not? But if you were grumpy getting up? Go straight back and get out of the other side of the bed! She was the one who, when I was probably 4 or 5 years old and complained I had nothing to do, suggested I pick wild flowers and take them to the old man, wheelchair-bound, who lived down the street. His reaction was the most beautiful smile and words of thanks a little girl could imagine. It impressed me so much that I’ve never, ever forgotten him or the lesson my mommy and the Lord taught me of how blessed it is to give.

Sally in Sunshine in a Sunsuit

Mom, Dad and me in 1956

My mother could merely raise her left eyebrow at me (she passed that trait to me ☺,) Jimmy, or Jonny, and the mischief would come to a screeching halt. And another solution to three unruly kids? Run around outside the house three times! Guess who forgot what the fight was all about after that. When we moved, which we did quite a few times, she made wherever we were going an adventure. I watched as the globe came out and every nearby point of interest was talked about and eventually seen. And the moment the movers arrived at our new house, everything that had been on the walls surrounding us before, went right back up in the walls, making it instantly “home.” She taught me that when I was ignored or felt I was being left out, to rise above it. She opened my life to every dimension of the way Jesus taught. The Golden Rule was ingrained and healing and loving…too much more to tell you here. She wrote us an ongoing story of Simeon the Seagull with adventures that illustrated how we were to live, and she read to us every night. She sang in the choir (Dad did too.) I tried! She helped plant a church and was active in the school I attended. She was an artist and a photographer and an amazing woman and role model. She died at 92 and I still miss her.

Was there anyone in your childhood who pointed you to Jesus? My parents, whose steadfast faith was a rock in my life and who gave me the Word, my first Bible when I was 7, saying it was time I had my own Bible (I still have it), and Ann Tampien, and Sunday school teachers who rewarded me for stumbling through the memorized (sort of) books of the Bible with a bookmark of satin ribbons in rainbow colors.

Share your introduction to Christ as a child or teen or a significant event that led to your walk with Jesus. I can’t ever remember not loving Jesus…as a tiny baby in a manger with angels looking after him, I was his “Sunbeam” because he wanted me to be, and the songs told me he loved me because the Bible said so. And as I understood love, I loved him back. Mostly as I grew up, I looked at God, with such an incomplete innocent understanding, as the Big Father up there who made the world, and I simply loved him for doing that.

And when I was 8 and walking home from school when my grandparents were visiting us, and I suddenly “knew” something was very wrong and began to run. Racing through the door asking “Daddy where’s Grandma?” Finding my daddy, rocking quietly in the chair with tears in his eyes and as he pulled me to him, told me that my Grandma Jessie had passed away, that his mother, had gone to heaven to be with Jesus. It was so hard to see my daddy cry and hug him and cry with him. And when I received Cindy, she was already with foal, and I looked forward to the birth with huge excitement. The sweet filly was born on Ann’s farm, but not long after, it was Ann who took my hand and held it through the scariness of the death of Cindy’s first foal and helped me understand much more about God. And it was my daddy whose faith helped me through my tears and buried the little filly for me on the banks of the Snake River.

All those things worked together to gently pull me once and for all into his saving grace. So for a long time my Jesus was still in Bethlehem. I didn’t truly know him as my Lord and my Savior until I read Billy Graham’s World Aflame when I was 24. It happened as it did to Paul in Acts 9:18: “Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once. My eyes were opened and my spiritual sight was restored.” And so, my eyes were opened, and I know one guardian angel and more than a few other angels and “a cloud of witnesses” of my generations past, rejoiced as Jesus was born anew in me, God’s child.

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become? I think a single assignment by a grade school teacher, Mrs. Bice, to write a short story for homework probably affected me the most in the writer I’ve become. The story had to include some of the main products of any country in Central America that we decided to write about. I think my writing career began at the moment I began to put pencil to paper and record adventures of two girls visiting a pineapple plantation in Honduras and everything that happened to them. I wrote and wrote and wrote then wrote some more. I got so “into” the story that I didn’t finish the assignment on time. You can imagine the rest!

Being encouraged to write letters and notes and post cards. Writing stories, keeping diaries and then journals, I never ceased writing. Seeing everything my parents took me to see and their forever-patience to answer my “whys,” living in a home steeped in music, arts, crafts, history, and more. All those things and more birthed and grew my love of writing.

Sally's Links:
http://www.sallychambers.com (see website for the complete Link Page)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cwfi-family/
http://www.acfw.com/
http://www.scwg.org/

Sally's Writing: Career Number Four:
As an author of inspirational suspense fiction laced with light romance, I’ve completed two novels. They are The Stonekeepers (a story that begins on Nantucket Island and ends up in Jerusalem) and Amazon Agenda (a story that begins in Solvang, California and ends up in Brazil and the Amazon Rain Forest). A third novel, Sub Rosa Reef, begins in Melbourne Beach, FL and takes you into the Yucatan, Mexico and Belize, is in progress. In addition to novels, I continue to write devotions, email encouragements to others, children’s stories, and poetry. I try to do all I can to help others by critiquing and editing their work. It keeps my own work challenged to help others.

Sally at her computer, writing stories, her fourth career.

From Crystal:
I can attest to Sally's fiction writing--I pray her novels are published because she's such a good storyteller. Sally Chambers has won several awards for her poetry and short stories. She has written devotionals for The Upper Room, short stories for Standard Publishing’s Kidz Chat, newspaper articles, as well as articles and poetry for periodicals. She has also developed Sunday school material, edited two devotional books for her church and has written and recorded short stories for radio. In addition, Sally has edited two successful non-fiction books.

Following her retirement as a Nationwide Insurance agent, Sally embarked on yet another career. Her first was negotiating the joys, trials, tribulations, and triumphs of childhood, the second was marriage and motherhood, her third career was becoming one of the first women insurance agents in the area where she lived (spending a huge wedge of her life on being successful in that endeavor.) Her fourth, and current, career is that of a writer.

1970s, Big Hair and Me in my homemade minidress doing the Twist!

Sally was one of the first women insurance agents in the area! 1987, Awards Night.

Business and Bigwigs in 1988. Another Award Night after lots and lots of hard work.

Sally Playing the Fairy Godmother at a Soroptimist Conference in 1990.

Me and my BFF and partner in 1992. LOVE this photo of us.


Photo of the Agency Boss Sally 1993 snapped by my office manager in 1993

1993 Volunteering in a local public school. One of my favorite weekly getaways/giveaways. Getting away from the office and giving to the children.

Sally has been a moderator on the staff of Christian Writers Fellowship International (Cross & Quill) since 2005, and produces the weekly topic for discussion. She’s a member of The Space Coast Writers’ Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, as well as several other writing organizations. Sally has attended Florida Christian Writers Conferences and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Conference. She also participates in critique groups both online and locally.

Sally serves on the local Salvation Army Corps Advisory Board and volunteers with their many activities. She’s a member of the First United Methodist Church. Having taught youth Sunday school for many years, she currently enjoys reading and interacting with the children involved in The Master’s Workshop and attends an adult Sunday school class.

Sally lives on Florida’s Space Coast, with her husband, Jerry. They have two children, two grandchildren, and a new great granddaughter. Sally and Jerry enjoy spending summers at their home in the mountains of Western North Carolina. She maintains a presence on Facebook (join her as a friend!) and invites you to visit her Web site at www.sallychambers.com. Writing and researching for Sally’s novels is primary but critiquing friends’ work, and editing also hold strong importance. In between, she reads, does puzzles, crocheting, beading, trail walking, and spends time with family and friends. Sally is represented by literary agent Tamela Hancock Murray of Hartline Literary Agency.

Lena Nelson Dooley: When I Was Just a Kid

2010-12-15T00:01:00.002-05:00


Lena in junior high

Lena is one of the most admired and kind authors I know. She not only writes beautiful love stories but mentors authors all the time, even winning the American Christian Fiction Writers Mentor of the Year in 2006. She's continued to be a nominee every year since, as well. She is always friendly and outgoing, reaching out to everyone and she never lets you feel that she doesn't know you--she doesn't know strangers!

I have long wanted to do a kid interview of Lena, and she finally had some time to do this. I'm delighted. I think you will agree with me that she is an amazing person and that her childhood surely shaped her into the loving child of God we know today, as she used her trials for good in weaving her tender and delightful stories.Since I was a teacher, several things about Lena's own story especially touched me.

Let's read about Lena:

Childhood Ambition:
My mother was a schoolteacher. She died when I was seven years old, so I don't remember too many things about her, but I wanted to be a teacher.

Fondest Memory (from back then):
My favorite memory from before my mother died was in the evenings. We'd sit around the black, cast-iron stove in the evenings. Mother loved having her hair brushed, so my brother and I would take turns brushing her hair.

Proudest Moment (from back then):
I had a teacher in first grade, who didn't really like me. She mistreated me in a number of ways. I would come home with welts on my legs, some of them bleeding. At that time, no one homeschooled their children, but my mother and daddy took me out of school and she finished teaching me the first grade curriculum at home.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:
Now don't laugh. Those who know me now probably will. I was painfully shy. Really! I couldn't tell you what any boy even a year older than me really looked like without looking in the annual. I walked with my head down. Later, God told me that maybe the other people were just as shy as I was, so I should speak to them first and try to bring them out of their shyness. In the process, look what it did to me.

My First Job (paid or unpaid—something you feel is significant which can include chores you had to do as a child) :
The first time I ironed as a child, I did Daddy's handkerchiefs and the pillowcases. I had to stand on a stool to reach the sink when I started doing dishes. And we always made our bed in the morning.

Childhood Indulgence:
Remember, we were poor. When Daddy and my Stepmom went on fish distribution trips, they'd always bring me back a paper doll book. Back then, we used the Sears & Roebuck catalog to cut out more clothes for the dolls.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:
Mother made me a beautiful gold wool dress with purple hand embroidery on it. I loved that dress, but it helped us find out that I was allergic to wool.

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:
We didn't have a TV until I was in the 6th grade. We listened to radio slows-- Fibber Magee and Molly, The Green Hornet, The Shadow, Amos and Andy, things like that.

Favorite Childhood Book:
We went to the county library every Saturday and checked out a stack of books. As a young child, I loved The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. Later, I read all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:
We liked to play outside, catching lightning bugs in a fruit jar. We lived on a fish hatchery with a nice sized farm attached, so we had lots of room to roam. We'd make tunnels and rooms in the tall grasses on the hill.

Lena in high school

Best friends?:
My best friend's mother was the telephone operator in the tiny town of Centerton, Arkansas. They lived in a rock house across the street. I loved going to their house. And of course, after all these years, I can't remember her name. That's what over 50 years will do to you.

Any Childhood Pets or Animals?
My brother and I raised geese and rabbits, which we sold to a packing plant to buy our first bicycle.

Childhood Heroine:
Dale Evans

Share your introduction to Christ, if it happened as a child or teen. or a any significant event/person that/who led to your walk with Jesus.
I was raised in a family that were very active in the church. People talked about Jesus in our home all the time. When I was seven years old, a traveling evangelist stayed in our home while he preached a revival at our church. On Saturday night, I accepted Jesus into my heart at the revival. My journey since then has been long and convoluted, with me straying during college, but not turning my back on the Lord. And He didn't let go of me. Early in my marriage, I had a dynamic event that led me into the deeper walk with Jesus. I've never looked back.

Lena interviews many authors on her blog and has such interesting revelations:
http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Lena Nelson Dooley Today

Lena on Facebook (Fan Page)
Lena on Shoutlife
Lena on Twitter
Lena on Facebook
About Lena
Lena blogs at Bustles and Spurs (and has a Christmas story there)

Lena's latest release is Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico (Summerside Press)
Readers can see the rest of her books by going to her blog and clicking the My Books tab at the top of the page.

Winner of this book is announced in the comments!

Her next book is Family Secrets, which will release October 6, 2011.

The next two books in the McKenna's Daughters series will soon follow!

More About Lena:
Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 675,000 books in print. She is a member of ACFW and president of the local chapter.

Lena loves James, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandson. She loves chocolate, cherries, chocolate-covered cherries, and spending time with friends. Travel is always on her horizon. Cruising, Galveston, the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Mexico. One day it will be Hawaii and Australia, but probably not at the same time. Helping other authors become published really floats her boat. And the high point of her day is receiving feedback from her readers, especially her fans. And she loves chocolate, especially dark chocolate.

When I Was Just a Kid: Bonnie Leon

2010-10-24T23:45:00.000-04:00

Cute Little Bonnie

Bonnie Leon had many special moments that she tells us about in this revelation, but she also experienced some tough things where she reveals how she faced them. Her mom with tears in her eyes said to her once, "I never thought you'd make it." We're sure glad she has, but also that her journey includes speaking and writing, to help others along.

Let's see what Bonnie tells us about her childhood:

Did you want to travel as a child? Did you? Places where you lived as a child?
Travel wasn’t something I thought much about. But we did take a family trip at least once a year. Most often we camped or made fishing trips. My father was an avid fisherman. We’d travel to Neah Bay, Washington, which is on the tip of the Washington Peninsula and stay a week. The fishing was usually great. With seven of us fishing we often left with ice chests filled with salmon and a variety of bottom fish.

One trip that stands out above all the others was one we made to Alaska when I was ten. My parents saved up for more than a year. Money wasn’t easy to come by, and in those days people didn’t borrow for things like vacations. My mother grew up in Alaska and it had been more than twenty years since she’d been home to see her family. We set off on a June morning, pulling a tear-drop trailer behind our station wagon and traveled 2400 miles, half of it on a gravel road. We saw all kinds of wildlife, including a moose that wouldn’t get out of our way on the road, a lynx that actually jumped at our car (with deadly results), a bear, and while traveling through Cook Inlet in a dory we drove through a school of beluga whales. The panoramas were impressive even to a ten-year-old.

It took us seven days to travel to Anchorage and nine days back. We spent two weeks exploring the state, which included my grandparents homestead on Alexander Creek, where to this day the only way in is by boat or water plane or snow machine in the winter. That trip was one of the most amazing excursions I’ve ever taken. I was young, but it left a lasting impression and the scenes and fun is still very close in my memories.

Childhood Ambition:
I remember wanting to be a cowgirl when I grew up. Annie Oakley was my favorite television show. Of course when I got a little older, my goals changed. I decided I’d like to be a psychologist. I never managed to accomplish either of these goals in a professional way, but as I grew I did do quite a bit of horseback riding and as any mother will tell you, psychology is part of our job description.

Fondest Memory (then):
This is a silly thing, but it stands out above everything else. I was very young, probably three or four. We had one of those small inflatable swimming pools and I’d dropped a table knife into it, putting a hole in the bottom. The pool was ruined and the water drained out. My brothers were so mad at me and ran to tell our mom. I remember my mother coming out to investigate and I was so afraid because I knew I deserved a spanking. Instead, she smiled at me and said, “You’re full of prunes,” which was an expression of endearment that she used. Then she pulled me into her arms and hugged me. It was one of those moments when you know you’re loved and forgiven.

Proudest Moment (then):
My fifth grade class was given an assignment – write a story. I wrote, what today I’d consider a silly story, but it was pretty good for a fifth grader. It was about a battle between Indians and soldiers (1800’s) and how a native girl steps out bravely and puts a stop to the fighting. I received a A+ for the story and my family was so proud of me. I remember them thinking that I was a pretty good writer. I kept that story for many years, but somewhere in our many moves it got left behind. I’ve no idea what happened to it.

My Proudest Moment as an Adult;
I guess the birth of my first child was my proudest moment. It wasn’t an easy labor (is there such a thing?). I remember holding that perfect little boy in my arms and knowing I’d done something special. It was very empowering. After that, I figured I could do anything.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:

Overcoming a speech impediment was one of the toughest things I had to overcome as a child. My mom said I’d repeat myself and repeat myself, each time raising voice until I’d be shouting, trying to make people understand me. Kids are mean and so they teased, but I found a friend in a speech therapist. To this day, I can envision him and he was so kind and helpful. It took a couple of years of therapy, but I made it. I actually give speeches now and usually people understand me.

My First Job:

I worked in the fields (berries & green beans) as a teen-ager, but my first “real” job was right after I graduated from High School. I moved to Downey, California to live with my fiance’s family while he went oversees to serve in Viet Nam. I went to work for an insurance agency as a receptionist. It was a good experience and I learned a lot. Monday mornings on the switchboard could be interesting, though, with every line lit up.

Childhood Indulgence:

I have to name more than one. I had several, but I’ll share just three. I loved riding horses, the smell of them, the sound of a leather saddle, and the feel of the horse was fabulous. My sister and I would ride the trails in the woods near our home and run the horses through nearby fields. Whenever possible we rode bareback, which seemed more daring and fun because I felt more a part of the horse.

In those days I loved reading (still do). I could spend hours in a book. Whenever possible, I’d read a book straight through. I wish I still had the time for that kind of reading—maybe one day.
Birthdays were always special at my house. It was a day set apart to celebrate our birth. We were relieved of our daily chores, except for necessities; we chose what we wanted for dinner, and chose what kind of cake we wanted. My birthday is just four days after Valentines Day so my mother would always make me a heart shaped cake and make sure I got the point—it had the most frosting. Yum.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:

When I was ten my favorite outfit was a pair of white cotton capris (pedal pushers in that day) with a white sailor-suit type blouse that matched. I remember thinking I was pretty hot stuff in that outfit.

Favorite Childhood Movie:
I had lots of favorite movies, but probably The Wizard of Oz is an all time favorite. My brothers and sisters and I watched it on television every year for years. I also must include the Shirley Temple movies. I loved them all and still do.

Favorite Childhood Book:

The Bobbsey Twins books were some of my earliest favorites, then Nancy Drew stories. I think I read every one. I also read The Hardy Boys. After that I moved on to Gothics and then to books like The Hobbit. I was so sorry when I finished reading that book. I wanted it to go on and on.

Childhood Hero:
Helen Keller was one of my heroes. After reading the story of her life, I thought she had to be the bravest and most intelligent person ever born. I wanted to be like her.

Favorite Childhood Pets:

I grew up with a Dachshund called Hans. We bought him as a puppy for our mom (the only way to get a dog was to make a gift of one to our mom). But she loved him. I remember her crying when she saw him. He was such a cute little guy and grew up to be loyal and brave. He’d chase down any dog who dared step in our yard, no matter how big it might be. I also had a cat, Sophie. She had long gray hair and white paws and was my buddy. She loved to cuddle. She was a great cat; I’ve had only one as special since and his name was Simon.

Anything else you'd like readers to know about you as a child that affected the writer today:
I had a good childhood—good parents and a nice home, but it also contained some tough stuff—my speech impediment, sexual abuse, rape, and then as I grew older drugs and alcohol. I was not an ideal child by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, after I came to Christ and realized how much God loved me and started walking with Him, my mother would sometimes look at me and her eyes would fill with tears and she’d say, “I never thought you’d make it.” I have to smile. God knew. He knows the beginning and the end. He has used the good and the bad to shape me into the person I am. And I know enough of the tough stuff to write from the heart and I also know enough good to realize how wonderful life is.

Bonnie Leon Today

From Bonnie's Bio we learn a few more things about her:
Storytelling has been an integral part of Bonnie Leon’s life ever since her childhood, when she sat at the feet of her Aleut ancestors, listening to the legends and family history they shared.
Throughout the ensuing years, Bonnie dabbled at writing but didn’t seriously consider becoming a professional author. Instead, as a young woman, she happily stepped into the full-time profession of homemaker and mother. Pollywog hunting, finger-painting, blackberry picking, and creating fun messes in the kitchen with her children are some of her most precious and irreplaceable memories.
When her youngest child was nine years old, Bonnie decided it was time to return to the working world. She took a position in her hometown of Glide, Oregon, working with the elderly and handicapped.

Then on June 11, 1991, her world was shattered when a log truck hit the van she was driving. The accident left her unable to work, and after months of rehabilitation she was told by physicians that she would never return to a normal life. Facing a daunting fight to reclaim her life and feeling as if she had nothing to offer the world, she asked God to give her something to do that mattered.

His answer came when she received a scholarship to attend the Oregon Christian Writer’s Summer Conference. That conference ignited Bonnie’s passion for literature and for writing, and she has been writing ever since

Be sure to check Bonnie's web site to see her latest releases and other news!

Bonnie's Books!

The Alaskan Skies Series
Touching the Clouds (Book 1)

She went looking for adventure . . . and found more than she bargained for.

Kate Evans is an adventurous and independent young woman with a pioneering spirit. When she leaves her home in Washington State to follow her dream of being an Alaskan bush pilot, she knows it will be an uphill battle. But she never expected it to be quite like this. As the lone woman in a man’s world, she finds that contending with people’s expectations is almost as treacherous as navigating the wild arctic storms.

When she crosses paths with a mysterious man living alone in the forbidding wilderness, she faces a new challenge. Can Kate break through the walls he has put up around his heart? And will fear keep her from realizing her dreams?

Touching the Clouds will draw you in with raw emotion and suspense, all against the stunning backdrop of the Alaskan wilds.

To Love Anew, historical fiction, that opens in 1804 London. It is the story of John Bradshaw and Hannah Talbot—two people betrayed by life who must find a way to live and love again.
The Sydney Cove Series

To Love Anew

Hannah Talbot has no one. Forced to leave the only home she's ever known, she works for a cruel employer who brutally takes the one thing she has left—her dignity. Defiled and facing the compounded shame of pregnancy, Hannah prays for the child’s death. When an ensuing miscarriage crushes her beneath a burden of guilt and shame, Hannah is certain her sin is too great for even a benevolent God to forgive.
John Bradshaw was a successful businessman whose untamed spirit sometimes wanted more. When he is betrayed by those closest to him, he loses everything—his wife, his business, even his freedom.
Then John and Hannah's paths cross aboard a ghastly, nineteenth-century prison ship en route to Australia. Can they find a way to keep hope alive and learn to trust the encompassing love of a merciful God?

She also has a story about one of her family pets, Benny, a great big loveable dog who was part of her life for fifteen years. The story is included in a compilation book called A Prince Among Dogs and Other Stories of the Dogs We Love.
Bonnie says:
"I’m excited about this book! Benny was a wonderful family companion. It’s wonderful to share his life and the kind of impact he had on us with others."
Bonnie has a slew of other books, and you may find one that sweeps you away. Be sure to check them out!

The Queensland Chronicles Series
When the Storm Breaks (Queensland Chronicles Book 3)

The terrible drought continues in Thornton Creek, parching the land and the strength of all who live there.
After a devastating fire eats up most of Douloo and leaves them with barely enough to survive, Daniel and Rebecca Thornton are forced to go to extremes to provide for their growing family.
Can hope be found in such a barren land?

For the Love of the Land (Queensland Chronicles Book 2)

Before Rebecca Thornton arrived at Douloo Station, she knew it would be very different from her beloved Boston. But she never imagined what troubles awaited her and her new husband, Daniel, or how their faith would be tested.
In the midst of a serious drought, Daniel’s heart becomes as parched as the flat prairie around him. And though she’s surrounded by family, Rebecca’s dreams of a happy life seem to be slipping away.
Can Rebecca and Daniel overcome the drought in their land and in their souls?

The Heart of Thornton Creek (Queensland Chronicles Book 1)

When proper Bostonian Rebecca Williams follows handsome Australian Daniel Thornton to his family's Queensland cattle station, she's in for a few surprises. Daniel's father, Bertram, not only controls the prosperous ranch, but everything and everybody for miles around--including his son.
Will Rebecca adjust to the bullying, or will Bertram drive the young couple apart?

Also check out:
The Matanuska Series
The Sowers Trilogy
The Northern Lights Series
and a stand alone:

A Sacred Place

As World War I breaks out, the arranged marriage of Mary Matroona, an 18-year-old Aleut girl, to Sean Calhoun, an Irish immigrant, begins a story of enduring human spirit and the power of love to break through every barrier.
She also speaks on topics concerning her life experiences and on becoming a writer. Check this link to see where she will be speaking and how to get her to come to your event.

Bonnie Leon's Blog

IF YOU ARE A WRITER OR WANT TO BE then go to this page for a lot of useful information!

Winner of A Door County Christmas

2010-10-11T19:24:00.000-04:00

Winner of A Door County Christmas by Eileen Key, Becky Melby, Rachael Phillips and Cynthia Ruchti is... Sharon Kirk Clifton!

Congratulations to Sharon, and thanks to all who left comments and shared with us. We are all grateful for your interest.

A Door County Christmas: Cynthia Ruchti

2010-10-07T03:03:00.001-04:00


Cynthia with her doll when she was just a kid

Here's what you may know about Cynthia Ruchti:

Cynthia Ruchti is the current president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), which she’s served in various volunteer capacities since shortly after she became a member in 2002. In her role as president of ACFW, Cynthia writes a monthly “From the President” column for ACFW’s Afictionado ezine. For two years she was one of four humor columnists for Afictionado’s“Let There Be Lite.” In 2007, she was the recipient of the ACFW Member Service Award. In 2008, Cynthia won second place for Women’s Fiction in ACFW’s prestigious Genesis Contest.

Now, I'm going to give you a peek at the child who would become Cynthia Ruchti. She is a loving and kind woman who those of us in ACFW are proud to call our president, and whose book, They Almost Always Come Home, was one of my favorite books this year. Now she has a story in the book, A Door County Christmas, and is part of our blog fun this week. Come learn about Cynthia when she was just a kid:

Childhood Ambition: Waitress, flight attendant, nurse (Mom's occupation), teacher (Dad's occupation), biologist, florist, Spanish teacher, orphanage director, interior decorator, the same profession as whatever book I was currently reading. I don't recall longing to be an author. I think I considered it too fond a dream to be possible.

How did life turn out? Waitress--I've served HOW many meals over the years? Flight attendant--Love to fly and usually find someone to help up the aisle. :) Nurse--Dole out plenty of bandaids to my grandkids. Teacher--Radio teacher and teaching writer workshops. Biologist--Worked in a chemistry lab and my daughter graduated with a degree in Biology. Does that count? Florist--I can arrange dandelions and Indian paintbrush in lovely bone china vases. Spanish teacher--No comprende. But my sister, her daughter, and her daughter-in-law teach Spanish. Orphanage director--Birthed three babies and mentally adopt every hurting child. Interior decorator--Most of my furniture started out as something else.

The unspoken desire of my heart--to write novels. Contented sigh.

Fondest Memory (from back then):
When I was 12, my mom piled all five of us kids (I was the eldest) and my grandpa into our station wagon and hauled us from Wisconsin to New Jersey to visit her brother. We stopped at Niagara Falls on the way. I can still feel the spray on my face, still sense the awe of the water's power and the endlessness of its forceful flow. I caught a glimpse of the concept of eternity while watching the water race past without exhausting its supply.

Proudest Moment (from back then):
Many of my proudest moments from childhood are related to music. In Junior High, four friends joined me to form a woodwind quintet (I played bassoon) that consistently won first place awards at solo-ensemble contests. The medal meant less to me than the wonder of creating beautiful music. And seeing the pride in our band teacher's (my dad's) face.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:
My mom worked full-time, nights, and slept (or tried to) during the day from before I was born until she retired. As the firstborn, many of the childcare and housekeeping duties fell to me as soon as I was old enough (and sometimes before that). I had a great deal of responsibility...but with no authority. Five siblings, and there were only seven years separating the firstborn from the last. I learned early in life to balance learning and serving, working while I grew, making do, living on a budget, and stirring a pot while reading a book.

My First Job (paid or unpaid—something you feel is significant) :
Big surprise, I babysat to earn my first wages. Twenty-five cents an hour. But at 16 I secured a job as a checker at a Kroger grocery store. My best friend worked at the next register. Great job. Wonderful experience. And in those days, a girl could earn an entire set of china for her hope chest with grocery store coupons.

Childhood Indulgence:
When Mom left for work at 10:45 p.m., Dad and I and would often open a can of fried rice and eat it while watching the Tonight Show. The other kids were long in bed. It was fun to share that indulgence with my dad...one perk of being the oldest. Canned fried rice. Imagine. My tastes have become a tad more refined since then!

Favorite Outfit as a Child:
I really did have a poodle skirt--gray flannel with a perky pink poodle. My sister had one to match. With our hair done up in pin curls (pin-curled perky pink poodle-skirt partners,) we owned the neighborhood.

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:
I watched The Wizard of Oz until I had the lines memorized. Then my cousin and I would do live theater of the screenplay. We played all the parts, including the audience.

Favorite Childhood Book:
The Boxcar Children books captivated me. Ingenious children making do with what they had and overcoming obstacles.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:
Reading under the covers by flashlight.

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?
I had a secret admirer who passed me love notes. I wrote back mature things like, "Bug off!" and was caught by a teacher who sent me to the principal's office on the day my dad was serving as acting principal.

Best friends?:
We moved twelve times before I was twelve, so I log my friends by location. My South Dakota friend. My Minnesota friend. During Junior High and Senior High, my best friend was a girl from my youth group...and the cousin of the young man I set my heart on. (I've been married to him for 38 years now).

Any Childhood Pets?
We had a scruffy mutt named Bootsie, several batches of guppies, and then a long-haired neurotic chihuahua named Mitzy.

Was there anyone in your childhood who pointed you to Jesus?
My Dad pastored small country churches in addition to teaching band. I was born in a sea of the love of God. He was followed, modeled, and revered in our home. At a very young age, I came to understand my need to accept Christ as my Savior and make Him Lord of my life. I slammed open the screen door after summer swimming lessons and told my parents I wanted to give my heart to Jesus. The lessons I learned in church played a part. The lives my parents lived led the way.

Cynthia Ruchti at the 2010 ACFW Awards Dinner in Indianapolis. Cynthia serves as president of the American Christian Fiction Writers

ABOUT CYNTHIA:
In addition to my role as a novelist, I write and produce a daily, scripted radio drama broadcast called The Heartbeat of the Home, which airs on Christian radio stations across the country. I'm the editor of the ministry's Backyard Friends magazine and write two monthly columns. One is for Wisconsin Christian News and the other is for the ACFW ezine, Afictionado. I currently serve as president of the 2200 member American Christian Fiction Writers and consider it key to my path to publication. I live within 15 minutes of my three kids and five grandkids, and within about two feet of my husband of 38 years in between the heart of Wisconsin's woodlands and cranberry marshes.

ABOUT CYNTHIA'S BOOKS:

2010 saw the release of my debut novel--THEY ALMOST ALWAYS COME HOME--women's fiction from Abingdon Press, and a romantic comedy--The Heart's Harbor--in the Barbour Publishing Christmas novella collection, A DOOR COUNTY CHRISTMAS. Different as they are, I pray both books reveal to readers where they can find the Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark.

Cynthia's Abingdon Press novel, They Almost Always Come Home

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Door County Christmas Authors take a break from writing. Left to right:	Rachael, Eileen, Cynthia, Becky

Cynthia's Links--check them out!

Cynthia Ruchti Reader Fan Page
Cynthia Ruchti on Facebook
Cynthia Ruchti on Twitter
www.cynthiaruchti.com
www.hopethatglowsinthedark.com
The radio ministry website is www.heartbeatofthehome.org

The Clearing, an artist's retreat where A Door County Christmas authors stayed--Don't you want to go there??

A Door County Christmas: Eileen Key

2010-10-06T03:03:00.006-04:00

Eileen used to be a school teacher, so she knows several sides of the "desk." Nowadays she does writing and can use so many of her experiences in that. Her childhood prepared her for what God had in mind for her as an adult--for example, one note-passing experience in seventh grade probably came in handy in how she would deal with kids in her class, but also it could've been considered her first "romance" writing! (And reading it aloud was her first critique!) :)

I've gotten to know Eileen from her writing, and now I feel a kinship with her from this interview. (I, too, was a school teacher.) Come along with me in finding out about the third storyteller in A Door County Christmas--Eileen Key!

Cutie Cowgirl Eileen, Who Went on a Few Cattle Drives as a Kid!

Childhood Ambition:
I wanted to be a teacher and a secretary. Funny, I've been both! I spent 30 years in the classroom and now am a part-time church secretary.

Fondest Memory (from back then):
My cousins owned a ranch outside of Houston and I rode on a couple of "cattle drives" with them. Granted, not miles and miles, but we had a chuck wagon and had to "keep them dogies movin'" even if it was down a highway and into Matagorda Bay.

Proudest Moment (from back then):
I can't pinpoint one moment, but I can tell you how awesome it was to know Daddy was proud of me. He bragged on any accomplishment I had and was especially excited about how many books I read. I can remember him telling my grandmother that someday I'd write a book. Sad to say, he died before that reality.

My First Job (paid or unpaid—something you feel is significant—child or teen) :
I drove as delivery girl for my dad's pharmacy. Met some unusual people along the way. True story: my dad filled prescriptions for the Baptist nursing home. One doctor prescribed "spirits of fermenti" to lower blood pressure. Daddy poured Jim Beam in those bottles! If those lil' ole ladies only knew what was in that tablespoon each night!

Childhood Indulgence:
Mother grocery shopped on Saturday, and I'd get chocolate chip cookies! Yum. Or chocolate ice cream. (emphasis on anything chocolate!)

Favorite Outfit as a Child:
I participated in an "etiquette class" at Foley's in Houston. I won a plum colored skirt and vest. Plum must've been the fashion color that year!

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show: TV:
My Friend Flicka and Sky King onSaturday mornings! (Talk about dating myself!)

Favorite Childhood Book: Little Women. I cast myself as Jo.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:
Reading. Mother said I was born with a book in my hand. My parents made sure I had access to the neighborhood library when I read almost all the elementary school library books.

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?
Ugh. Seventh grade! Mr. Hale caught me passing a note to my girlfriend and READ IT OUT LOUD. Poor Ivan Jones. I wrote about how cute I thought he was...

Best friends?:
Cynthia Roberts and Mary Ann Faigle. We're still close today.
For the past 20 years we've carved out 3 days each summer to catch up on old times.

A Favorite Christmas Memory from Your Childhood:
On Christmas Eve we gathered around the one black rotary dial telephone and talked with my grandparents and aunt in Memphis. I thanked them for my gifts. That was the extent of long distance calling, unless you had a death in the family!

What was Christmas like when you were growing up?
Quiet. Our kinfolk lived in Memphis. Often Daddy had to work at the drugstore on Christmas Eve so traveling wasn't an option. I loved it when my grandparents came to Texas! The worst ever was the year Daddy bought the aluminum tree with the spiraling colored light which shone on the branches turning it red, gold and blue! Only happened one year! We stopped that tradition in a hurry.

Was there anyone in your childhood who pointed you to Jesus?

Pastor Leonard Mansen. I joined Oaks Christian Church in seventh grade, and my parents soon followed. Daddy's schedule kept us from attending church often. But when I became friends with Esther Shaw, and spent the night with her, I attended church.

Share your introduction to Christ as a child or teen or a significant event that led to your walk with Jesus. Pastor Mansen's sermons pricked my teen conscience for sure. Between his passion for the Lord and LaVerne Cross's dedication to our youth group, I learned about Jesus. There wasn't a tug on my heart, it was like a magnet. I became a true believer and was baptized when I was fourteen.

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become? I was loved. By my parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles. I felt valued. I had the normal teen angst and times when I didn't "fit in" but I had a strong values system and Jesus on my side. What more could a girl want?

Author Eileen Key

About Eileen:

Eileen Key, freelance writer and editor, resides in San Antonio, Texas, near her grown children and two wonderful grandchildren. She’s published eight anthology stories and numerous articles. Her first mystery novel Dog Gone from Barbour Publishing released in 2008.She also taught school for thirty years.

Leave a comment for a chance to win this book!

Eileen's Books:
Forget-Me-Not, A Plants Alive! Mystery, Avalon Publishing, Coming soon
A Door County Christmas, Barbour Publishers, December 2010
Dog Gone, Barbour Publishers, 2008

A Commitment to Helping Writers--Eileen Key's Web Site

Left to right: In Door County, Wisconsin ice cream shoppe: Rachael Phillips, Eileen Key, Cynthia Ruchti, Becky Melby, authors with stories in A Door County Christmas

The Clearing, an artist's retreat where Door County Christmas authors stayed!

Don't forget to check out the Door County Blog and meet the characters of the book there.

Leave a comment for a chance to win A Door County Christmas

A Door County Christmas: Rachael Phillips

2010-10-05T03:03:00.175-04:00

Rachael as a toddler

Rachael Phillips is special to me and I admire her quite a lot. She's kind, funny and such a good writer and friend. As a fellow member of the Indiana Chapter and American Christian Fiction Writers, I've been able to get to know her better. And she is usually willing to take a break from her writing to meet up at Ivanhoe's in Upland, IN where she can work on her sundae list. (Ask her about this in your comments!)

Her humor is wonderful, but she also is a great prayer warrior. And she's a top notch choir director and singer--she knows her music! She and her husband have taken many-a-mile bicycle rides on their tandem bike--and she has in fact rode on that bike to my house to drop off her latest fiction book with her story, "Ride with Me into Christmas" in the A Door County Christmas.

If you live in an area where you can get her columns in the newspaper, you will have your laugh for the day, as well as learn something about life in general. Rachael is gifted and God was developing her special gifts even when she was a young girl. (And with all those brothers, it's no wonder she has a great sense of humor!) Join me in discovering Rachael as a young girl who had a cat named Velvet Indiana:

Childhood Ambition: To be a famous popular singer like Barbra Streisand. Or a missionary.

Playing the piano, practicing to be a "star" --or a missionary

Fondest Memory (from back then): In Brown County, Indiana, my parents owned a ramshackle cabin on Lost Lake. I rowed a boat alone to the middle of the lake on a gorgeous spring evening and watched God set the sky on fire with flaming pink roses. I must have sat there more than an hour, simply reveling in His artistry.

Such a cutie!

Proudest Moment (from back then): I won a state poetry contest as a junior higher with a poem—not surprisingly—about a sunset.

Rachael in her office at a young age

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen: Although I often opened my big mouth, I was painfully insecure—especially as an adolescent. Skinny legs and a negative bust measurement can really kill a girl’s self-confidence.

Someday this gal would learn to see herself through God's eyes--beautiful!

My First Job (paid or unpaid—something you feel is significant—child or teen) :I first worked as a waitress for Howard Johnson’s restaurant. With 28 flavors, it was one of the first multi-flavor ice cream places, and I loved cleaning up the soda fountain! I also liked singing “Happy Birthday” to customers. Some of my non-musical fellow servers paid me tips to sing for their tables.

Rachael in High School, got paid for singing!

Childhood Indulgence: There weren’t many. I was the oldest girl with four siblings. But when I walked to Charlie’s General Store to buy bread for my mom, she often gave me a nickel or dime extra, and I bought yummy Butterfinger or PayDay candy bars.

Favorite Outfit as a Child: As a preschooler, I didn’t really care what dress I wore—we wore dresses a lot—but I always insisted on wearing my ruffly can-can to church. It was scratchy and so stiff it hit me in the nose when I sat down. But I was SO proud of it. I tried to call it a “ruffle-on-top-of-a-ruffle,” but could only say a “ruckle-on-top-of-a-ruckle.”

Young Rachael with her fabulous "ruckle-on-top-of-ruckle" dress

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show: We didn’t go to the movies much. One night we all went to the drive-in and saw Lady and the Tramp, which I loved. I also liked watching Mighty Mouse because I loved his singing. Sometimes I tied a towel (cape) that hung down my back and jumped off the sofa, singing, in my best operatic imitation, “Here I come to save the day!”

Favorite Childhood Book: Wow, hard to say. I read voraciously and raided the county Bookmobile that visited our village and the Columbus, IN public library every chance I got. Probably Louisa May Alcott’s books, Alice in Wonderland, and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series. I also read biographies, Nancy Drew mysteries, and I stole my brother’s Boy’s Life magazines. Once I got a hold of Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth, but when I asked my mother what a concubine was, that ended my foray into adult literature for a while.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime: Reading. Singing. Imagining. Baking cookies.

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child? Yes, I wrote my cousin in Louisiana and my girlfriend who had moved from Columbus to Seymour, Indiana for several years.

Best friends?: Donna in first grade. Bonita, Debbie, and Kathy in elementary.

Any Childhood Pets? We had a silky black cat named Velvet—I called her Velvet Indiana because I was proud of my state. We had various dogs, but my favorite was Shaggy, a cocker spaniel. I still like cockers.

Childhood Hero: Jesus. I loved Him from an early age. And English royalty fascinated me. I read everything I could get my hands on about Queen Elizabeth I, a strong woman who ruled a powerful kingdom during an era when kings possessed most of the power.

Rachael, age 16, and her brothers

A Favorite Christmas Memory from Your Childhood: When I was eleven, I wanted white ice skates so badly I dreamed about them. My mother told me we couldn’t afford them, and I’d have to continue to rent the ugly brown ones at the rink. I drooped in despair. How could I be Peggy Fleming? But on Christmas morning, I opened a big package, and there they were: perfect white ice skates that magically transformed me into an ice fairy. My family went skating Christmas night, and I’ll never forget the light silvery snow falling as I twirled on the ice, wearing my new skates.

Rachael and a family dinner

What was Christmas like when you were growing up? Most of our Christmases were quite simple, with a Charlie Brown-type tree (Dad refused to spend money on a better one) and a few presents. He did make sure we had lots of fruit around—boxes of big Delicious apples, tangerines, oranges. Mom bought bags of hard Christmas ribbon candy and worked hard to make Christmas special. Occasionally, we spent Christmas with relatives, but mostly, we stayed home together, often playing games we received as gifts. And sometimes we went ice skating. My dad, who ran a construction business and pastored a church, took Christmas off—the only day of the year I remember his being around all day.

Was there anyone in your childhood who pointed you to Jesus? Certainly my parents, especially my mom. She was and still is an amazing woman of God. And the people of our small congregation.

Share your introduction to Christ as a child or teen or a significant event that led to your walk with Jesus. My parents modeled their faith in every aspect of their lives. They made Him so real that my early memories involve Jesus almost as much as them. When I was three, I was told Jesus was my best Friend, and that He was with me all the time—just invisible. So whenever I sat down, I scooted over and made room on my chair for Jesus to sit beside me—that’s what best friends do, right?


Rachael Phillips, author, wife, mom, grandmother and funny lady (have her speak at your event!)

Rachael's Writing and Life:
A Door County Collection (Barbour Publishing), including The Heart’s Harbor by Cynthia Ruchti, My Heart Still Beats by Eileen Key, Christmas Crazy by Becky Melby, and Ride with Me into Christmas by Rachael Phillips, releases in September 2010.

A Door County Christmas: Add a comment with contact email and have a chance to win this book!

Left to Right in A Door County Ice Cream Shoppe:Authors Rachael Phillips, Eileen Key, Cynthia Ruchti, Becky Melby

Rachael co-wrote a reference book called Women of the Bible (Barbour Publishing) with Carol Smith and Ellyn Sanna that will release February 2011. Rachael just finished writing a women’s fiction called Kneady Women, a story about a lonely fiftyish writer who finds fun, food and fellowship with an offbeat bread-baking group called the "Loafers." Rachael writes humor columns for three newspapers and articles for newspapers.

A Door County Christmas webblog site
Rachael's Web Site
Rachael on Facebook
Rachael's Author Page on Facebook
Rachael on Twitter!

ABOUT RACHAEL:

Rachael Phillips, a former choir director(who directs the ACFW choir once-a-year at conference,) owes her unplanned writing career to a church secretary who solicited staff contributions to the church newsletter at gunpoint. Rachael published her first fiction, a comic romance novella called Ride with Me into Christmas, part of A Door County Christmas Collection, in September 2010. She also has co-authored a reference guide called Women of the Bible, to release in February 2011. She wrote four biographies in Barbour Publishing’s Heroes of the Faith series: Frederick Douglass: A Slave No More; Billy Sunday: Major League Evangelist; St. Augustine: Early Church Father; and Well with My Soul, a collection of four mini-biographies of hymn writers.

More information about her writing and awards can be found on her Web site, http://rachaelwrites.com.

Rachael writes a weekly humor column called “Coffee Corner” for the Marion Chronicle-Tribune in Marion, Indiana, the Pilot News in Plymouth, Indiana, and the Marion, Illinois Review. The 2004 Erma Bombeck Global Humor Award winner, she published stories in the Zondervan collection Help, I Can’t Stop Laughing (2006), which includes authors such as Barbara Johnson and Martha Bolton. She also has published devotions and stories with Guideposts, Moody Publishers, and others. Rachael has written for magazines such as Today’s Christian Woman, Marriage Partnership and Today’s Christian. More information about her writing and awards can be found on her Web site, http://rachaelwrites.com.

Rachael has been married 35 years to Steve, a family physician and adjunct professor at Taylor University.New to the Upland area, they attend Upland Community Church. Steve and Rachael have three married children: Beth (Frank); Christy (Bryan), and David (Janelle). Four perfect grandchildren provide lots of writing inspiration: Annabelle Kate, 6; Joey, 4; Linus, 2; and Jay, 2.


The Clearing, an artists' retreat where A Door County Christmas authors	stayed

Rachael, Keeps on Writing, Keeps on Singing, Keeps on Doing God's Will and Eating Sundaes!

A Door County Christmas Special: Becky Melby

2010-10-04T03:03:00.021-04:00

Becky, age 3, and her baby brother (from a family Christmas card) in their cute, footie pjs!

Becky has an unusual childhood treat she liked to eat. (See if you can find it in this interview!) I wonder if she still would eat it today? No matter, there are some things that have stuck with her through the years--her writing and passion for words, her family commitment and her ability to get through the tough times with a hope. Life wasn't always easy for Becky, but her relationships sustained her and she weaves her stories with relationships, too.

Before this latest book was written, A Door County Christmas, authors Rachael Phillips, Eileen Key, Cynthia Ruchti and Becky Melby gathered together at retreat center, The Clearing, to discuss and see the setting of their novella collection in Door County, Wisconsin. They had a fun time (though at one point the electricity went out!) and brought back more than stories for a book--they brought back treasured memories and friendship.

The Clearing: An artist's retreat for the Authors of A Door County Christmas in Door County, Wisconsin

Come find out about Becky and then at the end see what sorts of stories Becky writes. See if you can relate:

Childhood Ambition:
I started writing stories when I was eight, and knew I wanted to become a writer when my fifth grade teacher put my poem about a bunny on the bulletin board with a huge red A+ on it.

Fondest Memory (from back then):
We lived in Minneapolis when I was four. I remember my mother (then about 40) putting on a pink bathing suit and running up and down the sidewalk with me when it rained. Around the same age, I lost my favorite stuffed bunny. My mother took the bus downtown to Dayton’s to find a replacement. She called me from the store—it may have been my first phone call. I remember holding this huge black telephone receiver and picturing my mom in the toy department. She said they didn’t have any bunnies, and wondered if I would be happy with a pink dog. I said yes and she brought him home. From her example, I learned so much about respecting children and getting down on their level.

Proudest Moment (from back then):
In high school, I wrote a poem about Jackie Kennedy after President Kennedy was assassinated. It was published in the local paper. Loved seeing my name in print!

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen: My father died when I was seventeen, just weeks before graduation. That was a difficult time.

My First Job (paid or unpaid-something you feel is significant-child or
teen) : I did a lot of babysitting from twelve to fourteen. I’d been taught to do the dishes and clean up even if I wasn’t there to fix a meal. I loved the surprise and compliments when tired moms came home late and found the kitchen clean. For several years I sat for a family of seven kids. It was a great feeling of accomplishment every time I survived the night!

Childhood Indulgence:
Toast with peanut butter, sprinkled with Tang!

Favorite Outfit as a Child:
I remember walking around and around the driveway in my first saddle shoes. I couldn’t believe I had shoes just like Mom! I had an Easter dress that was white lace on top and sheer peach on the bottom. With white gloves, I felt like a princess.

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:
My Friend Flicka, Lassie, or anything with dogs or horses.

Favorite Childhood Books:
Scuffy, The Little Engine that Could, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. In junior high and high school, I read Mrs. Mike almost every summer.

Best friends?:
When I was between five and nine we lived on a circle drive in a subdivision in St. Joseph, Michigan. There were four other girls my age on the circle—Chery, Pam, Sandy, and Kathy. We did everything together, but Chery was my best friend. When we moved to Wisconsin, it was devastating.

Any Childhood Pets?
Three dogs: Blacky, Daisy, and Candy. I was ten when we got Candy. Who knew I’d still have her when I got married? Hubby was less than thrilled with my shedding, golden retriever “dowry.”

A Favorite Christmas Memory from Your Childhood:
Two dolls. I was given “Miss Christmas” when I was four. She had a maroon velvet dress and a collar and muff of real fur. A few years later, I was ecstatic when my parents gave me an almost-life-sized doll. I remember twirling around the living room with her. (When I was about ten, my little brother cut off her fingers. Still haven’t gotten an apology from that boy.)

What was Christmas like when you were growing up?
Small and traditional. Our family consisted of my parents, my brother, and me. We didn’t have extended family living close. On Christmas Eve, we went to the candlelight service at church, came home and ate oyster stew, and opened gifts. On Christmas Day we had ham or turkey with plum pudding for dessert.

Was there anyone in your childhood who pointed you to Jesus?
I grew up in a very liberal church, but my mother had a very strong faith, and read her devotions and prayed daily. I do remember a Sunday school teacher, probably in her sixties at the time, who showed slides depicting the crucifixion every Easter, and every year she cried as she gave the presentation. I didn’t understand it at the time, but it stuck with me, and I sure do now.

Share your introduction to Christ as a child or teen or a significant
event that led to your walk with Jesus.
In high school, I was invited to a Billy Graham movie by friends. It was there I heard the message of salvation for the first time. I recommitted my life to Jesus because, in my mind, I’d always really believed in Him. Years later, in my twenties, I finally understood what it meant to truly surrender and allow Him to be Lord.

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood
which affected the writer you have become? My paternal grandfather and an aunt were both authors and my father read constantly. I think that exposure helped foster my desire to write.

Becky's current works: Minnesota Moonlight, a 3-in-1 contemporary collection I co-authored is now available. I’m currently working on the first of a three book series for Barbour. Tomorrow’s Sun, contemporary fiction with a historical thread going back to 1852 and the Underground Railroad, is scheduled to release in the fall of 2011.

Check out Becky's blog.

Books to read:


A Door County Christmas	: Add a comment below to have a chance to win!

"Christmas Crazy" in A Door County Christmas -- September 2010

Minnesota Moonlight -- July 2010, Dream Chasers
-- 2010 RWA IRCC Finalist

Pleasant Surprises & Parting Secrets available now.
Pure Serendipity coming soon-
all from Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Door County Christmas site.

Becky's Web site --warm fiction with dollops of faith and sprinkles of joy--

Author Becky Melby

Becky has been married to Bill, her high school sweetheart for 38 years. They have four married sons and eleven (count 'em!) fabulous grandchildren ranging from almost fifteen years to five months. When she's not writing or spending time with family, she loves hopping on the back of their Gold Wing motorcycle or taking weekend RV trips!

LEAVE A COMMENT today for a chance to win A Door County Christmas! Be sure to leave a contact email in this format: yourname AT ISP dot com.

Ice Cream Parlour, "Not Licked Yet" where the four authors met to retreat from brain-storming their stories for A Door County Christmas: Left to Right--Rachael Phillips, Eileen Key, Cynthia Ruchti, Becky Melby

Christmas is Coming! Four Interviews This Week

2010-10-02T20:36:00.000-04:00


Four Story CollectionBy Eileen Key, Becky Melby, Rachael Phillips, Cynthia Ruchti

This week there will be four new Kid Interviews with the girls who wrote the book on Christmas in Door County, Wisconsin. They'll be talking about Christmas memories and their writing now.

Because this is a four-in-one novel collection, we will be giving away one book to one of the commentators. Leave a comment on the interview and you are entered. If you leave a comment on all four interviews and your name is chosen, you'll get a bonus Christmas treat!

Come on back to When I Was Just a Kid for these special interviews this week.

Romancing America

Monday: Becky Melby

Tuesday: Rachael Phillips

Wednesday: Eileen Key

Thursday: Cynthia Ruchti

Friday: Drawing for the book, A Door County Christmas, plus a special bonus Christmas treat for the winner if the person has commented on all four interviews.

Marlayne Giron: When I Was Just a Kid

2010-08-15T00:02:00.001-04:00

News Flash! Desert Rose is the winner of Marlayne's book, The Victor!

Marlayne, When She Was Just a Kid

When Marlayne Giron was just a kid, she wrote her first manuscript and was brave enough to hand it over to her best friend, Lisa, who wanted to be an editor, and let her use the "magic" red pen. Turns out both were headed on a good path. Lisa became a teacher, and Marlayne was destined to write stories.

Her life has been a series of "miracles," as she will explain here in her childhood memoirs. She first came to the altar to accept "Christ" as a child, thinking she was going forward to receive a prize. She didn't understand then why everyone was so happy for her, because they didn't give her anything! From then on this Jewish girl avoided the "Jesus Freaks" whenever possible, but Jesus wasn't avoiding her. He pursued her as His Bride and now she writes stories for Him.

Marlayne's story is fascinating and I think you will want to get her book for the youth in your life--and maybe read it for yourself.

Childhood Ambition:
To be an adult, move out on my own and make my own decisions!

Fondest Memory (from back then):

My 8th birthday party would have to be one of the best. It was in the local park. Lots of friends came and one of the best relay games was where we had two teams that had to run, put on every item of clothing they found in a shopping bag, run back, take it all off and repeat until the entire line had done the same with the first to complete the winner. It was so funny because the clothes were all adult brassieres, negligees and other unmentionables that looked hysterical on little kids. Then we had a pinata and cake.

Proudest Moment (from back then):

I was 13 and it was when my taskmaster of a ballet instructor (who carried around a 6' long bamboo stick to smack us with) took his finger, swiped it across my dripping forehead and held it up for all the other ballet students to see and shouted: "THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SEE!!"

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:

Making friends. I was terrified of other kids (having been teased most of my life.)

My First Job:

I was a papergirl in 6th grade and rode my bike in the wee hours of the morning throwing papers. I did the job until I figured out that I was paying them to do it (they charged me for all the rubber bands, bike bag, everything.) Quite a good racket they had going there.

Childhood Indulgence:

Books!Fortunately my mom worked part-time as a librarian so she brought home stacks and stacks of books each week for me to read. I must have read hundreds.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:

I grew up in the late 60s. The clothes back then were HIDEOUS but if I had to choose it might be the multi-colored granny dress.

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:

Favorite childhood movie would have to be The Sound of Music. I actually got to meet Angela Cartright (one of the "Von Trapp" children named Brigitta) when I was a toddler at Grauman's Chinese Theater. I remember her holding or tickling me. Favorite television show as a kid: what else? The Brady Bunch!! Everyone in my school wanted to be a guest star and be either the love interest of either Greg or Marcia!

Favorite Childhood Book:

I loved, loved, loved Heidi when I was a kid. I wanted to be Heidi and sleep in her grandfather's hay loft and go to the high meadows with Peter and the goats. When I was 13 the favorite book became Lord of the Rings and nothing has replaced it since.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:

Reading, drawing, ballet and ice-skating!

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?

I didn't dare pass notes! I was always too afraid of "breaking the rules!" I did have a lot of pen pals, though.

Best friends?:

My playmate from ages 2-12 was the neighbor boy across the street named Kenny (I actually just found him on Facebook again a year ago.) I haven't seen him since I was 12. In third grade it was Debbie Card until she moved away. From ages 12-17 it was Lisa (who made me the writer I am today) and Marcia, my ballet companion. I'm still friends with Lisa (though we have absolutely nothing in common anymore.) I found Marcia about 10 years ago and we spent a day together. She was still in dance, flexible as ever and didn't look any different.

Any Childhood Pets?

My first dog Heidi (a black lab puppy) got run over. I cried for weeks. Then it was Spunky, a lab/terrier mix that had been brought up on Lucky Charms cereal. He refused to eat dog food for over a week!

Childhood Hero:

Mighty Mouse! I used to stuff a towel into the back of my shirt and run around the house as Mrs. Mighty Mouse. He was my first crush.

Was there anyone in your childhood who pointed you to Jesus?

When I was in my early teens I got witnessed to a lot by "Jesus freaks" who were total strangers, but coming from a nonreligious Jewish home made me very biased against what they were trying to tell me. When I was 13 a friend of mine from middle school became a "Jesus freak" and tricked me into going to one of the first Calvary Chapel concerts in their new building. I went forward at the altar call thinking I was getting some kind of door prize. When I came back out all these strangers were hugging me and congratulating me but I still didn't have a clue. On the way home, I asked my friend if she was trying to convert me and when she said "yes" I told her it was never going to happen. ("Convert" is a dirty word to Jews.) She was so confused because I had just "gone forward" to accept Jesus and came out just as unbelieving as before. Four years later I really did give my heart to the Lord and I hunted her down through old letters I had kept and told her that I was now an on fire believer for Jesus. The irony was she had fallen completely away. It had all been a passing fad to her.

Share your introduction to Christ as a child or teen or if you didn’t meet Jesus as a child, any significant event that led to your walk with Jesus.

As I said, I had a lot of "Jesus freaks" witnessing (more like harassing me) when I was a young teen. One of these incidents happened on the beach in front of a couple of friends. They were praying under their breath but sympathetic to my plight because this girl was just hammering on me. A year ago at a book signing (I found them again on Facebook, too,) they reminded me of this incident and said that they had thought privately to themselves that I would never come to the Lord; I was that closed to it.

The Lord's love finally broke through to me in the form of a made for television movie in 1977 called Jesus of Nazareth. It was the most realistic portrayal I had ever seen of the Gospel and I got very emotionally involved. During the crucifixion scene is when God opened my eyes and gave me the faith to believe in him. I remember thinking: "If he can do that for me, the least I can do is give Him my life!"

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become?

Lisa and Marlayne, Best Friends and Lisa was Marlayne's First Editor

I have to give credit where credit is due. Lisa and I have been friends since we were 12. We would take turns sleeping over each other’s homes every weekend. I fondly remember the feeling of happy anticipation as I watched The Mary Tyler Moore Show on Saturday nights waiting for her to come over. Lisa is the one person I can most credit in my life for helping me to develop my writing skills. We wrote hundreds of short “Six Million Dollar Man/Steve Austin” stories together (with us as characters in every one.) Lisa used to "redline” my stories (the aspiring teacher that she was) and it would make me so mad that I became determined to write error-free stories with which she couldn’t find fault. My writing was greatly influenced both by Lisa’s writing as well as her critiquing of mine. It was also at Lisa’s suggestion that I check into online publishing that led me to Tate Publishing and ultimately to realizing my life-long dream to see my book, The Victor, in print.

Lisa (L) and Marlayne (R,) Older "Kids" Now

The Victor by Marlayne Giron

About Marlayne Giron
Marlayne Giron is a Messianic Jew who found Christ as her Messiah at the age of 17 while watching Franco Zefferelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” on television in 1977. After coming to faith, she began to read the Old Testament for the first time and was amazed to discover that believing in Jesus was a very Jewish thing to do and not a betrayal of her Jewish religion as she had been taught by her parents and the rabbis in her synagogues.

In the course of her life she has had many small ”miracles” occur; the first major one being coming to faith in Christ when she hadn’t even been looking for it and with a built-in bias against Him. The second was meeting and marrying her future husband Michael whom she had prayed for by name as well as writing and illustrating a story (with his image in it) five years before meeting him.

Marlayne and her husband, Michael

The third is the publication of The Victor after almost 30 years with no previous publication credits to her name. All three of these significant milestones in her life occurred on the Easter holidays. The fourth was becoming a mother of an adopted daughter on Christmas Eve in 1997.

Marlayne, The Author

Marlayne Giron is a full-time career secretary, wife and mother who likes to read, cook, entertain, draw, ice-skate and scrapbook. The Victor is her first novel.

The Victor

Two princes wage the battle for eternity but The Victor has been known from the start…

The verses above from Amy Grant’s “Fairytale” song (Father’s Eyes) was the inspiration behind Giron's book: “The Victor.”

Originally titled “The Victor and His Bride,” she first began writing this story 30 years ago on an IBM Selectric typewriter (at that time it was state-of-the-art) when she was 21.

The Victor is a medieval fantasy/fiction romance for ages 12 to 80. It is the classic tale of good against evil.

Who will emerge the victor?

You’ll have to read it to find out! Peek at the first page. Enjoy.

To Purchase the Book

Lucy Adams: They're Singing Our Song! Part 2

2010-07-03T01:00:00.002-04:00

When I Was Just a Kid Part 2 Lucy Adams (View part 1 here)

Lucy had an older sister who was quite talented and inspired Lucy.

Lucy says: "This evening dress I was wearing for the Junaluska queen contest, was my sister's "hand-me-down" wedding dress. They dyed it soft blue for me to have this picture taken in. The flowers are red, so it was lovely."

Lucy tells us, "My sister was into dance and singing and dramatics. She became Miss South Carolina and went to the Miss America Contest in Atlantic City in 1945. I was in the 5th grade.She won the first Talent Award ever given.Dramatics and singing won her that, and she traveled with the Miss America Troupe."

But it wasn't necessarily only her sister's influence whose acting/speaking/singing bug bit Lucy,too. Lucy's dad was in show business first.

Lucy says,"I heard his stories all the time and was fascinated. William Morris Booking Agency was his manager in Atlanta, Ga. for a short career with a trained horse. Prince Maxwell was his horse, and he had him do tricks on the stage.The night his preacher dad sneaked in and saw the show (his son was supposed to be playing little school programs in towns etc. NOT big shows on stage) was the end of his career.The first act that he had Prince perform, was to pretend that he was going to church.

Dad said to Prince,'What is the first thing you would do if you were in church, Prince?'

Then Prince knelt down and put his head to the floor. 'Well you would pray, that's great Prince!'"

In part 1 of Lucy Adams we learned how Lucy got her name, how she developed into the beautiful and precocious young woman who later went on to speak and write about hymns and God's love in her life. At nineteen she met the love of her life--Woody Adams--and her life became a life-long duet of praises.

I love a great love story, don't you?

Lucy tells her love story on her web site. This is excerpted from there:

"In June 1953, I joyfully entered the chapel at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, where the youth group was having the first Sunday afternoon meeting of the summer. I stopped abruptly. Turning to my friend Betty Anne, I mumbled angrily, 'Oh, no, not Woody Adams again!' There he was, sitting down in front. She knew exactly what I meant. Last summer, I had dated a boy named Bill, until his friend Woody Adams showed up. Woody had been the perfect excuse for Bill to forget me and 'join the boys.' I had continued to pursue Bill: I baked homemade cookies and took them to the place he worked. When he was 'too busy' to see me, I left the cookies at the desk.

I walked in all of our old familiar places, hoping to see him.

One quiet afternoon as I walked by the lake I saw a boy sitting on top of the double-decker sightseeing boat. Thrilled to find Bill alone, I hurried toward him. But when I reached the boat, I saw that it wasn't Bill at all, but his friend, Woody Adams. His broad smile startled me. 'Do you know where Bill is?' I asked. I walked away at his negative reply.For the remaining weeks of that summer, I never changed my mind about Woody Adams - he was a pest. Now here he was again. I sat at the back of the chapel with Betty Anne, determined to avoid him.

A week later there was a talent show with youth from different work areas around the lake. After some crazy skits, dances and music, everyone was better acquainted. There was only one person who was getting my attention, however -Woody Adams, master of ceremonies. As I watched him M.C. the program, my feelings about him changed. The 'pest' began to look very interesting.

The final song did it: Cupid's arrow found me with a thunk! As Woody sang the closing song, Too Young his rich baritone found a home in my heart. When it was over and everyone was leaving, my one objective was to say something to Woody. Something nice. I spent the entire program planning my exit sentence, 'Woody, I sure am glad I like you this summer,' I called out. Then I left.

The very next morning while I was working, Woody joined me. 'Lucy,' he said, 'you mean you didn't like me last summer?'

We began to talk. Hours moved into days and we were still talking. I liked his honesty, kindness, understanding, and lots of other qualities. His hair, bleached by the sun, was very light against his dark tan. I liked that, too. Suddenly all the other boys seemed uninteresting. Bill was but a memory.

I had made a prior date with a boy named Ray, however, and I felt I needed to keep it. We went to the local hangout and danced to the jukebox. Woody was there, too. He came over and asked to dance with me. The song that was playing was 'Too Young.' We were in our own world. We whispered about dancing right out the screen door into the dark of the night. But at the end of the dance, Woody returned me to Ray.

When Ray walked me back to my hotel, I told him I'd not see him anymore.

"I've met the boy I'm going to marry,' I said. 'His name is Woody.'

___________________________

Through the years, we have shared our love story in word and song. Woody opens it by singing 'Too Young.' On the last line I join him in harmony as we sing, 'We were not too young at all.'"
Lucy says the story has been in newspapers for Valentine's Day, as well as the numerous times they've told the story in song and words. Lucy plays the autoharp.

Her recent book 52 HYMN STORY DEVOTIONS was published by Abingdon Press. Her husband, Woody, is a retired pastor(still fills in!) in the United Methodist Church. They moved to Lake Junaluska,North Carolina,after his retirement, where they now live.Not only was Lucy's grandfather a pastor, but so was her father-in-law and her husband. Ministry was Lucy's life and continues to be,even in "retirement" (she's as busy now as ever!)

But in the last post I said I'd tell you how Lucy and I are connected. Lucy and Woody were asked to pastor the Waynesboro Methodist Church, Waynesboro, Tennessee in 1959.They had two sons at the time,aged 3 and 1, and a beautiful boxer dog named Rusty. Lucy was only 25 years old and Woody was 26. Lucy taught high school Sunday school. And she remembered some Warrens--my Uncle Pat. Uncle Pat(his nickname) was my grandfather's brother. I lived in Waynesboro around the same time as Lucy.

I've told the story before about my mother being in a TB hospital in Indiana, and how I came to live with my grandparents in Waynesboro, Tennessee for several years while my mother battled for her life, and my dad worked in Indiana. Several years later I went back to live with my parents in Indiana--but we returned a lot to visit Waynesboro.

I love Waynesboro. Generations of my people have lived there, are buried there, and still do live there. I was there at the same time as Lucy, and her boys are about my age. But we have never met in person. We met online in a Christian writers group called Christian Writers Fellowship International. I feel as if I've known her my whole life.She's around the same age my parents would've been had they lived.

Lucy has many stories to tell and she's telling them, as well as her hymn stories around the country.You can catch her at www.crosswalk.com and all of these stories are listed on Lucy's homepage.

May the Lord bless us with Lucy's songs and stories for many,many,many more years.

Lucy Adams: When I Was Just a Kid

2010-07-02T16:42:00.001-04:00

Shirley Temple? No. (Do you remember Shirley Temple?)

This darling girl is Lucy and Lucy had so many stories that this is only part one. Meet Lucy Adams, "the hymn lady." More on her hymn stories later. This is about a girl who had music in her soul since childhood. When Lucy was about six-years-old, her sister entered her in a Shirley Temple contest. She won! Can you tell why? She still owns that little blue pitcher with Shirley's name on it and her signature.

(So, which is Shirley and which is Lucy??)

Lucy wasn't born with the name Lucy. Much in Southern tradition, she received a nickname. But Lucy herself chose her nickname.

Because Lucy had a stuttering problem as a child, and she couldn't say her name Annie very well,she decided on the name of Lucy. Her mother, Louise,(which is Lucy's middle name) had been called Lucy in college, so this little fireball girl decided that would be her name, and she wouldn't answer her parents until they called her Lucy. She was all of eight-years-old at that time.

In her over 70 years, Lucy has a lot of stories to tell, but the main story she has to tell is a great one--the story of Jesus Christ, and what He means to her--and what He could mean to you, too.Lucy no longer stutters, and she now tells stories on the radio, and wherever she is speaking to groups, about hymns and Jesus.

Let's see what Lucy was like as a child that shaped her into the fun and lovely lady, wife, mother, grandmother and "hymn" lady she is today:

Childhood ambition:
I wanted to be a movie star and wear all those gorgeous dresses that swirled as I danced and sang.

Fondest Memory (then)
Going to the baseball games with my dad. Spending weekends with my grandparents in Holly Hill, S.C., a tiny town in lovely home.

Proudest Moment (then):
I began to keep a diary in the 4th grade, through high school. Most of it is reporting about my boyfriends. I had one each week or month, it seems. But at nineteen, I met my dream boy. I never dated anyone else for the two years we went together, and we married 53 years ago June 10, 1955 , in the Chapel across the street from where we live right now, at Lake Junaluska.(More on this in the next post about Lucy.)

Biggest Challenge as a child or teen:
Wanting to be able to stop stuttering. I did when I changed high schools. Something about my home environment was an emotional struggle. That story is written in the book, WHEN GOD STEPS IN : A collection of stories by Bonnie Bruno. (Released Sept. 07)

My First Job:
I was a waitress in a coffee shop in high school.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:
I took ballroom dancing. I usually had to wear my sister's hand-me-down evening dresses.But for one special dance, I got to choose my own with my mom's assistance.

Lucy says: "This evening dress I was wearing for the Junaluska queen contest, was my sister's "hand-me-down" wedding dress. They dyed it soft blue for me to have this picture taken in. The flowers are red, so it was lovely."

Favorite Childhood Movie:
"Springtime In The Rockies" starring Betty Grable and John Payne .I went to see it nine times! The dancer Carmen Miranda was Spanish and twirled her dress as she danced. ( A few years ago one of my sons found the movie on TV's golden oldies. He videotaped it for me to keep forever!)

Favorite Childhood Book:
Since I stuttered I did not like to read.
(Editor Crystal's note: In Lucy's day, children were often made to read aloud.For a child who stuttered, this would've been grueling. No wonder she didn't like to read!)

But I do have one special book with my 3rd grade handwriting. "Annie Louise Neeley" written in the front with my address (Lucy is my nickname.)The title is HYMN STORIES AND PICTURES. About 40 years later, when I began telling on the radio "The Story Behind The Song," I was amazed that I had saved that book from childhood.I believe God was directing my steps toward this wonderful music ministry.

Favorite Childhood Song:
I loved to hear my parents sing from the front seat when we took trips. "My Wild Irish Rose" was one they harmonized on. Since I stuttered, it was a joy to sing. One of my most joyful times was to go into my living room by myself, put on the record of "Summertime," and sing with that beautiful music. (From the movie, "Porgy and Bess").

Childhood Heroes:
Movie Stars (My Christmas gift of a subscription for Photoplay magazine was a thrill).Also I loved our Columbia Red baseball team. Another childhood hero was the African American lady who lived in our home as a housekeeper.She was close to my heart. She was wonderful security for me and the love was put in my heart to accept an African American son in-law many years later.We have three handsome grandsons from this marriage. This is a blessing to our whole family. (Lucy grew up in the South during a time before the 1960s and Dr. Martin Luther King.God orchestrated her life to be one of great changes in love and acceptance in a world of fear and prejudice.)

If you would like to know more about Lucy go to her web site.

She lives in a beautiful area,Lake Junaluska,North Carolina.

And do go get her book, 52 Hymn Story Devotions. It is ideal for anyone who enjoys hymns and leads devotions at church meetings, choir rehearsals, and Sunday school. The volume can also be used by individuals for personal devotions.

52 HYMN STORY DEVOTIONS

If you go to Crosswalk you can find stories Lucy has written there by typing in her name on the home page and doing a site search.

And be on the look out for Bonnie Bruno's book,WHEN GOD STEPS IN, which was released in September 2007 with stories from many people, including Lucy.

Lucy also wrote a story, "My Adventure in Prayer"(Spring Edition '07) in Breakthrough Intercessors magazine.

You can see other stories here.

More on Lucy Adams in Part 2 and tomorrow's blog--be sure to watch for it! I will also reveal a special connection that I have with Lucy--we were so close, but yet so far.

View Part 2 here

DiAnn Mills: When I Was Just a Kid

2010-06-01T00:01:00.065-04:00

DiAnn at 18 months being held by her daddy

"I had always dreamed of becoming a writer, but I didn’t have the courage to take the first step. I wrote poetry and stories and even books, but as soon as they were completed, I tossed them in the trash. Looking back, I think some of them weren’t so bad and maybe I should not have given up on them so soon. So if I can encourage you in whatever life holds for you, don’t give up on your dreams.

We are all driven by specific callings and goals. I like to call these passions. Obviously one of mine is communicating through the written word. I believe in mentoring serious new writers and encouraging them to reach their dreams."

As you consider your personal aspirations, expand your horizons to include the opportunities around you. We’ve all been given gifts and talents to further the kingdom of God. Don’t let them go to waste."

DiAnn shares some of her childhood memories:

Childhood Ambition:

First a nurse, then I realized I couldn’t stand the sight of blood. Then a writer. I wrote my first book in the 2nd grade on a yellow Big Chief notepad. It was a western with lots of action. I think it had 50 pages.

Fondest Memory (then):

Long walks with my dad in the pasture, along the creek, and in the woods. He’d point out plants and animals to me. This was a precious time. He and I had similar temperaments--melancholy, dreamers, creative. We were very close.

Proudest Moment (then): I could list them in order!

1. My salvation experience when I was 19 years old.
2. Adoption of 3 sons and giving birth to a 4th son.
3. Marriage to my husband Dean. He is a true blessing. After all, he puts up with me! If it hadn’t been for him challenging me to write, I doubt if a single book would have been written.
4. Christy nomination. Felt like a princess.
5. Speaking at my church’s holiday dinner - 700 women and God blessed the entire evening.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:

Overweight and shy. Between my 8th and 9th grade, I decided to shed the pounds. That healthy decision changed my self-esteem. My mother was sickly, and that was a challenge when other kids my age were having a good time and I had work to do at home.

My First Job:

Babysitting!

The first real job was at a drug store on the main street corner in the small town where I grew up. I loved it! The store has long disappeared but I still remember the slogan “You know where, on the square.”

Childhood Indulgence:
Oh, my. I used to get spanked for lying, and now I get paid for it.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:

I can’t remember one. Sorry! Oh, but I remember hating, despising, loathing a pair of Brownie oxford-type shoes. Ugly and wouldn’t wear out.

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:
Wagon Train, Davy Crockett, Donna Reed Show, Dragnet, and 77 Sunset Strip. Oops, gave away my age!

Favorite Childhood Book:
Little Women Then I’d say the Nancy Drew books,Trixie Beldon books, and the Hardy Boys books.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:
Walking through the pasture and down to the creek on the small farm where I grew up in Ohio.

I liked swinging on a rope swing from a huge maple tree. Made up a lot of songs while “swinging.”

Childhood Hero:

Hmm. Nancy Drew

Childhood Pets?
A collie/shepherd named Laddie and a spotted horse named Tony.

Who influenced you as a child to know Jesus? (Even if you didn’t come to Jesus until later.)

My two aunts who lived in Kentucky. They lived Jesus, demonstrated His love and power in every part of their lives.

Anyone influence your writing when you were a child? Actually two teachers encouraged me to write: my fourth grade teacher and my Latin teacher in high school.

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become?

I was terribly overweight and the object of lots of teasing, so I often drew inward and created stories. Whenever my life seemed unmanageable, I escaped into a fiction world. God blessed me with this escape and developed my gift of writing.

At times, others act like writing is this special craft and lavish compliments, which makes me very uncomfortable. God’s gift to me is so I can show Him to readers. Every person has a unique ability, mine is simply writing. AND you would not want me to balance your checkbook or drive you somewhere I’ve never been! I have no navigation skills - a bypass at birth.

About DiAnn:

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. Currently she has fifty books in print and has sold over 1.5 million copies.

DiAnn believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” She is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels.Six of her titles have appeared on the CBA Bestseller List. Three of her books have won the distinction of Best Historical of the Year by Heartsong Presents. Five of her books have won placements through American Christian Fiction Writer’s Book of the Year Awards 2003 – 2008, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005 and 2007. She was a Christy Awards finalist in 2008 and 2010.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope and Love, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman Mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild.

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas. They have four adult sons and are active members of Metropolitan Baptist Church.

You can see more about DiAnn at her web site and sign up for her newsletter:

http://www.diannmills.com

DiAnn's latest books:

Breach of Trust

Paige Rogers, the kindly librarian of Split Creek, Oklahoma, has a secret. She’s a former CIA agent, the sole survivor of an attack on her team during a covert mission in Angola. Paige thinks that Daniel Keary, their leader at the time, caused the deaths of her friends. Knowing that someone wants her dead, too, Paige has stayed hidden in her quaint, quiet Oklahoma town for the past seven years.

But now, a stranger has come to town, and he’s asking a lot of questions. In addition to this, Keary has just announced his candidacy for governor of Oklahoma, and it’s time for him to finally destroy the major roadblock to his successful campaign—Paige.

This masterfully crafted suspense novel immediately hooks the reader with a pervasive sense of imminent danger. A real page-turner, Breach of Trust is the first book in Mills’ faith-based Call of Duty series.

A Woman Called Sage

They took away everything she loved ... now, she's out for revenge.

Sage Morrow had it all: life on a beautiful Colorado ranch, a husband who adored her, and a baby on the way. Until five ruthless gunmen rode up to their ranch and changed her life forever.

Now Sage is a bounty hunter bent on retribution. Accompanied only by her majestic hawk, she travels throughout the Rocky Mountains in search of injustice, determined to stamp it out wherever it's found. The stakes are raised when two young boys are kidnapped and Sage is forced to work with Marshall Parker Timmons to rescue them. But Sage may ultimately get more than she bargained for.

In this exciting historical romance set in the late 1800s, murder, intrigue, kidnapping, and questions of faith will keep you in suspense until the final pages.

Nicole O'Dell: Writing for Tween Girls

2010-04-09T15:28:00.000-04:00

Nicole, Teen of the '80s

Nicole O'Dell remembers vividly what it was like as a tween and teen. Because of this, she now writes for tweens and hopes that what she has shared in her fiction will help other tweens/early teens come through that turbulent time a bit easier. She credits a wonderful grandfather and her mission of wanting to help moms and tweens/early teens for her focus on writing these books (see below.)

Childhood Ambition:

When I was 18 months old, I told a stranger I wanted to be an oceanographer. I really did say it just as plain as day. She looked at my mom, stunned, and asked if I meant it. My mom told her that I'd been saying that for years. LOL I later decided that I wanted to be a pediatrician, but eventually realized that I much preferred English over Math and Science--so began my writing pursuits.

Fondest Memory (then):

I loved our family vacations--Disney World, ski trips, mountains of Virginia. I also really loved the time I spent with my grandparents at their farm in Missouri.

Proudest Moment (then):

I won a literary contest in 4th grade by writing and illustrating a book called The Girl on the Runaway Pogo-Stick. It was "published" and put in the school libraries in my district. I was very proud that it had one of those cards where people could write their names on it and check it out.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:

I contracted encephalitis when I was 11. It affected my hypothalamus and my thyroid. Over the short period of a summer, because of that illness, I put on a LOT of weight. I went to Junior High so much heavier than I had been that kids didn't recognize me. It was an excruciating experience for me. Then, the summer before high school started, my body changed. I hit puberty and it shocked my system back into working. All of the weight--about 60 pounds--came off that one summer. When school started, I got all kinds of good attention from the same people who shunned me when I was heavier. Through those experiences, I learned a lot about the nature of people, and also about how wrong it is to judge people by their appearance.

My First Job:

At fifteen, I got a job at Susie's Casuals, a dress shop in the mall. I was made A.M.I.T. (assistant manager in training) before I turned sixteen. Magna, book three, is set in a store very similar to Susie's. Much of the information I used to write Magna (releases 4/1/10, Barbour) was garnered from my experience at that job.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:

I was definitely an 80's girl. BIG permed hair, colored socks (sometimes layered), stirrup pants, big shirts, plastic beads, Vanderbilt and Jordache jeans, comb sticking out of the back pocket, Swatch watches, Guess overalls, Forenza. I don't have many digital pictures of that time period. But, here's one that I scanned a while back. I was a little older by then, though. This would have been 1993. I had a bit of trouble pulling out of the 80's. ;)

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:

I loved reading books and then watching the movie. My two favorites that I read/watched over and over were The Hiding Place and Ice Castles.

I also liked to watch Kristy McNichol and I had a crush on Jack Wagner.

Favorite Childhood Book:

I have always loved to read. I read Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Little House on the Prairie, The Hiding Place, The Cross and the Switchblade, Hind's Feet on High Places, Ice Castles...oh, way too many to name them all.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:

Truly, it was reading. I read everywhere. I fashioned little stand-type things so I could read while I cooked or did dishes for my mom. I read in the bathtub...the water would get cold and I'd have to drain some and add hot. I often finished a whole book in one sitting. In fact--oh, this is embarrassing--when I had sleepover parties, I always wanted to read with my friends. I'd read a page, they'd read a page, etc. They hated it, but I made them do it.

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?

Oh sure... "Will you be my best friend? Circle Yes or No."

Childhood Hero:

Person who most influenced my worldview when I was a child or the person who most influenced my spiritual development/moral development (and how):

My childhood hero and the person who most influenced my worldview is the same person. My grandpa. Truly, if you told me that he was really an angel among us, I'd believe you without batting an eye. He was the kindest, most generous and hardworking man I've known. He would give you anything he could, if it was the right thing for you.

He loved to build with his hands and his patience allowed him to create the most beautiful things. He never had a sour word to say about anyone and he loved the Lord. In his later years, he taught himself to use a computer, and then sat for hours typing his thoughts about theology, family, life, etc. Those writings are treasures of mine. He passed away in his sleep after he had spent the whole day painting the church. He died a happy and healthy man, and left no enemies. The Lord just took him home.

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become?

My own early teen experiences and choices are why I focus my writing and ministry on girls of that age. It was such a difficult time for me--bad attitude, hormones, depression, body image issues, etc. My relationship with my mom took a huge hit through that time. Now, I pray that my girls won't go through the same difficulties I did at that age and that my books and other ministry efforts will help many moms, girls and families weather those difficult years.

Finding Nicole O’Dell ONLINE

http://www.nicoleodell.com/
http://www.scenariosforgirls.com
http://www.nicoleodell.blogspot.com/
www.twitter.com/Nicole_Odell
www.facebook.com/nicoleodell
www.tinyurl.com/fbfanpg

Nicole O'Dell's BOOKS:

Written specifically for tween girls faced with difficult decisions and lots of peer pressure, books three and four in the new Scenarios series, Magna and Making Waves by Nicole O’Dell, release in April 2010. Lessons of right and wrong are put to the test when readers use their own decision making abilities in an eye-opening but safe way. Each book follows a character up to the point where she has to make an important, life-changing decision—then it’s the reader’s turn to choose!

Truth or Dare Book 1
Scenarios Series Description
Decisions, decisions! How is a girl supposed to choose? Lessons of right and wrong are put to the test in the Scenarios series, where you can test your decision-making abilities in an eye-opening, but safe, way. Each book follows a character up to the point where she has to make an important, life-changing decision—then it’s your turn to choose. Will your choices lead to a happy ending?

Book Description

Lindsay Martin is faced with a tough choice: Does she give in to peer pressure and make her friends happy or does she do what she knows is right—even if it means losing her friends forever? Tween readers make the choice in this interactive story and see how the consequences change Lindsay’s life. Includes a contract and prayer to remind the reader of the importance of making godly decisions.

All that Glitters Book 2

Scenarios Series Description
Decisions, decisions! How is a girl supposed to choose? Lessons of right and wrong are put to the test in the Scenarios series, where you can test your decision-making abilities in an eye-opening, but safe, way. Each book follows a character up to the point where she has to make an important, life-changing decision—then it’s your turn to choose. Will your choices lead to a happy ending?

Book Description

Drew Daniels finally has what she thought she wanted—popularity and a cute boyfriend. But now she’s faced with choosing between pleasing her boyfriend and doing what’s right. Tween readers make the choice in this interactive story and see how the consequences change Drew’s life. Includes a contract and prayer to remind the reader of the importance of making godly decisions.

Magna

In Magna, Molly Jacobs isn’t sure what she should do: Should she follow through with stealing some clothes for her friends from Magna—the trendy girls’ clothing store where she works? Or should she do what she knows is right, even if it means losing her newfound popularly?

Making Waves
Making Waves finds Kate Walker on the swim team where she becomes obsessed with practice and the upcoming championship. What will Kate do when she’s faced with pressure from her teammates to take an illegal substance that will help her swim multiple events in their championship meet? Tween readers make the choices in these interactive stories and discover how the consequences change Molly’s and Kate’s lives. Both books include a contract and prayer at the end to remind the reader of the importance of making godly decisions.

Honoring Nancy J. Ring January 21, 1974-March 13, 2010

2010-03-16T11:12:00.000-04:00

We have a unique writing group which formed over 10 years ago from fellow members (most) of Christian Writers Fellowship International who bonded into deep fellowship of sharing the Lord, writing and friendship. Wendy Lawton, LeAnne Benfield Martin, Paula Lindstam, Teena Stewart, Marti Suddarth, Nancy J. Ring and I wanted to write for the Lord, and while some of us found careers in Christian publishing, we found something even better as very different women from all corners of the United States who came together by email.

We dubbed ourselves SALT: Struggling Artists of Literary Talent and in the early years critiqued each others’ stories and articles, helped each other make decisions about our writing, got together at conferences and retreats or even individually. We are like family. Nancy was the youngest member of that group and she died on March 13, 2010. Her funeral is March 16, 2010 in Chicago.

Members of our group will be contributing to memories this week on two blogs, Beauty and the Beholder by LeAnne Martin
and my other blog, Wilderness Journeys with Crystal Laine.

Come by today to read an interview I did with Nancy ( from this very blog, When I Was Just a Kid, and see the original interview on the sidebar to the right) and remember Nancy with us.

Remembering at Christmas

2009-12-15T21:05:00.000-05:00

”Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” -- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Do you remember a special Christmas? A time that comes back bringing with it a certain joy, a warm embrace, a taste of nostalgia?

I don't really remember this Christmas. My mother was in a TB hospital in Indiana and I was living with my Grandparents and my aunt and uncle (who were teens) in Tennessee. My Aunt Linda would dress me up or stage photos to send to my mother (who is in the photo to my right.) She tried to keep my mother informed of my progress. When my mother got this photo, she cried. It makes me cry for her to see it now.

Now my Aunt Linda has her own daughter (and grandchildren.) Her daughter, Annette, became my friend and even was my matron of honor in my wedding. And she is now battling brain cancer.

I am nostalgic and remembering both good times and not-so-good times in Christmases past. It brings a smile, a familiar sweetness and yes, also a tear at times.

What Christmas stands out to you this Christmas from your childhood?

Laminin: You Are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

2009-10-09T20:45:00.000-04:00

There are things in this world that we take for granted. For example, just how we are made--how our very cells are held together. There is a plan in it all.

On this blog where there are so many amazing people who tell how they grew up and how that influenced who they are today, I had to share this talk about Laminin.

We are amazing--thank you, Father God.

Country Girl, Deborah Vogts

2009-08-27T11:30:00.009-04:00

On Grandma's Steps

Deborah (Swiler) Vogts, a country girl at heart, grew up in the country and had a storybook childhood. When you read her debut book, the first in a series, Snow Melts in Spring,you get to see a bit of her heart and passions in the setting, which is one of the last tall prairie grass regions in the world.

I know you are going to enjoy this glimpse into Deborah's past as much as I did!

Childhood Ambition:

As a girl I had high aspirations of becoming a concert pianist, or an artist or clothing designer, and then in high school I decided I wanted to be a writer.

Fondest Memory (then):

That’s hard. I had a very idyllic childhood. We lived in an old farmhouse built in the late 1800’s with a lovely L-shaped porch. I had two older brothers and our bedrooms were upstairs. Summers were hot and winters were cold—very cold. I can still feel that frigid wind seeping through the uninsulated walls, and the wood floors were so cold beneath my bare feet. Brrr.

As for a fond memory, though, there was an old storage shed next to our house that was falling apart. My folks had abandoned it for anything useful, so I took it over and turned it into Debbie’s Café. I made mud cakes, mud lemonade, mud pies, mud hamburgers, and a host of other items. What was really fun, though, was when my brothers or mom and dad would come up to the “restaurant” and order food from me. They were very good at feeding my imagination. So fun.

My First Job:

My junior year in high school I became a Princess House Consultant (fine crystal dealer.)I scheduled 2 home parties a week and did this for one year. This job helped me out of my shyness. I’m still an introvert, but I can be bold and outgoing if I have to. LOL

Childhood Indulgence:

Hmm. I’m not sure if this is really an indulgence or not, but I’m going to say homemade ice-cream. My dad LOVED homemade ice-cream, (still does, for that matter,) so we made it often—at least once a week, sometimes more—on an old hand-crank machine. Mom would dish what was left from the ice-cream freezer into little containers for us to eat later. I recall many mornings waking up and eating rock-hard frozen ice-cream with my dad for breakfast. I think that qualifies as an indulgence…

Favorite Outfit as a Child:

Oh, that’s a fun question. I think I may have been around 8 years old, which would mean it was 1973. Mom bought me a pair of denim bell bottoms that I adored, and also a red, white & blue leather belt to go with them. I think I often wore a red sleeveless shirt with it. Loved, loved, loved this outfit. LOL. Oh, and I wore cowboy boots with it, of course. ;)

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:

Little House on the Prairie, but also I Dream of Jeannie, The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Gilligan’s Island and Happy Days!

Favorite Childhood Book:

Little House on the Prairie, The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, and Misty of Chincoteague.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:

Reading and playing with my dolls. I had LOTS of dolls, from baby dolls to Barbie dolls. One of my favorites was a Timey-Tell Doll, and then there was my Velvet Doll (I think those were the only two whose hair I didn’t cut off). And then there was this really cool Dusty Doll. She was like a Barbie only she had “real” features. A thicker waist, small bust and short hair. LOL. Mine played golf, but there were others that played tennis, softball, etc.

Playing with My Dolls

Oh, I almost forgot our Johnny West collection. Every winter, (usually during our Christmas break from school) my brothers and I would get out our Johnny West dolls and set up the “ranch” in our living room. Between the three of us, we had quite the setup. My brothers collected the cowboys, Indians, and outlaws, and my collection included Jane West, Josie West, and Princess Wildflower, along with a “Flame” horse. We also had a cardboard bunkhouse that we set up, along with cardboard furniture. All of this burned in a house fire, but I recently found a Jane West at a thrift store and bought her to show my girls and future grandchildren. Maybe I’ll try to find more of the set to start my collection again.

Childhood Hero:

Fonzie. I was even a member of the Henry Winkler fan club. LOL

Any childhood pets?

- Of course…a collie named Lassie, a horse named Strawberry, lots of kittens and puppies and even baby piglets. Oh, and one winter, I remember my oldest brother bringing an orphan lamb into the house when it lost its mama. That was really cool. So cuddly and soft.
Deborah on her horse, Strawberry

Greatest spiritual influence (when you were a child):

My Grandpa Swiler. He was a very faithful man and loved to sing hymns, often leading songs during Sunday school at our church. I don’t recall him being a great singer, but he was loud and always had a grin on his face.

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become?

– I grew up in the country with lots of space to roam and the freedom to dream big. I remember climbing to the top of one of our grain bins and looking out over the countryside, thinking that I couldn’t wait to get out on my own and start my life. Then, only a few years later, I recall being in a city park and flying kites with my youngest daughter and longing for “home” and for the wide-open spaces of the country.

Little did I know as a girl, that my strong bonds of childhood would bring me back home to the country. And that’s what I write about today. Country at Heart is the tagline I use for my writing, as well as what I call my blog. It’s what I know, and it comes from the memories that I draw upon.

Thank you so much, Crystal, for allowing me to stroll down memory lane with you. It’s been such a joy recalling all of these fond moments from my childhood. Blessings to you and to your readers!

You can find Deborah at her web site and on her blog! Do check out her web site for a book trailer on Snow Melts in Spring, recipes and more about Deborah, including tips if you are interested in writing.

http://www.deborahvogts.com

http://www.deborahvogts.blogspot.com

Deborah has also graciously offered a free copy of her book,[UPDATE: Sarah Rupp won !! ] Snow Melts in Spring published by Zondervan. If you'd like a chance to win a copy, leave a comment with your contact info (email, but leave spaces or spell out the ISP) to be included in the drawing. And all of you Johnny and Jane West collectors or who had those action figures as a child, tell us about it! (I had the West collection, too, so I related a lot to Deb's childhood on several points.)Her book has become one of my favorites this year because of the setting, characters and story.

Don't forget that you can request a copy be acquired at your local library, if you can't get your own copy.

Deborah's debut novel: Snow Melts in Spring

Snow Melts in Spring

Book #1 ~ Seasons of the Tallgrass Series

When an aged horse is severely injured on a gravel road in the Flint Hills of Kansas, country veterinarian Mattie Evans accepts the challenge to save him. But she finds herself in the middle of a longstanding feud between the horse’s owner, pro quarterback Gil McCray, and his ailing father—who is also her dear friend.

As the snow melts in spring, Gil’s return to his estranged father’s ranch brings a chance for new beginnings and reconciliation, but when he falls in love with Mattie, he must face the truths that haunt him or run from his past. Meanwhile, Mattie encourages Gil to return permanently to Kansas rather than retire in California.

Their love collides when Mattie’s sister arrives on Gil’s doorstep, causing Gil to come to terms with the jealous acts leading up to his brother’s death and seek forgiveness from those he loves most. Can he accept God’s forgiveness, and will that be enough to make him stop running from his memories of home? In turn, if Mattie forgives, she’ll be forced to choose between the man of her dreams and the land she dearly loves.

The Seasons of the Tallgrass series captures the spirit and dreams of ordinary people living in the Flint Hills of Kansas--one of the last tallgrass prairie regions in the world. In writing this series, I hope to share my passion for this place, showing that God's great beauty rests on the prairie and in the hearts of those who live there.

Order at amazon.com christianbooks.com or zondervan.com

ISBN - 0310292751

ABOUT THE FLINT HILLS OF KANSAS: The Kansas Flint Hills is a strip of land stretching from Nebraska to Oklahoma, two hundred miles long and fifty miles wide, that refuses to be tamed because of the flint rock embedded in the hills. Although farmers once tried to run plows through it, they abandoned their efforts, leaving it to its original native grass. That is why it remains as one of the largest tallgrass prairies in the world.

FROM DEBORAH's WEB SITE:

Some of you may be writers. My writing career really took off when I joined the online writing group ACFW. Many wonderful authors took the time to help me, and I want to do the same. Visit my writing page for a few meager tips.

When I'm not writing, reading or working on the Internet, I enjoy taking walks with our golden retrievers. I also love to cook and have included recipes to share with you. This page will be updated each season, so check back regularly.

It's always fun to hear from my readers. If you'd like to introduce yourself, please sign my guest book or contact me. To help stay in touch, I invite you to join my newsletter, visit my blog, or maybe I'll see you at one of my future book signings!

It's been fun sharing my life with you. May God bless you. ~ Deborah

Joy DeKok: "Believed and Loved"

2009-08-01T12:59:00.011-04:00

Young Joy Getting Her Photo Taken (a girl named appropriately!)

What if you have a dream, and it doesn't turn out the way you envisioned it? What if it's a little different?

Joy DeKok knows what that is like. And she now sees a little better how her dream would pan out in God's perfect vision for her. Her delightful and poignant own story is the drive behind her author coaching and she "believes and loves" not only her readers, but also those who wish to write. Be sure to leave a comment with your email contact (YOU [AT] ISP dot com, to discourage the trolls.) Joy is giving away her book!

Childhood Ambition:

I had a 3-fold ambition – to be a wife, mommy, and writer. When I was about
three- years-old, a friend of my dad’s who had promised he would wait for me to grow up so he could marry me – married someone else. On his wedding day, I promised myself I’d find my very own man someday. Part of that dream, was also children. Lots of them. As a teenager I read, “Cheaper by the Dozen” and thought I’d like that many children. I used to stare at the huge convent in our city and dream that one day the nuns would sell it to me so I could fill it with my children and lots of dogs.

When Jon and I started dating and I told him about this dream, he was delighted. He came from a family of 7 kids so 12 didn’t seem like such a daunting number. We assumed our dreams were part of God’s plan. We were wrong. I won’t go into the whole journey here, but at 50, I can see part of God’s plan clearly – we have the sweet privilege of loving and being loved by a huge number of nieces, nephews, their spouses, and children. (The combined number is over 40!) At twenty-something accepting infertility as God’s perfect plan was a lot harder.

Joy's new perm and new coat--snazzy!

The writing started before I could read. I traced the words in my books and then taped together those pieces of paper into my own books dreaming about the day I’d write my own words and see them in “real” books. I am married to the man of my dreams and am a published writer. Two out of three ain’t bad!

Joy reading the paper wearing Grandpa's glasses. Joy says, "I couldn't read the words yet--I was a word watcher and the paper had so many to look at, sort of like a word catalog!"

Fondest Memory (then):

Being with my grandpa. He was very sick and I spent lots of quiet time with him – usually in his arms. He loved me deeply and listened to me as if whatever I said was the most important thing he’d ever heard. I knew he loved God deeply and I was certain he loved me almost as much.

Grandpa letting Joy play the piano.

Proudest Moment (then):

The day my dad stood up for me at school. I was a chatterbox and first grade work wasn’t a challenge for me (I’d been reading and writing since I was 4)--being quiet was so hard. My teacher had called my parents in several times with good reason.

One day one of the other girls was talking and the teacher assumed it was me. It wasn’t. The teacher yanked my desk out of the row (again) and made it clear--my parents would deal with it this time or else. Not sure what or else meant, I went home sick in my heart. My parents listened to me and told me they’d take care of things the next day. The next morning instead of riding the bus, my dad took me to school. Before we could go in, the girl who had done the talking got in a taunt or two--she thought the victory was hers. So did I. Daddy stood with me in front of the teacher and said, “Joy’s mother and I believe her.”

He confirmed that when confronted with wrong doing in the past, I’d always “owned up” to my guilt. The teacher eventually agreed with him. My dad is around 5 ft 10 or 11 inches tall. That day when he said he believed me, he was a giant of a man. As he continued to talk to the teacher, he advised her to ask the girl who had confronted me at the school door. He left after giving me a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

Believed in and loved. I was so proud of him. Still am.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:

Pleasing people. I wanted to be liked and worked hard at it. Then, I wanted to be cool. Then I wanted boys to think I was beautiful. I wasted a lot of time worrying and striving to please when I could have been having a lot more fun just being me.

My First Job:

I baby sat two little girls every day after school when I was in the 6th grade. I also baby sat for another family on Saturday mornings. I was young but loved kids, was highly responsible, and enjoyed earning a bit of money doing something I loved.

Childhood Indulgence:

Paper and pencils or pens. I loved them and bought them with my allowance at the local Ben Franklin or Woolworth’s. I loved the way paper felt, the sound of a pencil or pen on paper, and the smell of paper with either lead or ink words on the pages. Sometimes I saved out a dime for Mac’s Grocery where they had a huge selection of penny candy. A dime went a long ways and we made those candy treats last for days.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:
My black winter coat with the fake leopard tam and purse. I felt like a movie star.

Joy with her new coat, hat and purse, looking like a movie star, no doubt!

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:

I loved Snow White. She was loved by animals, the dwarves (I could not pick a very favorite--I loved them all,) and the prince. I went to Disney on Ice this winter with my great niece. It was the princesses and their princes and we enjoyed each one. I was missing Snow White when at the very end, the castle doors opened and there she was. The whole crowd cheered. We all loved her.

Favorite Childhood Book:

I have many of my books from childhood. They are battle worn--some falling apart. They all smell old and are all fragile. They are on my office bookshelf as a reminder of a dream come true. My favorite? As a teen I read Blueberry Summer and the Christmas Bride. I loved them both--they are together on the shelf.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:

Tracing words and eventually, I was given my favorite toy ever--a little red typewriter with a full like-real keyboard, red and black ink ribbons, and a real bell that let me know it was time to return the carriage. If it had to do with words I loved it.

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?

I wrote to my only girl cousin as a child. She was my pen pal. My friends and I wrote notes to each other almost every day in school. We doodled on those pages and wrote our hearts out. Then, we walked home from school together, talked on the phone, and walked together again the next morning. We were constant communicators!

Childhood Heroes:

My dad and my uncle Frank who served in WW2. Frank told me stories from the war--things he didn’t tell anyone else. He even cried in front of me. For whatever reason, that made him even more a hero to my tender heart. Later, when confined to the VA hospital, this hero went to visit the Vietnam vets--clearly communicating to them that they were his heroes. I went with him and saw destroyed men light up at this old man’s words. They’d cry. He’d cry. I’d cry. I knew I was in the presence of great men and wondered why in the world no one else knew it. Oh my--what an honor!

First Crush:

My uncle Lee. He was quiet, handsome, and always had room for me on his lap where I could breath in the scent of pipe tobacco and after shave. He could hold me for hours and again, made me feel like I was the only person in the world worth listening to. I knew he belonged forever to my Aunt Dorothy, but when I was on his lap, even she gave us our space.

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become?

I’d written all my life until I was about 17 years old. A teacher I greatly respected condemned my writing and I burned hundreds of poems--keeping on the first one I wrote after I came to faith in Jesus.

Later, my husband encouraged me to do whatever it took to follow my dream and write. While he didn’t stand at her desk and defend me, he stood in home and when I got cranky he quietly ordered a desk and word processor – they arrived at our door the next day. The examples of the loving men God placed in my life are part of the driving force behind Getting It Write and the Author Coaching that I do.

Joy's handsome husband, the guy who believes and loves Joy, and gave Joy her wings (and tools!) for writing.

I can be honest, but there’s no reason to destroy another person’s dreams. We’re all works in progress. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy hearing someone else’s dream, seeing it become their vision, then their reality, and watching them soar. Then, something else amazing happens – after they catch their dreams, I get to watch them cast their vision into the hearts and lives of others. Wow. Who knew? Only God.

Rain Dance by Joy DeKok

Rain Dance is a novel that deals with the issues of infertility and abortion. It attempts to answer the question: Can shattered dreams be part of the plan?

From Joy Dekok: Christian Author & Speaker

"Abortion is still one of the most divisive issues women and men confront. Infertility is still one of the most misunderstood experiences women and men face.

I'm passionate about both which can be dangerous for an author. The rules of writing say the author must stay out of the story. I knew that couldn't happen with Rain Dance.

Then there was the fact that combining these topics in one book made the project daunting. The issues looked mountain-sized and I'd have to climb them both. I also knew I was going to ask readers on all sides of the abortion issue to look beyond the politics to the personal. My own beliefs and hypocrisies would splash all over the pages. . .so that meant I'd break a rule of writing . . . as the author, I'd have to show myself on the pages. I could only hope it didn't come across as intrusive or meddling or worse yet. . .preachy.

According to readers. . .it didn't.

Instead, the characters drove the plot. The story and the format worked. Both readers and critics loved it!

The spoken - sometimes whispered - reader responses amazed me even more and confirmed to me: The Jonica's and Stacie's (characters in Rain Dance) in real-life experience similar experiences.

Then I heard from women who were neither infertile or post-abortive. . .but who found compassion and love for people they thought they could never understand on the pages of a novel.

Those revelations could have been a high for the author. . .and I admit - they were. However, that faded in the face of what the comments revealed below the surface of encouraging words: A need for a place we could all meet on common ground and find resources and that would lead to uncommon support."

www.raindancebook.com

Leave a comment with email info (see above as to how to avoid the "trolls.") Win this book in a drawing! If you don't win, be sure to see www.raindancebook.com to order a copy of your own.

Be sure to check out Joy's web site, coaching site and other places!
www.joydekok.com
www.gettingitwrite.net
Getting It Write!
Joy says: "Need a writing coach? Do you want to discover and then what matters most? Are you wondering what’s up in the publishing world and where you fit in?

Then…you might be at the right place!

As an author coach, I help people write what matters most and discover their publishing options."

And for fun and excellent pages and to see her books for KIDS! check out this site!

www.believe4kids.com

Diana Lesire Brandmeyer: From "Kid" Sitter to Romance Author

2009-07-14T22:38:00.024-04:00

Diana Lesire Brandmeyer is an author who at the end of this interview is giving away her Hearts on the Road (to U.S.A. addresses only) in a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment with your email address, so I can contact the winner.I haven't done a Kid Interview in a while and this one delighted me, as my dad was a truck driver and Diana's romance book is about a truck driver (though, of a different sort!)

When Diana was just a kid, her first job involved kids and KIDS. (See her first jobs.) Read about Diana's childhood and be sure to leave a comment.She shared some great photos.

Childhood Ambition:
I wanted to be a roller derby girl. My father was strongly against that idea. Still I skated as much as I could just in case there was a chance.

Fondest Memory (back then):

Every summer my mom would bribe me to play games with her. She set all kinds of stuff on our kitchen counter from Avon and tell me if I won the game I could pick something. It was so much fun. We played Aggravation, Booby Trap, Canasta and Double Solitaire while eating popcorn and drinking sweet tea for hours every night until it cooled off enough to go to bed. No air-conditioning! We still play games when I see her, now it’s Scrabble.Mom and Diana Fishing

Proudest Moment (back then):

Having my Thanksgiving prayer picked as the best one in my fourth grade class.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:

Eating fruit and vegetables. I know that sounds crazy but I really hated those things! In school it was MATH! Did not like that subject, still don’t. I think it feels the same about me.

My First Job:

Babysitting before I was old enough to work for a paycheck, then I worked as a waitress for a very short time. After that I worked at Six Flags. Now that was FUN! My favorite part was working with the goats in the petting zoo.

Diana and a Goat

Childhood Indulgence:

Making fudge! It never seemed to turn out right but my brother and I didn’t care, we just ate it with a spoon.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:

My mom made me a dress with ladybugs on it. I loved it!

Saved from Diana's Ladybug Dress!

Diana & Brothers, David and Karl, at Easter

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:

Gilligan’s Island and The Monkees, which I only got to watch if I could get my spelling words written three times before it came on.
(CLM: Diana, who was your favorite Monkee? Could you tell us in the comments?)

Favorite Childhood Book: Harriet the Spy tied with Little Women tied with Gone with the Wind. My husband found an old library copy of Harriet the Spy on eBay and bought it for me. It feels so right in my hands!

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:

Reading! And roller skating.

Diana's first doll, Susie, whom she still has.

"The poor thing has a crooked eye and some of her fingers are chewed because I forgot and left her outside one night." (Diana did this page above for her with her scrapbooking.)

Diana and Susie

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?

Yes, I did (*passed notes!) and I got caught a few times. The teacher made sure everyone knew I misspelled a word in that note. Text messaging would have been great to have back in the day—you don’t even have to spell the words!

Childhood Hero:

My dad. I thought he could do anything—something I’m sure he encouraged me to believe. Oh, and Popeye! I even tried eating spinach because of him. After that experience, though, it seems I didn’t think him quite so exciting.

Diana and Her Dad

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become?

Kisses: Diana with Danny, Her First Brother

"I had two younger brothers who were very sick and eventually died. They took a lot of attention from my parents and I learned to be quiet, read and make-up stories in my head during that time. I would clean out my closet and have my very own reading nook."

Diana and Danny, Diana's First Brother

"I wanted my dad to let me go up in our attic, he wisely said no, I’d fall through since there wasn’t a floor. My mom made all of my clothes and I watched her, she is creative and would do things that didn’t follow the pattern and that interested me."

Dianaland:

"Now I find myself stepping past rules and seeing them only as suggestions when I sew, quilt and write."

Diana in Her Bedroom:Diana in her bedroom at age 6. "I was very proud of that room, my mom made the bedspread."

Diana Lesire Brandmeyer has a background in education and psychology. Her credits include My Devotions, The Metro East Family Gazette, Little Visits Family Devotions and The Lutheran Witness. She received her degree from Webster University. She is the author of Hearts on the Road, A Time to Dance, Mystery of the Smithton Necklace and The Trouble with Ralph. She lives in Southern Illinois where the corn grows at a rapid rate behind her home.

She’s married and has 3 grown sons all on their own now, each of them bringing someone special to join the family. Yay! Daughters-in-law!

Diana loves having pets, right now there is only one in the house, a cat named Wendell and an occasional granddog named Rusty.

Diana's web site : http://www.dianabrandmeyer.com/
Diana's Blog

Hearts on the Road
By Diana Lesire Brandmeyer
Heartsong Presents Book Club

Abandoned, betrayed, and feeling forsaken by God, truck driver Randi Davis crisscrosses Wyoming with a broken heart, vowing never to love another man. Suddenly Matthew Carter, a pastor in search of a mobile ministry is thrust into her life and into her cab. And there’s nothing she can do about it.

Matthew sees the seedier side of trucking every day, and he feels a pull toward the the people—a definite call to minister to them. But getting this ministry established is proving more difficult than he imagined.

Soon Matthew and Randi find themselves at cross-purposes. His life on the road has just begun. Her eight-year-old niece needs a parent to come home to every day. Will this be the end of the road for Randi and Matthew’s romance?

Want an autographed copy? Go to Diana' web site.

Available NOW at Heartsong Presents.

In January it will be available at on-line bookstores. Or you can order it from your local bookstore.

(Winner of the drawing for Hearts on the Road was Janalyn! 7/19/09)

Coming Up!

2009-06-21T15:40:00.002-04:00

In July I'll be hosting author Diana Brandemeyer, so come back for that! She has so many photos that she's sharing along with her own story.

Today Christine Lindsay is hosting me on a guest blog with the story of my heart and a little of why I do this blog and why I do manuscript reviews. Visit Christine's blog, leave a comment with your email contact and you'll have a chance for me to review the first five pages of your fiction manuscript.

Janet Dean: Just What the Doctor Ordered

2009-06-04T09:27:00.006-04:00

Janet's childhood was filled with family storytellers. The creativity and stories from then have influenced Janet's writing today.Janet reveals some little details about how she came up with names in her books, and more information about her childhood that influences her writing in subtle ways.

Be sure to leave a comment for the drawing to win Janet's newest release, Courting the Doctor's Daughter! (I'll draw a name on Saturday, June 6th, 2009.)

Let's take a look at this beauty's past!:

Childhood Ambition: At twelve I wanted to write. I illustrated my little romances, drawing my heroines in profile with turned up noses and long curly hair. I wish I had those stories today, but as I matured, they must have embarrassed me because I tossed them.

Favorite Subject in School: I loved school and liked all subjects except math. I don’t have a head for numbers, but fortunately my husband does.

My First Job: I babysat and picked strawberries for my dad, but I got my first real job during college. I took care of the younger children at an elementary school near campus while teachers had their lunch. I met my husband on that job. He oversaw the older children. We joined forces on the playground during recess. Soon children sang,” Dale and Janet sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First came love, then came marriage, then came Janet with a baby carriage.” LOL Not sure if that’s why he asked me out, but we started dating. That job gave me way more than a paycheck and five lunches a week.

Childhood Indulgence: Ice cream cones. Still love them.

Childhood Pet or Favorite Toy: The family dog, a shaggy mutt named Rags. He lived to a ripe old age, but we had to put him down following a stroke. A sad day at our house. Since then, I’ve developed allergies to cats and dogs. So our girls had hamsters, fish and a guinea pig for pets. My favorite toys were dolls. I still love them.

FAVORITE DOLL as a child: My Toni doll was my favorite by far. Mine had long dark brown hair. She came with a kit that included rods and solution for giving her a permanent. I washed her hair frequently. In the process I all but washed off her eyebrows. Anyone else have a Toni doll?

Favorite Doll you’ve collected as an adult:

I don’t collect dolls per se, but I treasure the dolls I inherited from my mother-in-law, Lois. Two are Armand Marseille dolls from Germany, Ruth and Floradora. The name of each doll is inscribed on the back of her neck along with the initials A.M. The other is a German metal head.

My mother-in-law’s A.M. doll Floradora has a kid body with jointed limbs, bisque head, open and shut eyes and blond wig. All original to the doll. The doll’s clothes were made by Lois’s grandmother. She gave Lois the doll when she was five, advising her to take good care of it as it would be her last good doll. Lois took that counsel to heart. She kept Floradora in a dresser drawer and only played with her on Sundays.

Both Ruth, a small doll much like Floradora, only with a cloth body and new wig, and the metal head belonged to Frances, Lois’s baby sister, who died at three. Frances ruined the body of the metal head doll when she used the doll to stir a kettle of apple butter. In case readers don’t know—large quantities of apple butter were made outdoors by cooking apples and sugar in copper kettles over a low flame. I named a character in the Courting series after Frances and a character in my February 2010 release, The Substitute Bride after Lois.

Favorite Outfit as a Child: My mother made me a black velvet straight skirt. I was so proud of that grown-up skirt. I wore it to our extended family Christmas celebration and split the seams jumping with my younger cousins on my grandparents’ featherbed. I was devastated and red-faced to admit I wasn’t the young lady I believed myself to be.

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show: I loved all of the cowboy TV shows. I could watch one after the other and never tire of them. Still love the cowboys!

Favorite Childhood Book: Black Beauty.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime: Reading and coloring. When I have the time, I now draw with colored pencils.

Childhood Hero: My mom. I thought she was beautiful. I admired her fun spirit, work ethic, and creativity. She was a quilter, made ornaments for our Christmas tree, could whip up a lovely meal and a couple pies, and volunteer in the community. I loved to sit on her bed and watch her get ready for formal occasions. I can still see her powdering her shoulders. I miss her.

Tell us a story from your childhood about being ill:
What do you remember particularly about doctor visits and interaction with him/her?

The only memory I have of doctors is a bit gruesome. When we were preschoolers, my brother and I had our tonsils removed in the hospital on the same day. My brother’s scab came off one night causing profuse bleeding. The doctor came to the house and cauterized his throat on the kitchen table. Listening to his screams, I sat on my bed and cried the entire time, thinking I would be next. I remember the doctor rebuking me for raising such a fuss. Having a doctor come to the house shows I'm ancient. Maybe I write historical fiction because I lived it. :)

(Janet with her brothers above)

Anything in your childhood which inspired Courting the Doctor’s Daughter?

In Courting the Doctor’s Daughter, my heroine wants to attend medical school. I’m no Mary Graves. I’ve never aspired to be a doctor or a nurse. In fact my stomach flops like a landed fish when I’m confronted with wounds or blood. Except for naming two of Mary’s sons after my brothers, Michael and Philip, none of the circumstances in the story came from my life. Yet I believe writers can’t help but put a part of themselves in their heroes and heroines.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen: The summer before I entered fourth grade, my family moved from a city suburb to the outskirts of a tiny community five hours away. It seemed everyone was either related or knew each other from birth. I was shy so making friends wasn’t easy.

Was there ever a time in your childhood where you didn’t trust adults?

I was a shy child, but I trusted adults, even total strangers, until I was in middle school and had an inappropriate encounter with a man I’d trusted. Fortunately for me, I was aware enough to run. From that point on I was more leery of men, but oddly not really frightened. Sadly these experiences are all too common, then and now.

Fondest Memory (then): Christmas was a very special time in our house. Decorating the tree with icicles hung just so, singing Christmas carols, lighting a star-shaped candle, the excitement of Christmas morning with gifts under the tree. When we were little, my brothers and I woke before dawn. Some years our parents had barely gotten to bed, but they’d drilled into us that we weren’t to go downstairs until they were up.

How old were you when you learned to trust in God? What influences in your childhood helped to make this step?

After an appointment at the dentist at the age of five, I told my mother I’d prayed I wouldn’t have a cavity. As far as I know, this was my first awareness of answered prayer. My parents were a huge influence on me. They took us to church every Sunday, taught me right from wrong and provided a happy, loving, secure home. They frequently sang hymns in the car when we traveled. Whenever I hear “Rock of Ages” and “In the Garden,” I think of my father and mother. Our pastor preached frequently about hell and I knew I didn’t want to end up there. I didn’t understand grace then as much as I do now. I thank God that I don’t have to earn my place in Heaven.

Proudest Moment (then): Good grade cards. My dad was a teacher and I became one so perhaps that’s why I took such pride in my report card.

Anything else in your childhood which influenced the themes and writing that you do now?

I’m not sure my childhood influenced my themes of forgiveness and unconditional love—though I experienced both in my family—as much as I seem to have been born with a tender heart toward others going through tough times. That’s carried over to my characters. When they face adversity or struggle to overcome their pasts, I put myself in their shoes. How would that feel? How would their past affect their relationship with others, with God, even their self view? I suspect this empathy is how most of us are wired. Otherwise books couldn’t hold us in their grip as we experience the journey with the character. Creating that kind of book is both a huge responsibility and blessing for writers.

Thank you for having me today. It’s always a treat to be on your blog, Crystal!

Janet

Janet is one of my favorite authors, both as a person and as a writer! And she set her books in the town I was born in, Noblesville, Indiana.

Janet's Bio: Janet grew up in a family who cherished the past and had a strong creative streak. Her father recounted wonderful stories, like his father before him. The tales they told instilled in Janet a love of history and the desire to write. During their early years together, Janet and her husband found their church, joined Bible studies and developed a love of scripture and a closer walk with God.

Teaching and rearing two daughters put her dream of writing on hold, but one day she recalled her girlhood aspiration. By then she knew she wanted her stories to honor God and eagerly turned to Inspirational historical romance. Janet’s journey toward publication took nine exciting, sometimes painful years of learning her craft and dealing with rejection.

Janet's Awards for
Courting Miss Adelaide

National Reader's Choice: Best First Book

The Golden Quill: Best First Book

Bookseller's Best Award: double final, Best First Book, Inspirational

Finalist in The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Inspirational category

The second book in the Courting series, Courting the Doctor’s Daughter released in May 2009.

Courting the Doctor’s Daughter

Courting the Doctor's Daughter
by Janet Dean

Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical
May 2009
Paperback
Category: Inspirational
List price: $ 5.50

Buy at eHarlequin.com

An Unexpected Match

A widow with three boys to raise, Mary Graves has no time for peddlers of phony medicine. She’s a dedicated healer working alongside her doctor father. When a handsome stranger blows into town with his “elixir of health” and asks questions about her newly adopted son, Mary’s determined to uncover the truth behind all his claims.

Once the reckless heir to a Boston fortune, Dr. Luke Jacobs travels the country with his herbal medicine while searching for his long-lost son. After meeting the feisty doctor’s daughter and her youngest boy, Luke has found what he’s been looking for at last. But can he convince her to let him into her home, her family—and her heart?

Romantic Times 4 Stars:
"Dean writes from her heart, and her characters are deep and touching. This is a tender love story with unconditional love for the reader."

Courting Miss Adelaide

Mass MarketPaperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Steeple Hill (September 9, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0373827962
ISBN-13: 978-0373827961

The “orphan train” seemed like small-town spinster Adelaide Crum’s last chance to know the simple joys of family life. So many lost children, every one of them dreaming only of a caring home—the home she longed to offer. And yet the narrow-minded town elders refused to entrust even the most desperate child to a woman alone….

Newspaperman Charles Graves believed his heart was closed forever, but he swore to stand by this lovely, lonely woman who was fighting for the right to take some motherless child into her heart. And her gentle soul and unwavering faith made him wonder if even he could overcome the bitter lessons of the past, and somehow find the courage to love….

****1/2
4 1/2 Stars, Romantic Times BOOK reviews

"Janet Dean's Courting Miss Adelaide (4 1/2) is a wonderfully sweet love story that includes facts about the orphan trains."

Copyright © 2008 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher.

Janet's Awards
Fascinated by history and the role of strong women in our nation's past, Janet brings both together in her faith-based love stories. Two of her manuscripts were 2005 and 2006 Golden Heart finalists. One of those manuscripts was a 2006 Genesis finalist.
You can also order at eHarlequin.

Her debut novel, Courting Miss Adelaide, a Steeple Hill Love Inspired historical, released in September, 2008. Her second book in the Courting series, Courting the Doctor's Daughter released May, 2009. Her third book The Substitute Bride will release in February 2010.

See photos and more of Janet's writing journey at:
http://www.janetdean.net/

See what Janet's thoughts are at her blogspot, A Cup of Faith:
http://www.janetdean.blogspot.com/

Janet and her writer friends' blog at Seekerville:
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/
Random Drawing WINNER of Janet Dean's book, Courting the Doctor's Daughter is DOTTIE RHOADES Be sure to leave a review of her books on Amazon.com and Christianbooks.com and if you'd like to read a first chapter, go here:
READ CHAPTER ONE HERE.

Gingham Mountain by Mary Connealy: Winner of Free Book

2009-03-11T15:04:00.002-04:00

The drawing was held on Monday, but I needed to hear back from the winner of Mary Connealy's book, Gingham Mountain before announcing her.

SHERRINDA won the book published by Barbour. If you don't have a copy of this book, they are reasonably priced and worth it!

Mary Connealy: Kid on the Road to Great Stories

2009-03-05T19:22:00.019-05:00

Mary and two of her sisters in their fancy scarves

I'm just going to say it--Mary Connealy writes the funniest and most poignant novels and I love them!Over the years that I've been a book reviewer, I've passed along books or recommended titles to local book clubs. I have a friend who is the president of a local historical society. I loved Mary's historical romances so much, I couldn't wait to give her those. Well, that lady is a harsher critic than I am ("good story, but..." LOL) but she said about Petticoat Ranch, "Mary's voice is authentic. And I really liked this book, do you have any more of her books?"

What's a better recommendation than that?

I explained to my friend that there is a good reason Mary is so good at writing--she grew up in a big family with great parents, she married a guy who grew up with brothers, they live on a farm, Mary's a teacher, and Mary and her husband had girls! Mary is a reader from way back.She just has lived so many things. The first time I met Mary, I liked her immediately. If you haven't met her, then read her books or if you are in Michigan, then be sure to go to her booksignings (see list at the end of this.) Be sure to leave a comment to be entered to win Gingham Mountain.

Let's see what shaped Mary into the author with humor and insight that she is today:

Childhood Ambition:
I wanted to build roads. I had a really huge impression made on me by the first interstate highway interchange I ever saw, overpasses and on-ramps, and I remember thinking that, like the Appian Way in Rome, this would last forever. And I’d love to help build them and then something I did would last forever. You know, writing books lasts. Right???

Fondest Memory (then):
I remember my parents buying a house…a small country farm house…and having it moved and stuck onto the small country farm house where we lived, eight of us in a two bedroom house. Two Bedrooms is an exaggeration. One of those two bedrooms was a fold out couch in what was laughably called a DINING ROOM. No dining went on in there. And the other was a attic, really small with sloping ceilings. So, when we added on the house, we quit using the attic and the DINING ROOM and so, our two bedroom house, added three bedrooms and subtracted two for a total of THREE bedrooms. Although, in honestly, I now got to sleep on that fold out couch for a few years, so I guess you could call it a four bedroom house, for ten people. And I loved the fold out couch. I was the only kid who had her own room.

When they bought that house, I remember watching it come down the road, very impressive.

Proudest Moment (then): Hmmmm….
I was a very shy kid. I remember vividly spending a lot of time clinging to my mother’s skirts and burying my face. I wasn’t about PRIDE back then. I remember being in a wedding when I was about five, picked from among my then…four sisters (ages 7, 6, 5 (me) and 1). I really loved that, being plucked out and given that honor. I may have just been the right age but it made me feel really special.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:
I’d say shyness. It’s one of the reasons I make a great writer. I can have both sides of a conversation myself and, if I say something stupid, I’ve got a lot of time to think it over and delete it. A perfect world for a shy person.All my instincts are to withdraw. I live a whole world inside my head. I’m never happier than when I’m alone, in front of a computer monitor makin’ stuff up.

Mary as a teen

My First Job:
Babysitting. I babysat for a neighbor with three little kids, including an infant when I was probably twelve. I was fearless. I had five little brothers and sisters by that age. I feared NOTHING about little kids.

Childhood Indulgence:
Reading, I think. My parents would let us get out of almost any chore if we were reading a book. They just considered it a constructive activity. So, if I was reading, I could duck washing dishes or cleaning, almost anything but helping milk the cows. There was NO ESCAPE from that.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:
A pink flower girl dress from that Proud Moment above, it was beautiful!!!!!!

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:
I don’t know about favorite but we watched the Wizard of Oz when I was a kid. And I didn’t know it turned into color once they weren’t in Kansas anymore, until really late in life. We only had black and white TV. We watched Ed Sullivan instead of Bonanza because my mom thought it was too violent. Go watch an episode of Bonanza sometime. Very tame. It makes you see just how far we’ve fallen.

Favorite Childhood Book:
I was a ravenous reader. Dr. Seuss when I was really young. I love the 500 Hats of Bartholmew Cubbins, anyone remember that? I read Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden and just any book I could get my hands on.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:
I had a friend right across the road, Joani, one year younger than me and we played together constantly. We were always outside. We had horses and barns to climb in. Woods behind our house and beside Joani’s. We ran wild, except we never got too far.

About 1960: Youngest to Oldest: Lois, Don, Mary, Nila, Ruth

I also had all those brothers and sisters so there was never a shortage of playmates.

Mary and all of her siblings

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?
I went to a One Room Country School when I was a kid and one teacher had twenty-four kids in eight grades and that woman was FORMIDABLE. We didn’t misbehave much, it was just too scary. I look back at her and just love what she was, how she acted. I remember her telling us her husband had died of a heart attack really young because he smoked and we must never, ever smoke. I remember her turning on the radio the day JFK died and letting us listen to that unfold. She cried. Very scary to me to watch such a strong woman cry. Of course, my brothers and sisters were all there, and Joani and her brothers and sisters (seven in all). Plus a lot of other good-sized families. We had a blast, all while behaving pretty well.

Dad and his three big girls: (Mary says) "I'm third of eight, so I'm the baby in

this one

(Around 1956, right Mary??) Look at all those books beside his chair!

Childhood Hero:
My dad, I suppose. He used to read to us. Now, in this modern era, my dad wouldn’t rate that high. He didn’t do diapers, he didn’t help around the house at all. But he read to us, held us on his lap, he was funny and did wonderful voices with all the characters in the book. Meanwhile, my mom is out cooking supper for ten people, so she’s my hero, too. But she was grateful for him distracting kids. She felt blessed, too.

Childhood Favorite Memory of Church:
We had this really lovely old church. I remember the Jr. High & High School age kids got to go up in this room in the STEEPLE for their Sunday School class. And I wanted to do that so badly. I was nine or ten when we built a new church-I had maybe two years to go before I’d make the cut into the steeple classroom. The new church was beautiful with big, roomy classrooms and I loved it. But I always was a little frustrated I never quite got to the age to go up in that steeple. I did go up there some, between Sunday School and church, sneaked. And it was cool.

What kinds of memories from childhood are used in your book(books?)
I consider a lot of Gingham Mountain to be like my childhood life in a general way. Grant’s tiny house and all those kids. Enough food but not much else, no luxuries at all. I knew I could take that tiny house and shoe-horn all those kids into it because I’d lived it.

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become?

My parents were both college educated. My mom was a teacher, though she worked…maybe one year at it. My dad had a degree in agriculture. Then they got married and he was a farmer and she was a housewife. They used their education later for work but at the time it was just a part of their background.

We were kind of raised with this,almost, mythology about how they’d gone to college and found each other. I don’t know if that ‘love story’ was the roots of it, but education was really respected in my family. We didn’t have fancy stuff. My mom was no Martha Stewart. Too many kids, the house was bitter cold in the winter and blazing hot in the summer. We had a very starkly simple bathroom in the basement and a shower but the basement was cold. We bathed in a tin tub in the winter, one that got dragged in off the porch. Most of our clothes were used and they were crammed into not nearly enough drawers that wouldn’t shut, overflowing closets.

But we had what was important. We had love. My parents adored us. If they were worried about money they didn’t lay that burden on us ever. We had faith in God and a love of books and learning and a sense that we could do anything we wanted to. All eight of us went to college. Two doctors, including among spouses, several masters degrees, two pastors with divinity degrees and one published author.

I remember saying to my mom one time that I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up, I just wanted to be happy.She said, “Find out what God wants you to do and you’ll be happy.” That struck me as being really profound and I always remembered it. Years later, I told her that really impressed me.Mom couldn’t remember saying it. She was just this lovely, gentle-hearted woman of faith who could look at her chaotic, poverty-stricken, child-burdened life with a husband who wouldn’t change diapers and feel lucky. And my dad acted lucky

to have found her. She knew how to love beautifully and that came out in every word she spoke.

Mary Connealy Today: Child of God,Daughter, Wife, Mother, Grandmother,

Friend, Teacher, Author (Still talking in her head, but not quite as shy)

Mary's Web site
Mary's Blog
Seekerville, where Mary and other authors blog
Petticoats and Pistols (historical) blog

From Barbour Publishing

LASSOED IN TEXAS SERIES

PETTICOAT RANCH

February 2007

International Readers Choice Contest Finalist
Long Historical Fiction Category

Sophie Edwards’ life is one long struggle for survival, and, more importantly, the survival of her four daughters. She wants to avenge her husband’s murder, but she has no idea how to do it. And as if she hasn't got enough to do, now a wounded man is disrupting her family’s lonely life.

Clay McClellen left an idyllic, all-male world in the mountains. But, after plunging headfirst over a cliff, Clay finds himself at the mercy of a widow and her four girls.

A suspenseful romantic comedy about a mountain man trapped in a pretty, sweet smelling, confusing all-girl world.

CALICO CANYON

July 2008

4 1/2 Stars from Romantic Times

Let yourself be swept away by this fast-paced romance, featuring Grace Calhoun, an instructor of reading, writing, and arithmetic, who, in an attempt to escape the clutches of a relentless pursuer, runs smack dab into even more trouble with the 6R's - widower Daniel Reeves, along with his five rowdy sons. When a marriage is forced upon this hapless pair - two people who couldn't dislike each other more - an avalanche isn't the only potential danger lurking amid the shadows of Calico Canyon. Will they make it out alive? Or end up killing each other in the process?

GINGHAM MOUNTAIN (Just released. See below to be entered in a drawing for a free copy!!!)

February 2009

4 1/2 Stars from Romantic Times

A rancher runs head-on into the new school marm, who believes he's made slave labor out of eight orphaned children.

Grant Cooper crowds too many orphans into his rickety house, just like Hannah Cartwright's cruel father. Grant's family of orphans have been mistreated too many times by judgmental school teachers. Now the new schoolmarm is the same except she's so pretty and she isn't really bad to his children, it's Grant she can't stand.

Other books by Mary Connealy:

From Heartsong Presents
ALASKA BRIDES

August 2008
By Cathy Marie Hake, Mary Connealy
and Kathleen Y'Barbo

Contains Golden Days winner of ACFWs Book of the Year contest as Best Short Historical
The historic Alaskan frontier makes a wonderful setting for romantic adventures. Trek into the wilds alongside three women who have strong faith, determination, and no need for a husband. Can they surrender their independent hearts when love comes to call in the form of a friendly neighbor, a grieving widower, and a secretive gold miner?

3 BOOK COZY MYSTERY SERIES

from Heartsong Presents Mysteries

Coming in June 2009
NOSY IN NEBRASKA

OF MICE...AND MURDER
November 2008
Join the club here:www.heartsongmysteries.com

Being named in Great-grandma’s will was like hitting bankrupt on Wheel of Fortune. The whole family held their breath while the wheel ticked around and around, or rather while the lawyer opened the envelope. Then they all heaved a sigh of relief when the wheel stopped on Carrie’s name. Carrie the heiress. Great. Clean up the house. Clean up the yard. Clean up Great-grandma’s rap sheet.

Carrie hates mice and loves the big city. So why is she living in a huge mouse infested house in her dinky hometown? The dead guy in her pantry closet is the most interesting thing that's happened since she came home. Of course the carpenter who's helping her trap her mice and solve the crime is pretty interesting, too.

PRIDE AND PESTILENCE
Coming 2009

Joe Manning comes to town to finally meet his dead beat dad, only to find his father has been murdered.

Bonnie is attacked while she's at work in the Melnik Historical Society Museum, proud home of Maxie the World's Largest Field Mouse. Only her attacker now claims it was an accident, and he claims he's never seen the guy before who's dead in Bonnie's store room.

Bonnie wants to be suspicious but once he stopped attacking her he turns out to be pretty sweet. And lots of people had a motive to kill Sven Gunderson - including Bonnie herself. Gunderson, the true owner of Maxie, wanted his mouse back.

In Melnik, that means war!

THE MICEMAN COMETH
Coming 2009

Tyler Simpson is opening a new law office and he's home to stay.

The very British Dr. Madeline Stuart is writing an anthropology doctoral thesis about a small town that worships an oversized rodent. Success with her project should lead to her dream job, a full professorship at Oxford... even better, a guest shot on Oprah.

When a body falls out of a cupboard in Tyler's law office, clutching Maddy's necklace in his cold, dead fingers, Maddy gets arrested and Tyler is appointed her attorney.

But once Tyler finds out Maddy's here to betray his beloved Melnik, he isn't giving her his best effort.

And someone out there thinks blaming the murder on Maddy would be a perfect solution to his own problems. And Maddy's more likely to cooperate with being framed - if she's dead.

Maxie the World's Largest Field Mouse must come through one more time to thwart the criminal in his peaceful, if someone mouse-obsessed, hometown.

~ Heartsong Presents~

SOUTH DAKOTA WEDDINGS

BUFFALO GAL
October, 2008

Book #1 in the South Dakota Weddings Series from Heartsong Presents

They'll never see eye-to-eye.

Buffy Lange has spent her life learning about, caring for, and protecting buffalo. She's landed the job of her dreams, managing a huge buffalo ranch in South Dakota. With stars in her eyes, she imagines all of the Midwest given over to free-ranging buffalo. To her, buffalo embody beauty, majesty, and strength. To Wyatt Shaw, however, the buffalo are a constant threat. Wyatt's ranch adjoins the Buffalo Commons and he watches in trepidation as its owner expands and rides roughshod over the local ranchers. Buffalo are wild, untameable, and dangerous. They present a hazard to man and beast.

When disaster strikes, Wyatt's worst fears are realized and Buffy can do nothing but clean up the mess. With one determined to rid the area of buffalo and the other determined to see them flourish, the dust seldom settles around these two. Will they find a common ground or are they destined to forever stand alone?

CLUELESS COWBOY
November, 2008

Book #2 in the South Dakota Weddings Series from Heartsong Presents

Emily Johannson discovers a cranky man living in a derelict house in the woodland behind her ranch. When she orders him off, Jake Hanson tells her he bought this wreck and is planning to live there. He's filthy, starving, and furious that Emily found him. He wants to be left alone. And she would if she didn't keep needing to save his worthless life.

BOSSY BRIDEGROOM
December, 2008

Book #3 in the South Dakota Weddings Series from Heartsong Presents

Michael Davidson was a tyrant for a husband, and Jeanie was born to be a doormat.

They got along great.

Then Michael abandoned his submissive wife, just another way to be a jerk.

Michael returns a Christian and wants to heal their relationship. Jeanie is in possession of the first bit of hard won self esteem of her life, and she doesn't believe for a minute her cranky husband can change his ways.

They commit to building a healthy marriage but his new job as her boss slips them back into old habits.

Barbour Authors Booksigning Tour in Michigan, March 30th-April 4th, 2009

Authors: Christine Lynxwiler, Kaye Dacus, Mary Connealy, and M. L. Tyndall

Monday, March 30 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Family Christian Stores

Minges Brook Mall

5700 Beckley Road, Suite B-2

Battle Creek, MI 49015

Tuesday, March 31 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Family Christian Stores

3155 Westshore Drive

Holland, MI 49424

Tuesday, March 31 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Baker Book House

2768 Paris Ave SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Wednesday, April 1 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Family Christian Stores

Rivertown Center

3819 Rivertown Parkway SW, Suite 100

Grandville, MI 49418

Thursday, April 2 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Leighton Township Library

4451 12th Street

Moline, MI 49335

Thursday, April 2 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Jude 3

2279 North Park Drive, Suite 810

Holland, MI 49424

Friday, April 3 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Family Christian Stores

Jolly Cedar Plaza

5132 S. Cedar Street

Lansing, MI 48911

Friday, April 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Family Christian Stores

Westnedge Corners Shopping Center

4413 S. Westnedge Ave

Kalamazoo, MI 49008

Saturday, April 4 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Family Christian Stores

3343A Alpine Road NW

Walker, MI 49544

To be placed in a drawing for Mary Connealy's Gingham Mountain, leave a comment with your contact info:
(yourname AT Isp dot com)

and I'll draw one winner on March 9th, 2009 (Sorry, U.S. addresses only.)

When I Was Just a Kid

2009-02-10T09:30:00.005-05:00

Have you missed me? Probably not so much me, but maybe you've missed reading about some of the authors, agents and editors and their childhood memories. Even children love nostalgia. Have you ever had a first grader want you to tell him about when he was a baby? Of course. It is a vital part of our development and identity. If somehow that is missed, we miss a vital part of ourselves and our self-esteem.

I took a couple months off to develop some new things in my own professional life and to tie up some past obligations. I have a few new interviews lined up for the coming months. I do want to continue this as I love hearing about your past. In the coming months, look for me also to ask you questions to reminisce, too. I may even have guest bloggers.

If you have suggestions of particular time periods you would like to know more about, be sure to leave a comment, too.

Be sure to email me if you'd like to do a nostalgic interview, too! (And check the ones already done to the right.)

When I Was Just a Kid: Terry Whalin

2008-10-30T20:51:00.008-04:00

(This interview first appeared on Chat 'n' Chew Cafe')

Do you ever wonder what someone like Terry Whalin was like as a child and teenager? What kinds of books inspired him as a child? Activities and first jobs? Someone like him--accomplished and a well-published author of over 60 books, an editor, literary agent, who works with the American Society of Journalists and Authors, teaching at conferences--who knows everyone and everyone knows him? Who has interviewed the likes of Billy Graham and Chuck Colson?

I did. And he was gracious to take time from his really busy schedule to reply to my probing into his past--with the same dedication that he gives an important deadline, I must add.He seems to have endless energy, as well as bottomless encouragement to those who want to write. And no wonder he does so well with teaching--whether at a conference or online in various venues--it is really in his genes, we find out. And how many authors do you know who would climb into a speeding bobsled,just to experience the blinding fast motion of his subject, Olympic gold medalist Vonetta Flowers, to write a book?

He patiently answers questions all the time from brand new writers or old pros. His book,Book Proposals That $ell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success. )

continues to sell to help writers create great book proposals.

And a life-changing moment came for Terry while he was a journalism student on the campus of Indiana University. That moment has in turn touched lives for years to come (or an eternity.)

From his bio:

A journalism graduate from Indiana University, Terry writes a wide spectrum of subjects and topics for the magazine and Terry has written more than 60 nonfiction books and published in more than 50 magazines. For five years, he was an acquisitions editor at a book publisher, and now he is a literary agent at Whalin Literary Agency. Terry encourages writers of any level (from beginners to professionals) at Right-Writing.com. To help people pursue their own dreams of a published book, Terry has written Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success.

Let's take a look at how Terry Whalin got started in life:

Childhood Ambition: Newspaper reporter chasing deadlines and stories

For most of my education, I had little idea what I would like to do with my life. I often thought about becoming a schoolteacher since this career is ingrained in my family DNA. My grandfather Whalin was a high school principal and superintendent in a small town in northeastern Kentucky. His father was a Kentucky teacher and the majority of his children (including my grandfather) went into some aspect of education. It's why the industrial arts building at Eastern Kentucky University is named after my great uncle Ralph Whalin. I'd say schoolteacher was as close to an ambition that I had beyond newspaper reporter.

Fondest Memory (then): Curled up on my granny's couch during the summers in Frankfort, Kentucky reading a stack of biographies from the library. I've always loved books and on those rainy summer afternoons, I pored through the pages of real life stories. It built something special into my background, and is probably why I love to tell the stories of others.Terry at age 3 at his home in Raceland, Kentucky

Proudest Moment (then): Two or three years in high school, I went to the finals in the National Forensic Society in the discussion category. Each weekend, I traveled with the speech team to a different part of the state to compete and it was a regular part of my high school life. I wasn't an athlete but I did get a high school letter in speech. Almost each weekend I came home with some place in the event--first, second, third, fourth or fifth. My parents gave me a lot of affirmation for this work.

A close second would be when I earned my Masters Degree in 1984. My parents both came for the graduation. It was a little replacement, because I blew off my college graduation ceremony (even though they invested a lot of hard earned money in that period of my life). Thousands graduated at the same time from my college but only a few of us achieved the Masters Degree at the University of Texas at Arlington in mid-year. It was a special experience for me.

Biggest Challenge as a child or teen: One of my greatest challenges came in junior high school (7th grade,) which is a difficult time for anyone. Our family moved from northeastern Kentucky to Townsend, Maryland (a suburb of Baltimore). People wonder about my growing up years in Kentucky and how little drawl is in my accent today--and it's because of this experience. I have clear memories of standing in the recess at the junior high and guys in my class surrounding me saying, "Say PENNIES for us, Terry." I had no idea how to say the word--but I quickly learned and changed my dialect of English--of course, it reverts back whenever I spend any time in that part of the country. My wife will look at me and wonder what has happened to me--but I naturally make the transition each time--then, to her relief, transform back to my normal dialect when I leave the area.

My First Job: In high school, I worked part time at the local newspaper. In general I wrote obituaries and clipped articles for their "morgue" (where the clippings were stored back then--something that is long gone, I'm certain). It gave me a taste of the journalism world.

Then, between my freshman year in college and my sophomore year, I worked on the railroad section crew. Yes, I drove spikes and shoveled gravel all summer with a bunch of guys in a beat-up work truck. I rented a room in Gaston, Indiana (not far from Crystal's home) and struggled to keep up with these stronger men. I would have been fired in the first two weeks except my father was a railroad executive. Whether they liked it or not (and I liked it or not,) I was there for the duration of the summer. I did make some good money toward my college that summer since the job paid well--much better than anything in journalism at the time.

Childhood indulgence: Playing pinball machines

Favorite Childhood Movie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Favorite Childhood Book: One of the early Dr. Seuss books--and a little known title:
McElligot's Pool. I love this book and still have a copy.

Childhood hero: Superman, of course--comic and the old TV show--loved both of them.

As a child I never expected that as an adult I would: have the opportunity to write books similar to the ones I loved as a child. I'm thinking of some of my biographies that I've written about people like Billy Graham, Luis Palau, Chuck Colson, John Perkins, Sojourner Truth and Samuel Morris. It's been a thrill to put together these books and have them help others learn about these remarkable people.

Terry shares with us: "Where we've come from does feed into our lives as adults--but it's not the only factor. If we are open and constantly growing and changing, then we can do much more than we ever dreamed as possible. We serve a God which Paul writes about in Ephesians: He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think. I can think some amazing things and God is able to do above those thoughts."

Terry and his wife, Christine, live in Arizona where he has his literary agency and writes.

If you'd like to find out about his literary agency: http://www.whalinagency.com/

Need to know about blogs? Terry can help you there:
http://www.right-writing.com/blog.html

For Terry's blog, The Writing Life.

To find a copy of Terry's book, Book Proposals That Sell

Be sure to keep an eye on what he's doing--it can only help your own writing!

Virelle Kidder: Gifts for a Longing Heart

2008-10-05T18:55:00.012-04:00

Virelle Kidder has a gift (and not just this gift at age 3 that you see above!) In fact she has several gifts! When I asked her What would you like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer and speaker whom you have become? she said this:

I grew up mostly in a single parent home. After my father left, my mother resumed her teaching career to support us. Although this was a less than perfect upbringing, she did her best to make our home inviting and always welcomed our friends. I appreciate how hard she worked for us to still be a “real family.” In my heart grew a deep longing, never expressed, to know whether God was real. I wanted to know the meaning of life, and where my father was once he died. It created a hunger in me that wasn’t satisfied until I met Christ, or He came to meet me, as a twenty-five year old. Single parents need the comfort that God is working on their child’s heart even if the child cannot express it. Children are much more open to God than adults. God hears every one of their prayers and longs to dry their tears.

Seeing Virelle how God saw her, I think you will agree that He took her gift of her heart and multiplied it abundantly!

Childhood Ambition:
To be a cowgirl and live on Roy Roger’s ranch.

Fondest Memory (then):
Playing in the woods with my girlfriend Barbie.

Proudest Moment (then):
Winning the 5th and 6th Grade short story contest in our district. I won my first Bible, which I hoped would give me the real meaning of life. I was just 10.

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:
Grieving the loss of my father, who left when I was seven and died shortly afterward. Even though he was an alcoholic and mentally ill, I loved him greatly.

My First Job:
In college I helped a wealthy family by teaching English to their Spanish speaking maids and staying with their children in their absence.

Childhood Indulgence:
I don’t remember any. When I was sick, my mother bought me ginger ale and rainbow colored tissues to make flowers.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:
Six shooters, a red cowgirl hat and fringed vest. I also had cowgirl boots and a few things to dress up Barbie when she came over.

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:
Roy Rogers, Ed Sullivan, and Spin & Marty, an old TV series. I also loved the Today Show, news events, and Bob Hope. My brother and I watched shows like Dragnet but I pestered him constantly to explain what was happening. I loved the movie, “Around the World in 80 Days.”

Favorite Childhood Book:
Possibly the series Cherry Ames Student Nurse, and the Nancy Drew books. I didn’t read much as a child, honestly. My voracious reading habit began as a young mom living alone in the country while my husband attended grad school.

Favorite Childhood Activity/Pastime:
Rollerskating, riding my bike, fishing, playing in the woods, exploring our old barn attic, visiting friends’ farms and seeing the animals. On rainy days I played “store” and paper dolls, and had a wild imagination.

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?
No, but I was always giggling and whispering in school. It was the only thing I ever got in trouble for.

Childhood Heroes: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans

Childhood Pets? First, Chummy, a Welsh Terrier who died when I was ten. My favorite pet was a little white parakeet I raised from a baby. It walked all over the house.

About Virelle Kidder:
For over twenty-five years Virelle Kidder has been writing and speaking about the love of God. She is funny, transparent, highly relatable and solidly biblical.

A full time writer and conference speaker, Virelle once hosted her own daily radio talk show in New York's capital district. Now she's a Florida resident, still focused on encouraging women on their spiritual journey. She is the author of six books including her newest release, Meet Me at the Well with Moody Publishers and The Best Life Ain't Easy, releasing in October. Just for fun, she's now working on her first murder mystery.

No doubt, you've met her before. Virelle served for many years as a contributing writer for Today's Christian Woman and enjoys being a mentor with the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer's Guild. She is widely published in national magazines such as Moody Magazine, Focus on the Family's Pastor's Family, Decision, Pray!, Journey, HomeLife, Tapestry and others, as well as many collected works. Her articles have been reprinted around the world in multiple languages.

Virelle and her husband, Steve, have four grown children and eight grandchildren and love their new life in Sebastian, Florida.

Virelle's Books:

The Best Life Ain't Easy, but It's Worth It (Moody Publishers, October 2008)

HERE NOW!! October '08 is The Best Life Ain't Easy, but It's Worth It, also from Moody Publishers. Often funny, sometimes sad, this spiritual memoir is really the story of the surprising, persistent, and patient love of God in an ordinary life. I hope it will encourage readers know God better and trust Him fully in their own lives.

Meet Me at the Well: Take a Month and Water Your Soul (Moody Publishers, 2008)

Feeling wrung out? Exhausted? Like God's asked too much of you lately? I could be your Queen.

Want to feel better? Not even Jesus was not immune from similar exhaustion. He knew that without renewal our spirit dries right up. We just can't keep going. Why else would God's closing words in the Bible be a shouted invitation to "Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."

This book follows a period months, maybe years, of being desperately parched, learning to sit still, open my spirit wide and let God ladle in Life again. Come. I'll take you there. You can find out for yourself. Foreword by Carol Kent.

Chapter One of Meet Me at the Well: Chapter One - "I'm Dying Here, Lord."

I'm no Wonder Saint. You're not either? Good.

If you find yourself currently overwhelmed by your responsibilities, torn in two by the needs of others, waking up begging for strength to get you through the next day, we might be related. Do people count on you to be strong but your emotional tank was empty long ago? I bet you wonder why God gave you more than you could possibly accomplish in one day, maybe a lifetime? Ever want to quit?

I'm your queen. May I be honest?

Here's what others are saying about it:

"Meet Me at the Well is for every woman who has ever tried to be all things to everyone and, more often than not, ends up spiritually dehydrated. Virelle Kidder is a master storyteller. Her transparent, captivating writing, coupled with God's enduring wisdom, offers a refreshing dive into God's word you cannot afford to miss."

—CARMEN LEAL, author & founder of SomeOne Cares Christian Caregiver Conferences.

"Meet Me at the Well is not just another Christian book. It's a way of life. This book shows us how to be safe in God's arms . . . to really, really believe He is there at the well for us every day."

—PATRICIA LORENZ, inspirational writer, speaker, & author; one of the top contributors to the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series.

"Through Meet Me at the Well, Virelle Kidder lets us into her life and takes us with her on a month-long journey to dig down to our common source of Living Water. There we are directed to the Word and the truth that He is there, and will meet us, no matter what. I found her message real, warm, and reassuring, and I know many others will too."

—NANCY CARMICHAEL, author & former editor of Virtue Magazine

"If life has ever left you feeling so completely dehydrated that you could be blown away by even the slightest breeze, then this book is for you. Virelle's book is an oasis in the deasert. It provides a cool, refreshing drink for a parched soul."

—LINDA MOORE, Director, By Design Ministries

"With warmth and honesty, Virelle Kidder invites us to the spiritual well—not only to drink deeply of hope and love but to rest in our heavenly Father's lap. Read Meet Me at the Well and be refreshed."

—SANDRA P. ALDRICH, author and speaker

Donkeys Still Talk: Hearing God's Voice When You're Not Listening (Navpress, 2004)

Life is full of donkeys, those challenging circumstances that block our path from going where we want to go. God uses these donkeys to get our full attention, and speak with us in a brand new way, inviting us closer than ever before. The problem is, we can miss the message completely.

What can you learn from a donkey? A lot! Many times in life with my planner full, I've saddled up my donkey like the prophet Balaam in Numbers 22 and headed on a determined path until the road began to narrow and my plans unraveled. At times like these I've found that donkeys still talk and it pays to listen.

Encounters like these have shaped the course of my life and opened a surprising new sweetness in knowing God. They have also bent my will to the point of breaking.

Donkeys Still Talk is about waking up to hear God speak in the narrow places of our journey and finding the Father-child intimacy we were created for. Face-to-face encounters with God reassure us of His love, offer forgiveness of sin, the healing of wounds, and a quieted heart to learn His will right when we need it most.

Foreword by Liz Curtis Higgs.

Getting The Best Out Of Public Schools (Broadman & Holman, 1998)

Co-authored with her husband, Dr. Steven Kidder, an educational psychologist, Virelle Kidder partners her years of shepherding four children through the public schools with her husband's lifelong career in public education to offer this unique and inspirational tool for difference-makers. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, youth worker, administrator, or teacher, this book will give you an insider's guide to bringing positive change to your local school system. Includes an extensive “tool box” of resources.

Foreword by Dennis Rainey.

Loving, Launching, And Letting Go (Broadman & Holman, 1995)

Even with the best kids, the years leading to launch our children into their adult lives can be among the most stressful ever. With her four children finally on their own, faith in tact, Virelle Kidder wrote the book she wished she'd owned then. Full of fun, solidly biblical, poignant and practical, she tells you what no one else will:

How to know of your teenager is really ready to leave home.
How to help them avoid unhealthy entanglements.
Effective ways to urge a “late bloomer” out of the nest.
The hidden blessings of struggles, even failure.
How to build lifetime closeness as a family.
Foreword by Gail MacDonald.

Mothering Upstream (Victor, 1990)

From mother of four, Virelle Kidder, comes solid help and encouragement over the many hurdles mothers face.” The real truth about mothering is that it is the hardest job you will ever do, and that you are probably less prepared for it than you were for your learner's permit….mothering is also the most costly investment you will ever make, for it involves giving yourself lavishly for others, filling in the deep wells of self-centeredness in your life with acts of kindness, care, maintenance, and love." You will arrive, as every other mother before you, at the end of your own adequacy. When you find yourself needing your Heavenly Father every moment, even as you are needed by your children, you will be exactly where God wants you.

Virelle's Blog Got a Minute for God?

Need a conference speaker?
Virelle frequently serves as a keynote speaker and conference instructor at Christian writers' conferences around the country and abroad.

Here are Virelle's most popular conferences and seminars: (Also, see her web site:)

Meet Me at the Well
Three or four sessions for those seeking refreshment and renewal

Donkeys Still Talk
Three or four sessions on hearing God's voice in the midst of life's challenges and obstacles we can't move

When Your Mate Doesn't Believe
Three sessions

The Complete Woman
Three or four sessions leading the wounded person with us to a place of joy, healing, ministry, and purpose.

Please contact Virelle at info@virellekidder.com

Fees available upon request.

The Christian Writers Guild
The Christian Writers Guild exists to educate, train, and support writers who desire to promote a biblically-based, Christian worldview through their writing. Find out more about their important mission and their influence on modern publishing.

Sandra D. Bricker: Heartthrobs R Us

2008-09-29T19:51:00.014-04:00

(This is not Sandie Bricker, but one of her best friends, a collie named Sophie!)

Sandie Bricker knew she was going to be a writer way back in the day. Her dad reminded her of her proclamation as child again shortly before he died. And so it was true!

Now she has written one of the new Love Finds You books and I just saw the ad in a (Parable) Carpenter's Son Bookstore 25th Anniversary flyer (Lafayette, IN.) So cool.

Also, here's some trivia for you: Who sang "Billy, Don't Be a Hero?" Don't know? Well, not only does Sandie know, she took part in publicizing the 3 million records they sold to get a Gold Record.The song is even mentioned in Stephen King's The Stand. Sandie was still doing publicity for various heartthrobs up until she wrote her own heart-thumping novels.

So let's see what this rockin' dog lover who turns a romantic phrase to get the whole country swooning--city by city--was like, back in the Flower-Powered Days:

Childhood Ambition:

I don't remember a time when I didn't want to be a writer. In my professional bio, I tell the story of the prophetic nature of that ambition ... I was just learning to write cursive letters and, on a Sunday afternoon, I figured out how to string together the letters to sign my name for the first time. My dad fell asleep on the sofa while watching a football game, and I ran in and woke him up to declare, "Daddy, guess what! I'm going to be a writer when I grow up!" Of course, I meant writer in the most literal sense but, before he died, my dad reminded me of that day and said I'd always been a girl ahead of my time.

Fondest Memory (then):

I really have so many fond memories of my childhood. It wasn't idyllic or anything ... but I was happy. I spent most of my "formative years" (like the Wonder bread commercial) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Summers were spent running around barefoot, having neighborhood barbecues in the back yard and swimming in our pool or, later, on my dad's boat. (Photo below is of me and my best friend Marian on the boat on the 4th of July, 1979. She's still one of my best friends, all these years later).

Dad had this "secret recipe" for teriyaki steak, and he would always say that whoever helped the cook got the first taste. He'd been an officer in the Marine Corps, and he would often use this silver meat fork with U.S.M.C. engraved on the handle to give me the first bite. I still have that fork in my kitchen to this day.

Proudest Moment (then):

My proudest moment then was in my senior year of high school. I was a page editor on the Conestoga, the school paper, and the teacher who served as the advisor recommended me to write an article about our foreign exchange student, Jorgen, for the Cincinnati Enquirer. I recently found Jorgen on classmates.com, and I emailed him. After my mom passed away, I found a clipping of that article in one of her books, and I scanned it and sent it to Jorgen, who lives in Paris now. (Photo below of the newspaper article in my mom's book)

Biggest Challenge as a Child or Teen:

I've battled a weight problem for my entire life. In fact, I'm still battling it. But it was devastatingly challenging back then. Kids can be so cruel, and I endured a lot of heartbreak that was related to my weight. I pretty much idolized my older brother, and he was one of my harshest critics. And then there was the ongoing boy troubles, broken hearts, low self esteem that result from being overweight ... But I can say this: The scripture that says God turns all things to good for those who are called according to His purpose has been proven true many times over. I think our greatest challenges in life often turn out to produce our most profound lessons learned.

My First Job:

I was a sort of volunteer publicist at around age 16 for a local Cincinnati band that went national with a hit song. They were Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods, and the song was "Billy, Don't Be A Hero." The manager of the band (Bo's mother) offered to pay me and my best friend Joy if we would help organize fans to promote the record. I don't know whether to be proud, or if I should apologize at the same time(the song does tend to replay itself in your head!)to tell you that the record actually sold more than 3 million copies and earned a gold record. And the "paycheck" we got was being allowed to tour with them and being invited to rehearsals now and then. Not that we cared, of course. And by the way, I also found Joy again recently on classmates.com! I should do a commercial for them.

I took those early skills and rolled them into a career later when I became a publicist for actors in the soaps (General Hospital and Days of Our Lives) in Los Angeles. While P.R. paid the bills, I studied my craft of writing, and my first book (a Christian YA adventure) was published in the early 90's.

Favorite Outfit as a Child:

I grew up in the 60s and 70s, so Flower Power fashion had a big impact on me. I had this shocking pink tunic that hung off the shoulder, with a bright turquoise sash that tied at the waist. I wore it with a skirt that was far too short for me and black go-go boots. I thought I was just as cool as Goldie Hawn on Laugh-In!

Favorite Childhood Movie and/or TV Show:

The first show I can remember really getting into (and I think it was in reruns already when I found it) was The Dick Van Dyke Show. I thought Laura Petrie was so beautiful, and I wanted to marry a man just like Rob Petrie (Of course! He was a writer!). Then later, like every other kid my age, I fell in love with The Monkees (I was convinced I was going to be Mrs. Peter Tork), and I had an enormous crush on Ben Murphy from Alias Smith & Jones. But the life-changing tv show for me was Here Come the Brides. I wanted to be Candy Pruitt so badly, and find romance with Bobby Sherman up in the beautiful forests of Seattle! I just recently bought the first season on DVD, and I seriously found that I could say some of the dialogue right along with them. It left quite an impression on me!

Did you pass notes or have a pen pal as a child?:

I was a big note-passer all through school. I had a group of friends, and we just LIVED for writing notes to one another and folding them up like a flag in those diagonals. I had dozens of pen pals too, and sent around what they called "slams." I don't remember what that stands for, but they were little booklets where you wrote about your interests and then they were passed all around the country, and people with similar interests would write to you. So I had long distance friends who shared my interest in the Osmonds, movies, music, tv shows ... and did I mention the Osmonds? They were very key in a long season of my life back then. And guess who their opening act was on one of their tours! Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods. See how things come full circle?

Childhood Pets?:

I saw an Old English Sheepdog on a tv show called Please Don't Eat the Daisies. Well, I wanted one of my own so much, and I begged my parents for months to get me one. When my father finally agreed that I could have a dog, he came home with a little rat-like creature in his shirt pocket. It was a Chihuahua puppy ... which of course is about the furthest thing from a Sheepdog that there is. Corky lived for 16 years! Oh, and I did finally get my Sheepdog as an adult though; actually two of them, but my best buddy, Caleb, was with me for 14 years until he died of bone cancer. (Photo below)

Anything else you would like to share with readers about your childhood which affected the writer you have become?

I was fairly young when I met the love of my life. He passed away when I was 19, but he started something in me ... or perhaps watered a seed that had been there all along ... and I became a sappy, cry-at-commercials, grab-my-heart-over-love-songs, swoon-at-roses-and-chocolates, true believer in romance! I look back at those years as my beginnings as a writer, and particularly as a romance writer. All these decades later, I'm still a true believer. Love is a powerful thing, especially when it's paired with a hopeless romantic like me. I don't think I could stop telling these Happily Ever After stories if someone offered to pay me to stop!

Any special links? I am a freak about dogs. I love them. Every shape and size and color and temperament. I support several animal welfare organizations, but one of my favorites is the one that hooked me up with Sophie, my 3-year-old Collie, after losing Caleb. The Lost Angels Animal Rescue is a group of tireless warriors on behalf of homeless animals in the Central Florida area. They exist due to donations of time and finances, and I encourage anyone else who loves dogs to consider supporting them. www.LostAngelsAnimalRescue.org

The daughter of a Marine Corps officer, Sandie has had the privilege of calling many states “home.” Her first book was published in the mid-1990s. Since then, she has published two young adult novels and four romances. Sandie’s books include romantic comedy, romantic suspense, and inspirational romance and have been successful in both general and Christian markets. Her published titles include Wish I Weren’t Here, UnWANTED: Husband, and Change of Heart.

Before Sandie published her first novel, she spent more than 10 years in Los Angeles working as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television’s hottest stars. She now resides in Tampa, Florida, with her best buddy, a Collie named Sophie. Sandie would love for you to visit her website, www.sandradbricker.com.

Also, visit her Seasonal Blog.
Sandie is involved in writers groups for inspirational writers:
The Faith, Hope & Love chapter of Romance Writers of America: www.faithhopelove-rwa.org
American Christian Fiction Writers: http://www.acfw.com

Summerside Press Each book will be set in a town somewhere in the U.S.

Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas
by Sandra D. Bricker
Lucy Binoche is not an outdoorsy kind of girl!
In fact, her idea of "roughing it" is suffering
through a long line at Starbucks.
But will she pretend to be someone she's not
just to snag the guy? Or will she discover
someone who loves her just the way she is?

Laugh-out-loud romantic comedy
for the inspirational market.

Go here if you want to see her video!
Leave a comment for a drawing of this book--and if you don't win, it comes out October 1st in a store near you! Drawing will be October 10.