I just returned from a really, really hard trip. We attended the funeral of a dear friend who was killed in a parasailing accident while on vacation with friends. It’s been one of those slap-in-the-face circumstances, one that slams home the fact that life is so fragile. It can be over in a minute. A single heartbeat separates us at …
The Suffering Spectrum – Get Me to the End!
I’ve gone through some tough times lately. I’ve heard people say their faith was strengthened through tough times, and I know that’s biblical. In his letter to the Roman church, Paul described what I call a ‘suffering spectrum.’ He said that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. Personally, I’d like to move out of the suffering …
Rest for the Weary!
July, August, and September are very busy for me. Next week I’m wrapping up a six-week online writing course that has been intense – for me, the teacher, no less than for the eight students! I’m gearing up toward two conferences in September, the Utah Christian Writers Conference, where I’ll teach and serve as keynote speaker, and then American Christian …
Book Review – Montana Rose
Montana Rose by Mary Connealy Cassie Griffin’s husband dies, leaving her and her unborn child alone in a hostile territory where a single woman is considered fair game for whoever grabs her first. At the funeral, Cassie finds herself surrounded by a pack of woman-hungry men, and no one cares at all that she’s still reeling from her husband’s death. …
Book Review – The Enclave
The Enclave By Karen Hancock I’ve heard people rave about Karen Hancock’s Christian fantasy novels for years, but for some reason I’ve never read one. After reading The Enclave, I know that’s a serious oversight on my part. In The Enclave, main character Lacey is thrilled to have landed a job as a geneticist for one of the most prestigious …
ACFW Book of the Year Finalist!
A few days ago I received a fun phone call. The coordinator of the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year contest called to tell me my novel, Stuck in the Middle, is a finalist in this year’s Long Contemporary category! Yay! Even more fun, several of my dear friends are also finalists, in that and many other categories. …
Book Review – Blue Like Play Dough
Book Review – Blue Like Play Dough: the Shape of Motherhood in the Grip of God By Tricia Goyer Everything about this book is compelling: the title, the cover, and especially the memoir-style wisdom contained in its pages. Tricia Goyer is an awesome writer of both fiction and nonfiction, and her latest book is one of her best. By using …
Supernatural Peace
My husband and I have recently gone through some stressful times. To begin with, he was injured in a motorcycle accident. Nothing life-threatening, thank the Lord, but we didn’t know that at first. We spent five hours in the emergency room waiting for CAT scans and X-rays and so on. There’s nothing quite as stressful as long hours in the …
Hummingbird Lessons – the Boss is Back!
Last year, I told you about our backyard pets, the hummingbirds. (Click here to read that Journal entry.) One little guy claimed our yard as his territory, and guarded his space with jealous vigilence. We called him the Boss. I’m happy to report that the Boss is back! He zoomed in about a month ago and took up right where …
Book Review – Deadly Intent
Deadly IntentBy Camy Tang This book is Camy Tang’s first published romantic suspense, following her contemporary Sushi Series, but I certainly hope it isn’t the last. She brings her trademark snappy style to this book, and cranks up the tension in a first-rate mystery that will have you turning pages all the way to the end. The setting is a …