Anneliese Dalaba's Blog, page 27

First Line Friday

Pick up a book near you. Type the first line in the comments, along with the title of the book and the author.

The book I’m featuring this weeks is The Measure of Katie Calloway, written by Serena Miller.

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“A drop of rain seeped through the sodden roof of the Georgia cabin where Katie Calloway lay.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you would like to see what it’s about, just click on the title of the book above.

Now place your first line in the comments and then check out some more bloggers who participate in First Line Friday. Just click on the link below.

 

First Line Friday

Pick up a book near you. Type the first line in the comments, along with the title of the book and the author.

The book I’m featuring today is one of by favorites. I’ve read it twice! It’s Before the Season Ends by Linore Rose Burkard.

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Chesterton, Hertfordshire, England 1813

“Something would have to be done about Ariana.”

Mr. Philip Mornay is London’s current darling rogue. Ariana Forsythe is a sweet girl from the country with no experience in London society. Ariana and Mr. Mornay’s first encounter is rather embarrassing for Ariana. His response didn’t help matters. The story captured me from the start and I had a hard time putting it down.

Now place your first line in the comments and then check out some more bloggers who participate in First Line Friday. Just click on the name and it will take you to their blog.

Reading is My SuperPower ~~ The Christian Fiction Girl ~~ Faithfully Bookish ~~ Bookworm Mama ~~ Lauraine’s Notes ~~ A Baker’s Perspective ~~ Singing Librarian Books ~~ Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen ~~  ~~ Fiction Aficionado 

 

 

Breathtaking Views and a Sign

A cable car took us high up onto a mountain in Grindelwald, Switzerland. The view was breathtaking! It’s something we’ve seen in pictures and wondered if it could really be this magnificent if we saw it with our own eyes. Now, as we stood there taking it all in, the splendor was beyond description. Hiking around the top of a mountain over 7,000 feet above where we had parked our car, we gazed in wonder and gasped at the things we could see, wishing all our closest friends and family could be there to savor it all with us.

When we reached a certain peak, there was a sign someone had posted. It was there to remind travelers, tourists, and shepherds of who was responsible for all we could see. Whose hand created it. Who is worthy of our praise. I don’t know the person who posted the sign or how long ago it was placed there, but I realize they, too, were enraptured by all that stood before them and they knew who was responsible for putting it there.

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Praise the Lord. – Psalm 150:6

“Our land in all its splendor,

Its mountains, its corridors,

Are the witnesses of your might,

Traces of your fatherly goodness.

Everything in us bows,

Great things you have done.”

K. V. Greyerz

(Translation of poem by Curt Dalaba)

He Bought Me a Smartphone

“You need a smartphone,” he told me.

“Why?” I responded. “This phone does everything I need it to do. It lets me call people and receive calls from people. Everything else can wait until I get home and sit at my computer.” 

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When it was time to get a new phone, he bought me a smartphone. I use it all the time! What was I thinking? Life is so much easier with a smartphone.

 

“You should get a Kindle. It’s so much cheaper to buy books and it’s convenient, too,” he said.

“I love holding a book when I read. I’m on a computer for my work. Another screen in my face is the last thing I want when I find time to read,” was my response. 

He said, “You need an iPad. It’s so convenient. You can use it wherever you are. It’s more handy than a laptop.” (Which I didn’t have yet, since I thought a desktop was good enough for me.)

He bought himself a new iPad, so I decided I may as well give it a try. I inherited his older version and — I loved it!! It was SO CONVENIENT!! I could use it to find recipes and then place it on my counter as I cooked. I could do all kinds of research on it. And since the Kindle app is free, I decided that I may as well try that, too. Now I love reading on the Kindle app! I rarely buy books in hardcopy anymore. I can download tons of books and switch to whichever one I feel like reading. I can even highlight in my book. And if I don’t know the meaning of a word I come across, I only need to hold my finger on it and it gives me the definition!!! How exciting is that?!!!

 

If you haven’t caught onto it yet, the “he” I’m referring to is, of course, my husband. He keeps pushing me to educate myself about electronic devices, apps, and programs. If it were up to me, I’d probably still have a “dumb” phone and be typing in my Word Perfect program. (Anyone remember that one?)

You would think he would be content with his successful endeavors in my education, but no. He pushed me to start a blog. I’m on Facebook and on Twitter because of him. I now own a laptop — an Apple, of course. He said it only makes sense since I already have an iPad and an iPhone. I do my grocery list on my Reminders app. This was also his idea since we can share the app. He just types in whatever he needs me to pick up for him on his phone and it shows up on my phone. Oh, my friends, the list just keeps growing.

 

When I started writing my first book, he told me I needed to learn the Scrivener program. Everything within me wanted to rebel. I don’t want to learn another program! I have enough to do! But he started to explain how convenient it is for writers. He sent me information about the program with testimonials. Needless to say, I wrote my first book on Scrivener — and I’m so glad I did! It was so easy to move around in my book when it came time to edit. I effortlessly made character pages, a setting/scenery page, and so much more. I felt organized and not overwhelmed. When it came time to publish, the compile feature was amazing, and adaptable to whatever type of compiling I needed to do (PDF, Kindle, paperback, etc.).

Sssshhhhhh!!!! Don’t tell him, but I’m so glad he pushed me over the years. He was right! He has made my life easier, broader, more functional, very exciting, and practical! I love things that are practical! I love not feeling behind-the-times. And I love my man!!

First Line Friday

Pick up a book near you. Type the first line in the comments, along with the title of the book and the author.

The book I’m featuring today is The Courteous Cad (Miss Pickworth Book 3) by Catherine Palmer. All three books in this series are interesting reads, but I’ll feature the 3rd book today.

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“I shall never marry,” Prudence Watson declared to her sister as they crossed a busy Yorkshire street.

If you enjoy First Line Friday, here are some more blogs to read:

Reading is My SuperPower ~~ The Christian Fiction Girl ~~ Faithfully Bookish ~~ Bookworm Mama ~~ Lauraine’s Notes ~~ A Baker’s Perspective ~~ Singing Librarian Books ~~ Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen ~~

Go to Sleep

Sometimes the best thing you can do is go to sleep. Tomorrow is a new day. Put your work aside and turn your cares and concerns over to your Father who cares for you, and get some rest. “In peace I will both lie down and sleep. For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8 (NASB) 

After a good night of rest, you will be refreshed and able to face another day and accomplish your work. Goodnight.

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An Amazing Vacation

[image error]My husband and I just returned from traveling to Europe for two weeks to celebrate our 30-year wedding anniversary.

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We started out in Munich, Germany.

 

 

 

 

 

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Stayed a couple nights in Grindelwald, Switzerland and enjoyed some amazing scenery.

 

 

 

 

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We traveled down to Lago Maggiore, Italy, and stayed at a lovely Airbnb.

 

 

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Finally, we drove to Altach, Austria and visited some of my family.

 

 

 

 

It was an amazing vacation we will never forget. We had the opportunity to use the German language again, which was a lot of fun. We met many people in our travels, and each one played a part in the enjoyment of our trip. From the workers in hotels and restaurants, to our Airbnb host in Italy, to a young mother and toddler at a rest stop in Austria, to a street sweeper in Germany, my family, a priest, a 90-year old Austrian lady, and four young boys asking us to check out the goods they were selling in their backyard — everyone added to the richness of our experience in Europe. Even my aunt’s dog, Chuck. (After we left, my aunt told me Chuck walked around the house whining. Poor dog…)

On our last Sunday, we attended a church in Switzerland: Glaubenszentrum St. Margrethen. People greeted us as we walked up the stairs to enter the building. More people greeted us as we walked into the sanctuary. It was a warm and welcoming church. They sang the same songs we sing at our church in Michigan, except in the German language. The message was solid and the building was packed.

Now that we are home again, I want to contemplate all that I saw, tasted, felt, and experienced. Perhaps some of this will be implemented into my writing at some point in the future.

 

First Line Friday: The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest

Happy Friday!!! We just got back from celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in Europe. What an amazing trip that was!

Since it’s Friday, it’s time to grab the book nearest to you and type the first line of the book, as well as the title of the book and the author. The first line is crucial in pulling the reader into the book.

I want to share with you today the first line in The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest, by Melanie Dickerson.

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“The tip of the arrow found its mark, a perfect shot through the deer’s heart and lungs.”

Now it’s your turn. What is the first line of the book nearest you, fiction or nonfiction, or the book you just finished reading? Share it in the comments section of this blog post.

 

 

Have You Discovered Your Gift?

What’s your gift? A gift isn’t necessarily something you automatically do well. It’s usually something you have worked at, developed, studied, and now you rise above the average because you are gifted and you’ve applied yourself to grow in that area.

My husband taught himself to speak American sign language at the age of 14, eventually working at the New Jersey School for the Deaf as well as interpreting at church and at many events. At 16, he taught himself German. He’s speaks German fluently, writes in German, and even preaches sermons in the German language. Over our thirty-year marriage, I’ve heard many people say, “You’re so gifted in language learning!” He is gifted. There is no doubt about it. But it didn’t just happen. He didn’t wake up one day speaking German. He spent countless hours working on it. While others spent their time doing other things they enjoyed, my husband spent time in a book learning the German language and listening to German speakers. To this day, he continues immersing himself in the German language so he won’t lose what he learned. There are others who have invested the same amount of time, but will never speak German as well as my husband does. It is a gift. But a gift must be developed.

What interests you? What do you enjoy doing? Therein lies your gift. Study it, develop it, and immerse yourself in it. Grow in your area of interest. And then use it to the glory of God.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

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If your gift is writing, there are countless ways to use your gift, from sending encouraging emails, texts, and letters to publishing articles in magazines or writing books. Use your writing to encourage, teach, as well as for wholesome entertainment. As with any gift, the important thing is that you are faithful with using the gift you’ve been given to bring glory to God.

You may enjoy writing, but feel you will never be as good at it as perhaps John Grisham. Well, you don’t have to be him. All the things that you have experienced have made you the person you are today. You have a unique voice and you have something to offer to others. The important thing is for you to begin writing and keep writing. As you are writing, you will develop your voice and your gift.

Bonnie Friedman said, “Successful writers are not the ones who write the best sentences. They are the ones who keep writing.”

When I start writing, I usually only have a glimmer of an idea. It isn’t until I begin writing that my thoughts begin to form and I find myself going in a direction I could not have seen if I hadn’t sat down and started tapping away at my keyboard. I’ve tried writing out an entire outline first, and then start to write. It’s fine to do it that way, but I found myself rewriting most of my outline once the writing process began. Ideas come to me as I write. Find what works best for you, and then do it.

Anne Rice says, “If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If you feel blocked, write through it until you feel your creative juices flowing again. Write. Writing is what makes a writer, nothing more and nothing less.” 

Whatever your gift may be, you must develop it and use it. And as followers of Jesus, we must use our gifts to serve others and to bring glory to God. When my readers reach the end of my novel, I hope they will have enjoyed a clean romance, but I also hope they will find something in the characters of my story that will help them desire to become better people.

In the song, Little Drummer Boy, the writer had it correct when she wrote the lyrics. “Our finest gifts we bring…to lay before the King…” and later it says, “I played my best for Him…” And finally, “Then he smiled at me, pa, rum, pum, pum, pum. Me and my drum.” 

In order to give Him a fine gift, I must develop what He placed within me. In order to lay it before the King, I must use it to serve others, because Jesus said in Matthew 25:40 (NLT) “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”

Do you want Him to smile upon you? I do, too. So we must develop our gifts. Yes, I used the plural on purpose, for I’m sure you have more than one. There are many ways to serve others. I will close with this verse in 1 Peter 4:11 NLT that says it best.

“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

First Line Friday

I know it’s late in the day, but I’m going to try to start featuring a “First Line Friday” each week. Let’s see how consistent I’ll be. I hope you will participate. Just pick up the book nearest yo[image error]u and type the first sentence in the book in the comments below.

First sentences are essential. They pull you, the reader, into the story. I just finished reading Letter Perfect by Cathy Marie Hake. I’ve read many of her books and have enjoyed them all. But since I just finished that particular book, here is the first sentence from that novel. “Exactly how much damage can one tiny fish bone do?” Sound’s interesting, doesn’t it? Why is she asking the question? What is it that may get damaged? So you find yourself reading the next sentence and then the next. And that’s good story writing.

In case you’re interested in knowing what this book is about, I’ll give you a quick book review. The time period is 1859. Ruth is sweet and a bit quirky. She is not typical and, therefore, has been pushed aside and labeled a misfit. She grew up in Missouri, but journey’s west to meet her father, who she has never met before. When she arrives, she is understandably shocked to find out her father had passed away a while ago. His business partner, Josh McCain, now owns the ranch, but it seems he may have to share ownership of the ranch with Ruth. The side characters are great. The book is a bit suspenseful. The romance develops in a believable and endearing manner. Josh is a man of integrity. He would rather do the right thing than choose an easier route. This was the second time I read this book and I enjoyed it all over again.

Now it’s your turn. Even if you are reading this blog and it’s no longer Friday, go ahead and answer the question anyway. What is the first line in the book you are currently reading?