Hurricane Update

Hello Everyone,

Thanks to all of you have been praying for those of us affected by Hurricane Ike. Your prayers are what has sustained us as we face the aftermath. The picture to the left is of the Bridge City Fire Department, conducting a rescue. Praise to these brave men and women!

I'm pasting a couple of links in this message so you can see more of what we're dealing with:

http://www.kfdm.com/
http://www.kogt.com/ (click on Photo Gallery, then Events, then Hurricane Ike)

Both of these sites are local, so you are looking at my town, my streets, my friends. I still have no word on our house.

As the sun came up this morning, I realized how good the Lord is to provide such a bright day. There is a cool breeze blowing through Hot Springs, Arkansas--something we rarely feel in Orange, Texas . I'm thinking of moving here!! Oh, wait...my husband works in Texas. Nevermind.

I'm trying to get a little work done, maybe catch up on some emails, and hopefully, finalize a decision on whether or not I will actually be going to the ACFW conference. Continental Airlines says the airport in Houston will reopen today, and their flights will be running on time. I don't know how that's possible, except that they might not be planning to "catch up" on any flights they missed due to the storm. They are waiving any changes people make to their reservations (a good thing) so anyone who intended to fly out of Houston but can't, will not be charged to change their ticket. The Lord impressed it on my heart to purchase flight insurance (something I rarely do when I'm flying alone) so IF I decide not to go, I will get my ticket money back. God is good.

I'll try and post regularly now that my family and I are settled for a couple of days. We have not decided when we will go back. Estimates are that Orange and Bridge City, the the two towns closest to my home, will be without power for as long as 2-3 weeks. I've heard similar estimates for most of Houston, which is two hours east of where I live, so you get an idea of how massive this storm was, even at a Category 2. Can't imagine what it would have been had the storm been any stronger. The good news is, the water is receding quickly. The storm surge, which caused most of the flooding, came in at over ten feet. Reports this morning say the water has gone down to just over five feet. Hopefully, by the end of the week, most of the water will have returned to the rivers and bayous where it belongs! After that, the cleanup begins...

Thanks again for your continued prayers. I can't believe how much joy and peace God has instilled in me this morning. I sense it is due to your prayers.

Lisa

Read More

Just for Fun...

Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality?

Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship. You will see no cutesy little smiley faces here, just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

1. When you are sad -- I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared -- we will high tail it out of here.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick --Stay away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I'll pick you up and dust you off.

9. This is my oath...I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask -- because you are my FRIEND!

Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel the true warmth.

Read More

Super Contest on Mainly Mysteries

Love to ready cozy mysteries? Wish you could get your hands on more of them? Then have I got a deal for you!

My friend and fellow HPM author, Nancy Mehl is running a fantastic contest on her blog, Mainly Mystery. Enter for you chance to win not one, not two...but twenty-four HPM books from all your favorite authors. Contest rules are posted on her blog. Check it out for your chance to win!

Read More

Writer's Workshops

The release of my first book, Where the Truth Lies, which I co-authored with Janelle Mowery, brought a flood of questions about co-authoring, self-editing, plotting, etc. To answer some of these questions, I've come up with a couple of short workshops geared toward helping you become a stronger, more polished writer.

Interested in learning more?

.

Mark your calendar! I will be teaching a class on Self-Editing for the Fiction Writer at Houston's First Baptist Church on Thursday, September 11, 2008. Inspirational Writer's Alive (IWA!) meets in Room 259 at 7:30. The class will last one hour, with a brief time at the end set aside for Q & A..

.

Still want more?

Janelle and I will be co-teaching a class on, what else, co-authoring! On Wednesday, February 4, 2008, from 11:00-1:00 in The Woodlands, we'll be teaching all of the basics of conducting research together, forming a plan of action, and sitting down to write. This course will be hosted by the local chapter of The American Christian Fiction Writers. Details on location to follow.

Read More

So You Can't Get Enough Christian Fiction...

If you're one of those people who can never get enough of their favorite authors, have I got a deal for you. The American Christian Ficiton Writers will be hosting one of the largest booksigning events for Christian authors ever! On September 20, 2008, in conjunction with Barnes & Noble, ACFW will welcome over 100 of your favorite Christian authors to the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Among those present--yours truly! I hope to see you there.

Below is a list of the others you might see:

Tamera Alexander
Jennifer AlLee
A.K. Arenz
Diane Ashley
Karen Ball
Janet Lee Barton
James Scott Bell
Joseph Bentz
Terri Blackstock
Robin Caroll
Patricia PacJac Carroll
Jeanie Smith Cash
Eleanor Clark
Debra Clopton
Gloria Clover
Brandilyn Collins
Mary Connealy
Lyn Cote
Kathryn Cushman
Margaret Daley
KM Daughters
Susan Page Davis
Mary Davis
Janet Dean
Megan DiMaria
Brandt Dodson
Lena Nelson Dooley
Cecelia Dowdy
Sharon Dunn
Wanda Dyson
Lynette Eason
Meredith Efken
Leanna Ellis
Sharon Ewell Foster
Miralee Ferrell
Tina Ann Forkner
Darlene Franklin
Jonathan Friesen
Rhonda Gibson
Terri Gillespie
Debby Giusti
Beth Goddard
Cathy Gohlke
Rene Gutteridge
Cathy Marie Hake
Kelly Eileen Hake
Karen Harter
Rachel Hauck
Roxanne Henke
Cynthia Hickey
Patti Hill
Sharon Hinck
Joan Hochstetler
Steven Hunt
Angela Hunt
Denise Hunter
Jennifer Johnson
Jenny B. Jones
Golden Keyes Parsons
Deb Kinnard
Julie Klassen
Kathleen Kovach
Harry Kraus
Harry Kraus
Patti Lacy
Maureen Lang
Jeanne Marie Leach
Tosca Lee
Julie Lessman
Michelle Levigne
Sherri L. Lewis
Elizabeth Ludwig
Christine Lynxwiler
Richard L. Mabry
Sharlene MacLaren
Gail Martin
Debby Mayne
Vickie McDonough
Andrew McGuire
Susan Meissner
Becky Melby
Dana Mentink
Amber Miller
Judith Miller
Sara Mills
Siri Mitchell
Nancy Moser
Janelle Mowery
Elizabeth Musser
Mark Mynheir
Jill Nelson
Mae Nunn
John Olson
Donita K. Paul
Trish Perry
Marta Perry
Allie Pleiter
Cara Putman
Deborah Raney
Sandra Robbins
Paul Robertson
John Robinson
Martha Rogers
Cynthia Ruchti
Gail Sattler
Kim Vogel Sawyer
Shelley Shephard Gray
Virginia Smith
Lynette Sowell
Candice Speare
Kathryn Springer
Denice Stewart
Sarah Anne Sumpolec
Michelle Sutton
Camy Tang
Donn Taylor
Janice Thompson
Cindy Thomson
Missy Tippens
Carrie Turansky
ML Tyndall
Amy Wallace
Susan May Warren

Linda Wichman

Beth Wiseman

Cheryl Wyatt

Kathleen Y'Barbo

Read More

Early Christmas Present

I heard from Rebecca Germany on a Christmas anthology proposal that three other authors and I submitted almost a year ago. It's a yes!!

Christmas Homecoming will be released December, 2009. Working titles are, "Silver Bells," by Debby Mayne, "The First Noelle," by Paige Winship Dooly, "I'll be Home for Christmas," by Elizabeth Ludwig, and "O Christmas Tree," by Elizabeth Goddard.

.

Collection Blurb: After being scattered by jobs and missions, the Scheirer family comes together to witness their grandmother's wedding to a long-time family friend. Noelle, Christmas, and Holly return to their hometown of Boulder, Colorado, where they find love and happiness in their own backyard. As they get back to their roots, they find comfort in the fact that the Lord's plan for them is greater than anything they could ever have imagined.

It's definitely an exciting time for me!

Read More

IWA! Writer of the Year

Sometimes, the weekend just can't come soon enough. In this case, it was because I was looking forward to attending the Texas Christian Writer's Conference in Houston. I had no idea what else God had in store.

Along with interesting workshops, a booksigning, and conference bookstore, IWA presented cash awards to published and unpublished authors alike for categories such as Poetry, Book Proposals, and Devotionals. Like everyone else, I was enjoying witnessing the winners. Imagine my surprise when the last category, IWA Writer of the Year was announced, and my name was called! It was quite an honor, and I felt compelled to share a scripture God gave to me the day I first knew I'd been called to write:

2 Then the LORD answered me and said: “ Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Hab. 2:2-3

It was almost six years ago that I first received this scripture. Yes, the vision tarried, but in the end, it surely came! When I hold my book in my hand, I hold the fulfillment of a promise God gave me. To be honored by IWA was adding blessing to blessing! Thank you, IWA.

Read More