First, there’s this. Yes, that’s a picture of my very sad backyard without snow.
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Have I mentioned it’s January? It rained on Christmas Day in Minnesota. Just saying that if I’m gonna spend Christmas in Minnesota I really feel that there should be snow.
In usual Warren fashion however, we did manage to eke out some fun. We puzzled and ate Russian food and frosted cookies and made ornaments and told stories and laughed and laughed and laughed. It was a joyous Christmas with all of my children home plus my amazing grandchildren. Here are a few pictures of the fun.
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And, a picture I made (on AI. Again, don’t get excited. I’m not that talented) that, for me, really focused on the miracle of the Savior’s birth. I love this picture—I blew it up and hung it in my home and every time I look at it, I think about the God who loves us, entering our dark world with his light. I think I’ll keep it up all year.
One of our favorite things to do is make borscht and pelmeni, two favorite Russian dishes from the time we lived there as missionaries. We cheat and buy the pelmeni from a local Russian store but my husband makes borscht from scratch and it is to die for.
Here’s a picture of us puzzling with a big plate of pelmeni waiting.
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Oh wait, you didn’t know we lived in Russia? Yes. Oh…yes. For ten years we were missionaries in Siberia. (You heard me right. Si-BER-ia!) It’s actually where I started writing…I mean, I had to do something to keep warm.
I’ve been asked numerous times to write my memoir and I decided to do something a little bit different. I wrote a trilogy, Rom-Com (formerly called Chick-Lit) loosely, very loosely based on all the fun things that happened there. It came out in the early 2000s but soon sold out and wasn’t reprinted. However…I got my grubby little hands on the manuscript and spent the last three years proofing it and repackaging the hilarious adventures of life as a missionary in Russia.
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I just LOVE these fun covers made by Courtney Walsh. The books will be releasing in my Susan May Warren Store starting in January (two weeks apart). And they’re available for pre-order now.
When they first released people had this to say about the series:
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In the meantime I’m putting the finishing touches on a brand new series releasing in the next couple months. More on that next time. Right now I’m going to go pack my car and drive to Florida. I’m freezing. And have I mentioned there’s no snow?
It’s going to be a great year! Thank you so much for going on the journey with me!
Much love,
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P.S. If you’re wondering what I’m going to read during the drive down to Florida I’ll let you in on the goodies. I got my hands on a preview copy of Lynette Eason’s next book and it is fantastic. It comes out next week and this is probably some of her best writing. Double Take is psychological suspense at its best—with a bit of romance thrown in too.
Here’s a summary:
She survived a murder plot and her attacker is dead— isn’t he?
Detective James Cross has been honorably discharged from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division due to wounds sustained when an IED blew up near him. Now with the Lake City Police Department, he’s rooming with his good buddy and partner, Cole, while he figures out his family dynamics.
Physician Assistant Lainie Jackson is eighteen months out from an attempted murder perpetrated by her ex, which ended when she managed to grab the weapon and shoot him. When he appears to have survived and is back to finish the job he started, Lainie insists it’s not possible. But someone keeps trying to kill her, and she keeps seeing his face.
Together, Lainie and James must work together to find out who exactly is after her and why he wants her dead. And failure is not an option.