My First Official Booksigning

Oh, what fun!

Janelle Mowery and I attended our first booksigning for our cozy mystery, Where the Truth Lies. Along with thirty-eight other authors, we welcomed nearly a hundred fans of Christian fiction to WoodsEdge Community Church in The Woodlands. The event was organized by Linda Kozar and crew. They did a fantastic job and I was honored to be a part of it!

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Casual Monday

I'm off today! Yippee!!

It's no holiday, vacation day, or personal day. . .just a long weekend from work, and I couldn't be happier. Whoever coined the phrase "Lazy Days of Summer" didn't have my schedule in mind. Between deadlines, youth camp, mission trips, Vacation Bible School, and work, I'm plumb tuckered! The good news is my next cozy mystery, Died in the Wool, is reaching completion, youth camp and VBS are behind me, and with less than a month to go before teachers come back to work, things in the office are gradually returning to normal.

Oy! Can someone say "vacation in Hawaii?"

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Meet the Christian Authors Night

You're invited to attend!!

Coffee, cheesecake, and conversation with 40 Christian authors.

Friday, August 1, 2008

6:30-9:00 pm
WoodsEdge Community Church
3333 South Panther Creek Circle
The Woodlands, Texas 77381

Contact: Linda Kozar

(832) 797-7522

Authors in attendance include:

Don M. Aycock, Linda & Steve Bauer, Allison Bottke, Terry Burns, Lena Nelson Dooley, Leanna Ellis, Dorothy Feartherling, Marcia Gruver, Anita Higman, Charlotte Holt, Nancy Jo Jenkins, Eileen Key, Linda Kozar, Jeff LeJeune, Elizabeth Ludwig, Cathy Messecar, DiAnn Mills, Randi Morrow, Janelle Mowery, Kim O'Brien, Susan Titus Osborne, Allison Pittman, Karen Porter, Deb Raney, Jerry Rassamni, Deborah Rather, Martha Rogers, Carla Rossi, Lynette Sowell, Donn Taylor, Janice Thompson, Sharen Watson, Carol Weishampel, Brenda White, Nancy Williams, Kathleen Y'Barbo, and Julie Johnston Zick

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My First Radio Interview!!

I did it.

I swallowed my terror and forced myself to contact Steve Bonenberger to do a radio interview promoting my first book. Don't know what I expected, a tough talking reporter maybe? Just the opposite. Steve turned out to a perfect gentleman, and he was quick to put me at ease.

Click here to take a listen.

To read more about Steve Bonenberger and learn about his exciting ministry, go to www.actingangels.com or to listen to his program check out Business TalkRadio.

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Rejection slips, or form letters, however tactfully phrased, are lacerations of the soul, if not quite inventions of the devil - but there is no way around them.
- Isaac Asimov

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BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER By Maya Angelou

Found this poem by Maya Angelou and felt it appropriate to share.

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not shouting 'I'm clean living'
I'm whispering 'I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and
need His strength to carry on.
When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and
need God to clean my mess.
When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but,
God believes I am worth it.
When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches,
so I call upon His name.
When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

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Writers Can't be Wimps

The countdown is almost over...any day now my book should be shipping to over six thousand members of the Heartsong Presents: Mysteries club. While I'm excited by the thought, I'm also a wee bit apprehensive. Very soon the reviews will start trickling in. All of them. The good and the bad.

Obviously, I can't expect every reader to rave over my book. So what will I do when a bad review comes in (notice I said when)? Will I melt into a puddle? Will I huddle in front of my laptop afraid to lay fingers to the keys?

I'm fortunate in that God has allowed my book to come into the hands of a great number of friends and family, all of whom have raved over my first cozy mystery, Where the Truth Lies. I've already begun receiving encouragment from folks in my hometown who are thrilled to see my work in print. It's this love and support that I know will carry me through that dreaded first unfavorable review.

You know, now that I think about it, maybe that's why God allowed me to live through so many years of rejection--to toughen me up a bit, help me develop thicker skin. Writers can't be wimps afterall, not when we're so willing to put ourselves out there for everyone and anyone to see.

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