Happy Thanksgiving!

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. -Psalm 100 

Seriously Write is closed today to allow us to spend the holiday with our family and friends. We wish you a blessed and safe Thanksgiving. We will be back tomorrow and look forward to visiting with you then.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Seriously Write Team

Happy Thanksgiving

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
              -Psalm 100

Seriously Write is closed today to allow us to spend the holiday with our family and friends. We wish you a blessed Thanksgiving. We will be back tomorrow and look forward to visiting with you then.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Seriously Write Team

Christmas Lights by Mary Manners

Christmas Lights

 

By Mary Manners

 

It's that time of year again...a time for holiday baking and decorating, Christmas carols and lists for Santa, shopping, shopping, and...more shopping??

 

 

When the subject of Christmas gifts comes up, most people think of packages wrapped in colorful paper and shimmery bows, sitting under the Christmas tree, just waiting to be opened.

When I think of Christmas gifts, I think of my dad, who passed away fifteen years ago this holiday season. He was a man of many gifts, including the joy he shared for the traditions of Christmas.

 

Dad loved light—especially the light that brightened a fresh-cut pine tree in honor of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Each December first, like clockwork, Dad piled his family—all seven of us—into our Chevy station wagon and drove us to the tree lot where, shivering in the Chicago-winter cold, we oohed and aahed over each and every tree until we found the perfect one.



 

Once home, with the tree safely arranged in a metal stand and watered, Dad climbed the ladder to our attic (a mysterious place, indeed) where the Christmas lights were stored. He’d lower the battered cardboard box (re-used, season after season) to the floor below and dust it off.

Then my brother and sisters—five of us—gathered ’round him in the living room and waited, eyes huge with wonder, as he carefully unraveled the strands of lights and tested each one. No matter how stubborn the bulbs, dad always managed to get them working.

 

Beautiful, vibrant colors turned the room to a kaleidoscope, dancing over walls and windows with the feel of winter magic. One by one, my siblings and I each took the place of honor beside Dad, helping him to adorn the tree with light. Pine sap clung to our fingers, but we didn’t care. All the while, our hearts soared with happiness and child-like wonder.

Finally, dad gently gathered the Christmas star from the box. Hushed with awe, we waited while Dad chose one of us to hoist to his shoulders for the greatest thrill—placing the treasured beacon of light—the Baby Jesus Star—atop the highest limb. Somehow, Dad always sensed who needed that extra touch of attention, and there was never any argument.

 

With the lights in place (just in time for nightfall—always) we circled the tree and held hands to sing Silent Night. In the earliest years, the tune didn’t always carry and the words were sometimes off, but Dad didn’t care. He knew we understood what the tree—and especially the lights—symbolized…the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. The most wonderful gift of all!

~~~~~

 

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime sharing her joy of writing. She has two sons and a daughter, as well as three beautiful grandchildren. She currently lives along the sunny shores of Jacksonville Beach with her husband Tim.

 

A former teacher as well an intermediate school principal, Mary spent three decades teaching math and English to students from kindergarten through middle grades. While growing up in Chicago and as a student at the University of Illinois, Mary worked her way through a variety of jobs including paper girl, figure skating instructor, pizza chef, and nanny. Many of these experiences led to adventures that may be found between the pages of her stories. Mary loves long sunrise runs—she’s completed three marathons—ocean sunsets and flavored coffee.

 

Find out more about Mary on her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com. “Like” her author page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

 

~~~~~

 

With Bells On

 

When Emilee Lancaster’s aunt calls her home to Hope Creek for the holidays, Emmy readily agrees to assist with a charity event at the family theater—until she finds herself front-and-center stage with her high school flame, Jayson Taylor. She’s not thrilled about the pairing, but she’s made a promise to her aunt, and unlike Jayson, she keeps her promises.

 

Jayson Taylor makes his living building sets for Dahlia Brewster's Family Theater. When the Christmas show's emcee falls ill, Dahlia asks Jayson to step from the backstage and into the limelight. He's more comfortable working behind the scenes, but the country-singing superstar has always treated him like a favorite son, so Jayson reluctantly agrees. Center-stage at Christmas—especially beside dream-chasing Emmy Lancaster, who once ran off and broke his heart—is not where he planned to be.

 

But God has other plans, and what happens when the curtain falls and the stage lights dim truly reflects the heart of this holiday season.

 

 



Give Thanks by Terri Weldon

Terri Weldon

The Bible tell us, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His faithful love continues forever.” While I believe this is something God intends for us to do daily, this time of year as our minds turn to Thanksgiving in the United States we become more focused on the blessings the Lord has given us. Oh, I’m not saying nothing ever goes wrong in life or that there aren’t many things we wish we’d done differently. I know there are countless decisions that if I had to do them over again I would change, but guess what? There is no rewind button in life. Not in our family life, not in our day jobs, and not in our writing life.

Procrastination is a horrible problem for me. Not only in writing, but in everything. Earlier this week I ordered movie tickets and I had to choose a date an entire week later than I planned. Know why? Yep, the big PROCRASTINATION. I let the email telling me about ordering advance tickets sit in my inbox for way too long before acting on it. What’s worse, I had read it. I just waited to follow through. Now obviously that’s a movie so nothing horrible in life is going to happen. Still I can give thanks because I purchased great seats closer to Christmas and it can be holiday fun.

What if that had been a book? Hmm, ramifications would have been a bit worse. I might have missed the window of opportunity all together. Know what’s worse? I’ve done that. Even as I type this, I’m behind where I want to be and should be on some revisions. Anything to give thanks for there? You bet. I was asked for revisions, so the editor saw something in my writing she liked. Also, if I’ll heed my own advice here I can work like a madwoman (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it) and crank these revisions out on my own self-imposed deadline.

Still the thing I’m most thankful for this year is that my sister had a serious surgery and came out just fine and dandy. Now that may seem off topic, but I believe it is a matter of remembering our priorities. Writing, especially writing for the Lord, is a wonderful thing to do. But when all is said and done there is nothing as important as our relationship with our Creator and our families.

So this year when I gather around the table with my family and give thanks for my blessings, writing won’t be my number one priority. Not even my number two. Think what you want about that, but to me the opportunity to spend a day with my best friend and sister tops that hands down. And that is what I’ll be thanking God for.

What about you? What do you plan on giving thanks for on Thanksgiving Day? I hope you’ll share with me. Whatever it is, I pray you and your family will have a blessed day.

****

Purchase Link

Misty Winslow is determined to find her prince, and she meets the man of her dreams through an Internet dating service. Or is he, because the new dentist in town also sets her heart aflutter.

It's love at first sight for Tyler Davenport, but before he can finish his first root canal, Misty is involved in an exclusive online romance with Wes99—Tyler’s online persona. How can he tell her he’s the man she’s been waiting to meet, and how rational is it for him to be jealous of Wes99! Soon Tyler's pulling out all the stops to woo Misty.

As Christmas approaches, Wes99 and Tyler both ask her to meet them under the mistletoe. Which man will she choose?

Terri is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing in the hand bell choir. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction.

She lives with her family in Oklahoma. Terri has three dogs – a lovable mutt and two adorable Westies.


Terri is a member of ACFW and OCFW, a local chapter of ACFW. Her dream of becoming a published novelist came true in November 2013 when Mistletoe Magic released from White Rose Publishing. To learn more about Terri visit her website at www.TerriWeldon.com.

Tips for When Your Plot Derails by Dora Hiers

Dora Hiers

It was a long weekend, and I was armed with a plan. Hubby was scheduled to attend a public event on Monday, and our precious grandkids would be picked up from their overnight stay around noon. 

That left an entire afternoon to curl up in my recliner and lose myself in a sweet romance. Ahhh...

My plan derailed, starting a little after midnight, when our three-year-old grandson snuck into the kitchen and sprayed heavy-duty insecticide on the floor, a product our son used to douse his clothes for his trip to Myanmar. I heard the little guy and got up to investigate. Twenty minutes later, I slipped back into bed and relayed what happened to hubby.

“That label has some strong warnings.” Hubby, being the hero that he is, got up and, after verifying the label, rushed back into our bedroom. “You’re supposed to rinse the affected area under cold water for twenty minutes. Then call poison control.”

We inspected the now sleeping boy for any unusual symptoms. Satisfied that he wasn’t suffering any ill effects, we crawled under the covers again.

Two hours later, another unusual noise had me bolting out of bed. What trouble was Little Man getting into this time? I was relieved that the culprit was my teenage granddaughter, using the bathroom. She doesn’t spend the night much at our house, so I waited to make sure she wasn’t afraid.

The toilet flushed, once, twice. Then a plunger rooted around in the bowl. “Meme, help.”

After a couple failed attempts to loosen the clogged toilet, I gave up and headed back to bed, intent on salvaging a couple hours of sleep. Little Man’s an early riser.

Not!

Reluctant to leave for work with two kids and a stopped-up toilet, hubby insisted on dragging out the plumbing snake. At three a.m.

Hours and five trips to Lowe's later, hubby surrendered the battle and I relinquished the dream of losing myself in a book. I flopped onto my recliner, drained, exhausted.

Has your plot derailed?

The next day, with renewed vigor and only one trip to Lowes, we had a new, working toilet. --->

As writers, we may start with a germ of an idea. Maybe it’s just that, a seed, or perhaps we’ve fleshed out the entire story into a synopsis.

What happens when that plan goes awry? Or our plot derails?

Pray. Ask God for wisdom and direction. In the wee hours of the morning, I was praying more to go back to bed than fixing the toilet.

Step away from the problem. In his haste to get it fixed, hubby kept attacking the problem, even though he was exhausted and worn out. Sometimes, it helps to take a step back, away from the problem. It’s the same for your manuscript. If your story derails, leave it alone for a bit. Take a walk. Rest.

Reevaluate. Hubby checked problem areas and attempted different solutions until he finally identified the problem. Do the same with your plot. Apply different scenarios. Ask yourself “what if ‘this’ happens?” Make a flowchart and continue until you’ve covered all possible situations. Then, implement a new plan to wrangle your story back on track.

Forge ahead. Armed with a new plan (just like hubby with a new toilet), step back into your story with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Give thanks. Don’t fret. Yeah, I didn’t get to settle back with that book like I’d planned, but you know what? God’s plan for that day was different from mine, and it was so much better because He allowed me to be the helpmate my husband needed and I got to spend time with him. Give thanks for the change of events. Trust that God has a plan for you and your story, even in the midst of your turmoil and indecision.

 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. ~Proverbs 16:9 NIV

What about you? Has your plot ever derailed? 
What steps did you take to fix it?

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After a humiliating breakup, best-selling romance author Teal Benning flees to Promise Lake to complete her current novel, minus paparazzi and flashing cameras. Suffering from writer's block and a broken heart, Teal accepts the offer of help from neighbor, Hunter Miciver.

Hunter longs to be more than the friend who picks up the shattered pieces of Teal's heart, but when Teal finds out his secret, will she see him for the man he is—a man of faith and devotion, a man who would cherish her for the rest of her days—or will she lump him into the same category as all the other men in her life, including her father?

Will Teal recognize when truth whispers her name?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA, ACFW, and the Treasurer for ACFW-Charlotte Chapter. Connect with her here on Seriously Write, her personal blog, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.