Lynn U. Watson's Blog, page 3

Welcome Liana George & Perfectly Placed!

Do you often fall for a book by its cover? We’re warned not to judge by outside appearances, but my first glimpse of the perfectly-designed cover of Liana George’s new book, Perfectly Placed, made me forget that advice immediately. Those red lanterns waving in the wind invited me right in.

Yes, I’ve read the book–the story equal to its cover!

Both her first book, Perfectly Arranged, and this one are set at least partially in China. Aware that Liana and her family lived in China for a period of time, I asked her to share how that experience influenced her Hopeful Hearts series. THANK YOU, LIANA, for sharing today.

The Story Behind My Story

by Liana George

 Writers are a curious bunch. We’re always listening, observing, reading, or studying to find our next story idea.

Yet despite being Nosy Nellies (or Neds), we usually end up using our own experiences as the genesis for our works. Why? Because it provides us the opportunity to process an experience and share, either for good or bad, what we went through.

Which means there’s usually a story behind the story you’re reading.

That was definitely the case for me and the three books in my Hopeful Heart Series. And today I’d like to pull back the curtain and tell you a little bit about mine.

How It All Began

In 2006, our family of four moved from Chatham, Illinois to Nanjing, China. It was a big change, but we loved every minute of it. It was an opportunity I’ll never forget and living there gave me plenty of story ideas.

Like the time my dad called me…

Sometime in 2007 or early 2008, my dad phoned from the States and said he needed a favor. Since he was watching my dog, handling my mail, and driving our car for us, I happily agreed to help him out. Thankfully, his request was not that much: he had a friend (we’ll call her Jill) whose father had just passed away. Sometime after her father’s funeral, Jill was rummaging through her father’s personal effects when she came across an unusual business card:

Jill found it odd that her father would have something like this in his possession. As far as she knew, he’d never been to China, never had any work dealings there, nor did he have any Asian friends. She was completely baffled!

Knowing that I was living in Nanjing and traveled to Shanghai quite often (it was a quick train ride between the 2 cities and offered us the best opportunity to feel like we were back in the Western world for a little while), she asked my dad to see if I would be willing to drive by the address listed on the card, take a picture of what was there, then send it back to her so she could solve this mystery.

Intrigued, I accepted the chance to play detective.

The next time I went to Shanghai with my driver, I gave him the card so we could go by the location, and I could nab a picture. After a few hours of fruitless searching, we couldn’t find it – my driver thought perhaps the card was so old that the street names had changed – and I had to report back that I couldn’t be of help after all.

Rather than throw away the card, though, I tucked it in my idea notebook for safekeeping. But the questions surrounding it always tickled at my brain: what was at that address and why did her father have this card?

I truly believed there was a story there. However, I was clueless about how to fully develop an idea into a book, so I did what most novice writers do: I put it on the backburner and hoped I would figure it out one day.

Putting the Pieces Together

Fast forward 5 or 6 years to 2013.

My family had been back in the States for a while (after a short stint in Germany) and I had started my own professional organizing business, By George Organizing Solutions. Part of my marketing plan included writing blog posts so I could connect with readers and showcase my organizing expertise. Creating those posts ignited my passion for writing once again and with it, the desire to pen a novel.

The only problem was I still didn’t know how to take an idea and make it into a book people would want to read. So as I had before, I pushed the thought aside and continued helping people bring order into their homes and lives.

Until 2017.

After years of struggling to figure out how to create a novel around the business card, I finally discovered how to bring my story to life.

One day I was telling a friend about the ins and out of my life as an organizer and how I often came across interesting “finds” while decluttering clients’ spaces. As I did, a connection between my job and the long-forgotten business card was forged. Why not write a story where my main character is an organizer whose client needs assistance going through her deceased father’s personal belongings? Then, working together, the pair discover an unusual Chinese business card which leads them on an overseas adventure to uncover a family secret.

It was as if I’d been struck by lightning!

With that simple premise, I began crafting my series. Perfectly Arranged begins Nicki Mayfield’s journey and her story continues in Perfectly Placed (releasing July 5) and concludes in Perfectly Matched (releasing April 2023).

And that is the story behind my story.

If you ask any author, they usually have one. I hope by sharing mine, I’ve shed some light on the books in my series and piqued your curiosity to consider reading them too!

A glimpse at the Perfectly Placed story:

Nicki’s tasked with making New Hope the perfect place for orphaned children.
So why has everything gone wrong?

Six weeks after leaving China, Nicki Mayfield returns to complete two critical tasks: restore order at New Hope Orphanage and re-connect with the little girl who stole her heart. However, between a stubbornly stone walling supervisor, missing documents, and personal tragedy, Nicki faces challenges at every turn. Is she the best person to bring order – and longevity – to the place these children call home?

Then, with the help of an unexpected ally, Nicki makes a life-altering decision that upends her well-planned life and the lives of those around her. Will she lose it all, or has she found the way to save what matters most?

About Liana

Liana George is a sought-after speaker, blogger, and author. Before pursuing a career in writing, she was a professional organizer and the former owner of By George Organizing Solutions in Houston. Her debut novel, Perfectly Arranged, Book One in The Hopeful Heart Series, was released in October 2021 from Scrivenings Press. When she’s not putting things in order or scribbling away, you can find her reading, traveling, or watching tennis.

Connect with Liana:

Her website

Facebook

Instagram

Goodreads

BookBub

Amazon Author Page

D-Day and Dad’s Day

I’m writing this blog post on D-Day, 2022, the 78th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Normandy. With Father’s Day less than two weeks away, I planned a tribute to dads–mine in particular. Then when down this meandering trail.

In search of family photos of my dad, I pulled this one from my stash. No, that’s not my mother with him, but his sister, Edna.

This is the first time I noticed the star hanging in their Summit, Illinois, home’s window. The stars noted a family member serving in the military. One star for each family member serving. (My other grandparents had three of them hanging in their window, indicating three of their sons serving. Gratefully, all of these were red stars. A gold one meant the serviceman/woman didn’t make it home.)

So, I looked up his service record, wondering if he may have been on the beach in Normandy that day. I know for some of the war he was stationed in Holland.

What I learned: He enlisted on June 10, 1942, as a private a few months short of his 28th birthday. I found his military I.D. number, but I can’t prove or disprove his involvement at Normandy. I believe by the war’s end he had advanced to the rank of Sargeant.

He met my mother in 1946, they married in 1947, and began their family four years later.

My growing-up years were filled with love, and peppered with storms.

God’s word tells us to honor our father and mother.

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God gives you. ~Exodus 20:12 (NASB)

Several years ago, I processed my backstory into a testimony to be shared in my Sunday School class. Over the years I’d shared tiny bits, but that day I called on the Spirit to lead me to honor my father’s memory in spite of many painful experiences.

Dad–
*Studied the Bible faithfully, and knew God’s word quite well.
*Faithful provider — there was always shelter, clothing, and food.
*Faithful to the marriage bed.
*Believed strongly in being a person of integrity. When I consider the memories of my childhood, I see so many contradictions to this next statement. Nevertheless, he set a high standard for himself and his family.
*Dad was always ready for an adventure. Small ones and big ones alike.

One big adventure I remember. A trip across Route 66 when I was six years old, included a trip to Disneyland. Dad was as excited as his children.

I recently found this YouTube video documenting the early days of Disneyland. This was 1957, the year we visited. That big open mouth on the whale. I remember being so terrified of getting on the boat ride because he might chomp down on me as the boat floated into his mouth. Eventually, the parents convinced me to go, and Dad hung onto me tightly. And the House of the Future! The memories of that family trip resurfaced watching this video and had me searching for us among the visitors.

What family adventures do you recall from your childhood?

His Presence Like the Sun upon My Face

Cocooned in Jesus’ arms of love anytime is the most beautiful place to be. I find myself in a place of uncertainty right now, intensifying my desire to feel His presence like the sun upon my face.

I love this little book of promises, and those of you who read my blog already know I love sunflowers. Sunflowers raise their heads and draw near to the heavens–to God. Hoping in God, a chapter from this book, God’s Promises and & Answers for Women, includes a section entitled How to Draw Near to God.

This verse popped off the page.

My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. ~Psalm 62:5 (NKJV)

The instructions to my soul touched a tender spot in my heart. I searched for the verse in other translations, expanding the beauty of the message and the depth of God’s promises. Here it is in the New Living Translation.

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. ~Psalm 62:5 (NLT)

In another period of uncertainty and waiting, a friend felt God lead her to share this verse with me.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. ~Exodus 14:14 (NIV)

The promise from Psalms pulled me snuggly back to the one from Exodus reminding me again (and again) to be still, and expect Him to act on my behalf.

Are you in a season of waiting? If so, I pray these verses minister to you. And whatever season you are in, the Bible is full of promises from God to our waiting hearts. You’ll find them neatly organized by theme in this little book.

A little added point of interest — in the photo of the book you get to see a snippet of my new kitchen redo.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2022, Lynn U, Watson

Why a Courting Candle?

A young lady coming of age to begin dating often arouses fears for her parents. Many years ago my husband light-heartedly suggested we send our daughter to a convent until she was 30. Should we have invested in a courting candle?

Before you learn their real purpose, you might assume the spiraled courting candle adds ambiance to the room where a young couple enjoys each other’s company. Candles enhance romantic settings, but the courting candle’s purpose–a timer for how long the “date” could last.

In the 1600s-1800s, the young lady’s father set the time by how much he trusted the suitor and his desire to protect his daughter. Can you imagine that concept being acceptable today? Me either.

Responsibility for setting the courting candle boundaries belonged to the father. In a scene from Tangled Promises, the protagonist’s father allows her sister to chaperone and allows her the charge. I believe he knew how the whole family disliked the man he chose to court his daughter. He trusted Clara’s sister would twist and shorten the candle, causing it to burn down more quickly–and time for Georg to leave.

That might have been a sad moment if the girl really cared about the man. Clara was most grateful to end the evening early.

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ~2 Timothy 2:22 (ESV)

Learn more about courting candles at The Old Timey.

Scipture verse from: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Photo copyright 2019, Lynn U. Watson

Copyright 2022, Lynn U. Watson

Wearing Strength and Dignity

“Come on. Pull it tighter. I’m tough. Make it tight. Pull harder.” I remember my grandmother’s words like it was yesterday. Actually, it was 60+ years ago, and yes in the 1950’s and early 1960’s my grandmother still wore a corset. A trend she borrowed from the Victorian era. She grew up during the waning years of that era when fashion trends began shifting away from the need for these whale-boned and wired items of underwear.  Although miserably uncomfortable for the wearer, Grandma claimed a lady always wears one, at least when she dresses up. Women dressed up much more frequently mid-twentieth-century, but I’m not sure they all still wore corsets. In fact, I am pretty sure most of them did not. Wearing these dohickeys (modern word here) often caused health problems for women. One of the female characters in Tangled Promises finds herself in quite a compromised and embarrassing situation because she laced hers too tightly.

Do you wonder where the idea for this invention originated? I did. A sixteenth-century woman created them because Queen Catherine de’ Medici forbid women with thick waists from attending court. They became a necessity and cinched a woman’s waist to as tiny as 16 inches. A man (Napolean Bonaparte) started a campaign to eliminate them.

Learn more about corsets and their place in fashion history at The Weight She Carries, and at Tim Alderman’s “What Grabbed My Attention Today”. Among the many fun facts you’ll learn, you may be surprised to discoverr men wore them too.

King Solomon’s mother shared the best piece of fashion advice for women:

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  ~Psalm 31:25 (NIV)

Copyright 2022, Lynn U.Watson

Scripture quote is from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Heidi – My First Christian Fiction Read?

What was the first Christian Fiction book you read? My answer to this question posed in a social media post: Christy by Catherine Marshall. Released while we were in high school in 1967, many of my friends and I read and thoroughly enjoyed this story of faith set in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee. (Little did I realize then I would live in the state of Tennessee most of my life.)

Having recently set my mind to reread a few old classics of children’s literature, I chose Heidi by Johanna Spyri. As a child, I owned my own copy of this tale. I loved the story and read it so many times, but it was an abridged early-grade reader. Maybe because of it being a simpler version, or maybe because interweaving faith and story was common ages ago, I’ve just now discovered Heidi would be classified as Christian Fiction today.

There was Uncle Alp, Heidi’s grandfather, who had his own journey of faith from the crotchety old man wounded by his past, to the loving, doting, and kind man of faith he became. Heidi recognized God doesn’t always answer prayers the way we wish, but he always gives what’s best. If God had given her what she asked, Her friend Clara would never have visited her in the mountains and become well and learn to walk. Prayer, trusting God, and growing in faith permeate this story of life’s challenges.

I believe I just changed my answer to that question, but now I’m wondering how many others I read or were read to me that included elements of faith, way before the Christian Fiction genre was a thing.

Amazon lists the book as Literary Fiction. It’s doubtful Christian Fiction as a genre existed in 1881 when Johanna Spyri published Heidi, but it fits in every respect. I wonder how many other of the classic stories we read as children would find a home in Christian Fiction, as well? Which ones would you include?

Copyright 2022, Lynn U. Watson

Still: My word for 2022

The Eternal will fight on your behalf while you watch in silence. ~Exodus 14:14 (VOICE)

I’m not a worrier by nature, but I often find it very difficult to shut down a million random thoughts that choose to twist, jitterbug, and tango through my mind all day and into the night. Does anyone else relate?

God and I have had many discussions about me just sitting still and listening to Him. After all, listen was my word for the year last year, and here’s the verse to go with it.

Call to Me, and I will answer you. I will tell you of great things, things beyond what you can imagine, things you could never have known. ~Jeremiah 33:3 (VOICE)

During a particularly difficult time in 2020, He had a friend share the above verse from Exodus with me. It was perfect then. It still is perfect. I clung to the verse as a lifeline many days. As I contemplated a word for 2022, God reminded me of both of these verses. I beat myself up often, feeling like a failure in the listening department, but my Heavenly Father reminded me that I am still and I do listen.

He wakes me in the pre-dawn hours almost every day. I wonder why I’m not asleep at 4 AM. Truth is, my sleeping habits are weird, but I seem to manage at least seven hours a night. It’s in that wee hour, though, that I talk to God about the people He’s put in my life and on my heart (my prayer time). It’s the time he reminds me of details for my day–important ones that could otherwise be easily overlooked. It’s the time when He plants ideas and sparks my creativity in my writing and other pursuits. He reminds me that He works behind the scenes on my behalf in every situation I entrust to Him. I just need to be still.

It’s a time when I am still, and My Best Friend hands me treasures of His love in the stillness before the sun comes up each morning and the world begins to turn with the busyness of the day. Like the serene waters in the image above. The stars twinkle and the moon glows and the Creator of the Universe whispers truths and ideas that can only come from Him.

 

Copyright 2022, Lynn U. Watson
Scripture taken from The Voice. Copyright © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

 

Lynn’s Favorite Reads of 2021

Have you set a reading goal for 2022? I did for the first time last year. My plan: 52 books, 1 per week. How I surprised myself, reading 78 books. I could recommend at least 15 of them as favorite reads for the year, but I’ve controlled myself and kept it to a sampling of six. It feels like a slight to other authors whose stories I adore. Forgive me if you’re one of them.

If you’ve never set a reading goal, Goodreads makes it easy with their annual reading challenge. They also make it easy to leave a quick review when you’ve finished a book. Authors love it when you do!

2021 Favorites (in no particular order)

 

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron

I loved this story of war-torn Paris. A tender tribute to heroes and heroines who risked everything to resist the German SS onslaught. I give it four stars only because the jumping around in time made it more challenging to follow. The story is definitely worthy of 5!!!

 

 

 

 

The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper

A few words some might find offensive, but the story is well-told. Loved it! I’ll be reading more by this new-to-me author.

 

 

 

 

 

The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham

One of my favorite Christmas reads ever!

Difficult to put down and yet when I reached the end I could have read on forever about Gracelynn and Frederick’s sleuthing and adventures. I hope the author writes more of their story.

 

 

 

The House at the End of the Moor by Michelle Griep

Well-written. Touched on every emotion. The great characters and their stories kept me turning the pages!

 

 

 

 

 

In a Far Off Land by Stephanie Landsem

My last read of 2021 (and Goodreads put it into 2022). Since I finished on New Year’s Eve, I’m counting it here for 2021, and I’m counting it among my favorite reads.

A prodigal daughter with the best of intentions, the great depression, the lure of Hollywood, and what could possibly go wrong.
Wow! Well-done! Great story! Great characters! Well-researched. Keeps you turning the pages!

 

 

Dogwood Winter by Candace West

I’ve read it twice! Beautiful story the first time through. Fell in love with it the second time. West’s characters, their circumstances, and how they grow in faith and trust will draw you in and hold you ’til the end. Sal deserves a best-supporting actress award from the academy!

 

 

 

Copyright 2022, Lynn U. Watson 

He Came as a Baby – He Reigns as our King of Kings – and We Are Royalty

How I wish to quote a line from a worship song this past Sunday, but we’ll go with the gist of it instead. All of us are poor beggars, average Joes and Janes, but when we trust King Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He makes us royalty, promising us an eternal home in His heavenly palace.

As a reader and writer of historical fiction, I find this an ultimate irony. King Jesus, the King of all Kings, reaches down from His Palace in the heavenlies, to raise us up with Him. Those privileged to reign in earthly palaces often push those beneath them away (except as servants).

How often love grows between the commoner and the nobility. How often their alliance is forbidden and families shattered. Where is the kind of grace, mercy, and love Jesus offers?

This past Sunday liturgical churches celebrated Christ the King Sunday. A reminder He reigns above all kings and earthly authorities and invites us to come to Him and live like the royalty we are. He’ll never push us away or disown us. We enjoy the privilege of that heavenly royalty forever.

In the coming weeks will we focus on the coming of the Greatest King as a tiny Baby Boy? Will we focus on who we are because He came? Will we recognize those around us as beggars like us, needing His mercy, grace, and love–needing to be invited to meet the King of Kings? How will we extend our King’s invitation to the palace to those who need Him more than any other gift we offer?

But you are a chosen people, set aside to be a royal order of priests, a holy nation, God’s own; so that you may proclaim the wondrous acts of the One who called you out of inky darkness into shimmering light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received it

Copyright 2021, Lynn U. Watson
The songline is from “House of the Lord” by Phil Wickham. Learn more about the song, read the lyrics, and listen here.
Scripture taken from The Voice. Copyright © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Remembering: God, Family, and Inspiration

I met the girl in this photo when I was five years old. What I didn’t know then? Her story is a part of my heritage.

Before my parents brought me home from the hospital, Dad started a doll collection for his little girl. He purchased a tiny porcelain doll dressed in a pink-smocked dress from the hospital’s gift shop. She was soon joined by an even tinier porcelain doll in a diaper and bonnet with her own pacifier. I don’t recall receiving them, but I still have them. Friends and family added to the collection on birthdays and Christmas. I have limited memories of who they were from and when I received them.

I do remember receiving this little lady from the Black Forest in Germany. I don’t recall who the friends of my parents were that made the trip to Germany. What I do remember is, my father made a very big point to ask them to bring me a doll from the Schwarzwald (German for Black Forest). And they did! Her hair is so soft. Her clothes detailed even though she is a mere six inches tall. She was always one of my favorites and still is. For good reason.

I learned a little of my family’s story more recently. My mom’s grandmother came from a community in southwest Germany, very close to the Schwarzwald. She left her home and family and came to America under challenging circumstances for her, never to return. I now believe my dad considered this a way to honor my mom’s heritage, and bless me with a tiny part of it. Even though I had no knowledge of my great-grandmother’s story then, I choose to believe it’s exactly why she’s always been so special. My great-grandmother’s story inspires my current writing. I’m keeping this little lady by my side while I write. I never gave her a name, but from now on I’ll call her Clara–the name I bestowed on the protagonist in my stories.

While I don’t have curio cabinets full of collectibles, I have gathered a few collections over the years. My bookshelf headboard on my childhood bed held an accumulation of figurines from various trips my family made. Most of them had no relevance to the place–just things I loved at the moment. I especially remember an orange kitty with a blue butterfly on her tail, a mommy pink poodle with two pink poodle puppies leashed to her, and a sweet girl with an umbrella. She was a planter, too, with a long long philodendron plant traveling from her across the headboard and back. I’ve collected Christmas angels, nativities, Willow Tree® angels, and a very large snow village.

Except for a couple of dolls, a mantle full of Willow Tree®, and a few nativities, most of these collections are gone or packed away. As I pondered the fact, I wondered what collections have greater value than things. Sentiment and memories hold a very special place in our hearts–reminders of cherished memories and dreams. God means for us to have memories and dreams. No fault for collecting what’s dear to you.  Collecting Bible verses and promises, instilling them in your heart, in your journal, memorizing them, and sharing them with others promises to be more dear to you and brings God glory. Or consider the peace from writing thankful notes each day and collecting them in a jar to refer to in times of trouble.

Jesus’ words make remembrance important. He provides a Helper to encourage us to remember.

The Helper is the Holy Spirit. The Father will send Him in My place. He will teach you everything and help you remember everything I have told you. ~John 14:26 (NLV)

NOTE: Lest anyone question it, I did a little research on the Neustadterin word on the doll’s skirt. I think she was purchased in another town in another area of Germany, but represents the Schwarzwald in her dress and appearance.

 

Copyright 2021, Lynn U. Watson

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Life Version, copyright © 1969 and 2003. Used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. All rights reserved.