Christmas is less than two weeks away.
Whoa!
With Thanksgiving falling so late, I’m feeling a little as if I’m on a toboggan, whooshing down a hill, headed for a jump—and I’m still trying to get my feet in the sled.
I’ll be honest. I probably won’t get any Christmas cards written.
A lot of authors don’t start out with a goal of becoming published. I have a degree in Mass Communications, which has helped me so much as a writer. I am a marketer at heart, so for some reason I always look at the http://www.adinfusion.com/, the sale points,
How to be happy, a little more, every day.
Being a mother of grown children took me by surprise. One minute, they were on my lap, giving me gooey kisses. The next, driving away, waving, smart, beautiful, capable adults.
I’ve already mentioned how I felt a little duped by the fact that if I grew them up to be responsible children .
When I’m picking the setting for my book, I choose places I’d like to visit or something that holds a particular story element—like Alaska and being lost in the mountains, or Kellogg (PJ Sugar’s town), a cute hamlet outside of Minneapolis on the lake. I like to invest myself into setting,
A hunky hockey player. A reporter. A mystery. You won’t want to miss It Had to be You! Here’s a sneak peek (and exciting news about bonus content):
Oh, and keep your eyes peeled . . . I’ll be announcing some fun book news on my blog later this month!
Opportunities: I have a hard time letting go of opportunities—like a speaking event, or teaching a retreat, or even a getaway to see my children. I want to do it all! But I can’t, and that’s where I have to go back to my priorities and say, “No.” I need to write.
I always knew God had called me into a life of ministry—especially missions work. I just had a hard time saying yes! But when I did at age twenty-two, God put a handsome man into my life and defined the call to Russia. As a child, I loved to read stories of the martyrs in Russia,
Soak in the elements of a good book: The first priority of a writers is to be a reader. Find those books you enjoy and don’t be afraid to highlight favorite phrases, characters, or plot techniques. For years I kept a journal in which I dissected the books I liked and analyzed why they worked.
I have come upon a terrible truth.
A great parent trains their children to leave them.
I’m not sure why this didn’t click with me before. I mean, since birth—hello—my kids have been leaving me.
I tried—oh, I tried, to extract promises that they’d live with me forever. In fact,
Hello from Northern Minnesota, where the leaves are crimson, the air smells of wood-burning ovens, and Friday night football is our favorite night of the week! I love to sit in the stands and cheer on my football players. It’s one of my greatest joys.
I am working on a Christmas novella for next fall.
