Reflecting on: Nothing Beats Sweet Family Gatherings, with Teena Stewart

This past weekend, Jeff and I made a last minute decision to drive up to Lynchburg, VA from Hickory, NC to attend our niece Brooke’s college graduation. We picked my mother up from assisted living in Lewisville. Our stay was short and sweet, just Saturday and part of Sunday morning. But we packed in the fun and memories. I am so glad we went. The days of us all gathering at my mother’s house are over. We have to find new ways and places to gather. This coming weekend we’ll hold a garage sale to help clear out her house and then we’ll put it on the market. An era is passing away.

 Being with family this weekend underscored more than ever the value of family, and, how fleeting time is. It slips by so quickly and in the moment we don’t see it passing away. It’s only when we compare the yesterdays with the todays, looking at old photos and how we’ve all grown and aged that we realize that life is so very temporary. I watched my mother struggle with remembering even the basic things. She sat through the graduation ceremony only to forget later she’d even attended. “When is graduation?” she asked as we gathered with family at the grad party afterwards. I gently reminded her she’d already attended.

More than ever I wanted to preserve family memories. As a writer/artist I am always working on one art project or another, but rarely do something for myself. Finally, I found a way to capture some of these precious moments and memories. You can find more about the heirloom mirror on my blog. 

As a historian, I hear you, Teena – don’t forget to take notes and grab all the memories you can–once the folks are gone, the stories go with them…thanks for sharing….Lisa

Teena Stewart is a published author of The Treasure Seeker and many other books. In addition she is a  ministry leader and successful artist.Teena Stewart is a published author of The Treasure Seeker and many other books. In addition she is a  ministry leader and successful artist.

Promotion in Motion: Completely Whole, with multi-talented Paulette Harper

Please welcome our special guest this morning, Author, coach, radio host, blogger, Bible study teacher, Paulette Harper Johnson.

When I wrote my first book in 2008 I had absolutely no idea about marketing or promoting.  I thought (like most aspiring authors) my publisher was going to do most of it for me. But I soon realized that I had to do about 95% of it. WOW what a shocker!  But after my dismay, I rolled up my sleeves and got busy.  I soon found that God had blessed me with another niche when it came to marketing.  My passion and desire now is to connect readers with authors.  As the owner of WNL Virtual Blog Tours I share with my clients ways they can gain more exposure while promoting their books.

Here are ten ways to help bring awareness to you as an author.

1. Send review copies of your books to book clubs and to all the journal and magazines that review books in your genre.  Most publishers will do this, but it never hurts to research other places that you can submit a copy of your book. There are plenty of places on-line that will review your book for “free.”

The importance of book reviews: Now that you have written the book, the next step is to find an audience to read it. Cultivating an audience is essential to the success of any book. It is very important that your book is reviewed. A book review is an opportunity for people to take notice to what you have written. Once your book is reviewed, there are plenty of places the review can be posted (i.e. Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites).

You should seek out those in your target audience, editors of newspapers or journals, book club presidents, and those who are willing to review the book. Include an email on your website, inviting them to review your book upon request. Ask them where they are planning to send or post the review. You want to make sure that those whom you are asking for a review copy know you are expecting them to do a review to help you promote your book. Book reviews give your book credibility! Here are just a few places you can announce your book release and reviews:

http://freebookreviews.blogspot.com http://www.bookreview.com/$spindb.query.bottom.booknew http://www.prweb.com/

2.  Offer sample chapter as free downloads on your website. This is an excellent way to “tease” readers to want more. Make sure the chapters you are offering are your best chapters, and turn those chapters into PDF files.

3. Publish an e-mail newsletter. This is a great opportunity to connect with your audience. You could pull nuggets from your book, give book excerpts, and offer other valuable information to your readers. Encourage people to subscribe on the website, and then send out an occasional newsletter with interesting new material in this book’s field.

4. Do book signings. Find places that are willing to allow you to come do a book signing. Years ago, bookstores were thriving with author’s book signing; but over the years, book stores have closed down. Because of this we have had to think outside the box.

5. Give away copies to the right people. Use this as your calling card. Give copies to potential clients and customers. Encourage them to read it and pass it on to others.

6. Sell your books out of your trunk. Always carry books and promotional material with you at all times.

7. Leave promotional items at the dentist or doctor’s office and any other professional business where people gather. I’ve left bookmarks in the pockets of the airplane.

8. Become a reviewer on Amazon. Use your own name accompanied by “author of the book…” Review other books; and when people read your reviews, some will click through to your book.

9. Become a Blogger and blog about your book.

10. Write articles using some of your book’s content.

 

Paulette Harper Johnson is an award winning author, writing coach, Bible teacher, radio host, and the owner of WNL Virtual Blog Tours. Her years of marketing her own self-published books have created a special talent in her—her ability to sell a product well. Not only does she specialize in marketing strategies, but also serves as the publicist for P.F.L. Publishing.

She serves in ministry as an Elder with her husband Sr. Pastor Tony E. Johnson at Word of Faith Worship Center in Bradenton and North Port FL. Paulette’s website: www.pauletteharper.com

Enjoy Memorial Day, everyone

HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC General Orders No.11, WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 1868

The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit. We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, “of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion.” What can aid more to assure this result than cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes? Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.

If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from hishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.

It is the purpose of the Commander-in-Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to lend its friendly aid in bringing to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.

Department commanders will use efforts to make this order effective. By order of

JOHN A. LOGAN, Commander-in-Chief

N.P. CHIPMAN, Adjutant General

Official: WM. T. COLLINS, A.A.G.

 *********************************************************************************

For Immediate Release May 27, 2011

Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2011

 

For over two centuries, brave men and women have laid down their lives in defense of our great Nation.  These heroes have made the ultimate sacrifice so we may uphold the ideals we all cherish.  On this Memorial Day, we honor the generations of Americans who have fought and died to defend our freedom.

Today, all who wear the uniform of the United States carry with them the proud legacies of those who have made our Nation great, from the patriots who fought at Lexington and Concord to the troops who stormed the beaches at Normandy.  Ordinary men and women of extraordinary courage have, since our earliest days, answered the call of duty with valor and unwavering devotion.  From Gettysburg to Kandahar, America’s sons and daughters have served with honor and distinction, securing our liberties and laying a foundation for lasting peace.

On this solemn day in which Americans unite in remembrance of our country’s fallen, we also pray for our military personnel and their families, our veterans, and all who have lost loved ones.  As a grateful Nation, we forever carry the selfless sacrifice of our fallen heroes in our hearts, and we share the task of caring for those they left behind.

In his second Inaugural Address, in the midst of the Civil War, President Lincoln called on our embattled Nation “to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”  On this Memorial Day, and every day, we bear a heavy burden of responsibility to uphold the founding principles so many died defending.  I call on all Americans to come together to honor the men and women who gave their lives so that we may live free, and to strive for a just and lasting peace in our world.

In honor of our fallen service members, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 11, 1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer.  The Congress, by Public Law 106 579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, the National Moment of Remembrance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time to unite in prayer.  I also ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.

I request the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half staff until noon on this Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control.  I also request the people of the United States to display the flag at half staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

 

The Sunday Book Review: Riding Lessons, with guest Teena Stewart

Riding Lessons

by Sara Gruen

ISBN-13: 978-0061241086

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (April 3, 2007)

$10.98 on Amazon

 

Riding Lessons is Sara Gruen’s debut novel and, if this is her first novel, I cannot imagine what masterful work will come next. Her writing is sensitive and superb and her knowledge of horses and the world-class competitive equestrian world is stunning. Every writer must study up on certain topics in order to realistically incorporate it into their work, but Gruen clearly is an expert in horses and horsemanship.

At the heart of her story is Annemarie Zimmer who nearly made it to the Olympics but at eighteen saw her dream and life shattered when she suffers a fatal injury that nearly left her crippled for life and destroys the horse she worshiped. Though she recovers physically, she never fully recovers emotionally and she lives the equestrian dreams behind to become a wife, mother and career professional.

Suddenly everything unravels.  As if losing her job, and husband isn’t enough, Annemarie must also return home to her dying father and hardened mother. Her relationship with her teenage daughter is falling apart and Annemarie is so emotionally fragile from past wounds and her present circumstances she begins a slow descent into destruction that nearly undoes her. Annemarie comes to symbolize lost youth and childhood wounds.

At times the story is almost too painful to read, but when things seem darkest, Gruen gives us new hope tied to an amazingly beautiful but imperfect horse who enters Annemarie’s life and gives her a second chance. 

This was a book I had difficulty putting down. I give it five stars out of five. You can’t do better than that.

Buy on Amazon

♦♦♦♦♦ Reflections

 

Teena Stewart is a published author of The Treasure Seeker and many other books. In addition she is a  ministry leader and successful artist.Teena Stewart is a published author of The Treasure Seeker and many other books. In addition she is a  ministry leader and successful artist.

 

Promotion in Motion Tuesdays: K Dawn Byrd and Lessons From the Open Road

Lessons from the Open Road

A couple of years ago, the idea of writing a devotional about the lessons I learned while riding a motorcycle came to me. I had no idea what I was getting into and how much writing devotionals would minister to me as an author. I jotted down notes for weeks, hoping to come up with enough lessons to take the reader through a month. Lessons from the Open Road ended with 33 lessons, each followed by Scripture and prayer.

Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes learning new things is hard. Just when I thought I’d mastered the parking lot where I was learning to ride my little Yamaha Virago starter bike, I pulled out, forgot to hit the brake, did an Evel Knievel, and jumped a short concrete wall, landing in some trees. My poor little bike limped home with a hole in the crankcase the size of a quarter. J-B Weld to the rescue!

I’m stubborn, too stubborn to quit. After I recovered from the sore neck that resulted from my stunt, I climbed back on the old iron horse. Eventually, I graduated from the parking lot and hit the streets. When I’d learned to ride well enough to satisfy hubby, he bought himself a new Harley and I inherited his anniversary edition Harley Davidson Sportster. And, when I graduated with my masters degree, you’d never guess what I wanted. Yep, a new bike. I became the proud owner of a Screamin Eagle V-Rod (picture attached.)

All good things must eventually come to an end. I enjoyed my days on the road, but found another passion. Writing. I work a full-time job and since there’s only so much time in the day, I have to choose what’s most important to me. The bike had to go. Occasionally, I miss it, but for the most part, I’d rather be writing. I’m hoping the devotions in Lessons from the Open Road will minister to your heart as much as writing them did to mine.

Lessons from the Open Road is currently available in e-book format and will be coming soon in print. I had planned to list it at no cost, but Amazon wouldn’t allow me to do so. I’ve listed it at the lowest price Amazon allows, 99 cents, and all proceeds will be donated to my church’s building fun for the new church that’s currently under construction.

For more information about Lessons from the Open Road, you can check it out on Amazon .

 

About the Author:

K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance, romantic suspense, and non-fiction. She is an avid blogger and gives away several books per week on her blog, most of which are signed by the authors. She’s also the moderator of the popular facebook Christian Fiction Gathering group

When not reading or writing, K. Dawn Byrd enjoys spending time with her husband of 16 years while walking their dogs beside a gorgeous lake near her home and plotting the next story waiting to be told.

 

Links:

Book giveaway blog: www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com

Young adult blog: www.zoe-mack.blogspot.com

Website: www.kdawnbyrd.com 

I’m also on Twitter (kdawnbyrd) and facebook (K Dawn Byrd.) I am the moderator of the Christian Fiction Gathering facebook group  If you join this group, you’ll get reminders about the weekly book giveaways.

 

Market Mondays: 7 Ways Friends Can Support Your Book and how to ask for their help

Welcome back, Sandra.

This article originally appeared April 5, 2012: http://buildbookbuzz.com/the-shy-authors-guide-to-book-promotion/

By Sandra Beckwith

I recently read an article that detailed seven ways people could support their author friends. It was well-done and offered the type of specific information I’m always looking for, but honestly, it felt a little…well…self-centered. I mean, really, am I supposed to expect my friends to ask me how they can promote my book? Or, worse, am I self-absorbed enough to think that my friends are using Google to find ways they can support my book marketing? I could never send any of them a link to that article with a note saying, “Please read this and see what you can do.”

I’m also one of those people who would never say, “Please buy my book.” But that was one of the suggestions in this article – “buy the book.” Most of my friends aren’t interested in my book topics, so why would they buy any of them? Your book might be different, of course, but my books are on business topics and many of my friends are social workers, teachers, and so on.

In reality, while our friends think it’s “cool” that we’re authors, it probably doesn’t even occur to most of them that they are in a position to help us get the word out. It’s our responsibility to ask for that help. The challenge is in finding a way to make the request in a way that works for you – not me, not my friends, and not another author.

Here are some things you will want to consider asking friends to do along with suggestions for making your request something they can act on quickly and easily. You might not be comfortable with all of these suggestions, but there might also be a way for you to get the end result with a different approach.

1. Share information about your book with the “right” people in their e-mail address books. Remember that you didn’t write your book for everyone. You wrote it for a specialized audience, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. (Not everybody likes mysteries, right?) It’s okay to ask your friends to share information about your book with their networks, but when doing so, make it clear that you realize that they might want to be selective about who they share the information with. Send an e-mail that describes the book, explains who will find it interesting, details how they will benefit from reading it, and includes a link to an online purchase site. Suggest that they forward that information to appropriate people.

2. Provide information about organizations that might use you as a speaker. A complementary word or two from a friend who is a member could be all you need to be the luncheon speaker at the monthly gathering of a group that’s perfect for your book.

3. Look for your book at bookstores and request that stores stock it if it’s not available. A lot of my friends are authors, so I do this for them at Barnes and Noble all the time. I also turn the cover face out on the shelf so it’s easier to see, and when there’s more than one copy, I add one to a display at the end of the shelf, too. If a friend’s latest book isn’t in stock, I ask the store to order it.

4. Use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networks to share a link to a purchase page. Ask them to write a personal message with the link, such as “Can’t wait to read my friend’s new book about business etiquette” or “Nobody writes better science fiction than my friend Justin Brown – buying his latest book now!”

5. Share a review online. Give a copy of your book to friends you can trust to actually read it, asking them to write a positive review on Amazon and other retail sites.

6. Interview you on their blog when it’s a good fit. This is a reasonable request only when the blog’s target audience matches your book’s. Otherwise, you’re putting your friend in an awkward and unfair position.

7. Rate reviews on Amazon so the good ones show up first and the bad ones show up last. At the end of each review, Amazon asks, “Was this review helpful to you?” Click “yes” for the four- and five-star reviews and “no” for anything with less than three stars. The “yes” clicks will help make sure that the positive reviews stay at the top.

What have you asked your friends to do to support your book, and how has that worked out for you? Please send me a note and tell me your story!

About Sandra

Sandra Beckwith is a former publicist who has won several national and regional publicity awards and teaches authors how to generate long-term media buzz for their books. She is the author of three books on publicityy, conducts publicity workshops, and writes frequently on small business marketing and management topics. Please visit her book publicity site and publicity blog to learn more.

The Sunday Book Reveiw: two great new non-fiction self-help books

I rarely recomend books, but these two have caught my attention. It’s a series, and I look forward to more of them.

I give both 5 Reflections.

Thaw: Freedom From Frozen Feelings

By Don Carter, MSW, LSCW

ASIN: B005X8OQT0

Kindle book: $9.99

Publisher: www.Internet-of-the-Mind.com (October 18, 2011)

For those of us who live in a shell of emotional discomfort, who are stuck in a rut of inability to connect or stay connected to others, Carter’s book will help work through these issues. By analyzing and coming to grips with the events that led up this emotional impasse, you’ll be able to appreciate, maybe for the first time able, the joy of living a healthy and stable emotional life.

Carter, who has a masters in social work and is a therapist, spends most of the book teaching readers to recognize patterns of misguided parenting. As a parent of adult children, I look back at what I thought were my very best efforts to raise them the best I knew how. But we are all the sum of our experiences, both positive and negative, and “our best” doesn’t always mean the same to others or have the results we hoped for. I certainly never meant to do harm; no one in his right mind does, but I’m not perfect.

Beating ourselves up over our mistakes, and taking an honest ride through our own upbringing will help purge the negativity, makes room for healing, and sets us on a course for positive growth, no matter what stage of life we’re at now.

I learned things about myself that suddenly make sense. Instead of reacting to my past, I find I can, with lots of baby steps, trial and error, move forward and make new positive memories and associations with my parents and children. I’m not so impatient and appreciate the struggles we share much better now.

Read the book and work book, do the exercises no matter how you feel. At the very least you’ll come out stronger and better equipped to understand yourself.

Thawing Adult/Child Syndrome

By Don Carter, MSW, LSCW

ASIN: B007RPMAIG

Kindle book: $9.99; paperback: $14.99

Publisher: www.Internet-of-the-Mind.com (April 4, 2012)

Like Carter’s previous book, Thaw: Freedom From Frozen Feelings, the author helps readers explore their past, recognize patterns of woundedness and work to heal those current patterns of detrimental behavior.

It’s not easy to delve into painful past memories. Even those of us with fairly mild and remembered happy, healthy upbringing will be able to reach inside to uncover—not make up, but peel away—layers of learned behavior we’ve developed to protect ourselves from emotional pain inflicted by others.

Half of the book is “lecture” with lots of diagrams, and half is work book. Carter, who has a masters in social work and is a licensed therapist, guides us through a careful and detailed analysis of our childhood. By doing the exercises, the reader will develop a dynamic picture of his or her current behavior.

Why do we act the way we do? Read the Thaw series and find out. It’s more than a “get in touch with your inner child” set of books. The books are a great, non-threatening way to understand yourself and pick away at unwanted emotional baggage. A great bargain!

Reflecting on: a Debut Novel, with Nick Dettmann

Welcome to Nicholas Dettmann, whose first published novel just released this winter. He’s joined our local writer’s group and I’ve asked him to share about his experiences.

When I held the hard copy of my novel for the first time, it was one of the most exciting moments of my career and my life. A lifelong dream had been achieved: I wrote a book and it was published.

The process to do so was much harder than I originally anticipated, specifically the cost. After some efforts to get it published through traditional houses, I came across the idea of self-publishing. I did a lot of research and found that it was an expensive route, which dampened my spirits. There were times I never thought my manuscript would be published because I couldn’t figure out how to pay for it. But after some begging and generosity from family and friends, my manuscript finally got off the computer and into a printer.

It was exciting and still is. However, it’s been a struggle to try and convince people who are unfamiliar with my work that purchasing my novel is worthwhile. I also didn’t expect to have as hard of a time selling the physical copies. The electronic editions, at least from what I’ve been told, have sold better.

I’ve spent an enormous amount of time working on my craft and believe I have the talent to be a successful author. The other part I’m trying to adjust to is the idea of patience. Outside of family and friends, I’m not really sure how the book is selling, so I wish I could say if the active promotion that I’m doing is working or not. I know it’s worked on a couple people who’ve met me at certain events.

My dream is to be a best-selling author someday. Some professional reviews I’ve received were not big fans of my novel, A Life Worth Dreaming About. But people who have read it said they love it and had a hard time putting it down. So the other problem I’m having is finding out what the true sense from people of the book is.

True no matter how much you sell, Nick–best wishes! Belief and dreams are excellent. ~Lisa

About the Book:

•ISBN-10:1468543008

•ISBN-13: 978-1468543001

Kindle: $3.03

Paperback: $16.95

Carl Robertson, a 32-year-old man, did everything he could to move out of his small Midwestern town, losing many friends along the way. He dreamt of living the elegant lifestyle of New York City. He used his anger and hatred to move out of his hometown, discredit it and never wanted to think about it again. For a while, it worked. Then, he finds his life on the ropes and doesn’t know why or how to change it. That is until he meets a man who will change his life forever and in a way he never could’ve seen coming. Suddenly, he finds himself trying to catch up to a new reality, just in time to save his life and find his true love. Learn more at www.nickdettmann.com

About the Author:

Nicholas Dettmann is a veteran journalist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has worked at daily newspapers in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Michigan City, Indiana, and West Bend, Wisconsin. He has also appeared in numerous newspapers around the country, including the Houston Chronicle, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Baltimore Sun.

He has won writing awards at the local, regional and national levels. Nicholas graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a degree in journalism & mass communications. In 2010, Nicholas wrote a story about a high school swimmer who suffered from dwarfism. His dream was to become a Paralympian. The Wisconsin Newspaper Association said, “Good story and nice storytelling getting the reader into the story.”

Tuesday Promotion in Motion: Becky Melby

Welcome fellow Wisconsin Author, Becky Melby, author of Tomorrow’s Sun, to Reflections in Hindsight.

Tomorrow’s Sun back cover copy:

One House. Two Loves. A century and a half apart.

Her fractures have mended, her scars faded, but Emily Foster can’t move on until she makes restitution for a past mistake. Flipping houses seems like the path to her goal. Yet, instead of finding a door to the future, the 1840s house she plans to remodel opens windows to the past.

Contractor Jake Braden hates Emily’s plan to modernize the old house, but the cost of fighting for guardianship of his late sister’s twelve-year-old twins forces him to take the job anyway. When a hidden door and faded love letters connect the house with the Underground Railroad, he and Emily embark on a mission to uncover the fate of young lovers.

As Emily and Jake unravel the long-forgotten love story, words of faith in the face of fear inspire, convict, and draw them to each other. . .but will they be prepared when faced with the greatest test yet?

 Becky Says—-

 

What I love about Tomorrow’s Sun:

For years I’ve been a fan of artist Charles L. Peterson’s “Memories” Collection (http://www.clpetersonstudio.com/prints-memories.html). Each painting depicts a contemporary setting superimposed with a translucent scene of a by-gone era. These paintings spark questions and spin stories in my head. Several years ago, sitting at a historic restaurant inRochester,Wisconsin with my husband, the history of the building we were sitting in awakened the same kind of muse. Built in 1843 and originally known as the Union House, the building had thirteen-inch stone walls. Local legend claimed it had once been a stop on the Underground Railroad. . .and was inhabited by ghosts! From there it was an easy step to creating a father and daughter living just across the bridge from the Union House. What impact would their involvement in the Underground Railroad have on a woman who bought their house a hundred and sixty years later? I loved the vicarious experience of living in this house with a hidden room in two radically different eras.

 

What I learned while writing it:

That I love writing historical fiction! That came as a surprise since most of what I read and all I’ve written has been contemporary. Rather than choosing between genres, I hope to continue writing parallel stories that juxtapose two time periods.

I also learned some intriguing facts and legends about the Underground Railroad in my part ofWisconsin. While his conductor got a fresh team of horses, Joshua Glover, a Missouri slave seeking asylum in 1854, enjoyed “a hot cup of tea and lunch” at a home in Rochester—just across the river from the Union House. On arriving inRacine, Mr. Glover was “pounced upon” by his master who had him arrested and put in jail. But abolitionists from all around southeasternWisconsinsurrounded the jail, broke down the doors, and transported him safely toCanada.

The other thing that comes to mind wasn’t new knowledge, but a needed reminder: True freedom is only possible through surrender to Jesus Christ. Most of us are bound by some kind of shackles—memories of past injustice or mistakes or loss—and only through a relationship with the God of the universe can we experience the breaking of chains and cycles.

Something unique about the book:

Adam, one of the twelve-year-old twins in the book, is patterned very, very closely after my grandson Sawyer. All of the things Adam carries in his cargo pants can be found on my ready-for-emergency grandson at any given time. My daughter sent an email last week telling about Sawyer’s latest doctor’s check up: “We forgot to have Sawyer disarm before he left home. The nurse asked if he had anything in his pockets and he just started pulling out knives (four, I think) and flashlights and rope and duct tape. . .”

While Adam got to use a lot of his survival gear in Tomorrow’s Sun, Sawyer is still dreaming of that great adventure for which he will be more than prepared.

About the Author:

I started writing stories when I was about seven. One memorable piece. . .“How Valentine’s Day Got Started,” foreshadowed my future career in romantic fiction. In high school, a poem I wrote about Jacqueline Kennedy was published in the Union Grove Sun, our local paper. I imagine the circulation was about four hundred, but I was ecstatic. My next big break came with a high school literary magazine. We used a lot of literary license in calling it “literary”! One of my poems, entitled “Depression,” depicts being symbolically buried alive and ends with the soul-stirring words “Metal on stone, I’m now alone.”

            My goal of seeing my first novel published by the time I turned twenty-five was detained a few years thanks to my real-life romance and the four sons that resulted. My publishing dream became reality the same year I found out I was going to be a grandma. In March we’ll celebrate forty years of marriage. In January of this year our twelfth grandbaby was born. In spite of all these wonderful “interruptions” I’ve co-authored nine books for Heartsong Presents and written three novellas. Tomorrow’s Sun is the first book in the Lost Sanctuary series, my first full-length project. Yesterday’s Stardust and Today’s Shadows will be released later this year.

            I love writing and reading spiritual Cinderella stories. For real-life and fiction stories of “tarnished dreams refinished by grace,” come and visit me at www.beckymelby.com/blog.

Market Monday: Technology and You, with guest Teena Stewart

Google, Are you Kidding?  Futuristic Glasses Worse Than Texting While Driving

By Teena Stewart

I hear that Google has an idea in the works for experimental hi-tech glasses that can do it all. They sound like something right out of Star Trek or James Bond.

Here are some of the proposed features:

• While wearing a pair you can see all the directions to your destination right before you eyes.

• You can video chat with friends

• You can shop on line

In a word, the glasses can mimic what you can already do on a smart phone or tablet which are getting more sophisticated all the time. Very cool idea and it’s hands free. But if these things ever actually hit the market, can you imagine the problems they will unleash?

My husband does sports officiating and on several occasions has ridden with a guy who texts while he drives. What’s worse is he doesn’t do it well and is all over the road. It has to be bad for Jeff to complain. Who of us who texts can’t admit being side-tracked at least once with texting while walking or driving, until we maybe decided this wasn’t a very brilliant idea. Some of us are still doing it, which isn’t making me feel safer on the road.

Like it or not, technology is here to stay and if you don’t want to go the way of the dinosaur you need to scramble to keep up with the latest developments. But sometimes it gets more than a little scary.

Give me your input. Do you think these glasses will ever hit the public arena?

Have you had any experiences with someone annoying you or putting you in danger because they are distracted by technology?

Teena Stewart is a published author, an accomplished artist, and an experienced ministry leader.   Her newest book (Working Title) Mothers and Daughters: Mending a Strained Relationship is due out via Beacon Hill in summer 2012.   Teena is a contributing writer to DreamBuilder’s Ministry in Motion and has served in ministry leadership for years. Currently, she and her husband Jeff are the key visionaries and managers of Java Journey an innovative market place ministry in Hickory, North Carolina (http://www.javajourney.org).