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Karen Kirst was born and raised in East Tennessee near the Great Smoky

Mountains. She attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she

received a B.A. in Speech Communication. A lifelong lover of books, it wasn’t

until after college that she had the grand idea to write one herself. The

pursuit of her dream would take longer than she first anticipated…years, in

fact. In the fall of 2010, she got the happy news that Harlequin Love Inspired

Historicals wanted to publish her manuscript-a true blessing from God. Now she

divides her time between being a wife, homeschooling mom, and romance

writer. She and her husband, along with their three boys, recently said goodbye to military life and are thrilled to be back home in Tennessee. Visit Karen at www.karenkirst.com

What time of the day do you write best and why?

Mornings and afternoons are better for me than evenings. My mind is fresher and more alert.

 How long do you write every day when you have a deadline looming?

I consider myself a slow writer, so the answer to that is hours. I push myself until I can’t write another word that day.

 How long do you write every day when you don’t have a deadline looming and why?

About 2-4 hours. I’m not someone who could sit for eight hours straight and write. I have to take breaks throughout the day.

 How do you begin writing a novel? 

I start thinking up the hero and heroine and the plot or hook I’m going to use, i.e. secret baby or boss/employee. Then I do character interviews in order to really get to know them. After that, I write out a detailed synopsis.

 Are you a before you ever write your novel planner? If so, how do you plan? Do you use any outlines, books, formats when you plan your novel?

I’m a planner. I sit down to write the synopsis and explore scene by scene, including snippets of conversation. This provides a roadmap for the book. I don’t always stick exactly to the plan.

Where  did the idea come from for the novel you are working on right now?

I’m in the middle of an eight book series, so my current hero/heroine were secondary characters in previous books. Their story sort of evolved from those. But I’m inspired by all sorts of things…songs, music videos, news articles. You look at something and ask yourself, what if? What if this happened or that happened or if I changed it in this way?

 Do you use any visuals for inspiration? (or anything else!)

Since my historical series is set in the Smoky Mountains, I look through books about the area and get inspired by the photos. I research plants, trees, wildlife that exist in the area and try to incorporate those things in the books. It helps that I live close enough to tour the log cabins, churches and barns that stood in the late 1800s.

  How do you get through the “murky middle” of your novel? 

I’ve never understood that problem. I look at a story as a linear timeline and progression of events. I don’t see a story as beginning, middle and end. So when I sit down to write the synopsis, I start out at a place in time and think how each scene moves the time and story forward.

 Do you revise every day? If so, how do you organize your revising? What is your revision technique?

Mostly I write the scenes as best I can and wait until the end to read through the entire manuscript and do full-scale edits. Sometimes, if I’m not confident with the direction of the story, I’ll go back and read through to make sure the relationship is progressing at a sensible pace.

Do you have a writing group, or a trusted reader for your novels? If so, how does that work? Do you meet weekly, or only when you have a novel due? Do you share your materials online or in person?

I don’t have a critique partner. If time permits, I have a few trusted readers to read through and give me feedback.

  What have you learned about your method of writing after publishing your book(s)? Has it changed? If so, how?

I think what I need to work on, even at this point, is not to try and make it perfect during the first draft. Trying to edit while creating will stifle the process.

Is there anything you would like to add about writing?

The most important thing I’ve learned is to educate yourself before sitting down to write. Decide what genre you want to pursue and study it. Read current books to get a feel for what’s being published. Then study craft books and learn how to plot, create characters and conflict, etc. This will save you a lot of frustration. Good luck!
Karen Kirst

 

Patricia Johns writes from Alberta, Canada where the winters are long and cold and the summers are hot and buggy–the perfect combination for getting a lot of writing done! Her first Love Inspired novel is her 13th published novel.

What time of the day do you write best and why?

I best write in the morning. I’m the mother of a 6 year old boy, so by the time the evening comes along, I’m completely wiped. If I’m going to write, the earlier the better!

How long do you write every day when you have a deadline looming?

I don’t have any other hobbies, I’m afraid, so I’m pretty much *always* working on a book in some form or another. I might not be always typing on a manuscript. I might be updating my author page on social networking, or researching something, or trying to think through a scene before I write it… But it’s a constant.

How long do you write every day when you don’t have a deadline looming and why?

If I have a deadline looming, I do a lot of negotiating with my family for writing time. “Tell you what, honey, you take him to the park so I can write, and then I’ll put him to bed while you go to the gym.” When a deadline is looming, I’ll write just as long as my brain will cooperate.

How do you begin writing a novel? 

I’m a planner. I start a novel by sitting down and plotting the entire book and deciding exactly what will happen in each chapter. Plotting is helpful, because that way I can keep writing, even when I’m not inspired with new ideas. I can look at my outline, know where I am in the story, and just keep on writing.

Where  did the idea come from for the novel you are working on right now? 

My current WIP is a combination of a few ideas. Where did it come from? I never know how to answer that! It’s a matter of combining a few things that interest me into a plot that will interest my readers. I wish I could give you a process. I generally happens while I stare at walls.

 Do you use any visuals for inspiration? (or anything else!)

A friend of mind recently asked me why I’d rather write than go out and do the things I write about, and I didn’t have a great answer for that. I only really need to do something once for research. Anything more than that is just wasting good writing time. LOL

 How do you get through the “murky middle” of your novel? 

Perseverance. Sit down. Type.

Do you revise every day? If so, how do you organize your revising? What is your revision technique?

I revise at the end. I might smooth things over a bit as I write, but I want to get the whole story down before I put time into editing. It’s hard to edit without knowing what the book looks like as a whole.

Do you have a writing group, or a trusted reader for your novels? If so, how does that work? Do you meet weekly, or only when you have a novel due? Do you share your materials online or in person?

No, I don’t. I’m very much a loner in my writing process. I’m not sure if that is a good thing to recommend or not, but I don’t like writer’s groups. Unless it’s the kind of writer’s group where you get together to chat and gab and get a mental break with someone who gets it, but hands off my novel! 😉

 What have you learned about your method of writing after publishing your book(s)? Has it changed? If so, how?

My first Harlequin novel which came out last summer is my 13th published novel, so it’s been a while since my first book came out. My method had certainly developed over the last decade, but it’s a slow learning process about what editors want and how to provide it.

 What advice about a writing method would you give to any new writer?

I would say to find what works for you. I’m a big planner, but I know successful writers who just can’t be inspired that way. Use whatever helps you to put words on paper and to move forward in your story. It’s all about the discipline. Write every day! It’s too easy to get side tracked by life, so your book has to be your priority.

 Is there anything you would like to add about writing?

I know a lot of people who like the idea of the writing lifestyle. In their minds, there are a lot of coffee shops, deep thoughts, a flexible schedule and artistic clothing. That isn’t writing. If you take all of the creative energy that goes into creating the writer’s lifestyle and pour that into your writing, you’ll come out the other side with a completely manuscript. THAT will make you a writer, and every wanna-be writer who sits around drinking a latte thinking a deep thought will be a full manuscript behind you. If you want to write, then write. Worry about the lifestyle once you’ve earned the right to it. You’ll have my personal respect, too!

If you have any questions or just want a little encouragement, come by my blog and contact me. Http://PatriciaJohnsRomance.com. I’ll be sure to respond!

 

James Joyce. Ernest Hemmingway. Stephen King. Joyce Carol Oates. Willa Cather.

What do these writers have in common, besides the fact that they are famous, prolific writers?

They write (or wrote) every day.

Stephen King: ten pages per day.

Ernest Hemmingway: 500 words.

James Joyce: sometimes just three sentences. But it took him many hours to perfect those three sentences.

Joyce Carol Oates: 45 minutes (if she’s teaching that day), (3 hours if she is not).

As a writer myself, I am unfashionably curious about the habits of other working writers.

So, I asked the working writers I know a series of questions about their personal writing habits.

I hope you will enjoy reading their stories, and I hope it will inspire your own writing.

Today’s featured writer is Katy Lee. As an inspirational romantic-suspense author, Katy Lee writes higher-purpose stories with high-speed suspense. Through her writing, ministry work, and teaching, Katy dedicates her life to sharing tales of love—from the “greatest love story ever told”, to the sweet romantic tales of falling in love.  Katy and her husband are lifelong New Englanders, and have been known to travel far and wide on a whim with their three adventuresome children.   Connect with Katy anytime at www.KatyLeeBooks.com.  There you will see her Facebook and Twitter links to connect with her further.

I asked Katie a few questions about her writing process. Here are her answers.

What time of the day do you write best and why?

In the evening, but I plot my next scene during the day, so when I sit down in my chair, I’m ready to go.

How long do you write every day when you have a deadline looming?

I’m good for about three hours before my brain is fried.

How long do you write every day when you don’t have a deadline looming and why?

1 ½ – 2 hours. (About 1,000 words)

How do you begin writing a novel?

Prayer. I ask God what message He wants me to share. Then I create the characters who will deliver that message the best.

Are you a before you ever write your novel planner? If so, how do you plan? Do you use any outlines, books, formats when you plan your novel?

Story boards, using Goal, Motivation, and Conflict, as well as the Hero’s Journey outline.

Where did the idea come from for the novel you are working on right now?

I take certain shows I like to watch and ask what if? This Old House is up next.

Do you use any visuals for inspiration? (or anything else!)

I will find pictures for my main characters and setting to keep me on track.

How do you get through the “murky middle” of your novel?

I try not to make them murky. That’s the time for some excitement and plot twists.

Do you revise every day? If so, how do you organize your revising? What is your revision technique?

I might go back and read through what I wrote the day before, but I don’t dwell on piddly stuff. That can come later. I get the framework done first.

If you don’t revise every day, when do you revise and why?

When the story is complete, I will read through it twice before sending to my editor.

Do you have a writing group, or a trusted reader for your novels? 

I do not have a critique group, but do have a writer’s group I can bounce brainstorming ideas off of.

 What have you learned about your method of writing after publishing your book(s)? Has it changed? If so, how?

I was always afraid of plotting. I thought it would take the creative process away from me. I’ve learned that’s not true. In fact, my stories get done faster and cleaner with plotting.

What advice about a writing method would you give to any new writer?

Join a professional writer’s group.

 Is there anything you would like to add about writing?

Not everyone is going to support you. Let their comments roll off your back and keep writing.

Tomorrow, writer Patricia Johns will share her writing habits. 

 

Every morning my lifelong friend, Michelle,  awakens to the light just before dawn. She takes her coffee out onto her reading porch overlooking the herb and flower garden she and her husband lovingly planted. Beyond the garden she can see placid waters of Philips Lake.

Michelle sips her coffee, watches the sun rise turning the lake waters pink and lovely, and says a thank you prayer. She opens her Bible and her daily devotional.  She reads her Bible then writes in her prayer journal. This is a habit she has practiced for twenty five years, and one that was passed down to her from her grandmother and mother, and probably women of faith for many generations before.

After writing in her journal and praying, Michelle takes time for her passion: novel reading. She picks up the latest Love Inspired novel. On some mornings she travels back in time with a Love Inspired Historical, on other mornings, she reads an edge-of-her-seat suspense. On many mornings, she reads the sweetly uplifting  contemporaries marketed as simply Love Inspired.

Michelle reads the Love Inspired Line—and recommends them to her daughter–because Love Inspired novels tell the stories of men and women of faith who struggle with real issues and do their best to walk the sometimes difficult walk of faith. These are Bible reading, church going, praying characters.

So why is it that when I told a friend of mine at church that I write for Harlequin’s inspirational line he said,

“Isn’t that an oxymoron?”

As if writing for an imprint of Harlequin can mean only one thing: sizzling sex.
I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. I’m a writer, not a speaker, and while my husband would have been quick to respond with something witty and true, I had nothing.

Here is what I know. The writers I know who write for the Love Inspired line are women of faith who write books to uplift and inspire.

When I asked some of the top writers of the line why they write for love inspired, here is what they said.

Award winning writer, Margaret Daly, author of over 92 books, says this about writing for Love Inspired:

Love Inspired books are about people of faith facing trials and tribulations with the strength of their faith behind them. It’s about the struggles to believe in the middle of bad times and come out stronger.

I love showing how people use their faith to solve problems and deal with difficult situations with grace.

My heroines sometimes face life and death situations but always depend on God as their refuge and strength.

 

Writer Linda Ford, author of over twenty-five books for Love Inspired, whose own faith journey includes raising fourteen children—four of whom she gave birth to—says this about writing for Love Inspired

Love Inspired Historicals are faith-based historical stories published under the HQ umbrella. They are a good, clean read without sex or bad language and the stories promote Christian values.

I like writing these stories because they give me the chance to show faith in action, to show how love triumphs and gives a happy ever after. My client reads them and says he wishes life could work out like that. I point out that we are in the midst of our story and life will work out for us. We will be part of the best happy ever after there could be.

I tend to write 2 very different kinds of heroines. The first type would be like Sybil in Winning Over the Wrangler (Mar. 2014 release). She is sweet, a little bit shy and unaware of how strong and bold she can be until she is challenged by the hero and what he brings into her life. The second kind of heroine is like Mercy in my May 2014 release, Falling For the Rancher Father. She is bold, brave, and often goes against societal rules. The first heroine needs awakening. But Mercy needs taming.  I think both kinds of heroine are suitable to LIH romances because I think there is a little of both in most of us and through reading about these heroines, we can be empowered to be better, more whole heroines in our own life story.

 

Debra Clopton, whose novel Operation: Married by Christmas has been optioned for an ABC Family Movie, starring Leeann Rimes,  epitomizes the teaching of Jesus that we “go into the world” to take the message of his redeeming love, not simply to the tabernacles.

According to Debra, Harlequin does a wonderful job with the Love Inspired Line. They have extremely strict guidelines for the line, more restricted than most “Christian Lines”. They require a Christian Worldview that enables us to write to a broad audience.

Love Inspired was my target publisher to write for because I wanted my books in Walmart sitting up there on the shelves with the sexy books, not hidden in the Christian bookstores and in the Christian sections of Barns and Noble. I wanted my books to have a shot at being picked up from someone who might not normally read a Christian book. While there are a few topics that are too controversial to write about, for the most part I’m free to write my books about anything I choose. My books are heartfelt, with humor, and seriousness combined. I’ve written about the heartache of widowhood and second chances, I’ve written about having a drug addicted family member, I’ve written about brokenheartedness, redemption, starting over new and the struggle to leave a tainted past behind. Any subject that the Lord lays on my heart I’ve been able to tackle. I love it! And all in a book that can be read in as little as a day if someone chose to.

I am known for my spunky characters who sometimes don’t say the right thing. I write strong women because I hope to encourage women who don’t stand up for themselves to do so. This is what the Lord has laid on my heart to do. I love the reader mail I receive.

 

And writer Pat Macdonald (writing as Patricia Davids) agrees that we are to go into the world and be the “voice in the wilderness” for those who are hurting:
I never limit myself to pitching the Love Inspired line to women of faith.  I want a much broader audience. I want the woman or girl who doesn’t think of herself as religious to pick up my book and find a spark, one that triggers an interest, and maybe she’ll begin a search in her own life for what my characters have. My goal is to entertain and inspire. Love Inspired books are sold in Wal-Marts and grocery stores, they aren’t limited to Christian bookstores. If we are only preaching to the choir, what’s the point?

Okay, I admit some members of the choir need to hear the message, too, but you see what I mean.

I write for LI because it’s a good fit for my voice. I don’t write sexy well, it isn’t my style. I write sweet well and faith well because that’s who I am.

I don’t have perfect heroines or heroes. My characters are ordinary people dealing with challenges, loss, and shortcomings. They have doubts. My heroines are recovering alcoholics, unwed mothers, abused women and women facing life-altering choices. My editor will tell you that she has to rein me in and keep me from being too “gritty.”

But in spite of the problems my heroines face, or because of them, their faith grows. Because I write love stories, my heroes help their women become stronger and vice versa.

 *

The Love Inspired line of books is stocked by retailers such as Walmart and Kmart, among others, all over the country and, in some cases, all over the world.

The books are reviewed by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, USA Today, Romantic Times and are marketed in both print and digital formats.

They sell well as evidenced by the fact that each line has doubled the number of titles it releases every month in the last five years.

While the shelf life for the print books is short—only four weeks, unless they sell out before—the digital books are there until, well, until digital books stop being there.

The LI line began in 2000. It added the Love Inspired Suspense line in 2005 and the Love Inspired Historical line in 2008.

The Writer’s Guidelines for the authors of Love Inspired books are very specific: books must be faith based, but without proselytizing. The books must be based on love stories that are driven by emotional not physical desire.

In other words, the books are completely “G” rated. No drinking, no cussing and no fornicating.

Love Inspired heroines must make tough life choices. They are women to be admired who fight their way through difficult situations, and are rewarded with love. Thus the title of the line, Love Inspired. But not just the love of a man.

The  “love” in the “Love Inspired” title line is not just about male-female love. It’s also about a loving God, an ever present help in times of trouble, a God of peace, a God who is personal and dependable when people themselves sometimes  aren’t.

And that’s at the heart of the line. Our heroines are women of faith who know what it is to struggle, who know what it is to doubt, who know what it is to fear. But our heroines also know what it is to trust a God who is real, who not just forgives but forgets our mistakes, and whose love is everlasting.

 

 

More Writers and Why they Write for Love Inspired

Sandra Orchard says she writes Love Inspired Suspense novels because they are fast-paced, keep-you-guessing stories, with a generous dash of sweet romance between Christian characters trying to live out their faith. Or as my readers describe them…nice to read books with no sex, swear words or graphic violence. I love writing for Love Inspired Suspense, because they publish affordable books that readers can finish in an evening or two. I also love that they are available (in the month of release) in stores like Walmart and grocery stores, where friends, family and others who would never go to a Christian bookstore to buy a book might pick it up and read it and hopefully be inspired to think more deeply about their own beliefs and values and faith, and how they live it out in their day-to-day choices.

My favorite heroine was Kim Corbett from Shades of Truth. She works at a Christian-run youth detention center called Hope Manor, a center she’s struggling to save from being closed that it might continue to provide guidance and light to those whose  young lives are already pretty messed up. Kim’s character was inspired by the experiences shared by a woman who works at a facility much like Hope Manor.

 

Christina Rich writes for the line because the books inspire and encourage women to overcome obstacles in their lives through faith in God. I discovered Love Inspired before I became published and I knew I wanted to write for them. Writing for them became my dream because they provided good, clean fiction with a romance thread affordable for the single income family.

I tend to fall in love with each of my hero and heroines, but since my debut, The Guardian’s Promise, comes out in March Sh’mira has a special place in my heart. Although set in 835 BC, Sh’mira is the perfect LI hero because she deals with many of the things women today deal with; self-worth, trust and forgiveness.

 

Author Lori Beatty says Love Inspired  books are like Hallmark movies. The stories are about the relationship between the characters who each have a faith journey that must be resolved before the true love can happen. I explain that the characters face many of the challenges most Christians do and the content is clean and uplifting.

I like writing stories that speak to other believers. I like sharing my own faith discoveries through my characters in hopes that they will encourage readers. I like being part of the long history of Harlequin and Love Inspired. I love the other writers who are always there to give advice and support.

My character Laura Durrant from Restoring His Heart my June 2013 release, is a restorationist and carpenter who owns her own company. She is smart strong, and determined, but like many of us she has baggage she hasn’t dealt with and strongholds she needs to tear down. When she’s thrown together with an unlikely hero she learns valuable lessons about herself and judging others – the way we all do at times.

Love Inspired books are available through Amazon, Harlequin.com, BarnesandNobel.com, Walmart.com and Booksamillion.com.

You see, this is a God who takes ordinary, everyday things like flies, and water, and bushes, and conversation and turns them into something extraordinary. That “extraordinary” is what we call “holy.” Holiness is not a matter of an object or a person having some innate, extraordinary worth. Holiness is a matter of God taking an ordinary thing or person and giving them extraordinary worth.  Tom Fuerst

In Tom Fuerst’s sermon this week, he talks about how God took the ordinary and made it extraordinary, imbuing normal things with God-power in the life of Moses.

It is a powerful reminder that it’s not about what we can do, it’s about what God can do, especially in situations that seem hopeless.

I’ve had some hopeless situations this week. One was a court case, unfounded, against my son. Another was an unfounded negative reference from my former employer.

Weird that they happened in the same week.

God walked beside me as I dealt with the negative reference. He turned my despair into peace, guided me through some tricky conversations and sent me some wise advisors.

As for my son’s court case, I knew that my son’s innocence was certain—he had been with good friends the night the alleged incident “happened.” However, to prove it in court was going to be our word against his accuser’s word.

My husband and I prayed. My friends and relatives prayed. The extraordinary started.

Friends sent scripture, prayers, words of love and encouragement.

God sent a lawyer whose thorough research and attention to detail gave us hope.

But God wasn’t finished turning the ordinary into a holy miracle. Because God is the God of people and relationships, and surprises.

As we were walking into the courtroom, a good friend of our lawyer’s happened to be walking out. Because our lawyer is a good and kind person, because he is well loved and respected, because he carries the love of Jesus in his heart and shares it with those around him, this friend stopped him, and questioned him about the case. Then, the friend, who also happened to be an attorney, walked over to the man pressing charges against my son and talked him into dropping them.

An ordinary friendship turned extraordinary in one miraculous moment.

Our God is an awesome God.

Faith Legacy

I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  Isaiah 41:13

What sort of faith legacy am I leaving my children?

Tom Fuerst’s Sunday sermon made me think about this question.  I’m not sure I like my answer.

I want my children to understand that life can be hard, but that God is always faithful.

I think sometimes I’m really good at that first message: life can be hard; but not so good at that second one: God is always faithful.

God is always faithful.  God has walked beside me, he has held my right hand, he has assured me that I am not to fear, that he is always there to help me. When I cry out, he sends me friends.

Family Faith Legacies: Those who have gone before us

 I come from a long line of imperfect people.

My great granddaddy on my daddy’s side was a horse trader. Ok, probably more like a horse thief. The rest of my family tree includes drunks, poets, womanizers and masters of control.

That’s not to say there aren’t saintly people in my family tree, and probably more of them than the others. But somehow it’s the flaws that go down in the family legends. What fun is it to tell stories of saints at the annual Thanksgiving poker game?

In my family, you make fun of yourself, and hope your humor excuses your imperfections. The cardinal sin is taking yourself too seriously.

But, in spite of their imperfections, my family has left me a legacy of faith.

Faith Legacy Number 1: The legacy my imperfect ancestors left was one of absolute faith in a perfect God, and a strong sense of the necessity of a perfect God in a world of imperfect people.

We’re all sinners in need of forgiveness was the faith message of my family. Some of us just recognize our sins a little better than others.

Faith Legacy Number 2: How to be iced at a family gathering. Discuss the sins of others.

 

The Faith Legacies of some Imperfect People:

In an  attempt to even out the family record a bit, I want to share the faith legacy of those who came before me.

My mother stands every day in amazement at the beauty of the world around her. One of my earliest memories is Mama showing me a glorious Florida sunset when I was a preschooler. At 87, she suffers from dementia, yet, every time I see her, she never fails to comment on some beautiful thing in the natural world—the sound of the birds, the color of the sky, the scent of a gardenia.  My mother seeks the miracle of  God’s created beauty. She always finds it.

My father was amazed by the miracle of the human body.  He remarked often on God’s intricate plan and the body’s ability to heal itself of most illnesses.  He was a family physician who humbled himself enough to not try and take credit for the body’s natural healing abilities. He stood in wonder, his eyes wide open, waiting to see yet another miracle of God’s perfect plan. He said he was never disappointed.

My maternal grandmother, was so painfully shy that she seldom left her house. Even when age made her even more frightened of large groups of people, Sunday morning and evening, without fail, she went to church. She had faith in the promise that we are blessed when we fellowship with other Christians.  And she was blessed. I have the notes she made in her Bible to prove it.

My maternal grandfather feared poverty. Orphaned at age 2, and pushed off to family members who loved him but had their own families to provide for with their meager farms, he began supporting himself at age thirteen, and married my grandmother at fifteen. In spite of his fear of poverty, he tithed regularly. His faithful tithing along with that of the Wilsons and some of his other friends allowed the First Baptist Church in Panama City to stay afloat during the dark years of the depression.

My paternal grandfather walked four miles in the Florida heat to work at the mill every morning carrying his carpenter’s toolbox and lunchbox, and back home again in the night. He was sustained by his faith in God and  his belief that it was his job to provide for his family no matter what.

My paternal grandmother memorized entire chapters of the Bible right up until she died so that she could continue teaching her ladies’ Sunday school class. She thought the large magnifying glass she was forced to use to read would distract the women from God’s message. She believed God’s purpose for her was to keep teaching Sunday school, even at 87, and be an example to women her age that God can use you no matter how old you are.

The others: I don’t know much about the faith of my great-grandmothers. I have to believe it must have been strong given the faith of their children.

But, thanks to the faith and perseverance of my cousin Sandy Moore,  I have poems written by my great-great grandfather. His faith carried him through the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and 1871. He writes of God’s grace and God’s faithfulness that sustained him even through the horrors of that bloody war.

 

What about my faith legacy?

What about me?

I can tell my children how during pain and grief, I’ve cried out to God, and he has always sent help.

I can tell my children of keeping my eyes wide open for the blessings of God, and finding them, small daily miracles, and larger lifetime miracles. I can name a few of those miracles for them. Friends. Flowers. Sunsets. Smiles. Laughter. Jobs.  Fellowship.  Family.

I can tell them that in spite of the unexpected curve balls life has sometimes thrown, God has been faithful –just like his word promises–with a peace that passes understanding, and deep-seeded joy.

I can tell them that when I open my devotional, The Upper Room, and read the Bible every day, there is always, without fail, an insight that I need for that day.

I can tell them that listening and singing along to praise and worship music lifts my heart, soothes my troubled spirit, helps me to find the calm place in the middle of the storm.

I can tell them that going to church and being involved in small groups gives me joy, even when I don’t really feel like going.

I can tell them that praying for God’s moment-to-moment guidance really does work.

Life is not easy. Things do not always happen the way we plan. People hurt us. But in the midst of all of the pain, there rises a joy that overpowers ugly. Every time.

That’s my faith legacy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love weekends!

1.My husband is off work.

2. We get to spend time with friends and family

3. We get to sleep late

4. We get to go to church on Sunday, sing great songs, listen to a wonderful pastor, and talk with our friends.

This weekend, we spent Saturday at the beach. 

We walked along the shore, dipped our toes in the cool water, and gave thanks for heaven on earth.

Later in the day, my husband and I went with our brother and sister-in-law to the Farmer’s Market and bought home grown Tupelo Honey from Vernon, Florida, garlic grown in Fountain, and admired the lovely created crafts to the sound of a home-grown band. The breeze was cool, and we were happy to be there together.

It was the first day of Red Snapper season, so we stood and watched them unload the boats. I have never in my life seen snapper so big!

We bought some snapper and grilled out, and spent the cool evening sitting around eating and laughing together. I give thanks for living in paradise!

I spent the morning (from about 8 until about 12) working on a novel synopsis that I plan to present to my editor. I’m hoping she will like it and buy it. I’m also hoping for a new roof for my house. Maybe I’ll get both. I might not get either. But, the hope that I might keeps me writing.

That, and the fact that I really love the characters and the historical period I am writing about. It’s Britannia during the turmoil of the Roman invasions when people are having to make tough choices about what freedom is, and what they are willing to sacrifice to have it.

I think writing is like the house you live in and the wand you make magic with in Harry Potter’s world.

It chooses you.

I didn’t set out to be a writer. But, since I was in the fourth grade and wrote the class play, I have always written. Plays, poems, the beginnings of diaries.

I feared I couldn’t finish a novel.

I feared I didn’t have what it takes.

Coming up with an idea for a novel is easy.

(I sometimes want to shake people who tell me the good idea they have that I should turn into a novel. I mean, I know they mean well, but it’s a little like handing a marathon runner a new pair of shoes and asking him to run the marathon for you.)

For me,  the hard part  in writing a novel is getting past about page 45 or 50. It’s getting through even after your cool new idea is no longer cool or new.

Novel writing is like running. It hurts for a long time, and then, suddenly, it doesn’t. And then it starts hurting again, but you go back to it day after day because you must.

If you don’t, you will hate yourself.

When you finish a day of writing, you feel good about yourself.

When you skip a day you feel guilt and make excuses: too many errands to run. Didn’t feel good. Kids needed me. And so on.

On the good writing days you have errands and kids, and you don’t feel good, but you still write.

That’s what you do because you are a writer, and writers write.

Right now, I’m working on my eighth novel. It hasn’t gotten much easier.

Having a good synopsis makes the writing  a little easier. It’s sort of like knowing where your mile markers are.

Writing a good synopsis is hard work. I’ve been working on this synopsis for about a week.

I usually write really fast, but the book this synopsis is based on has taken me four months so far, and I’m only at the 25,000 word mark. I’m hoping the synopsis will help me find my way. And help sell the book.

Sometimes I think I should ditch the novel and start a new one. I have a synopsis for a new one. But, I really like this story. I like my characters. I like the historical period.

So why is it taking me so long to write?

I don’t know.

What I do know is this: I’m glad that day after day, writing chooses me.

 

It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is,

 is the place you will most want to be, and end up being

Matthew 6:21 (The Message)

I remember reading the story of Eli and Samuel when my children were small.  I was very put out with these two supposedly wise men for not being better disciplinarians.

Seriously, I thought, the Bible is very clear: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”  Proverbs 22:6

I disciplined my children because I love them.

The pay off for all these years of good, loving discipline supported by psychology, my best friends and my parents was supposed to be this:  teenagers and young adults who did what they were supposed to do.

My own teenagers acted like, well, teenagers.

Making my teenagers do what I wanted them to do was sort of like opening up a feather pillow, letting the feathers fly in the wind, and then trying to capture them and put them back in the pillow.

I ran around chasing a lot of feathers.

I was a little hurt it hadn’t all turned out the way I wanted.

My children had become my treasures. I cared more about their love for me than I did about God’s love for me.

What a burden that was for them, and how it stunted my spiritual life.

I grew a little when I read Matthew’s verse out of The Message.

When I began focusing on how I was doing with God rather than how my nearly grown children were doing with me, I grew a little more.