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2008 American Christian Writer’s Conference
I’m very excited to have the opportunity to attend the 2008 American Christian Fiction Writer’s conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 18-21. This will be my first full conference. If you know me well, you know that I am very shy, especially in crowds. One thing I am sure of is that this conference is sure to have a huge crowd. Another thing I’m sure of is that the knowledge and opportunity that this conference offers will be well worth being uncomfortable.
The other day a friend told be about a trick she uses to get warmed up in a group. She sets goal like, talk to five people wearing red, or talk to four people with brown hair. You get the picture. I think I’ll give it a try.
I’ve been listening to the audio from the 2008 Mount Hermon conference. I’m really loving the workshops that Angela Hunt taught. She will also be the key note speaker at the ACFW conference. Another great reason to jump into the unknown.
Some of you that read this blog are not writers, and you probably wonder why I would need to go halfway across the country. Couldn’t I read some books on writing or listen to more workshops on CD? Well, yes I could do that, but conferences also give writers the opportunity to meet with editors and agents, giving them the chance to pitch their manuscripts and ask questions.
If you’re interested in knowing more about ACFW, or the conference, go to http://www.acfw.com/.
On another note, I was offered a contract for a juvenile fiction book I wrote last year. I’ve had a chance to look over the contract and will be signing soon. I’m very excited to have A Typical Summer for Lilly McGilly available some time next year. Thanks so much to all of you that have been so encouraging. I really appreciate it.
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Searching for Spice by Megan DiMaria
I recently had the privilege of reading Megan DiMaria’s debut novel Searching for Spice. It’s the story of Linda Revere. Linda is approaching her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with concern that there should be a bit more spice between her husband and herself. The book starts out with Linda’s plans to revive the romantic side of her marriage but ends up tackling some deeper issues.
Megan DiMaria does an amazing job of dropping the reader directly into the scene. The main characters are so real I have a hard time believing that Linda and Jerry aren’t still living on somewhere in Colorado. Speaking of Colorado, be prepared to want to take a trip there after you read Searching for Spice. This is a fun book to take on vacation this summer.
My original plan was to give this book away in a drawing. However, a dear friend of mine is celebrating her thirtieths anniversary next month so I will be giving this to her to take on her romantic trip. Congratulation Barb and Bob!
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Random Events
It’s been a while since my last blog entry. In the last three weeks we have attended a beautiful and inspiring memorial service for an amazing man, our littlest child turned 7, we have all been touched by a bad cold, and the weather in Corvallis has gone from warm to cold to hot to freezing to warm again. All in all it’s been eventful.
Emma’s birthday was reminiscent of last years. We barbecued with friends again. Though all the days around her birthday were wet and cold, her actual day was great. We enjoyed the sun and even had to break out the sun screen. While I was enjoying pleasant conversation with friends I heard a loud crack. Not wanting to interrupt this wonderful time, I ignored it. Oops! That was a mistake. Moments later I looked down toward the barn to see Ryan’s steers roaming freely. They had broken one of the wood rails. Now, Ryan’s steers are very sweet but they were also very excited about being free. They tramped all over bounding and dodging us. Finally they gave in and went back in the pen. The funny thing is that last year Ryan’s steer broke out during Emma’s birthday barbecue too!
Today my husband, Jason, and his friend Tom are reroofing the little rental cottage on our farm. The job seems to be going well and to spectator eyes, fast.
Joshua is down in the lamb pen reading. Hopefully those crazy lambs will get use to him soon and calm down. Last year when we took the lambs to weigh in they were still pretty wild. One of them would only move by bouncing forward rather than walking.
I haven’t written much on my manuscript lately. I think I am feeling discouraged. Last week I had a good writing day when I left the house to work for a few hours. Hopefully I will be able to work out some time like that this week.
Well, I hope you all have a great week! Enjoy the sunshine.
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Courting Emma by Sharlene MacLaren
Last night I finished reading Courting Emma by Sharlene MacLaren. This is the third, and final installment in the Little Hickman Creek series. Set in 1896, we get to know the firm character of Emma Browning, owner and manager of the local boarding house. Thanks to years of abuse at the hands of her alcoholic father, Emma has built a strong wall around her heart. When the town’s beloved Pastor Jon moves in Emma finds herself changing.
Unpredictable curves and twists take the reader on a great ride, ending with an expected but satisfying conclusion. Characters are so well writen that they become vivid in the readers minds. Even characters with little input into the story stand out as unique individuals.
This story is filled with humor, sadness, spiritual lessons, and even mystery. Far and away, this was my favorite of the three books. The quality of writing increases with each story. Courting Emma could be read alone but I would recommend starting from book one, Loving Liza Jane. If you like historical christian romance, you’ll enjoy the Little Hickman Creek books.
