Appalachian Blessings
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But I don't WANT to give it up . . .
It's the final week of my Lenten fruit of the Spirit feast and I'm wrapping up with a toughie. Self-control. Here are some synonyms: self-discipline, self-restraint, willpower. Let's see how I'm doing. Bible reading and study--check. Keeping up with my blog--check....
Riding the Holy Week Roller Coaster
Yesterday was Palm Sunday. I love watching the kids come down the aisle at church waving palm branches as we sing Hosanna. No waiting for the very stones to cry out for us! It's such a lovely, joyous service. Easter is almost here! But there's a good deal that happens...
Writing: Traveling Through Time
One of the primary reasons I write is to share my love for the place I grew up and the people who populate it. The funny thing is, quite a few of those people are long gone. Some of them were gone even before I came along. I grew up in a house where we told stories....
Heavenly Highway Hymns–Shape Note Singing
I often include hymns in my novels. Characters sing them, refer to their favorites, and are touched by lyrics. While I can easily look songs up on-line, I prefer to use one of my treasured belongings as reference. It's a 1956 copy of Heavenly Highway Hymns from Laurel...
If Jesus is Your Copilot, Move Over and Let Him Drive
I used to see "Jesus is my Copilot" bumper stickers. Then came the bumper stickers suggesting that Jesus might actually be the better driver. Of course this is silly. I mean, if Jesus offered to drive I would SO let him. I don't like driving. I like napping in the...
A Picture is Worth a Thousand . . . Page Views
It's true. I've read--in several places--that the way to engage folks on your Facebook author page is with pictures. Having recently set-up just such a page, I decided to test this hypothesis. Most of the posts on my page thus far have been links to this blog. Because...
Celebratory Eats–What Do You Like?
If you're like me, celebrations are often built around food. Shoot, most of my life is built around food, but that's another post. When I got the news that a publisher actually wanted my novel, my first thought (after the squealing died down and I praised God) was how...
It Never Happens Like This OR God's Book Deal
Sometimes I think God does amazing things just to prove that HE'S doing them. I'm an approval junkie. I love praise, pats on the back, and little gold stars on my homework. Which I think might be why God's handling my publishing journey in a way that makes it...