God is So Good!
I have to admit that I have been less than excited about Book IV on the Series. It seemed to have a dead end. Today the story line came alive to me. I am really excited about the development of this book. Keep on praying for me.
I am continuing with featuring Tate Publishing and Enterprise Authors. I have "met" most of them through facebook and the Tate Publishing fan page. In the following weeks you will have the opportunity so see the dedication and heart each person puts in their writing. This week I am interviewing Dee Dee Wike.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
My name is Dee Dee Wike and my book is titled Good to the Last Drop: Refreshing Inspiration for Homeschool Moms & Other Busy Women (Tate Publishing, release date TBA -- currently in production)
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
Gosh, that's a hard question. They might like to know how I came to write the book in the first place, but it's not important that they know about me -- I want them to know about God.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
Many years ago when, as a teen, I was hooked on Christian romance novels.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I write clearly, concisely, and with a great command of the English language. My high school English instruction at St. Mary's Episcopal School helped hone my writing skills.
5. Are you a reader?
Now that I am an adult and a homeschool teacher, I read every chance I get. The older I get, the more I appreciate knowledge and learning. I hardly ever read fiction.
6. What are you reading right now?
Besides the Bible, The Money Answer Book by Dave Ramsey. The last book I completed was Scott Hamilton's The Great Eight: How to Be Happy (Even When You Have Every Reason to be Miserable).
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
It is an untitled book of devotions which I expect to have completed by this time next year. I am also working on a book for teens and pre-teens based on the mistakes I have made that I hope others can learn from and not repeat. This will be dedicated to my two children, with whom I have these conversations often.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
Like most, finding the time to write is a great challenge. I have found that blogging has unleashed the creative juices that were waiting to be released for so long. When I write in small spurts, I can usually find time to write every day. I am eating the elephant one bite at a time.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
In Good to the Last Drop, author Dee Dee Wike offers encouragement and insight to busy women as she shares her thoughts on the difficulties of finding peace amidst the chaos of everyday life, the adventure of stepping out in faith and obedience to God’s call, and the joy of a lifelong relationship with the Lord. Written from the heart, her reflections on relationships, homeschool, anxiety, and the relevant issues of modern-day living are seasoned with hope, humor, and truths from God’s Word. Good to the Last Dropwill encourage and inspire you to live confidently and joyfully as you pursue the dream God has placed in your heart.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here. www.deedeewike.com and www.deedeewike.blogspot.com.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Fun in the Summer
This weekend I am going to Leatherman Park at Perryton to sell books on Perryton's Celebration Day, Saturday, Aug 22 from 11-5 p.m.
It has been so hot this summer I hope all goes well. It is so fun to talk to people who come by my table. I like to talk with the children who timidly tell me that they love to write stories. Some of them tell me a bit of their story. There are some great writers growing up around here.
Since I was 52 when my first book was published, I think that the fact gives people my age hope that no matter what your age, God can use you. Never let go of your dreams.
I am continuing with featuring Tate Publishing and Enterprise Authors. I have "met" most of them through facebook and the Tate Publishing fan page. In the following weeks you will have the opportunity so see the dedication and heart each person puts in their writing. This week I am interviewing Karina Harris.
1.What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
My name is Karina Harris. The title of my book is "Second Chance".
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I believe my readers would be interested to know that I grew up overseas. My parents were Baptist missionaries, and I spent much of my childhood and teen years in India and Thailand.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
As a teenager, I enjoyed writing poetry and short stories. I also wrote several short stories in college, but never did anything with them. After I married, started a career in education, and had children, the writing stopped for several years. This past year I moved to a new teaching position that gave me more free time. My children had reached the age where constant supervision was not necessary. And I felt the call of writing again. I began this book in January, and had an offer from Tate publishing in March.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I believe that characters are the key to a great story. So I spent quite a bit of time developing these characters before I ever started their story. I have been told that I have a gift in being able to describe things well, whether it be characters, scenery, or emotions in the book.
5. Are you a reader?
Yes!
6. What are you reading right now?
I just finished Julie Garwood's "Fire and Ice"; also an FBI romantic suspense.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
I have finished the second book in this saga and am working on the third. The second book is entitled "Third Time Around", and tells the story of Quinn and Emma. Quinn is the outgoing, photographer brother of Avalin (our heroine in "Second Chance"). He is put on assignment with Emma, who is professional to a fault. They don't exactly "hit it off" to begin with, but circumstances continue to put them together. A twist in the plot is that someone is after Emma, has threatened her...but nobody knows who or why.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
My biggest obstacle is that I don't know the end of the story when I begin it. That makes it wonderfully fun at times, because it unfolds much like a movie in my mind. There have been times, though, when I don't know where to go next with the story (like the "pause" button has been hit), and it is quite frustrating on those days!
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
Second Chance:
Avalin Summers’s life changes forever when she is told her parents may not be dead.
In the romantic suspense novel Second Chance, Karina Harris weaves an intriguing tale of hope and uncertainty in the story of Avalin Summers, an art student who is fiercely loyal to her older brothers, Jaden and Quinn. When Jaden requests a family meeting at their childhood farm in Colorado, she doesn’t question him. But what she discovers is something she hasn’t dared to dream about for the past five years.
Agent Ian Martin has spent a year investigating the case of part-time FBI operatives John and Rosemary Summers and the suspicious conclusion to their last mission. Recent intelligence hints they may not have died in the European plane crash, but he needs the help of the Summers’s grown children, Jaden, Quinn, and twenty-one-year-old Avalin, to find out. At the family meeting, Ian presents evidence that suggests their parents may have escaped capture and fled to Portugal.
The siblings’ lives are turned upside down when they learn their parents were working as undercover agents. Hoping they are alive, Quinn and Avalin eagerly join Ian in his search. When they land in Lisbon, they are bombarded with even more uncertainties. Thrown together by circumstances fraught with danger, betrayal, and heartache, Ian and Avalin uncover something special in each other. As events unfold, Ian and Avalin begin to question their beliefs in their government, their families, and even God as they look for someone they can trust. Will they find love on their journey together? Will they discover the truth about the Summers’s parents before it’s too late? Find out in Second Chance.
Third Time Around
Harris brings us back to the Summers family in this gripping tale of suspense and romance. Quinn Summers has been assigned to Peru, as the photographer for a National Geographic expose on a Native Indian tribe. Expecting a short, two day stint, he encounters instead a situation which changes his life.
Emma McDonnell is a career driven journalist who has just received her big break. She has been given her first lead assignment for National Geographic, and she is determined to make it perfect. She's not about to let the overly confident, incredibly handsome replacement photographer, Quinn Summers get in her way.
Events conspire to bring them together, both professionally and personally. Quinn becomes determined to discover the cause of the fear he sees behind her eyes. Emma begins to wonder if perhaps Quinn is someone she should trust.
Just as their relationship begins to strengthen, trouble explodes as someone from Emma's past returns to haunt her. Who is it? What does he want? Will Quinn and Emma be able to discover the identity of the would-be kidnapper before its too late?
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
My blog is: karinabharris.blogspot.com
My website is: www.karinabharris.vpweb.com
Once the release date is set, people will be able to order a book through this website via PayPal. They will receive a signed copy.
It has been so hot this summer I hope all goes well. It is so fun to talk to people who come by my table. I like to talk with the children who timidly tell me that they love to write stories. Some of them tell me a bit of their story. There are some great writers growing up around here.
Since I was 52 when my first book was published, I think that the fact gives people my age hope that no matter what your age, God can use you. Never let go of your dreams.
I am continuing with featuring Tate Publishing and Enterprise Authors. I have "met" most of them through facebook and the Tate Publishing fan page. In the following weeks you will have the opportunity so see the dedication and heart each person puts in their writing. This week I am interviewing Karina Harris.
1.What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
My name is Karina Harris. The title of my book is "Second Chance".
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I believe my readers would be interested to know that I grew up overseas. My parents were Baptist missionaries, and I spent much of my childhood and teen years in India and Thailand.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
As a teenager, I enjoyed writing poetry and short stories. I also wrote several short stories in college, but never did anything with them. After I married, started a career in education, and had children, the writing stopped for several years. This past year I moved to a new teaching position that gave me more free time. My children had reached the age where constant supervision was not necessary. And I felt the call of writing again. I began this book in January, and had an offer from Tate publishing in March.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I believe that characters are the key to a great story. So I spent quite a bit of time developing these characters before I ever started their story. I have been told that I have a gift in being able to describe things well, whether it be characters, scenery, or emotions in the book.
5. Are you a reader?
Yes!
6. What are you reading right now?
I just finished Julie Garwood's "Fire and Ice"; also an FBI romantic suspense.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
I have finished the second book in this saga and am working on the third. The second book is entitled "Third Time Around", and tells the story of Quinn and Emma. Quinn is the outgoing, photographer brother of Avalin (our heroine in "Second Chance"). He is put on assignment with Emma, who is professional to a fault. They don't exactly "hit it off" to begin with, but circumstances continue to put them together. A twist in the plot is that someone is after Emma, has threatened her...but nobody knows who or why.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
My biggest obstacle is that I don't know the end of the story when I begin it. That makes it wonderfully fun at times, because it unfolds much like a movie in my mind. There have been times, though, when I don't know where to go next with the story (like the "pause" button has been hit), and it is quite frustrating on those days!
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
Second Chance:
Avalin Summers’s life changes forever when she is told her parents may not be dead.
In the romantic suspense novel Second Chance, Karina Harris weaves an intriguing tale of hope and uncertainty in the story of Avalin Summers, an art student who is fiercely loyal to her older brothers, Jaden and Quinn. When Jaden requests a family meeting at their childhood farm in Colorado, she doesn’t question him. But what she discovers is something she hasn’t dared to dream about for the past five years.
Agent Ian Martin has spent a year investigating the case of part-time FBI operatives John and Rosemary Summers and the suspicious conclusion to their last mission. Recent intelligence hints they may not have died in the European plane crash, but he needs the help of the Summers’s grown children, Jaden, Quinn, and twenty-one-year-old Avalin, to find out. At the family meeting, Ian presents evidence that suggests their parents may have escaped capture and fled to Portugal.
The siblings’ lives are turned upside down when they learn their parents were working as undercover agents. Hoping they are alive, Quinn and Avalin eagerly join Ian in his search. When they land in Lisbon, they are bombarded with even more uncertainties. Thrown together by circumstances fraught with danger, betrayal, and heartache, Ian and Avalin uncover something special in each other. As events unfold, Ian and Avalin begin to question their beliefs in their government, their families, and even God as they look for someone they can trust. Will they find love on their journey together? Will they discover the truth about the Summers’s parents before it’s too late? Find out in Second Chance.
Third Time Around
Harris brings us back to the Summers family in this gripping tale of suspense and romance. Quinn Summers has been assigned to Peru, as the photographer for a National Geographic expose on a Native Indian tribe. Expecting a short, two day stint, he encounters instead a situation which changes his life.
Emma McDonnell is a career driven journalist who has just received her big break. She has been given her first lead assignment for National Geographic, and she is determined to make it perfect. She's not about to let the overly confident, incredibly handsome replacement photographer, Quinn Summers get in her way.
Events conspire to bring them together, both professionally and personally. Quinn becomes determined to discover the cause of the fear he sees behind her eyes. Emma begins to wonder if perhaps Quinn is someone she should trust.
Just as their relationship begins to strengthen, trouble explodes as someone from Emma's past returns to haunt her. Who is it? What does he want? Will Quinn and Emma be able to discover the identity of the would-be kidnapper before its too late?
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
My blog is: karinabharris.blogspot.com
My website is: www.karinabharris.vpweb.com
Once the release date is set, people will be able to order a book through this website via PayPal. They will receive a signed copy.
Monday, August 17, 2009
What's He Really Thinking? How to be a Relational Genius With the Man in Your Life by Paula Rinehart
I have read a boatload of books on marriage and how to understand your man. "What's He Really Thinking?" published by Thomas Nelson ranks among the best of what I have read. There is a lot of wisdom within the pages that I had not heard put in the way that Paula Rinehart voiced it. The principles are not only for marriage but for relationships with all the men in your life whether it be husband, son, brother, father, or boss.
One of the most profound statements in the book to me was to treat the relationship as if it were a very small fragile child that you must protect. Going at one another with cutting phrases and harshness should be withheld for the health of the relationship. Anger happens but reactions must be tempered.
"Treasure the moments" was also a phrase that arrested me. It seems that we seem to work toward the big events of our lives but the bulk of life is the small moments of each day. Those are the things we miss most after the person is gone.
The last pages are questions for discussion. These questions are unlike any that I have ever thought to ask my husband. They are a window into a man's mind and how he thinks. They are questions that are even profitable to ask yourself. I recommend this book.
Elaine Littau
author of Nan's Journey & Elk's Resolve
One of the most profound statements in the book to me was to treat the relationship as if it were a very small fragile child that you must protect. Going at one another with cutting phrases and harshness should be withheld for the health of the relationship. Anger happens but reactions must be tempered.
"Treasure the moments" was also a phrase that arrested me. It seems that we seem to work toward the big events of our lives but the bulk of life is the small moments of each day. Those are the things we miss most after the person is gone.
The last pages are questions for discussion. These questions are unlike any that I have ever thought to ask my husband. They are a window into a man's mind and how he thinks. They are questions that are even profitable to ask yourself. I recommend this book.
Elaine Littau
author of Nan's Journey & Elk's Resolve
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Mess Ups
Those of you who get my weekly newsletter will notice that I messed up. (Stop laughing. I know that you know I mess up.) Anyway, as I schedule each author interview I just copy and paste it on the old newsletter and on Wednesday night or Thursday morning I update my thoughts and my part of the newsletter. This week my computer refused to sign in Wednesday night or Thursday morning so I have made a mess. The truth is, the interesting part is intact. That is the part that features author, Donna Vinke. Her part is lovely. I appreciate Donna for taking time to answer my questions. Be sure to get her book after you read this interview.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
My name is Donna Vinke and I wrote Heaven at Seven.
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I'm not sure about this question but maybe that Lynne and Johnny are my children and I know for sure that I will see them again.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer? about 3 o'clock in the morning on Christmas eve 1996
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I'm so new at this I'm not sure what my writing style is. I just write what I believe God is putting in my heart and mind.
5. Are you a reader?
yes
6. What are you reading right now?
Windows of the Soul by Ken Gire
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it. no
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them? Time. I'm learning to make the time to put my thoughts on paper.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.Heaven at Seven
See the eternal city from a child's eyes
by Donna Eden Vinke "When Lynne took a train ride that took her over Pike's Peak, she was sure she had found heaven. A brilliant spectrum of colors could be seen in the sky as she rode past the clouds over the mountain. She was filled with the peace she knew only heaven could bring. But as she found out, heaven was even greater than her dreams. In this beautiful, lovingly written novel, a young girl enters heaven and is given a special task: she is to record her spectacular journey in a journal that will be given to the people of earth. The beauty and wonder of heaven fascinate her, and she is overjoyed to worship her Heavenly Father in his throne room, a magnificent, breathtaking place. Her thoughts come alive for the reader as she shares her story. Join Lynne as she experiences Heaven at Seven."
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
My name is Donna Vinke and I wrote Heaven at Seven.
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I'm not sure about this question but maybe that Lynne and Johnny are my children and I know for sure that I will see them again.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer? about 3 o'clock in the morning on Christmas eve 1996
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I'm so new at this I'm not sure what my writing style is. I just write what I believe God is putting in my heart and mind.
5. Are you a reader?
yes
6. What are you reading right now?
Windows of the Soul by Ken Gire
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it. no
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them? Time. I'm learning to make the time to put my thoughts on paper.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.Heaven at Seven
See the eternal city from a child's eyes
by Donna Eden Vinke "When Lynne took a train ride that took her over Pike's Peak, she was sure she had found heaven. A brilliant spectrum of colors could be seen in the sky as she rode past the clouds over the mountain. She was filled with the peace she knew only heaven could bring. But as she found out, heaven was even greater than her dreams. In this beautiful, lovingly written novel, a young girl enters heaven and is given a special task: she is to record her spectacular journey in a journal that will be given to the people of earth. The beauty and wonder of heaven fascinate her, and she is overjoyed to worship her Heavenly Father in his throne room, a magnificent, breathtaking place. Her thoughts come alive for the reader as she shares her story. Join Lynne as she experiences Heaven at Seven."
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Funny Things Always Seem to Happen to Us
This morning I went into the post office in my small town to pick up a package that was too large for our mailbox. Paula waited on me and grinned. "Tangle with any bears this week?" She said.
"Nope, not this week." I said.
She came back with the small package and it looked terrible. It was caved in and we decided that it looked like it had been dropped from a plane.
Of course that made me think of a story. When Terry was cubmaster of our cubscout troup, the kids were supposed to pack a raw egg into some kind of package so that when it was dropped from an airplane it would not break.
The trouble was that the airplane arrangements fell through. No pilot. No plane. Dissappointed cubscouts. Terry and the den mothers' husbands climbed upon the camp building at our nearby lake and hurled the packages to the ground with all their might. The trouble was, too many of the raw eggs failed to break. We only had three or so prizes. I don't remember if our kid's eggs broke or not.
Paula grinned and said, "Everything happens to ya'll!"
I guess she could be right.
I am continuing with featuring Tate Publishing and Enterprise Authors. I have "met" most of them through facebook and the Tate Publishing fan page. In the following weeks you will have the opportunity so see the dedication and heart each person puts in their writing. This week I am interviewing Laura Wintczak Eckroat.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Hi -- My name is Laura Wintczak Eckroat and the name of my book is The Life of Bud
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I am a Kindergarten Teacher.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
I have always loved to write ... I was just scared to let people read what I wrote!
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I write from my heart and I want readers of my books to feel what I am feeing as they read
5. Are you a reader?
Yes ... I love to read ...
6. What are you reading right now?
I just finished Merle's Door and Animals In Translation. I am now reading The Effects of Light
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication?Tell about it.
I have a few books that I am working on ... but my second book is in publication now ... it is called A Simpler Time ... it is about a mother and daughter sharing special times together without technology!
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
I think my biggest obstacle is just sitting down and finding quiet time to write .... I need an office to write -- maybe someday!
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
The Life of Bud -- This is the story of life and how important we all are and how hard it is to let go in the end. The story follows Bud, who starts out in life as a tiny bud -- he feels insignificant. But Bud grows into a beautiful, vibrant leaf on the Mighty Oak Tree and becomes a very important part of the tree.
My book can be used to gently talk about life and death to a child, it can be used as a comfort to any adult who has lost a loved one, and it is being used in many classrooms to teach the seasons and the life cycle.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
Readers can contact me at thelifeofbud@aol.com . I am still tweeking my website -- lauraeckroat.tatepublishing.net ,
My book is available at tatepublishing.com, or amazon.com, or barnesandnoble.com. Tate Publishing has also turned my book into a coloring book which is very neat! If anyone is interested in a coloring book, they can contact me at thelifeofbud@aol.com -- the cost of the coloring books is $5.00 and they are available directly through me.
"Nope, not this week." I said.
She came back with the small package and it looked terrible. It was caved in and we decided that it looked like it had been dropped from a plane.
Of course that made me think of a story. When Terry was cubmaster of our cubscout troup, the kids were supposed to pack a raw egg into some kind of package so that when it was dropped from an airplane it would not break.
The trouble was that the airplane arrangements fell through. No pilot. No plane. Dissappointed cubscouts. Terry and the den mothers' husbands climbed upon the camp building at our nearby lake and hurled the packages to the ground with all their might. The trouble was, too many of the raw eggs failed to break. We only had three or so prizes. I don't remember if our kid's eggs broke or not.
Paula grinned and said, "Everything happens to ya'll!"
I guess she could be right.
I am continuing with featuring Tate Publishing and Enterprise Authors. I have "met" most of them through facebook and the Tate Publishing fan page. In the following weeks you will have the opportunity so see the dedication and heart each person puts in their writing. This week I am interviewing Laura Wintczak Eckroat.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Hi -- My name is Laura Wintczak Eckroat and the name of my book is The Life of Bud
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I am a Kindergarten Teacher.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
I have always loved to write ... I was just scared to let people read what I wrote!
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I write from my heart and I want readers of my books to feel what I am feeing as they read
5. Are you a reader?
Yes ... I love to read ...
6. What are you reading right now?
I just finished Merle's Door and Animals In Translation. I am now reading The Effects of Light
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication?Tell about it.
I have a few books that I am working on ... but my second book is in publication now ... it is called A Simpler Time ... it is about a mother and daughter sharing special times together without technology!
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
I think my biggest obstacle is just sitting down and finding quiet time to write .... I need an office to write -- maybe someday!
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
The Life of Bud -- This is the story of life and how important we all are and how hard it is to let go in the end. The story follows Bud, who starts out in life as a tiny bud -- he feels insignificant. But Bud grows into a beautiful, vibrant leaf on the Mighty Oak Tree and becomes a very important part of the tree.
My book can be used to gently talk about life and death to a child, it can be used as a comfort to any adult who has lost a loved one, and it is being used in many classrooms to teach the seasons and the life cycle.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
Readers can contact me at thelifeofbud@aol.com . I am still tweeking my website -- lauraeckroat.tatepublishing.net ,
My book is available at tatepublishing.com, or amazon.com, or barnesandnoble.com. Tate Publishing has also turned my book into a coloring book which is very neat! If anyone is interested in a coloring book, they can contact me at thelifeofbud@aol.com -- the cost of the coloring books is $5.00 and they are available directly through me.
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Today's Wild Card author is:
and the book:
100 Ways to Simplify Your Life
Publisher: FaithWords; Lrg edition (November 12, 2008)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
JOYCE MEYER is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, she has written more than seventy inspirational books, including The Confident Woman, Look Great, Feel Great, and the entire Battlefield of the Mindfamily of books. She has also released thousands of audio teachings as well as a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life® radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences. Joyce and her husband, Dave, are the parents of four grown children and make their home in St. Louis, Missouri.Visit the author's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $16.99
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: FaithWords; Lrg edition (November 12, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446509396
ISBN-13: 978-0446509398
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Introduction
Everyone has them: those days where nothing seems to get done, except maybe what you’ve added to your already lengthy to-do list. Are you tired most of the time? Are you spent? Do you find yourself wish- ing for a better day—a simpler day? Too many things compete for your limited resources of attention, energy, and time. You may be suffocat- ing and not even know it. If you feel like this, you’re not alone.
Most people today live complicated lives that leave them frustrated and confused, weary and worn out. But I have good news: your life does not have to be that way. You can choose a life of simplicity, fruitfulness, fulfillment, peace, and joy. I want to warn you, however, unless you are determined not to, you will do what everyone else does. You will get sucked up in the system and spend your life wishing things were different, never realizing you are, in fact, the only one who can change things. Unless we are resolute and remain undaunted in our quest for simplicity, we are destined for complication and frustration.
I recall a time when I was complaining to God about my schedule being absolutely insane. How could anyone be expected to do all I had in front of me? Then the realization hit me that I was the one who made my schedule and nobody could change it but me. You can spend your lives wishing things were different, but wishing won’t change anything. Smart decision making and decisive action is what changes things. If you picked up this book looking for change, are you willing to make a decision and follow it up with action?
I wasted many years hoping life would change and things would calm down until I finally realized life itself doesn’t change; in fact, it has the potential to get worse. I understood my only real option was to change my approach to life. I had to say no to another day of rushing around and feeling frustrated. I didn’t want the doctor giving me another pre- scription to mask another symptom of the real problem—stress.
In my search for simplicity, I have come to believe life can never be simple unless I learn to approach all things simply. It is my attitude toward each event in life that determines how easy or complex each situation will be. Perhaps life is complicated because people are compli- cated. Is it possible that life is not complicated, but rather, individuals complicate life in the way they approach it?
I discovered it wasn’t really life or circumstances or other people as much as it was me that needed to change. My problem wasn’t the problem—I was the problem! When you spend your life in frustration trying to change the world and everyone in it, you fail to realize it could be you just need to change your approach to life. It can be very easy for someone to live an entire lifetime and never entertain the notion that the way they do things is the real problem.
Have you ever attempted to have friends over for what you initially intended to be a simple afternoon of food, fellowship, and fun, but somehow, it turned into a complicated nightmare? I remember those days vividly. I’d be at church on Sunday and, without much forethought, invite three couples over for the following Sunday to a barbecue. My initial thought was hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, baked beans, potato chips, and iced tea. My motive was fellowship and fun, but by the time the guests arrived, I didn’t even want them there. Fun was not going to happen, at least not for me. Why? I turned my simple get- together into a nightmare of preparation, expensive food, and fourteen people instead of the original six. My complicated approach to life and my complicated thought process convinced me hot dogs and hamburg- ers weren’t nice enough so I bought steaks we could not afford. My potato chips turned into a huge bowl of homemade potato salad. The simple baked beans became four side dishes I labored over.
Insecure and wanting to impress everyone, I had to spend the week cleaning and getting everything in the house to the point where I thought it would be impressive. Of course, the lawn chairs were old, so I bought new ones. I got angry at Dave because I thought he wasn’t help- ing me enough, and by the time our friends arrived, I resented them, wished they hadn’t come, and had a miserable day of pretending to be the happy hostess when in reality I was frustrated and miserable.
I could not figure out why I wasn’t able to enjoy much of anything in life until God revealed to me I was killing my joy with complication. For years, I prayed God would change the people and circumstances around me when, in reality, He wanted to change me and my approach to life. He wanted me to simplify so, ultimately, He could be glorified.
Let me share with you 100 ways to approach living that can simplify your life and, in turn, release and increase your joy. I believe they will dramatically improve the quality of your everyday experience if you incorporate them into the way you do things. Jesus said He came so we might have and enjoy our life in abundance (see John 10:10). His prin- ciples are simple. Faith is simple! Trusting God is simple! A childlike approach to Him is simple! The plan of salvation is simple!
Jesus offers us a “new way of living,” and I believe it is a simple, yet powerful way that enables us to enjoy everyday life. Are you ready to simplify your life? Are you ready to say good-bye to the complexities you’ve allowed to take over? Let’s get started.
Do One Thing at a Time
When we do things without truly focusing our minds on them, we immediately decrease our strength to do the work before us and do it well. By putting our hands to one thing and our mind to another, we divide the muscle behind our abilities and we make the task much more difficult. It’s like removing an egg yolk from the egg white—both can be used separately but the result isn’t as effective (or tasty) as it would be if we leave the egg whole. However, by directing all of our faculties to the one thing we are doing on a particular day, at that hour, at that moment, we find it much easier to do. The ability to concentrate and stay focused can only come from discipline.
The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6 to be anxious for nothing. Anxious people are always trying to live ahead of where they currently are. They spend today trying to figure out tomorrow and the result is the loss of simplicity. God expects us to trust Him with tomorrow just as He instructed the Israelites to do when they crossed the barren wil- derness, pressing toward the Promised Land.
Practice living one day at a time; give yourself—your thoughts, your conversation, your energies, every part of you—to the day at hand.
100 Ways to Simplify Your Life
1. Develop an ability to give yourself to what you are doing. You will sense an awareness enabling you to enjoy the current activity, instead of going through each day in a blur of activity and confusing thoughts which leave you drained and exhausted.
Do you fear you will not accomplish as much if you try to live this way? It’s true you may not do as much, but you will also enjoy what you do a whole lot more. One key to simplicity is realizing that quality is far superior to quantity.
Everyone has them: those days where nothing seems to get done, except maybe what you’ve added to your already lengthy to-do list. Are you tired most of the time? Are you spent? Do you find yourself wish- ing for a better day—a simpler day? Too many things compete for your limited resources of attention, energy, and time. You may be suffocat- ing and not even know it. If you feel like this, you’re not alone.
Most people today live complicated lives that leave them frustrated and confused, weary and worn out. But I have good news: your life does not have to be that way. You can choose a life of simplicity, fruitfulness, fulfillment, peace, and joy. I want to warn you, however, unless you are determined not to, you will do what everyone else does. You will get sucked up in the system and spend your life wishing things were different, never realizing you are, in fact, the only one who can change things. Unless we are resolute and remain undaunted in our quest for simplicity, we are destined for complication and frustration.
I recall a time when I was complaining to God about my schedule being absolutely insane. How could anyone be expected to do all I had in front of me? Then the realization hit me that I was the one who made my schedule and nobody could change it but me. You can spend your lives wishing things were different, but wishing won’t change anything. Smart decision making and decisive action is what changes things. If you picked up this book looking for change, are you willing to make a decision and follow it up with action?
I wasted many years hoping life would change and things would calm down until I finally realized life itself doesn’t change; in fact, it has the potential to get worse. I understood my only real option was to change my approach to life. I had to say no to another day of rushing around and feeling frustrated. I didn’t want the doctor giving me another pre- scription to mask another symptom of the real problem—stress.
In my search for simplicity, I have come to believe life can never be simple unless I learn to approach all things simply. It is my attitude toward each event in life that determines how easy or complex each situation will be. Perhaps life is complicated because people are compli- cated. Is it possible that life is not complicated, but rather, individuals complicate life in the way they approach it?
I discovered it wasn’t really life or circumstances or other people as much as it was me that needed to change. My problem wasn’t the problem—I was the problem! When you spend your life in frustration trying to change the world and everyone in it, you fail to realize it could be you just need to change your approach to life. It can be very easy for someone to live an entire lifetime and never entertain the notion that the way they do things is the real problem.
Have you ever attempted to have friends over for what you initially intended to be a simple afternoon of food, fellowship, and fun, but somehow, it turned into a complicated nightmare? I remember those days vividly. I’d be at church on Sunday and, without much forethought, invite three couples over for the following Sunday to a barbecue. My initial thought was hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, baked beans, potato chips, and iced tea. My motive was fellowship and fun, but by the time the guests arrived, I didn’t even want them there. Fun was not going to happen, at least not for me. Why? I turned my simple get- together into a nightmare of preparation, expensive food, and fourteen people instead of the original six. My complicated approach to life and my complicated thought process convinced me hot dogs and hamburg- ers weren’t nice enough so I bought steaks we could not afford. My potato chips turned into a huge bowl of homemade potato salad. The simple baked beans became four side dishes I labored over.
Insecure and wanting to impress everyone, I had to spend the week cleaning and getting everything in the house to the point where I thought it would be impressive. Of course, the lawn chairs were old, so I bought new ones. I got angry at Dave because I thought he wasn’t help- ing me enough, and by the time our friends arrived, I resented them, wished they hadn’t come, and had a miserable day of pretending to be the happy hostess when in reality I was frustrated and miserable.
I could not figure out why I wasn’t able to enjoy much of anything in life until God revealed to me I was killing my joy with complication. For years, I prayed God would change the people and circumstances around me when, in reality, He wanted to change me and my approach to life. He wanted me to simplify so, ultimately, He could be glorified.
Let me share with you 100 ways to approach living that can simplify your life and, in turn, release and increase your joy. I believe they will dramatically improve the quality of your everyday experience if you incorporate them into the way you do things. Jesus said He came so we might have and enjoy our life in abundance (see John 10:10). His prin- ciples are simple. Faith is simple! Trusting God is simple! A childlike approach to Him is simple! The plan of salvation is simple!
Jesus offers us a “new way of living,” and I believe it is a simple, yet powerful way that enables us to enjoy everyday life. Are you ready to simplify your life? Are you ready to say good-bye to the complexities you’ve allowed to take over? Let’s get started.
Do One Thing at a Time
The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is, on the contrary, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything elseówe are the busiest people in the world.
ÓERIC HOFFER
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection].
—Hebrews 12:2
When we do things without truly focusing our minds on them, we immediately decrease our strength to do the work before us and do it well. By putting our hands to one thing and our mind to another, we divide the muscle behind our abilities and we make the task much more difficult. It’s like removing an egg yolk from the egg white—both can be used separately but the result isn’t as effective (or tasty) as it would be if we leave the egg whole. However, by directing all of our faculties to the one thing we are doing on a particular day, at that hour, at that moment, we find it much easier to do. The ability to concentrate and stay focused can only come from discipline.
The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6 to be anxious for nothing. Anxious people are always trying to live ahead of where they currently are. They spend today trying to figure out tomorrow and the result is the loss of simplicity. God expects us to trust Him with tomorrow just as He instructed the Israelites to do when they crossed the barren wil- derness, pressing toward the Promised Land.
Practice living one day at a time; give yourself—your thoughts, your conversation, your energies, every part of you—to the day at hand.
100 Ways to Simplify Your Life
1. Develop an ability to give yourself to what you are doing. You will sense an awareness enabling you to enjoy the current activity, instead of going through each day in a blur of activity and confusing thoughts which leave you drained and exhausted.
Do you fear you will not accomplish as much if you try to live this way? It’s true you may not do as much, but you will also enjoy what you do a whole lot more. One key to simplicity is realizing that quality is far superior to quantity.
The Blog Tour for "Nan's Journey" Begins July 23
It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Today's Wild Card author is:
and his/her book:
Tate Publishing & Enterprises (January 2, 2008)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Littau is a life-long resident of Perryton, TX. She met husband, Terry at the Apostolic Faith Bible College in Baxter Springs, Kansas in 1974. They married March 1, 1975 and reside on a small acreage near Perryton where they enjoy spending time with their family and friends. They raised three sons and now have three daughters-in-law and four grandchildren added to their family. They also enjoy visiting with their extended family located in Perryton, Clear Lake, Laverne, and Amarillo.
Author Elaine Littau is a busy woman who by profession is the church secretary for Harvest Time First Assembly of God Church in Perryton. Among other things she has led women’s groups and taught preschool, and was a mentor for the M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Preschoolers) group in her community. She has been active in Toastmasters and enjoys painting, crafts, and playing piano and organ. She was recently appointed to the Campus Education Improvement Committee for Wright Elementary in Perryton. She belongs to Christian Storytellers and Faith Writers writing groups.
“Nan’s Journey” was written over the course of several years. “A salvation message is at the core of the book.” Littau says. “If it weren’t for the Lord, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. I truly enjoy meeting new people.”
Littau is currently working on two other books that are continuations of “Nan’s Journey.” Book signings and speaking engagements are currently set up for venues in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Oregon.
Visit the author's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 188 pages
Publisher: Tate Publishing & Enterprises (January 2, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602478325
ISBN-13: 978-1602478329
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Chapter One
It was late. The moon had risen and the night symphony was in full force. Crickets chirped at their rivals, the frogs, and dominated the night chorus. Only one sound in the forest was foreign—a whimper from under the ferns. At the base of the largest pine in the woods was a small form crying, moaning, and whimpering. Black hair, matted and dirty, hung in long ropes down the front of the tiny girl. She had been in this spot for hours. At least that is what it felt like to her. Stretching, she cried out in pain. The blood-covered welts burst open to bleed again. Her back was wet with blood, and her dress was torn and useless.
Why had she dared to speak to the woman that she was obliged to call mother in that way? She knew that talking was not allowed from children before chores were finished. The accusations being made by “Ma” were totally false and she could not let Elmer take the blame for something she herself had forgotten to do. She shut her eyes tight against the memory, but it intruded anyway.
She had just gotten up to take the water off the stove to make up dishwater for the supper dishes. Ma had stepped outside the room to turn down her bed and prepare for sleep. When she reappeared in the kitchen, she realized that the wood supply next to the stove was low. Elmer was standing next to the table gathering the plates for washing. “Elmer, where is the wood you were supposed to bring up to the house?” Before he could answer, a hand had slapped him across his face. Getting back onto his feet and standing as tall as a five year old can stand, he looked her in the eye and said, “Ma, I was sick today, ‘member?”
“So, Elmer, you’re going to play up that headache trick again. Nan, didn’t your good for nothing Mama teach you people how to work, or are you just lazy?”
“Our Mama was good! Don’t you say mean things about her!” Nan yelled as her heart raced at the assault against her real Mama’s character.
“What about it, Elmer, are you like your weakling Mama or what?” Elmer’s eyes became very large and filled with tears. He could barely remember his real Mama, but when he did, he remembered soft kisses and sweet singing and a beautiful face. “I’m sorry; I’ll get the wood now.”
“No, Elmer, don’t. I promised you I’d do it today when your head was hurting, but I forgot. I’ll get it after I do these dishes.”
“Listen here, Nan, I’m the boss around here and Elmer will do what I say, when I say, and you will respect me.”
Nan’s eyes widened.
“Don’t look at me like that, little girl.”
Nan held her breath.
“Well, I guess you will be making a trip to the wood shed…with me!” Ma had grabbed her by the arm and jerked her along behind the shed. The strap was hanging there, waiting. Whippings were becoming more and more frequent. After Ma’s husband left, they had taken on a more cruel form. The last whipping was more like a beating. It took days for the marks to scab over and heal. Little Elmer had come in that night and brought some horse medicine from the barn and applied it to the oozing marks.
The next afternoon when the schoolteacher came over, Ma had already formulated a story. “Mrs. Dewey, we missed Nan and Elmer today at school. Are they sick?” Ma lied the first time in her life and said, “Well Miss Sergeant, since Mr. Dewey is going to be gone for another four weeks, I need more help around here to get things done. I’m holding the kids out until he gets back.” Week after week went by, and Mr. Dewey still hadn’t come home. Everyday Ma grew more and more angry. It became more and more impossible to please her. When she began hitting Elmer, it was too much. Nan had to do something— right or wrong; things couldn’t stay the way they were.
The coolness of the earth had settled into Nan’s bones. She stood silently for a minute and carefully crept up to the farmhouse. As she opened the door, she saw that Elmer was in the pallet at the foot of the stove next to her bedroll. Ma was asleep in her room. The door held open with a rock. Slowly she began peeling off the dress and the dried blood stuck to it. She reached for the old shirt she normally wore over her wounds and under her dress. She had washed it today. It had bloodstains on it, but it would keep her from ruining another dress. She retrieved the old work dress that she wore when chores were messier than usual; it was the only one left. She put it on swiftly and shook Elmer awake with her hand over his mouth. “Baby, we must leave. Do you understand? Stay quiet and I will get some stuff to take with us.”
She found large old handkerchief and began looking for food supplies. There was one sourdough biscuit and about a cup of cold brown beans. She located her tin cup and another rag. She would probably need that. Three matches were in the cup on the stove. She would just take two. Suddenly she heard a sound from Ma’s room. A scampering sound… just a rat. Ma turned over. Her breathing became deep and regular. For once Nan wished that Ma snored. She tied the handkerchief in a knot over the meager food supplies, grabbed their bedrolls, and slowly opened the door.
“Come on, Elmer. Can you carry this food? I’ll get your bedding. That’s a good boy. We must hurry!”
The cold air bit at their faces, but they walked bravely on.
“Elmer, we must go tonight so we can get as far away as we can before Ma wakes up and sees that we are gone.”
For the next half hour the pair walked in silence through the familiar woods past the graves on the hill. In one, a mother dearly loved, in another, an infant who had died the same day as his mother, and the third, a father that only Nan had memory of. Elmer was only two years old when Pa died in the logging accident. Nan snapped out of her reverie and urged Elmer on. Molasses, Pa’s good old workhorse, stood in the pasture. He skidded the logs Pa cut with his axe. His legs hadn’t healed quite right, but Mama hadn’t let Mr. Dewey kill him because he was all she had left of the husband of her youth. Molasses was a faithful friend to Nan and Elmer. He stood there and waited for them to mount him.
“Molasses, take us to…” Nan realized then that they had nowhere to go. Mrs. Dewey had said that they were ungrateful little imps who didn’t realize she and Mr. Dewey were taking care of them out of kindness, and they could easily be put into an orphanage. Nan didn’t know anything about orphanages except what Mrs. Dewey…uh, Ma had told her. “Molasses, just take us out of here.”
Why had she dared to speak to the woman that she was obliged to call mother in that way? She knew that talking was not allowed from children before chores were finished. The accusations being made by “Ma” were totally false and she could not let Elmer take the blame for something she herself had forgotten to do. She shut her eyes tight against the memory, but it intruded anyway.
She had just gotten up to take the water off the stove to make up dishwater for the supper dishes. Ma had stepped outside the room to turn down her bed and prepare for sleep. When she reappeared in the kitchen, she realized that the wood supply next to the stove was low. Elmer was standing next to the table gathering the plates for washing. “Elmer, where is the wood you were supposed to bring up to the house?” Before he could answer, a hand had slapped him across his face. Getting back onto his feet and standing as tall as a five year old can stand, he looked her in the eye and said, “Ma, I was sick today, ‘member?”
“So, Elmer, you’re going to play up that headache trick again. Nan, didn’t your good for nothing Mama teach you people how to work, or are you just lazy?”
“Our Mama was good! Don’t you say mean things about her!” Nan yelled as her heart raced at the assault against her real Mama’s character.
“What about it, Elmer, are you like your weakling Mama or what?” Elmer’s eyes became very large and filled with tears. He could barely remember his real Mama, but when he did, he remembered soft kisses and sweet singing and a beautiful face. “I’m sorry; I’ll get the wood now.”
“No, Elmer, don’t. I promised you I’d do it today when your head was hurting, but I forgot. I’ll get it after I do these dishes.”
“Listen here, Nan, I’m the boss around here and Elmer will do what I say, when I say, and you will respect me.”
Nan’s eyes widened.
“Don’t look at me like that, little girl.”
Nan held her breath.
“Well, I guess you will be making a trip to the wood shed…with me!” Ma had grabbed her by the arm and jerked her along behind the shed. The strap was hanging there, waiting. Whippings were becoming more and more frequent. After Ma’s husband left, they had taken on a more cruel form. The last whipping was more like a beating. It took days for the marks to scab over and heal. Little Elmer had come in that night and brought some horse medicine from the barn and applied it to the oozing marks.
The next afternoon when the schoolteacher came over, Ma had already formulated a story. “Mrs. Dewey, we missed Nan and Elmer today at school. Are they sick?” Ma lied the first time in her life and said, “Well Miss Sergeant, since Mr. Dewey is going to be gone for another four weeks, I need more help around here to get things done. I’m holding the kids out until he gets back.” Week after week went by, and Mr. Dewey still hadn’t come home. Everyday Ma grew more and more angry. It became more and more impossible to please her. When she began hitting Elmer, it was too much. Nan had to do something— right or wrong; things couldn’t stay the way they were.
The coolness of the earth had settled into Nan’s bones. She stood silently for a minute and carefully crept up to the farmhouse. As she opened the door, she saw that Elmer was in the pallet at the foot of the stove next to her bedroll. Ma was asleep in her room. The door held open with a rock. Slowly she began peeling off the dress and the dried blood stuck to it. She reached for the old shirt she normally wore over her wounds and under her dress. She had washed it today. It had bloodstains on it, but it would keep her from ruining another dress. She retrieved the old work dress that she wore when chores were messier than usual; it was the only one left. She put it on swiftly and shook Elmer awake with her hand over his mouth. “Baby, we must leave. Do you understand? Stay quiet and I will get some stuff to take with us.”
She found large old handkerchief and began looking for food supplies. There was one sourdough biscuit and about a cup of cold brown beans. She located her tin cup and another rag. She would probably need that. Three matches were in the cup on the stove. She would just take two. Suddenly she heard a sound from Ma’s room. A scampering sound… just a rat. Ma turned over. Her breathing became deep and regular. For once Nan wished that Ma snored. She tied the handkerchief in a knot over the meager food supplies, grabbed their bedrolls, and slowly opened the door.
“Come on, Elmer. Can you carry this food? I’ll get your bedding. That’s a good boy. We must hurry!”
The cold air bit at their faces, but they walked bravely on.
“Elmer, we must go tonight so we can get as far away as we can before Ma wakes up and sees that we are gone.”
For the next half hour the pair walked in silence through the familiar woods past the graves on the hill. In one, a mother dearly loved, in another, an infant who had died the same day as his mother, and the third, a father that only Nan had memory of. Elmer was only two years old when Pa died in the logging accident. Nan snapped out of her reverie and urged Elmer on. Molasses, Pa’s good old workhorse, stood in the pasture. He skidded the logs Pa cut with his axe. His legs hadn’t healed quite right, but Mama hadn’t let Mr. Dewey kill him because he was all she had left of the husband of her youth. Molasses was a faithful friend to Nan and Elmer. He stood there and waited for them to mount him.
“Molasses, take us to…” Nan realized then that they had nowhere to go. Mrs. Dewey had said that they were ungrateful little imps who didn’t realize she and Mr. Dewey were taking care of them out of kindness, and they could easily be put into an orphanage. Nan didn’t know anything about orphanages except what Mrs. Dewey…uh, Ma had told her. “Molasses, just take us out of here.”
Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Westminster CO
Great book signing in Colorado!
Mardel Bookstore in Littleton, CO
Booksigning - Elaine