Giving Thanks by Terri Weldon

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m enjoying good food and company with my family today and I hope you’re doing the same. Our home is full of the smells of our favorite dishes, flowers grace the table, and candles flicker in the room. Thanksgiving is one of the most relaxing holidays of the year. 

 

Later this afternoon while I’m watching a favorite movie – a tradition at our house – I may pull my laptop out and do a little work. Then again there is just as good a chance I’ll lean back in my chair and pet one of my Westies. Either one is okay. 

 

The important thing today is to thank God for our blessings. I’m thankful I have a home, a family, people to spend the holiday with, my two furry little friends, a job, and for the Christmas novella I have releasing the end of this month. Most of all I’m thankful for the saving grace of Jesus. I pray you know Him too. 

 

Here at Seriously Write all of us are thankful for you. While our desire is to encourage and equip Christian writers we want you to know that you do the same for us. There are so many things vying for your time and we’re thankful you read our posts, cheer us on, and leave us comments. 

 

I hope you’ll share a few of your blessings with us. What are you thankful for today?

Terri Weldon is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and shopping for shoes. 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 two adorable Westies – Crosby and Nolly Grace. 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.

Readers can connect with Terri: Website: www.TerriWeldon.com or

Blog: Seriously Write

The Christmas Bride Wore Boots

 

Widowed Pastor Jacob Thompson had vowed to never remarry, but that was before he met Veterinarian Molly Kincaid. Could this unlikely duo be a match made in heaven?

 

Available 30 November!

When Historical Characters Don't Do What You Want by Heather Day Gilbert

Sometimes our characters won't march easily onto the page. Today, author Heather Day Gilbert shares her experience with one of those characters. -- Sandy

Heather: There's a reason it took me three years to publish my second Viking historical novel, which is based heavily on the Icelandic sagas:

I couldn't change history.

The first novel in the series was easier—God's Daughter is based on Gudrid, a real Christian Viking woman who sailed to North America. She was known for her ability to get along with strangers, for her beauty, and for her strong Christianity.

But Book 2, Forest Child, was not based on Gudrid's story. It was based on her sister-in-law's story—Freydis, the daughter of Eirik the Red. Freydis was known for being a domineering woman, a violent warrior, and for being difficult to get along with.

Not to mention, she did something totally unthinkable. I had to merge the facts of her story into my fictional tale, AND I had to make her a character we wanted to root for.

It was a daunting task and I'll be the first to say that I stalled in writing the book, even though Freydis haunted me both in my dreams and waking hours. WHY did you do what you did, I would yell at her (mostly when I was alone in my car). My readers kept asking when Book 2 would release. Below is a pic of one of my most avid Viking readers, Kelly, when she finally got her early reader copy of Forest Child. 

I also write in first person present tense. So as I pondered Freydis' tale, I had to get into her head in a way I really didn't want to.

But something happened when I started writing her story. She came alive to me, even as Gudrid did, and I started to see her motivations. I started to understand what might drive a woman to do what she did.

I started to see her heart.

Sometimes, history doesn't turn out the way you want. For instance, I can think of several Bible stories that didn't play out in a cheery way. It's so sad that Moses never got to step foot in the Promised Land. It's hard to see Israelites being punished heavily for the same kinds of mistakes I know we would make.  It stinks that Solomon blotted his record of wisdom by marrying so many women and allowing them to worship other gods.

 But those stories are there for us to learn from.

For historical authors, we have to take real facts/details and merge them with a driving storyline that will bring history alive in a way that is fresh. We have some leeway in the interpretation of some facts (with the Viking era, the facts are few and far between—and still disputed), but in the end, especially if we're writing about real people, we have to be true to their stories. We have to let them make huge mistakes and do things we wish they hadn't done.

In the end, it was God who helped me bring Freydis' story to life in a way that was both relatable and redemptive. I fretted and worried my early readers might not "get" her...but it turns out, they're loving this book. And now they want to read more about Viking times. 

This is the ultimate reward for the historical author—when your novels spur readers to learn more about the time period you're so passionate about.

So be brave, historical author. Tell those tales that need to be told, spanning the years with characters that come alive for our readers.

Have you ever dealt with a character, historic or contemporary, who was hard to make likeable, but one you must write?

~~~~~~

HEATHER DAY GILBERT, a Grace Award winner and bestselling author, writes novels that capture life in all its messy, bittersweet, hope-filled glory. Find out more at heatherdaygilbert.com.

5 Reasons Relationships Are So Tough To Do by Janet Chester Bly

I’m surrounded by imperfect people. How about you?
Like most of you, I don’t always have a peaceful, easy, simple and carefree kind of life. 

Janet Chester Bly

Complications and on-the-verge of chaos circumstances sometimes seem relentless. Especially when it comes to relationships. They can be noisy and messy and pesky.
I’m surrounded by imperfect people, just like me.

I became a woman of faith, partly because of the challenges of relationships. Married for four years with two babies, I suddenly realized I didn’t know how to do marriage or parenting. Searching for help and advice, I wondered if really, truly God existed. If so, what was he like? And would he be willing and able to guide a needy gal like me? The drive to know led me to him as my heavenly Father.

Dealing with relationships also shoved me into writing. I had to journal about the drama and the delights. I wrote about being my mate’s best friend, attempts at becoming a good mom, and the challenge of forever friendships.

One thing I know for sure, relationships are the toughest things we do. That is, if we care about them and are serious about making them work. But why? Here’re five reasons to consider.

1. Close relationships, such as marriage, provide the ultimate invasion of privacy. Torn down is the veil of public persona safety. Sooner or later you face the wash-off, no-makeup, tired-beyond-your-limit retorts, promising no-more-superficial-niceties. Loving people up close and personal exposes faults and warts—theirs and yours.
   
   
2. Working at relationships challenge the core of our me-centered default domain. Becoming other-centered cramps our comfort and relentless, selfish point of view. And challenges our core character. We must learn to give up time, to listen rather than chomp at the bit to tell everything we know.
   
   In every ongoing relationship, two wills bump or align—every time they meet. Even the best of relationships can go through a season when they falter or fail. A distance can develop. A daunting barrier rises. A sincere apology can go a long way.
   
   Thinking of others as good-as or better-than-we-are requires a healthy amount of empathy. And respect. And they can be overwhelming when we have to juggle a number of them. Which should be a priority?
   We are all wired differently—in impulses, in the ways we see things, in backgrounds and experiences. Keeping the peace requires making sense of the complexities. We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp. Some are pretty. Some are dull. Some have weird names. All are different colors. But they have to learn to live in the same box.
   
3. We erect resentments because of jealousy. Feeling overlooked. Rivalry at every turn. A lean toward lust. More than a grain of greed. This evolves from a lack of true satisfaction, always wanting more.
   
   
4. Some folks not only have a nerve, they hit one of ours, every time. Sometimes that’s good. We’re made accountable to aim for better behavior. Or our balloon busts. You’re wearing a new style and feeling full of sassy and she says, “It doesn’t really work, does it?” Truth can hurt, can wound, can seem rude. Not fun.
   
   
5. It’s hard to forgive some offenses. Betrayal is one. Lies and deceit are another. Or triggers we don’t understand ourselves, such as unresolved issues, habits learned from childhood, past experiences we never worked through. We harbor a deep root of bitterness. Sometimes we carry a thin layer of civility over a volcano of unresolved anger.
   Or it can be as simple as, who gets the stuff? The reading of a will and a divvy up of the inheritance tests many families. 

The most wonderful feeling in the world is to be free from all double-dealing, to be an open window to the world. To live without regrets of words left unsaid or deeds left undone. But to achieve that in relationships require conscious efforts to care, to persevere, to make bridges over chasms. Or relationships can stagnate or die. Our most trusted support group forms from those relationships we tough out through the lifelong haul of enduring trials and sharing sorrows. 

About the Author

Janet Chester Bly is the widow of Christy Award winning western author Stephen Bly. Together—his, hers, and theirs--they published 120 fiction and nonfiction books for adults and kids (8-12 yrs). Her newest solo adult novel release is a contemporary western mystery with a touch of romance entitled Down Squash Blossom Road, Book 2 in the Trails of Reba Cahill series. Book 1 is Wind in the Wires. Janet and their three sons finished Stephen’s last novel for him, Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot, a Selah Award Finalist. Read the story at the Bly Books blog:  http://www.blybooks.com/blog/   

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling author Rachel Hauck said of Book 1, Wind in the Wires: “I love your voice! I love the setting...It’s a great story!” 

Down Squash Blossom Road
by Janet Chester Bly

Download Now! 5 Free Chapters of Down Squash Blossom Road, Book 2! Click here: http://www.blybooks.com/books/squash-blossom/ 

Download Now! 5 free chapters of Wind in the Wires, Book 1! with a sign up for the Almost Monthly Bly Books News. Click here: http://www.blybooks.com/books/inspirational-books-novel/ 

Find Janet online here: '
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Down Squash Blossom Road
What Secret Lies Down Squash Blossom Road?

Cowgirl Reba Cahill’s schedule is full. Save the family ranch. Free her mom from a mental institute. Take another road trip. Solve a murder and a kidnapping. Plus, evade a stalker. Can she also squeeze in romance? Reba Cahill thought she could focus on the duties of the ranch, to help out her widowed grandmother. But a crippled Champ Runcie returns to Road’s End in a wheelchair and seeks revenge for the accident that put him there. Meanwhile, a letter from her estranged mom forces her and Grandma Pearl back on the road: I can leave now. Come get me. Love, Mom

When they arrive in Reno, her mother issues a demand and refuses to return to Idaho. They head west instead. In California, Reba’s friend Ginny’s marriage is on the rocks. The family business is threatened. And squabbles turn deadly. Reba must dig deep to find the courage to forge a relationship with her mom and escape a crazed man’s obsession. She also faces an uncertain future even as a horse trainer offers her a new horse to replace Johnny Poe … and maybe more.

Comfort Zone? What Comfort Zone? by Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

There are times when I’m outgoing, engaging. There are times I love being part of a ‘party’ or a spirited gathering full of talk, laughter, discussion, and even more laughter. But then come the times when I crave nothing more than solitude, and the ability to blend into obscurity so I can people watch, listen, observe and chronicle. I love those moments when I can sink inside myself, absorb, and then share the world I've discovered.

As such, I’ll never be a sales person. I admire those who can effectively sell a product, or themselves. Doing so is a skill and a gift. Me? I detest the necessary ‘promo’ component of my writing ministry, because I never want this journey to be about me. I want it to be about Christ, and the gifts I offer Him via storytelling. In our present techno-based, social-driven world, however, there’s no escaping the need to put yourself forward. Case in point? Last month I traveled to Atlanta to tape a television segment for Preach the Word TV’s ‘Book of the Month’ show. The topic? My second Harbourlight Books release, Forgiveness.

Um…yeah. This required things like studio sets. Stage lights. The daunting task of trying to sound natural and confident while staring down the lens of a trolley camera. Stage hands with cue cards would buzz with graceful stealth from spot to spot during filming.

Daunting puts a pretty accurate descriptive on the event.

The host of the show, Bishop OC Pringle, pre-interviewed me, and intended to work from a line of questions we had already discussed. During taping, however, he veered off-script. I found myself open to God’s Spirit, and His vulnerability when Bishop asked: “Marianne, what’s the most difficult thing you’ve ever had to forgive?”

I believe—with all that I am—that God prepared me for that question just moments before taping. While sharing lunch with my editor and some newfound author friends, a memory buzzed, and filled my soul: the memory of losing my mother-in-law to a broadside automobile accident caused by an inebriated driver who ran a red light and ended her life all too soon.

And so, when he asked that question, sure, my nerves sang, and tears welled but God kept me steady as I proceeded to answer Bishop’s question.

My comfort zone had been left far behind, but God’s purpose, and call, had been answered in full. I had been prepared in such a way that I hope others who have been required to forgive much, can relate, empathize, and move forward in their own faith journey.

Where is your comfort zone, friends? Where is God calling you to share—no matter how “uncomfortable” – or expand your horizons? I’d love to hear about it! 

~~~~~

Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. Hearts Communion earned a win for Best Romance from the Christian Small Publisher's Association. She is also a two-time recipient of the Selah Award, Then & Now for Best Contemporary Romance and Finding Home for Best Novella. Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President.

~~~~~

Country music bad boy Chase Bradington is on the comeback trail. Fresh from rehab for alcohol addiction, and transformed by the power of Christ, Chase is battling to rediscover the music he loves and a career he nearly ruined. Then he meets up and comer, Pyper Brock, and instantly sparks ignite.

Pyper knows of Chase’s reputation, so despite a rampant attraction to the handsome and talented icon, she soundly dismisses his romantic overtures. Decades ago, her father, in a drunken rage, tossed her and her mother onto the streets. No way will Pyper make the mistake of falling for a man whose done battle with the bottle.

What happens when Chase’s quest to win Pyper’s love breaks down chains of resentment and eases the long buried wounds of her childhood? And what happens when Pyper’s father shows up in Nashville, clean, sober and seeking a chance to apologize?

Can Pyper follow a pathway to peace when it comes to her father? Can she fully trust Chase? Above all, can a sin damaged past be released in favor of forgiveness?

Available in print and e-book formats:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Christian Book ~ Pelican Book Group