God Arranges Amazing Things by Zoe M. McCarthy

I had prepared the lesson for Wednesday’s Community Bible study. Even under a tight book deadline, writing the weekly lesson came first. God would give me the time for the deadline. Didn’t God arrange amazing things?

Zoe M. McCarthy

We’d had to change the venue of the study to my church’s basement fellowship hall. Sunday at church, a member approached me and said, “It will be very cold this week. I’ll come to the church and turn the heat and water on for you ladies, and on the way home from my dog’s teeth cleaning, I’ll turn them off.”

His thoughtfulness amazed me. I hadn’t thought of these necessary tasks, but the man read the change in the bulletin and realized our need. God arranges amazing things.

On the day of the study, I wondered whether we’d have many attend class this week. Some ladies had doctor appointments or needed to drive someone else to a doctor appointment. One suffered laryngitis and another was home battling an unknown diagnosis. Two others had to stay home with spouses recovering from surgeries. One worked at a temporary job. Our normal host was away on a trip. And the venue change might keep one or two away. The day was wet, blustery, and below freezing. Another deterrent to leaving homes.

Maybe no one would come, and that was God’s plan in answer to my prayers on making my deadline. Also, I wouldn’t have to prepare a lesson for the next week. Time was so precious.

When I arrived, the fellowship hall was toasty. I set up for the study. At ten o’clock, no one had arrived. Then a truck passed the basement window. I was disappointed that only two of us would experience the lesson from John 15 about how we disciples need to love each other. 

The one arrival, I’ll call her Sandy, entered. When she saw we were only two out of eighteen ladies, she suggested we spend the time praying. I liked the idea. While we talked about several concerns to pray for, the door opened. Lisa appeared. (Not her real name.) Lisa shocked me. She was the last lady I expected to come. But God arranges amazing things.

I told the ladies the subject of the lesson. They decided we should save the important lesson for the other ladies. I told them having a lesson prepared for next week would help me with my deadline. 

While Sandy and I shared with Lisa our concerns we’d pray in confidence, Lisa stopped us. She said, “I can’t believe how open you can be about your families’ problems. I want to do that where it’s safe.” Lisa shared a story that had been a concern in her heart for years. We held hands, prayed for all our concerns, and promised to keep praying for them privately. Lisa said. “I’m so glad I came!” 

We had learned the planned lesson—how disciples love one another. We experienced it in the room’s heat, in the tiny group, in the listening, in the praying, and, yes, even in my deadline. God can arrange amazing things.

What amazing thing has God done for you this past week? This past year?


What amazing thing has God done for you this past week? This past year? @zoemmcarthy #amazinggod http://bit.ly/2QZychT

About the Author

Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript
in 30 Days
by Zoe M. McCarthy

A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy, author of The Putting Green Whisperer, The Invisible Woman in a Red Dress, Gift of the Magpie, and Calculated Risk, writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. She also has a nonfiction book, Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days, coming out in January 2019. When she’s not writing, Zoe enjoys her five grandchildren, teaching Bible studies, leading workshops on writing, hosting a prayer shawl ministry, and canoeing. She lives with her husband in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Zoe blogs regularly at www.zoemmccarthy.com.

The revising method in Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days works for any fiction genre. It’s designed for the writer who has at least a draft of a completed manuscript. The goal is to shape a not-yet-submitted, rejected, or self-published manuscript with low ratings into a book that shines. The method can also be a guiding resource for writers starting a manuscript.

Four Things Every Writer Wants for Christmas By Marie Wells Coutu

Christmas Gifts under a Christmas Tree

When the Christmas catalogs from Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery Ward's arrived in early December, my sister and I would spend the day going through each page and making our Christmas list.

These days, the grandchildren are more likely to scroll and click through Amazon to make their wish list. But the excitement is the same-the expectations and hope of finding that special something under the tree on Christmas Day.

I’m at the stage of life where it’s difficult to come up with a list when my husband and children ask for one. Many of the physical items I want or need come with a cord—but my husband claims a cord disqualifies it as a Christmas gift. Other things I could put on my list are courses or books on writing, but since those are for my writing business, he eliminates them, too. Sweet, but making a gift list becomes a challenge.

However, I have come up with a short list that every writer will probably agree they’d love to have for Christmas this year:

Time. If there’s one thing every writer I know wishes for, it’s more time to write. Generally, we have so many story ideas ruminating that we’ll never live long enough to write them all. Whether we write full-time, work a day job and write at night and on weekends, or care for the family while squeezing in writing time when we can, there’s never enough of it. So, yes, Santa, please bring me more time when I can concentrate on writing. (And please throw in a bit of self-discipline while you’re at it.)

Encouragement. Each of us needs encouragement from our family, our friends, and our writing buddies. Best of all is an encouragement/accountability partner who understands the frustrations of struggling to write and who challenges us to keep learning the craft and improving our skills while also reminding us God has called us to this journey. I’m grateful to have such a person in my life; if you don’t, I pray for you to find one this year.

Courage. Ironic this word is found in the previous item, “encouragement,” since those encouragers can help us take the steps needed to succeed in this industry. We need the courage to approach agents and publishers, to ask others to read our books, to write stories outside of our comfort zone, to learn what we don’t know. Most of all, we need the courage to expose ourselves, our emotions, our history through our characters, whether fictional or not. I think I’ll ask for a double dose of courage on my Christmas list.

Words. Most of all, what I want for Christmas this year are words—the right words, words that tell a story, words that reach into the hearts of readers and resonate with truth. I know Santa Clause can’t bring me this gift, and neither can my family or my friends. Only God can infuse such words into my heart so they flow out through my writing.

My Christmas wish this year? That every writer (including me) receives these four gifts and, as a result, feels God’s pleasure as we write.


Which of these gifts are you lacking right now? Let us know in the comments section below.

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4 things every writer wants for Christmas. @mwcoutu #SeriouslyWrite #writingtips #writerslife http://bit.ly/4gifts4writers

About the Author

Marie Wells Coutu

Marie Wells Coutu’s newest novel, The Secret Heart, from Write Integrity Press, was named a finalist in both the 2018 National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Awards and the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards sponsored by Florida Writers Association. Her debut novel, For Such a Moment, won the Books of Hope Contest. Thirsting for More, the second book in the series was a finalist in the Selah Awards Contest and a semi-finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards. An unpublished historical novel set near Golden Pond has been a finalist in five contests.

The Secret Heart by Marie Wells Coutu

You can find more about Marie and her novels on her Facebook page (Author Marie Wells Coutu), at her website (MarieWellsCoutu.com), or follow her on Twitter (@mwcoutu) or on Amazon.com.

Marie is a regular contributor to Seriously Write. For more posts by Marie, click here.

Everything is Fodder for a Writer By Michelle Ule

Michelle Ule

How long are you going to work on your family history?” My husband asked.

“Only until we jump the ocean,” I laughed.

The story, which involved many nationalities, traditions, and wars, consumed far more of my attention than I anticipated.

I often wondered why I was wasting time in stuffy libraries rather than staying home to write the great American novel.

But all that research and writing turned out to be invaluable in the future.

What is fodder and how does it apply?

Webster’s Dictionary defines fodder as “readily available material used to supply a heavy demand.”

Novelists need story ideas.

We can find them anywhere.

In my case, when an opportunity arose to write a 19th-century historical novella featuring a log cabin, I merely reached into my family history and pulled out a compelling incident.

I even included my 3x-great-grandfather Thomas Hanks as a character.

The same thing happened a year later, this time using Thomas’ son as a character. I ended up liking him better as a result!

Innocent fodder

Novelists often overhear dialogue that lodges in their minds.

Clever words and turns of phrase can provide fodder for character construction.
A novel can spring to life from an inspiring book written by someone else.

Unexpected smells, tastes or experiences often trigger our imaginations in surprising ways.

Memories of long ago hurts can provide a deep emotional connection with stories.

What about endnotes?

A cousin challenged me when I wrote my family history, “You’re a good writer, Michelle, but you need to cite all your references.”

I grimaced but made sure to cite every source.

Twenty years later when I wrote my proposal for Mrs. Oswald Chambers: The Woman Behind the World’s Bestselling Devotional, I pointed to those 932 endnotes as an example this novelist had the skill to write a proper biography. 

Twenty-five years after finishing my family history—which included clever quotes from ancestors—I’ve mined the research experience and stories well.

Check out your diaries, letters, and memories. 

I’ll bet you’ve got fodder for a compelling story!

Click to Tweet:
Novelists need ideas. We can find them everywhere. @MichelleUle joins #SeriouslyWrite with ideas to find story fodder. http://bit.ly/SWMichelleUle

Memories, unexpected tastes, family history and more fodder sources for novelists from @MichelleUle on #SeriouslyWrite. http://bit.ly/SWMichelleUle

About the Author

A Poppy in Remembrance
by Michelle Ule

Michelle Ule’s most recent novel, A Poppy in Remembrance, was inspired by a great book (My Utmost for His Highest), family history (WWI), and includes many memorable quotes from her father. She blogs regularly at www.michelleule.com

Spanning three countries and the four years of World War I, A Poppy in Remembrance is the epic story of an American woman struggling to become a journalist in a man’s world. As she searches for where she belongs—spiritually, professionally and emotionally—Claire Meacham discovers God and love through her relationships with Oswald and Biddy Chambers, an earnest YMCA worker, and a dashing New Zealand soldier, all the while seeking that elusive byline.

“Praise God!” by Zoe M. McCarthy

Thanksgiving is a time to praise God. Please enjoy a short story that came true about my mother’s salvation twelve years after I wrote the story. - Zoe

Illustration by Greg Lahti

“Praise God!”

        Eight women sat in a circle in the large hall in the old building of the church. Two exchanged recipes, three talked about the youth retreat, and three discussed a Christian book on prayer.

        “It’s six thirty,” Betty said. “We should get started.”

        The women wound down their conversations and turned to the center of the circle.

        “Let’s go to the Lord in prayer,” Betty said. “Father, we’re gathered here to share our concerns. We invite the Holy Spirit to direct our time together this morning. Amen.”

        Some women turned to fresh pages in their prayer journals while others dug pens from their purses. Just then, the large door to the hall clunked open. All the women turned to the sound. The door opened, but no one appeared in the doorway. After several seconds, an elderly woman, preceded by an aluminum walker, slowly entered the room. When she cleared the doorway, a younger woman stuck her head into the room.

        “I’ll return for you in an hour, Charlotte,” she said.

        The elderly woman nodded and continued her place-and-step journey across the hardwood floor toward the circle of women.

        The women were so taken off guard by the unfamiliar elderly woman’s presence that it took a full minute before Blaine went to greet the woman.

        Once Charlotte was seated, each woman introduced herself. Charlotte nodded to each woman in turn. Then she waved her hand, indicating they continue with their business.

        Ellen glanced at Charlotte. She felt uncomfortable sharing her concerns in front of a stranger.

        “Would you continue to pray for my son, Jerry?” she asked. “Please pray that God will give me the words to say to him. I don’t want to push him further away from me. I’ve been praying so long that God will help my Jerry find his way to Him that I wonder if God hears me. I trust He does, and so I keep on praying for Jerry.”

        “Praise God!” Charlotte said.

        Charlotte’s outburst startled the women. They glanced at one another.

        “God does hear you, Ellen,” Cynthia finally said. ”We must be patient. I’ve been praying a long time for that man I sleep next to every night. Don sees my church as the ‘little thing’ I do to keep occupied. Please put him on your list—again.”

        “Praise God!” Charlotte said and smiled.

        The women shifted in their chairs or doodled in their journals.

        Candace smiled at Charlotte. The poor old dear was probably senile. She turned to the other women. “My son, Billy, is discouraged with his job down at the plant. I’m certain if he knew Christ, he could have peace about it. The owner, Buck Grayson, really put the screws to him last month. Please pray for Billy to come to Christ.”

        “Praise God!” Charlotte said.

        Betty glanced Charlotte’s way, then spoke. “Buck Grayson has done so many heartless things to the workers over the years. He docked my daughter’s pay because she took too long vomiting in the bathroom during her pregnancy. She asked if she could use the fifteen minutes she was in the bathroom as her morning break. He said no. He said her morning break was scheduled for ten o’clock, not nine. As if she could schedule her morning sickness! By the way, put Amy on your lists. Her faith has been lukewarm lately. I fear she won’t bring up my grandchild in the church, just as I failed to do with her.”

        “Praise God!” Charlotte said. She lifted her frail arm to add punch to her statement.

        Blaine made certain Charlotte wasn’t going to say more before she spoke. “My son, Bert, is a supervisor at the plant. He told me that something incredible has been happening since last week. Buck Grayson has been doing kind things. In the elevator on Monday, he wished Bert a good morning and asked him if he was ready for the Christmas holiday. He told Bert he was especially looking forward to Christmas himself this year.”

        “Praise God!” Charlotte said.

        “Are you sure it was Buck Grayson?” Pam asked. “I used to work at the plant, and he never spoke to anyone, even when he was alone with someone in the elevator.”

        “Yes, it was Buck Grayson. Bert said the company lowered their cafeteria prices too.”

        “Praise God!” Charlotte said.

        “Billy also mentioned the lower cafeteria prices,” Candace said. “He was worried someone would be fired to make up the cost.”

        “And then yesterday,” Blaine said, “Bert said he and the other supervisors received a notice that, for the first time, Buck Grayson will shut down the plant at noon on Christmas Eve. It’s being announced today.”

        “Praise God!” Charlotte said.

        Candace burst into tears. “Yes, praise God.” She wiped her eyes and composed herself. “Billy was so sad to tell his son he couldn’t watch him play Joseph in the Christmas pageant that afternoon. Now he can go. Maybe God will touch Billy’s heart with the Christmas story.”

        “Praise God!” Charlotte drew out the word praise. “Ladies,” she said, her voice quivering, “don’t ever stop praying for your lost loved ones. Keep dropping to your knees no matter what. Hold on to what Isaiah prophesied: All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children’s peace. I’m here to tell you ladies God will answer your prayers. I’m going to join you here as long as I’m able. I’m going to pray for Jerry, Don, Billy, Amy, and Bert. I’m going to pray for them every day and help you ladies bring your loved ones to Christ doing just that. If you’ll back off and let God do his work in them and just pray for them, He’ll answer your prayers too. I know. God just answered my repeated prayer of thirty-eight years for my son, Buck, to come to know Jesus.”

        All the women shouted at once, “Praise God!”

*Illustration by my nephew, Greg Lahti.

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy

A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy, author of The Putting Green Whisperer, The Invisible Woman in a Red Dress, Gift of the Magpie, and Calculated Risk, writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. Believing opposites distract, Zoe creates heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. When she’s not writing, Zoe enjoys her five grandchildren, teaching Bible studies, leading workshops on writing, knitting and crocheting shawls for a prayer shawl ministry, and canoeing. She lives with her husband in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Zoe blogs regularly at www.zoemmccarthy.com.

The Putting Green Whisperer
by Zoe M. McCarthy

The Putting Green Whisperer

Suddenly unemployed, Allie Masterson returns home to Cary, North Carolina where she caddies for the father on the PGA Seniors Tour. There, she encounters a man who possesses an alluring gift of reading the contours of the green. Fascinated with his uncanny ability, Allie is excited to meet the Green Whisperer—until she discovers that the easygoing caddy is actually Shoo Leonard, the boy who teased her relentlessly when they were kids. Despite Allie's reservations, when Shoo is faced with having to overcome a hand injury, she agrees to use her sports science degree to become his trainer...and then she falls for him.

Shoo Leonard is grateful to Allie for her singular determination to get him ready for the PGA tour, but he isn't ready for anything more. Still raw from a broken engagement and focused on his career, he's content to be her fist-bumping buddy...but then he falls for her.

What seems like a happily-ever-after on the horizon takes a turn when Allie decides she's become a distraction to Shoo's career. Is it time for her to step away or can The Putting Green Whisperer find the right words to make her stay?

Gratefulness By Laura V. Hilton

"Just Breathe" Coloring Sheet

Thanksgiving is approaching in a couple weeks. I’m kind of excited for it – my daughter will be home from college – and kind of dreading it as my husband will be working two different jobs and I have to work, too or else I’ll never reach my deadlines. 

I was thinking about what to say in my second to final post for this blog (I think) and God brought to mind the verse from Philippians 4:11: 

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

At the end of September, our church had its Fifth Sunday Singspiration and we were told that in order to request a favorite song we had to give a testimony. I think it was designed to work so that no one would request a favorite. 

And then we have me. I am a pastor’s wife. I may hate speaking in public but I can do it. If God gives me something to say. And I have a favorite song. (Insert big smile)

So the song leader looks at me after I request my favorite and says, “You have to give a testimony.” He had a look in his eye that said, “Yeah, she’s going to back out.”

I might have smirked as I stood and made my way to the front. 

The song leader told me I didn’t have to go up there. He knows me so well. 

I said, “It’s sort of an object lesson.”

Sort of, because I didn’t have a clue what I was going to say, just that I had some coloring pictures and God said, “Go.” 

So I went forward and shared how we were having money problems and didn’t know how we'd pay our bills past mid-October. I talked about how it worried me that we'd have to tell the girls that we wouldn’t have Christmas and how God said something to me that my husband always says, “Breathe. Just breathe. I got this.” 

Then I held up the coloring picture that said, “Just breathe.” 

Sure enough, God provided my husband with a second job so we would be able to meet our expenses. 

"As for me, I will always have hope." Psalm 71:14

Then I held up the second coloring page. 

“As for me, I will always have hope.” Psalm 71:14 

And I am still clinging to that HOPE, giving thanks for His provision, and in this time of not-plenty, I'm being content with what He provides. 

God is in control. Breathe. He’s got this. With God everything is possible. Nothing is impossible. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Let’s give thanks to God right now for providing for our needs. As you pray the prayer below, share with us in the comment section.

Lord God, You are powerful and You are good. Please protect my relationship with You, keeping out anything that would take my eyes off You. Today I give thanks for _____________ Amen.


For more posts by Laura V. Hilton, click here.

About the Author

Award-winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and three of their children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom, and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor. Laura also has two adult children.

Laura V. HIlton

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards). Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as a three book Amish series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard, and The Bird House in September 2015.

See below for information on Laura's latest, The Christmas Admirer. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press. Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer.

Connect with Laura

http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q
visit her blog: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Laura_V_Hilton or @Laura_V_Hilton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/

Firestorm

Firestorm by Laura V. Hilton

    

Bridget Behr and her family migrate from the bustling Amish community where she grew up in Ohio to the mostly unpopulated Upper Peninsula of Michigan after a stalker breaks into their home. While her father and brother try to find work in the area, the family is forced to reside in a borrowed RV until the house and barn are rebuilt. While Bridget is hoping for a fresh start, she’s afraid to trust anyone—even Gabriel, the overly-friendly Amish man who lives nearby. Bridget thinks he’s a flirt who serial dates and doesn’t even remember the girls’ names.

Due to not enough construction work in his Florida community to keep him out of trouble, Gabriel Lapp has been sent to Michigan to work. His father is desperate for his son to settle down. When the family walks into Gabe’s home in the middle of a thunderstorm and he discovers their circumstances, he offers to help with construction. For Gabe, the beautiful girl he teasingly calls “the recluse” once he discovers she doesn’t attend youth events, confuses him like none other.

As Gabriel and Bridget grow closer, they realize there is more to a person than meets the eye. Just as Bridget is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding love, tragedy strikes. Now Bridget and her family must decide if they should move to another Amish community, or dare to fight for the future they’d hoped for in Mackinac County.

The Goldfish Myth Still Matters by Marie Wells Coutu

A Goldfish and His Castle

Goldfish have a longer attention span than the average person in 2018. Maybe.

Or maybe not. A Google search on “attention spans” produces articles stating the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds now. And that the attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds.

On the other hand, the BBC talked to several researchers and concluded, “Goldfish don't have short attention spans or memories. There is no evidence human attention spans are shrinking.”

Even Twitter expanded its message limit from 140 characters to 280. Perhaps users are willing to read longer messages.

In our world of smartphones, time-limited social media, channel-flipping, and multi-tasking, it seems obvious that audiences make quick decisions on what they will pay attention to.

What does this mean for writers?

Whether attention spans are shrinking or not, the rapid assault of information and the multiplying sources vying for attention make capturing readers more challenging.

“The key to engaging content is a compelling narrative combined with stimulating visuals and dialogue,” said one marketing technology company reporting on the 2018 State of Attention Report from Prezi.

Prezi is a presentation software company, and the article was directed at business professionals. However, the conclusion applies to fiction writers, too.

The average novel today is shorter than it was a hundred years ago. Chapters are often as short as two pages, paragraphs have shrunk, and descriptive passages certainly have to be more concise. (I still remember slogging through pages of description of the moors in Wuthering Heights.)

But engaging readers doesn’t happen only by shortening your content. It takes that “compelling narrative” and believable, gripping dialogue. While you won’t have visuals unless you’re writing a children’s book, you can provide “stimulating” descriptions that enable the reader to visualize the characters and settings.

Many readers decide whether to buy your book after reading the first paragraph. Like a goldfish, they give you only seconds before rejecting your story and moving on.

In other words, the key to holding a reader’s attention is excellent craft.

Don’t let your own short attention span (you just got an idea for the next story and you can’t wait to write it) cause you to bypass the difficult work of revising and editing to make your current work-in-progress the best it can be.

That’s what will attract readers and keep them coming back for more.

About the Author

Marie Wells Coutu

Marie Wells Coutu’s newest novel, The Secret Heart, from Write Integrity Press, was named a finalist in both the 2018 National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Awards and the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards sponsored by Florida Writers Association. Her debut novel, For Such a Moment, won the Books of Hope Contest. Thirsting for More, the second book in the series was a finalist in the Selah Awards Contest and a semi-finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards. An unpublished historical novel set near Golden Pond has been a finalist in five contests.

The Secret Heart by Marie Wells Coutu

You can find more about Marie and her novels on her Facebook page (Author Marie Wells Coutu), at her website (MarieWellsCoutu.com), or follow her on Twitter (@mwcoutu) or on Amazon.com.

Marie is a regular contributor to Seriously Write. For more posts by Marie, click here.

Moving Forward on a Retreat by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

Back in March, Gabrielle Meyer posted “The Importance of a Writing Retreat” on Seriously Write. It spoke to me because my husband and I had started to look for a cabin getaway. Besides a space for personal and family renewal, my dream was to find a place where I could invite church and writer friends for retreats.

After a seven-month search, we have a cabin on a lake. It’s big enough that after we get it in shape, I can host small retreats.

Now, as we work to freshen up the cabin and clear the woods down to the lake to open a view, I already feel revitalized. As I stroke on paint in the master bath, I forget about deadlines. I enjoy how the green wall color brings out the log walls and redwood pine on the ceiling and wainscoting. While I update the globes on the fan lights throughout the cabin, blog posts that need to be written never enter my mind. And snipping tree branches leaves no room for thinking about edits.

I pat myself on the back for the exercise I accomplish in climbing ladders, stacking cut branches, and walking through Lowes in search of pine planks, paint, and towel bars. The exercise is so good for me compared to sitting in front of a laptop for hours.

And then, I have fellowship with my husband. At home, he’s my marketing manager, CFO, and computer tech, but at the cabin it’s different. We work side by side in the basement workshop. He cuts pine planks, and I stain them. We shop for bedcovers, lamps, and stoneware dishes to “bearify” the cabin décor, laughing, discussing, and dreaming.

Don’t get me wrong. I love our home on a hill surrounded by mountains and overlooking a valley sporting sheep, cows, and corn and Christmas tree fields. And I love creating love stories. But sometimes a writer, or any worker, needs a retreat with husbands, family, and friends. I hope someday to provide that for a few.

Are we doing the right thing?

Yesterday, I drove forty minutes to have blood drawn for my annual checkup next week. I was sad that too many writing obligations might prevent us from making the ninety-minute drive to the cabin this week. As the lab technician prepared to insert the needle, I turned my head to look away. On the wall was this painting. I didn’t feel the needle.

A Cabin in the Mountains

Retreats don’t have to be a cabin. What are places you retreat to?

Click to Tweet: Have you ever wanted to go on a writing retreat? @ZoeMMcCarthy talks about the benefits of a "cabin in the woods" for #writers on #SeriouslyWrite. https://bit.ly/2EpAxO6

About the Author

A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy, author of The Putting Green Whisperer, The Invisible Woman in a Red Dress, Gift of the Magpie, and Calculated Risk, writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. Believing opposites distract, Zoe creates heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. When she’s not writing, Zoe enjoys her five grandchildren, teaching Bible studies, leading workshops on writing, knitting and crocheting shawls for a prayer shawl ministry, and canoeing. She lives with her husband in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Zoe blogs regularly at www.zoemmccarthy.com.


The Putting Green Whisperer

The Putting Green Whisperer
by Zoe M. McCarthy

Suddenly unemployed, Allie Masterson returns home to Cary, North Carolina where she caddies for the father on the PGA Seniors Tour. There, she encounters a man who possesses an alluring gift of reading the contours of the green. Fascinated with his uncanny ability, Allie is excited to meet the Green Whisperer—until she discovers that the easygoing caddy is actually Shoo Leonard, the boy who teased her relentlessly when they were kids. Despite Allie's reservations, when Shoo is faced with having to overcome a hand injury, she agrees to use her sports science degree to become his trainer...and then she falls for him.



Shoo Leonard is grateful to Allie for her singular determination to get him ready for the PGA tour, but he isn't ready for anything more. Still raw from a broken engagement and focused on his career, he's content to be her fist-bumping buddy...but then he falls for her.



What seems like a happily-ever-after on the horizon takes a turn when Allie decides she's become a distraction to Shoo's career. Is it time for her to step away or can The Putting Green Whisperer find the right words to make her stay?