For a long time I had this quote as my signature line in my email account:

“Faith is the bucket of power lowered by the rope of prayer into the well of God’s abundance. What we bring up depends upon what we let down. We have every encouragement to use a big bucket.”~Virginia Whitman

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. John 14:13

Do you have a favorite quote or verse to share? I’d love to read it.

Read below for an excerpt of my post: Barbie…Interrupted, inspired by time spent with my good friend Deborah.

An apple-scented breeze provided a second’s relief from the humidity enveloping the pond. Barbara’s waist-length hair hung heavy and damp, she wished she’d had time to braid it, but Ken’s recent cell call had been insistent. He’d be waiting in the orchard, with news too good to spill over the phone. Or so he’d claimed. Her heart swelled, pounding in her throat. Had he heard from her editor?

She skirted a downed limb and stifled a half-giddy squeal. Being married to your own literary agent had its bonuses. Be still my heart, she cautioned herself, it might not be writing related. She’d reached the orchard, jeans darkened to the knees from morning-wet pasture grasses. Pausing to catch her breath, she studied the crooked trees for a glimpse of him.

I hope you will go over to Writer…Interrupted and finish reading my story. It’s the first fiction I’ve posted on the web, and my first attempt at humor.

So be kind. *wink*

Laughing as I sign off,

Mary

At the last writer’s conference I attended, Deb Raney shared that sometimes, as an extra precaution, she emails herself her latest book chapters. This way they’re backed up in more than one spot.

If you have a web-based email service like gmail or yahoo, this works great. Even if your computer crashes, you still have your WIP available from another computer. Flash drives aren’t eternal, and nothing is failsafe, so this is a great option. Plus, it’s free.

So I spent some time last night and set up an email account just for my writing. Got all the important stuff nicely organized by chapters and notes. Now I just have to remember to login to that account every 4 months so it’s not all deleted!

I saved everything to a flash drive a few months ago, but the revisions are going so well I decided it was time to update all my saves and take Deb’s great advice.

My trilogy update: I’ve got two completed books in various stages of editing and a third that’s shelved for the time being. I “label” them as women’s fiction, because though there is strong element of romance, they all deal with a variety of difficult issues from health to loss to alcoholism to marriage and divorce. They’re Christian contemporary and all set in the mid-west.

8 RANDOM THINGS……

Yesterday I was tagged by Georgiana D for 8 Random Things. You all know I’m a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom that loves cappuccino, writes, reads, cooks, survived an octopus “attack”, etc. I guess I can add a few new things to that list. That being said, here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules
3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Are you ready? Here are my 8 random things/habits:

1. Dh and I rarely get to bed before midnight. On the rare occasion that we do, it’s ALWAYS 11:22 P.M.
2. My least favorite chore is cleaning the ceiling fans.
3. I crave jalepenos when I’m pregnant.
4. My favorite summer treat is strawberries dipped in sour cream and then in brown sugar. Yum!
5. I’m like the mouse in Mouse Cookie. If I bring in the step-ladder to clean the ceiling fan, I get sidetracked and stop at the kitchen light fixture to replace a light bulb. Then while I’m up there, I see that some cobwebs have collected, and pretty soon I’m washing the ceiling…
6. I’m always running late and I hate it. (Perhaps tis the mouse’s fault?)
7. I’ve been in all the states except Hawaii. My favorite one is Alaska maybe because I was old enough to really appreciate it. My parents loved to travel and we jaunted cross country in the Oldsmobile every chance they got. Have I mentioned here yet that I get violently carsick? (Just ask Deborah)
8. I started blogging a year ago when friends at a writer’s conference said it was a good way to keep the writing muse exercising…I’ve found it to be a spiritual blessing as well. I really appreciate all of my bloggie friends!

So now I have to tag 8 people. I tag: Deborah, Brandi, Ann-in-Grace, Amy Melton, Amy @ Knight’s Acre , Jessica, Rhonda, and Larry

Bethanie at The Desire of My Heart blog wanted volunteers to play the “Questions Game”. I volunteered to answer any 5 questions of her choosing, wasn’t I brave? Turns out she went easy on me…so here goes:

1. What was your favorite subject in school and why?
2. What is your favorite recipe? (you could add a link here if you like)
3. When you open your Bible do you start in the middle or front?
4. Where do you keep your broom and/or vacuum?
5. How many posts do you have on your blog right now?

My Answers:

I loved journalism, no surprise there, right? I was the editor of the editorial page and my most popular article was one I did on the drug Acutane for acne…overall, I’d say English Lit and Journalism were my favorite classes, and I was blessed with many gifted teachers in these areas.

This time of year, one of my favorite recipes is for steak marinade. It gets raves everytime! My favorite birthday cake is the Chocolate Cream Roll, with its coffee cream filling and satin frosting– my mom’s specialty…and nothing says summer like a great salad!

I always start reading in the New Testament, so I guess I’d have to answer that I open it to the middle. Right now I’m reading in Philippians, one of my favorite books!

I keep my broom and vacuum in my laundry room closet. It’s a walk-in closet that sadly becomes a free-for-all. Let’s just say we have way too many jackets and coats in this family.

Currently my blog stats tell me I have 233 posts, 1,472 comments all contained in 21 categories!

Now, I need volunteers to answer 5 questions of my choosing…does anyone want to step up?

Be sure to visit MInTheGap’s site today and read my pro-life post, The Ultrasound. It’s pro-life week over there, so go support a good thing.

Our area of the country has been flattened by natural disasters lately, and though we were flooded in yesterday, we thankfully remain intact. At least this time DH was stranded at home(couldn’t get out to work). Once he had to park his truck and trailer, and ride his horse several miles across pasture to make it home to us! We live in a flood-prone valley, but our homeplace is on a pretty good hillside so we’re set.

My heart goes out to those around us who have lost jobs, schools and homes to the tornadoes and flooding. Our prayers are with you…

I received the first of four research books I’d ordered on PTSD, a subject I find fascinating fortunately, because the heroine in my book seems to be suffering from it. It’s been interesting to see the statistics on who is more susceptible to react drastically to trauma…women more than men, younger people rather than older, people with no social support, people with past substance abuse issues.

Many people suffer from the debilitating flashbacks, their hearts race, they sweat, they relive the trauma, they can’t distinguish between the actual event and their episodes of panic. Doesn’t your heart just break for them? Whether they’re Vietnam Vets, rape victims, abuse victims, disaster victims such as the survivors of 9-11…

Aside from book research, I have to wonder why God puts these things on my heart? Am I someday going to be glad for the frame of reference these psychological books are giving me? I’m still at the point in my writing, where any potential for it to have outreach seems surreal. I’m on the verge of thinking of it as more than a hobby, so I do still wonder if writing is the vehicle God knows will land me at a certain place at the right time? Know what I mean? What if I’m not ever going to be published, but will someday be in a position to need counseling, or to be a counselor?

At the writing conference I recently attended, Deborah Raney half-joked about how in the beginning stages of plotting out a novel, you’ll be smacked right down in the middle of real-life research. Heaven help you if you’re writing about a plane crash! I haven’t had anything earth-shattering happen, but perfect snippets drop in my path like inspiration from God. Suddenly every article, every conversation, every sermon–comes alive and pertains to key parts of my story.

So I have to wonder about this interest in post-traumatic-stress-disorder. I really fell into it when revising my first draft of this novel. I’d alluded to the things my heroine was suffering, without knowing anything about PTSD.

At any rate, I know educating oneself is never a waste…so I’ll just enjoy the ride and see where God takes me, and possibly the book, along the way.

~~~~~~~

BTW, one of the PTSD books I wanted was $60 plus at amazon.com and I got it for .99 cents at half.com! Isn’t that amazing?

Today is my day for posting at Writer…Interrupted. My post is titled, Writers and Parents. It’s mostly a parenting post, with connections writers will identify with.

On the home front, dh and I have been working every evening on our deck. We finally got the undergirding finished and have been laying the floor–16′ 2×6 boards. We go till dark then put all the tools away…the rain last night interrupted the process, so we and the girls watched Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution III instead. Awesome series, available at Wal-Mart!

I’ve added Amy Wallace’s blog to my blogroll. She’s the homeschooling mom of three girls that writes FBI fiction. Her first book, Ransomed Dreams, Defenders of Hope Series #1 was just released. I’ve ordered it, and hope you do too. If you order it through my link here, my Christian Book Distributor Affiliation gives me a percentage of the sale.

In fact, anytime you want to order from CBD, if you use their nifty drop down search menu (on my sidebar under the survey) to get to their site, your total order gives my account a bit of credit. And it doesn’t cost you a thing extra.

Have a great day!

Someday…that’s what I think when I see writing offices such as this one of Deborah Raney’s. Magazine pretty. It helps to know she started out hand-writing her novels, progressed to using a Mac at her kitchen table (yes, even putting it away each night so supper could fill the table instead)…that’s commitment, and I’m so happy that this a gem of a lady now has such well-suited surroundings.

You really need to go take a look. My favorite part? That four-sided rolling cabinet with chalkboard, storage, and a bulletin board…wonder where she found that?

What I really want to know: is her storyboard for the characters in her upcoming release of Leaving November?

I’m currently typing away in a corner of my LR, sandwiched between the piano and a bookcase of homeschooling textbooks. I have one shelf devoted to books on writing but due to lack of space most of my “stuff” is kept filed in my computer. My hubby has drawn up grand plans for a desk with many cubbyholes and shelves, one that will perfectly fit this only available corner of our home! Someday…he’ll have time to build it!

Where does your computer reside, and what is it that you wish for in a future office?

My daughter learned the rewards of perseverance today…and I did too.

She had a book report to write, and even though it referenced a book she loved, she just really balked at getting it done. Messy handwriting, complaining about every step in the process. It didn’t help that today’s sunshine spilled onto the kitchen table whispering of all she missed while cooped up in the house. In fact, to make matters worse, her sisters were out enjoying the latent spring weather without her.

I almost caved, but decided she needed to apply herself and finish a job started. After all, if I give in to every complaint I’m just asking for trouble, right? And now I’m so glad I didn’t.

Here’s what she wrote, and my praise/disbelief that she’d written it had her beaming on her way out the door. Don’t you think she’s got a bright future in the writing biz?

What I Liked About Champ

by 9 year old aspiring writer

Champ by Marcia Thornton Jones was so interesting that I could not put it down, but I’ll warn you there are some bad words in it.

It is about a boy named Riley and a dog named Champ. Champ lost his front right leg in an accident. The accident was caused by Riley. Riley feels really bad and cannot forget, so he goes to the vets to see how the dog feels. But when he gets there, the owner of Champ is about to put him down! Riley says he will take Champ! What about medical bills? What will his mom and dad say? Will the dog get along with him? You will have to read the book to find out. The moral of this story is never give up! You will really want to read this good story about a boy and his best friend Champ.

The reason I share this, is not only to brag–hey, I know your children are perhaps even more brilliant–but it’s to encourage you to persevere through the challenges we face whether it be in homeschooling or parenting.

Before my daughter headed outside we shared many smiles and hugs, laughing about how the experience had started and ended. I mean, we’d gone from spitting at each other (basically), both frustrated at each other…to laughing and hugging each other in excitement over her achievement and her future.

One of the many hidden joys of homeschooling…

~fyi: the bad words she referred to were just slang words for anatomy that we don’t use in this house! They really bothered her! Anyway, the line was too funny to edit out…