Amy R. Anguish's Blog, page 35

A Christmas Legacy 2

Thanks for stopping by. This is day two of my Christmas gift to you this year. It's a short story based on characters from my book, An Unexpected Legacy.​ If you missed day one, you can go catch up here.      ​“Ugh.” Jessica’s sister, Brittney stormed up to the kitchen counter, jerked a gingerbread boy from the plate, and bit his head off. “Why did I think it was a good idea to invite Trevor to family Christmas?”
     “She sounds like you.” Chad smirked at Jessica from where he sipped coffee at the table.
     “Oh, please.” Brittney rolled her eyes. “I don’t remember Dad giving you the whole ‘how dare you date my daughter?’ routine last year. He must have asked Trev at least forty questions since lunch.”
     “I’m sure Chad’s answered a few questions, too. And I know I had to answer some questions for his family when I first met them. That’s just the way life works. Dads want to protect their children.” Jessica added a few more sprinkles to the Santa she was decorating.
     “’What made you decide to get that tattoo? What was it about my daughter that made you want to date her? What are your life plans for the next twenty years?’” Brittney mimicked their dad’s voice and then ripped off the legs of her cookie.
     “Really? Only twenty?” Jessica teased.
     “You guys have it so lucky.” Brittney flopped into the chair beside Chad. “He’s not the new boyfriend anymore. And I really don’t remember him having to go through everything they’re submitting Trevor to. Seemed like everyone was all huggy when we parted last year.”
     Jessica exchanged a look with Chad that told her he remembered things much differently, too. “I think you were too wrapped up in being on break and keeping Trevor a secret to remember things correctly.”
     “Well, either way. I wish we could move past this and get to where you’re at. Why can’t they just accept Trevor the way he is?” Brittney’s voice hovered near a whine, as if she were younger than her almost twenty years.
     “Dad didn’t ask you about your tattoos, did he?” Jessica set the plate of decorated cookies on the table and winked at Chad.
     “No. He was too busy wondering about my piercings. We never got to tattoos.” Chad selected a reindeer with chocolate chip eyes.
     “Ha, ha. Very funny.” Brittney crossed her arms. “I get it. I didn’t pick someone who looked the same as everyone else in the family.”
     “Britt, there you are.” Trevor came in and slid into the chair on the far side of the table. “I thought you were coming back.”
     “Sorry. I couldn’t take it anymore, seeing Dad treat you that way.” She pushed the treats toward her boyfriend.
     Jessica laughed. “And so you just left him there by himself?”
     Brittney covered her face with her hands. “Don’t mess with me. I’m stressed out.”
     “It’s okay, Brittney. My dad did the same thing when my sister brought her boyfriend home a few years ago.” Trevor bit into a bell-shaped cookie.
     “Well, I still don’t like it. Dad needs to go back and pick on Chad some more.”
     ​“Hey now.” Chad held his hands up in the air. “I served my time. I’m very happy to be in the background for now.”
     Jessica frowned. What did that mean? He wanted to be front and center again soon?
     Before she could ask, her dad came in, sniffing the air. “Cookies?”
     Chad held up the plate. “Come on over. We were just talking about tattoos.”
     ​If looks could kill, Jessica would be down a boyfriend once more. Brittney’s glare was razor-sharp as she narrowed her eyes at Chad. Trevor just snickered and Jessica hid her laughter by turning to get her dad a cup of coffee, too. Come back tomorrow for day three! And if this has made you want to check out these characters in their original setting, you can find that story here.

A Christmas Legacy 1

Several readers have requested I write a sequel to my book, An Unexpected Legacy. Well, I don't have enough ideas for a whole 'nother book, but I thought it might be fun to gift you a short story set a year later with the same characters. I warn you, though, that this story does sort of give away how the book ends. ;-)
I will be posting one bit of the story each day this week so be sure to stop back by and read the rest.
And, ever since writing this, I've had this image in my head of what the glider on Aunt Ruth's front porch looked like. When I saw this picture over on Sarah Orsborn's blog, here, I asked if I could borrow the photo since it matched my imaginings so well. She agreed, and now you can see an image of what I imagine Aunt Ruth's front porch looks a bit like.
     ​“Maybe bringing you wasn’t such a good idea.” Jessica tugged Chad out the front door of Aunt Ruth’s house and into the old metal glider the morning of Christmas eve. She zipped up her puffer vest against the fifty-degree chill.
     “What are you talking about? I thought we agreed we didn’t want to spend Christmas apart.” He pulled her to his side, his arm around her shoulders.
     She snuggled into the warmth. “I know. But have you seen the way she’s been acting?”
     “I guess not because I don’t know what you mean.” He glanced at something over her shoulder, but by the time she looked back at the window, there was nothing to see but curtains.
     ​“What was that?”
     “What?”
     “Chad!”
     “There’s nothing there. Must have been a reflection or something.” He squeezed her bicep. “Now tell me what you think you’re seeing Aunt Ruth do.”
     “I’m not even sure.” She rubbed a circle on her temples. “She’s casting you sideways glances and ... it’s almost like she’s trying to meet your eyes but not at the same time. I don’t understand. I thought she was over her vendetta against your family, but now I’m beginning to wonder if she’s gone back to her old ways. I mean, it’s been a year since she really saw you. And I know she’s going to counseling, but maybe it’s not working?”
     “I think you’re looking for things to see.” He pressed a kiss to her hair. “But you’re worrying for no reason. She’s been nothing but kind to me since we got here two days ago.”
     “Really?” She looked up to make sure he was being serious.
     “Really, truly.” With one finger, he drew an x on his chest. “Promise.”
     “I know it’s not ideal. I mean, that couch has never been the most comfortable—”
     “Jess, I promise. There’s no other person I’d rather spend the holidays with than you. Your family is great. And besides, I can’t escape to my grandfather’s house this year. Remember? We finally had the estate sale and that place is empty and almost sold.”
     “So, you do want to escape!” She poked him in the shoulder.
     “No!” A look of exasperation crossed his face. “I told you—”
     “I know. I’m teasing.” She leaned up and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. “I’m glad you’re here, too. I’ll try not to be so skittish.”
     “Thank you.”
     Yet, she couldn't quite shake the unsettled feeling gurgling in her stomach. Was there really something wrong or was she simply paranoid after the previous year?
Come back tomorrow for day two! And if this has made you want to check out these characters in their original setting, you can find that story here.

Nanowrimo 19 Recap

If you've been following along on my facebook page through the last month, you know I finished Nanowrimo with a higher word count than ever before for me. My next highest is around 67500, but this year, I passed 75,000 words in less than 30 days. I honestly wasn't sure I was going to make it. After all, I was working again, have two rambunctious kids, and wondered at times if I'd given my plot enough substance to need that many pages. Instead, the more I wrote, the more I discovered that these characters had depths and backstory that needed exploring and that took time. I also wrote this one from two different perspectives (his and hers) so that added some to it, as well. My dream for this novel would be to have Hallmark snatch it up down the road. Feel free to pray for something amazing like that to happen. Until then, it's going to rest a while before I start editing. I like to let it simmer on the back burner so that the next time I look at it, my eyes are fresh, and I can catch more mistakes. And this being written so quickly, I'm sure there's plenty.
Thanks to all of you who have supported me through this process. I look forward to the day when I can tell you it's available for buying, because I think you're going to love it. Want to know more about it before then? I made a pinterest board for it that you can get to by clicking here. It's full of recipes, decorating ideas, game instructions, tidbits about Waco, TX, where it's set, and more. I enjoyed pulling out all the different features to include, and I hope it blesses you somehow, too. Some of those recipes look really yummy.

Author Interview: Abby Rosser

You guys have probably heard me say multiple times that I believe we live in a very small world. Well, here is proof again. My father-in-law contacted me recently with news that one of his friend's daughter's had just published her second book. I looked her up and discovered Abby, a sweet girl who actually lives not too far from me. So, of course, I contacted her and asked her to be my December interview. And hopefully we'll get to meet in real life soon instead of just chatting online. She writes YA Fantasy that sounds amazing, so I hope you'll check her out.
Without further ado, let's get to know Abby Rosser a little better.

Have you always wanted to be an author, or is that something that came later in life?

 Somewhere deep inside I suppose I always wanted to be an author. I have an ongoing battle inside me--the practical vs. the dreamer. The practical won out and I majored in Elementary education so that I could be a teacher. I remember being given the assignment to write a book in my children's lit class. It was hands-down my favorite assignment in college! I don't regret my degree, but I do wish I'd had a few creative writing classes. It was "on the job training" when I wrote, edited, and re-edited my first novel. Or maybe that's the best way to write fiction, without knowing all the "rules"?

The more I write, the more I discover rules are made to be broken!
I love your mantra, “If a brown-haired, brown-eyed middle child of average height and intelligence living in the exact geographic center of Middle Tennessee has a story inside of her, then no one is too boring.” Are your characters a lot like you describe yourself in your mantra? Do you find that shapes your writing world?

 Definitely. I want my stories--even the ones that involve magic and powers and spells--to seem real and attainable. Especially with my middle grade series, I want kids to read the character Dooley and see a bit of themselves. When Dooley tells his friend, "I’m so average I might as well be invisible. There’s just nothing special about me,” I hope that kids who feel like they don't have anything to offer will keep reading and see that Dooley actually has a very important, unique gift.

That is such a great message. I'm so glad writers are sharing such uplifting thoughts. 
Can you tell us a little bit about the world your books are set in? From the covers, they look like a lot of fun.

 In BELIEVE, we meet Dooley, a 12-year old boy who has just moved to Peacock Valley, MN. At first, the setting is boringly normal--minivans, bologna sandwiches, a mom who can't find her keys--then Dooley sees an unusual-looking creature in the field in front of his house. This realization, plus the entrance of Dooley's eccentric neighbors, the Mulligan family, transfer the story from mundane to magical. I love the cover design for this series and the visual of the silhouettes of Dooley and Cyrano approaching an exciting and scary new adventure. It's like they're mid-step, trying to decide if they should enter that magical tree (BELIEVE) or go to Camp Pukwudgee (HOPE). It's that breath of a second when we have to take a leap of faith.

That makes me want to read your books even more. But, why fantasy? Can you ever picture yourself writing something outside of that genre?

 My first novel, OH TO GRACE, is historical fiction. It's a family drama set in a fictional Tennessee town in the 1930's. Being my first one and the one I wrote without having any idea what I was doing, it's my baby--my baby born after a long and arduous labor! I also have a memoir about the adoption process of our son called WAITING FOR EZRA. My friend Shannon Watson helped me write a children's book about the first time Ezra saw snow. It's called HAPPY SNOW DAY. My Dooley Creed series came next. BELIEVE, HOPE and REMEMBER (coming out January 2020). I also write a column for our local newspaper, The Daily News Journal. Overall, I prefer writing fiction, but I feel like I learn a little more about myself and how to better love others each time I write what's on my heart. 

Wow! That's amazing.
I always get asked as a writer how I balance motherhood and writing. Any insight to share on that? How do you make it work in your house?

My four kids are all in school, which helps with me managing my time. Last summer, while I was writing REMEMBER, I kept a pretty tight writing schedule, pushing myself to write 500 words a day, 5 days a week. I'm in-between projects right now, so my schedule is much more flexible. The main advice I would give is to set goals but give yourself grace. It's not like you're building something brick-by-brick. It's creative and corrective. Sometimes I can get pages written in my head better on a walk than writing them on the computer at my desk. I have to talk things out and make notes and spend hours just naming a character, and that's okay.

I'm so looking forward to having my kids in school in a few years. That sounds great.
One last question I ask all my authors: Can you tell us something about yourself that very few people know?

My husband and I were on House Hunters more than a decade ago. We're still in the house we chose!

What!? That's so crazy and neat! Okay, I'm in total awe. Thanks for stopping by and chatting with us.

Want to know more about Abby and her books? Keep reading.
Believe 
Always travel SE.
Never touch the ground.
And above all, Do Not Forget!
Dooley Creed was a nobody in Boston. He’s even more of a nobody now that his family has moved to Peacock Valley, Minnesota.
Dooley Creed is no genius. Dooley Creed is no hero. There is absolutely nothing special about Dooley Creed. At least, that’s what Dooley Creed believes.
Then he meets his next-door neighbors, the Mulligans – the weirdest family in Peacock Valley – and embarks on the strangest adventure of all time. Hybrid creatures, ancient curses, Vikings and Valkyries? It’s up to Dooley Creed to save the day!
But first Dooley must learn to…Believe.


Hope  
​
Don’t stand up in a canoe.
Never irritate the Lake Monster.
And above all,Remember the Fibonacci Sequence!
Dooley Creed was a nobody in Boston. But now that his family has moved to Peacock Valley, Minnesota, Dooley Creed has discovered that he is someone special.
Dooley Creed has fought a Valkyrie. Dooley Creed has outwitted a Viking. But Dooley Creed is about to face his greatest challenge yet. Dooley Creed is going to Summer Camp!
When Dooley’s best friend, Cyrano Mulligan, told him about Camp Pukwudgee, the camp for magically gifted kids, Dooley couldn’t believe his luck—a whole camp filled with kids like him! How cool is that? But it doesn’t take long before a new mystery launches Dooley Creed into another adventure.
Shape shifters, legendary creatures, and a ghost girl only he can see? Once again it’s up to Dooley Creed to save the day! But first Dooley must learn to… Hope.
Abby Rosser
 
I have lived in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for 15 years. (Fun Fact: Within our city, you can find the exact geographic center of the state of Tennessee.) I’ve been married to my husband Brent since 1997. We have 4 kids—twin daughters Ella and Lucy who are high school senior years (yikes!), 14-year old son Knox and 8-year old son Ezra. I formerly taught kindergarten, and though I’ve left the classroom in the official sense, I still spend a lot of time around young kids, mostly in our church preschool Sunday school program. I love the simplicity of a 4-year old’s enthusiasm and the way that they look at the world.
 
Much to my surprise considering I had never really pursued creative writing before, I published my first novel, Oh to Grace, in 2013. (I had started writing it 6 or so years before that, but that was when I was offered a chance to have it published.) I self-published a children’s book with my friend and illustrator Shannon Watson about the first time my African-born son saw snow. It’s called Happy Snow Day. I also self-published a memoir about the process of bringing Ezra home to our family called Waiting for Ezra.
 
In 2018, WordCrafts Press published Believe. It’s the first in a series of middle grade fiction about a 12-year old boy named Dooley. Dooley realizes that he has a special power after moving in next door to a house full of kids with powers. (These are not your usual magical powers. For instance, Dooley’s best friend Cyrano has olfa-voyance, the power to smell the future.) Dooley has to learn to believe in himself as he and his friends battle a vengeful Valkyrie who has cursed an ancient Viking family.
 
In Hope, the sequel to Believe, Dooley attends a camp for magically gifted kids. He (and the reader) meets a lot of fellow campers and counselors who have other new and unusual powers. He encounters a girl named Jenny who’s been stuck in a ghost-like state for years, and Dooley must help her find hope in her hopeless situation.
 
In Remember, the third installment in this series which is set to be released in January 2020, Dooley is heading to 7th grade at a new school.
 
I’ve been writing a blog since 2011 (abbyrosser.com) and since 2015, I’ve been a weekly contributor to our local newspaper, The Daily News Journal.
 
I am thrilled to be able to share my books with readers, but more than anything, I’ve been encouraged to find and cultivate my own voice in writing both fiction and non-fiction. I try to pattern my life decisions after Jesus Christ and I pray this shows through my writing.
 
 Follow me on my blog or on her publisher's website.

Nanowrimo 2019 Update

 When I first began participating in Nanowrimo, I was what they call a pantser. I went in to the month with an idea of a story and an idea of how it should end. And I wrote by the seat of my pants. After doing this for several years, I now am more of a combination pantser and planner, or what they refer to as a plantser. I have a rough outline with various scenes I've pictured in my head and I refer back to it as needed, but much of my writing is still whatever comes out when I set down at the computer.
​This year, I honestly wasn't sure how things were going to go. Sure, I've done this enough to know it's doable, but this year adding in a job two days a week and having kids who have decided they don't always need as much nap as in the past (some days my five-year-old decides she needs NONE), it definitely cuts into my writing time. After over a week of doing this, though, it's going well. The words are flowing easily. The story seems to be coming together in a way that makes sense, always a plus. And I'm growing to love these characters. So far, this year, I am averaging around 2600 words/day.
For those curious about what I'm writing, here's a sneak peek of the ROUGH draft of the beginning of my story. (Also, for the record, I'm usually the kind of girl who doesn't do anything Christmas until after Thanksgiving, so writing a story set in the Christmas season, titled My Mama Dated Santa, is new territory for me, and messing me up in all sorts of ways. I've been singing Christmas songs already!)      It was hard to make a Christmas tree look gaudy, what with all the folderol that normally adorned the branches of the holiday emblem. And yet, the one in the middle of Russos’ Toy Emporium stopped Trudy McNamara in her tracks. The artificial pine was the type where each branch went on a different slot and from the odd angles of several, it was obvious not all were in the correct spot. Three different kinds of lights wound in and out of the greenery—two-thirds of which flashed on and off, but at conflicting rhythms.
     Tinsel, right up there with glitter, Easter grass, and confetti in her opinion—in other words, the lowest of the low—dripped in clumps from various branches. Old Styrofoam balls whose silk thread had frayed and left gaps in the color covering the orbs, dangled from all the limbs that didn’t already hold a plastic snowflake, and quite a few of those were missing points.
At the top, slightly leaning to the right, an old star, four of its five edges still covered in silvery-blue garland, stood with as much state as possible. Several of the lights in the center of the topper had been replaced with bulbs not quite the same as the originals. One didn’t shine at all. And from somewhere in the monstrosity, a tinny tune played, adding to the general cacophony of the toy store and conflicting with the “Jingle Bells” blaring from the speakers overhead.
     None of this bothered Santa. He sat in a green winged back chair to the left of the tree, chuckling as he handed a squalling baby back to her mother. This was what everyone in town had told her sister was a must-do? This was the best Waco, Texas could offer?
     “Aunt Tootie, aren’t we going to go see Santa?” Mark tugged Trudy’s hand, pulling her from her shocked stupor.
     “Of course, Mark. Sorry.” Before Trudy could take a step, the door bumped her from behind as other customers tried to come through. She hadn’t realized she’d stopped so suddenly upon entering.
     Any other day, she would have been able to keep her equilibrium and a nudge at her back wouldn’t have been a problem. Today, she was holding the hand of her four-year-old nephew and wearing new boots. On this slick linoleum floor, it turned out a rotten combination. Her widened step to keep from falling on Mark aimed her shoulder directly for the arm of a man coming from the other direction, his focus completely on the clipboard in his hands.
     “Oof.”
     “I’m so sorry.” Trudy quickly straightened once more and stepped back, untangling her scarf from the pen that had been in the man’s hand. “I seem to have caused a bit of a traffic hold-up.”
     “More like traffic accident.” Her jerked the pen from her fingers, pushed his glasses straight on his nose, and marched off without another word.

Author Interview: Tara Cole

You all know I love bringing you authors new to you in various genres. Today, I'm excited to introduce you to a woman with a sweet heart for God who I met way back when she was in Pied Pipers (a children's improv group our college used to have) with my now-husband. Since we parted ways, she's married, been teaching in Oklahoma, and has three boys. Her first book was just published, a book called Abide, all about helping you find more ways to abide in Jesus. It's excellent. I've read it twice. Without further ado, let me let her tell you more about herself and the book.

​Tara, have you always wanted to be an author or is this something that developed over the years through other pursuits?

I have wanted to be an author since I was very little. My first "book" was about Micky Mouse at age three. I drew the pictures and told my Mom what words to write. I think she still has that book! My second book was called "Little Koala Learns a Lesson" for an 8th-grade project, and there have been others since then, but none that made it to publication. When I was 19, I read a short story in Lori Wick's book Over the Picket Fence. In that story, a children's author hangs the covers of her books on the walls of her office. Ever since then that has been an unspoken dream of mine, and this year, 20 years later, it became a reality with the publication of Abide: 40 Ways to Focus on Jesus Daily! 

That's so great! Can you tell us a little bit about how this new book of yours came to be? Where did the idea come from? Was it hard to come up with forty different ideas?

This book was unexpected. I actually began another book called Choose Freedom based on Galatians and began to teach it in our Wednesday night Ladies Bible class at church. The class went well and during one of the classes, we talked about John 15 and what it means to abide in Jesus. I asked the women in the class that night what they did to abide in Jesus and wrote their answers in the margins of my notes. Many of their ideas are in this book! I tried them over the last 3 years and added to those original ideas. 

Even then, Abide still wasn't going to be a book. I did a few email challenges with it and received good feedback from those readers. Later, I read a few books like 31 Prayers for my Husband and Hope for the Weary Mom Devotional, and then I realized that Abide could be a stand alone book. 

I actually have over 40 ideas! There is still a short 5 Day Email Challenge available on my website to give readers a taste of the book, and there are other ideas that didn't fit with the book's final format. They will be used in other projects later. The number 40 came about because it has special meaning in the Bible: raining for 40 days and 40 nights, 40 years in the wilderness, Jesus fasting for 40 days. It just seemed a good fit. 

The funny thing is Choose Freedom never made it past the teaching stage. God clearly told me I needed to do a project I could involve my kids in, thus the kid ideas in the back of Abide, so Choose Freedom was tabled. Also, it still feels like I'm living out and learning a few more chapters that need to be in that book. I'm not sure how long God will continue to teach me those lessons, so we'll see when and if it ever comes out. 

I love all of that. I know you're a teacher and a mom, as well. Do you find it hard to balance everything and follow the advice you give others in your book?

Yes! Balance is always a struggle for me. Abide was actually written during the 15 minutes before I walk into school after dropping my kids off at their schools. The final book prep and launch took a lot of extra time, so I'm in a rest period now as I wait to see what's next. I feel compelled to write, but God is constantly reminding me that the most important activities I ever do will be right in my home with my boys. It's okay to take years to put out a book. My readers have other authors, but my sons only have one mama. 

Following the advice I give in Abide is honestly what keeps me moving. Yes, sometimes I do forget, but I came to the ideas and tried them because I was desperate to connect to Jesus, even during my crazy busy life. I know I can't do life without Jesus and spending time with him in the ways I share in Abide helps me to grow in my relationship with God no matter what. That is why this message is so important to me. So often we think time with Jesus is just at church three times a week or quiet time in the morning when really Jesus desires to be an intricate part of our lives. Abide isn't meant to give you a list of more to-dos, but to help you connect with Jesus and breath his life in and through your days. I'm a busy mama with three sons, a day job, and a hubby who works crazy hours. If it can work for me, it can work for anyone. 

That is also why the chapters are super short. I know women don't have time to read long chapters, so they all take 5-10 minutes and even doing most of the activities takes little more time than that. Many can be done while you're doing something else. Win-win! 

I can definitely relate to that. I'm also trying to find a balance between being an author and being a mommy. And I definitely concur that your chapters are perfect for busy people to find inspiration. Can you tell us one of your favorite ways to abide in Jesus?

If you could only pick one of the 40. My go-to is music. When I'm stressed, instrumental music. When the kids are arguing in the car, loud music. When I'm by myself in the car, inspirational music. When I go to church, A Cappella music. I love how Christian music plays a soundtrack throughout my days even when I'm not actively listening. Songs have the power to speak anytime and anywhere. They speak into circumstances when words fail. Maybe that is why the book of Psalms is the longest one in the Bible. 

Great point. I love music, too. Moving to something else, who have been some of the biggest influences in your life to bring you to this point?

In my Christian walk, it has been my Mom. She is the one who originally lived out the truths in Abide. She took Deut. 6:6-9 literally when I was growing up, and that is the heart of Abide, to surround ourselves with Jesus. Also, other Christian author's like Sally Clarkson and Stacey Thacker. I have loved Stacey's writing since I read Hope For the Weary Mom 7 years ago. She even started coaching writers about a year ago and was my writing coach who saw Abide through to the end. I am so thankful for her direction and help to know what next steps to take.

You've mentioned that book several times now. I'm thinking it may go on my to-read pile. And now, one silly question to end with: can you tell us one thing about yourself that very few people know?

That's a hard one! Few people know how much I really love actual letters in the mail. I send a lot of them, but I also cherish them myself. So much that I have almost every letter or note I've been sent since I was a teenager, and I still go the mailbox every day hoping for mail. I know email is the thing right now, but nothing can beat a old fashioned letter or card! 

Mail is the best! Thanks so much for stopping by today, Tara!

If you're intrigued by Tara and her new book, keep reading to find out more about both.
Do you feel overwhelmed by the chaos of life?We all know spending time with Jesus is important if we want to grow in our relationship with Him. We hear about quiet time, but how do we actually find the time to focus on Jesus in the middle of our never ending to-do list? There is hope!

In Abide: 40 Ways to Focus on Jesus Daily, Tara Cole helps you:
•Discover 40 quick, practical ideas to begin now
•Develop strategies to spend time with Jesus throughout your busy day
•Find peace in pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus
​
Join Tara as you abide in Jesus through his word, prayer, worship, community, and service. Begin to weave these ways into the fabric of your life instead of fearing you’re not doing enough. Begin to focus your eyes on Jesus and look up.

Find out more here. Tara Cole is a wife and mother to three active boys. Her passion is helping moms and their kids deepen their relationships with God. Her works include Abide: 40 Ways to Focus on Jesus Daily and Sacred Pathways for Kids with Christie Thomas.

Follow Tara on facebook, instagram, or check out her website here.

A New Endeavor: YouTube

Marketing was not my major in college. Honestly, when I picked my major, I mostly knew I wasn't cut out to be an art major (what I started as), and that I wanted to write books. So, I chose English. Here's the deal. When you are an English major, everyone expects you to teach. I am NOT a teacher. Not a school teacher anyway. Preschool and Bible classes are totally different subjects. Needless to say, I graduated with a fair knowledge of what other people had written and where to put a comma.
Fast-forward to becoming a published author. When thinking about what it would be like to write books, no one ever thinks about marketing. You think, "Wow. People are going to be able to pick up my book off the shelf in the store and read something that came out of my head. And they might even like it." But how to get it to that shelf in the first place ... not as easy as you'd think. Needless to say, in this world where authors are having to do more and more of their own marketing, I am still learning despite having been published for several years now. And to add to the fun, social media sites often change their rules and algorithms, meaning one thing that worked last week to reach readers might not be seen by any of them this week. It's a bit frustrating.
So, in light of all of this, two other author friends and I decided to do something crazy. We met in the middle of where we all live (three different states) and recorded some videos to start posting on YouTube each week. I'm the most extroverted of the bunch, so it took a couple tries to get everyone where they weren't afraid to talk. We're still learning, and we made ourselves laugh a LOT as we tried to figure out all the whys and wherefores of how to do this. But we're hoping it will be a blessing to any and all who stumble across it. We'll post a video each week, some on the writing process, the life of a writer, problems we stumble across or funny stories, snippets from our books, and even challenges and giveaways. If you think this is something you might like to see, feel free to follow us. Our page is called Once Upon a Page, and you can reach it by clicking here. Also, if you think you know someone else who might like this, please share with them, too.
God has blessed me richly with this small "tribe" of writers, and I'm loving every minute of getting to know them better while we all try to figure out one more way to market ourselves together.
Do you ever have to do something that puts you out of your comfort zone? Do you have a tribe of people who help you figure out how to do things better? I hope so! And I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Author Interview: Brett Armstrong

Today, for our interview, we have an author who writes something a little different than some we've had on here lately. Brett Armstrong writes speculative fiction, in particular dystopian science fiction with a twist of history. His stories sound very interesting, and he does, too. I hope you enjoy getting to know him as much as I have. 

Hi Brett, I was reading through your about page on your website, and I have to say that I am more than impressed by all the degrees you have in addition to writing. I'm curious. Do you use your other degrees as well? Has any of your engineering knowledge been helpful as you write?

I’d say that it certainly hasn’t hurt when it comes to writing my near-future dystopian, science fiction series Tomorrow’s Edge. Book 1, Day Moon, was first conceived while I was in classes for my computer science and computer engineering degrees.
 
It’s really been most helpful in a less direct way. Early on when I decided to give writing a try, and by that I mean publishing, I decided I wanted it to all be focused on God. Whatever I do, I want it to put back to Him and be for His honor, so I prayed about giving back all of the royalties from writing to charity. To do that I’d need a stable income, which my engineering background makes possible. Since finishing my bachelor degrees I’ve been working in the West Virginia Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology as their web designer and infectious disease data manager. It gives me stable hours, is close by, and I still do some work that has the potential to directly help people. That stability and flexibility let me finish a master’s degree in creative writing, six books, and see three through to publication with a fourth and fifth awaiting release. All while getting to be there for my wife and son. Sometimes I drift towards the “What If?” realms and wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t gone for my engineering degrees and pursued writing outright. When I do, I always return to the fact that I’ve been beyond blessed. The Lord has been good to me and a big part of that has been through my engineering degrees.
  
That's absolutely amazing. I'm definitely inspired!
 know you write fantasy, but do you also write another genre, too? Can you tell us which one you prefer?

I actually write all over the place—genre-wise—depending on what a story needs. There are the Tomorrow’s Edge books (dystopian/sci-fi) and I have a supernatural/contemporary story being looked at by an agent. Though my first love is definitely historical fiction. I wrote my first original story when I was nine and it was set in the last days of the Aztec Empire. History as the setting and vehicle for stories just makes sense to me. Most of my short stories in college were historical fiction and my first published novel, Destitutio Quod Remissio, was about a senator who was secretly a Christian during Diocletian’s persecutions in 4th Century AD Rome. His secret wasn’t secret long and he wants to know who betrayed him, so the book blends into mystery and suspense genres as well.
 
Choosing between historical fiction and fantasy is kind of tough for me lately though because I tend to weave inspirations from real history into my books, particularly my Quest of Fire saga with its dual timelines playing out in parallel and crazy amounts of lore I wrote for its world. When I work on events in that world, particularly its past, I look to history for examples of how events shaped the social and political landscape of our world. I weave those insights into the tapestry of Quest of Fire’s Lowlands to enrich it and give it a sense of depth and familiarity.
  
When writing your fantasy novels, is it hard for you to create that imaginary world and make sure you stay within the boundaries you created for it? What helps you do that?

It hasn't been a big issue so far. I'm hyper conscious of mechanics within the story worlds I write, because world-building is a big thing to me and fantasy readers tend to be pretty aware of when you don't respect the rules you establish. Some of the backlash to the new Star Wars movies is purely based on inconsistencies to the mechanics of the galaxy far, far away those movies introduced.
 
Which is understandable for Star Wars. After that many episodes and spin offs and novels, it gets tough. There's a tricky balancing act between showing something new in an established fantasy landscape and breaking a rule you've explicitly or implicitly set. With the latter being the most critical to avoid tripping over because those are usually related to the plot in some way. Imagine if Amazon in its new Lord of the Rings series added a scene where Sauron sets a town on fire just by focusing his gaze on it from Barad Dur. That would be hugely problematic because even though Tolkien never said Sauron couldn't do it, the question becomes, well why didn't he just do the same to Lothlorien or Rivendell or Minas Tirith?
 
So, I'm trying to avoid that as I'm working on the next installments in Quest of Fire. I suppose part of the key is to keep checking back to the boundaries you draw and if you ever find yourself stepping outside them, make it abundantly clear why there's a new boundary or why it's a onetime thing. Like an Arthur pulling the sword from the stone but swords don't go through stone or from it otherwise. I keep some notes on story-building elements like the backstory for people and places, character traits (eye color, age, etc.), and make notes on spiritual influences on the story. It helps while writing and when looking back after the fact to keep everything straight in my mind. Hopefully it will hold up and help me keep from crossing the obvious and not so obvious lines I’ve been drawing.
  
I know some authors like to hide "Easter eggs" through their stories, scattering little tidbits that their friends and family could pick out as things from the authors real life. Do you do anything like that?

When I first wrote the story that became The Gathering Dark, I was a high school senior in a creative writing class. I had some friends in the class and I put them in the story. I also added a heavy dose of Star Wars cues. In the decade plus of rewriting the story, and growing as a writer, I've gotten further and further from doing direct translation of real life into my stories. Being a fan of “Easter eggs” though, I can't help inserting some references to books and movies I enjoy.
 
My dystopia/sci-fi book Day Moon has a lot more of them than The Gathering Dark, just because they're easier to work into it. For instance the main character comes back to his apartment and his roommate is playing a virtual reality version of Mortal Kombat. The mascot for the university in the book is a nod to my own undergraduate alma mater West Virginia University. Though I suppose along that same vein, all but a few chapters in Day Moon start with quotes from Shakespeare’s plays so depending on how loosely the definition of “Easter eggs” can be applied that book is really built on them. One “Easter egg” that I cut from Day Moon was having my first book Destitutio Quod Remissio appear on the shelves of a library the protagonists are in.
 
I love that on your blog, you post about things you've learned from your little one. I do a similar post called "Childlike Faith." What's one of your favorite things God has brought to your attention through your child?

There are so many things, many of them haven't even made it up onto the blog. Or at least not yet. As it turns out the one that I think has struck me most potently is the realization I had just this past week as I related to a co-worker how my little boy went with me to a signing event. The event was really a vendor/city fair called “Boomtown Days” and featured antique and exotic cars. Not really the ideal event for my books, but the events planning board for the city invited my wife (who is a crochet artist par excellence) and me to have booths for free. We jumped on the chance and setup where they directed us which happened to be directly in front of the band stand.
 
My little boy wanted to come with us, because the last time I had an event at the park they had inflatables and he had a great time. This time the inflatables didn’t come till hours into the event and were a few blocks down the street from our setup. We also hadn’t anticipated the live bands coming to the park throughout the day, which made it loud. Like LOUD loud. My little one hates loud noises, even if that noise is music he’d dance to at lower decibels. He would cover his ears and curl up on his mom’s lap or mine.
 
Between my wife and me we managed to take turns getting him out of range of the music for 30 minute stretches at a time by taking him down to a local park. That worked till about noon when it got hot. Like HOT hot. Too hot to play in the park for very long.
Seeing that this was starting to look torturous for my little one, I asked him if he was ready to go to my mom and dad’s house for a while. We had already prearranged that escape route for him if he wanted it and assumed he’d be happy to jump ship. Even we were melting and hoping the bands would take a break for a bit. But he didn’t. In fact, he was adamant that he wanted to be with us. He said, “I love you! I want to be where you are!”
 
At the time it melted my heart, but later when I was retelling it, I told my co-worker, “I guess he’s at that age where he loves us too much to leave us.” The moment I said that it kind of clicked for me that I bet that’s the kind of attitude God as our Heavenly Father would love to see in us. If it melted my heart to see my little one sticking it out, clinging to me though he was miserable, how much more would it touch God’s heart for us in our trials and sorrows to hold fast to Him. He’s already warned us that we will face persecution and suffering in this world (John 16:1-4). The Lord didn’t leave it at that though. He told us also to take comfort because He has overcome the world and He will never leave us nor forsake us (John 16:33, Hebrews 13:5). The way I treasure my little one and the way he whole-heartedly shares his affection with and seeks comfort from me—I feel sure that God does so as well with us. Which is marvelous and humbling and something I don’t think I would’ve gotten to as quickly or as potently if I didn’t have my little one to help me see it.
  
That is very powerful. Thanks for sharing. Okay. Here's the question I always ask at the end of my interviews. Can you please tell us one thing about yourself that very few people know?

Well, this is somewhat embarrassing, but about 50% of the people I know think my name is Brett and the other 50% think my name is Beau. And it’s all my parents’ fault. I kid, a little. When I was growing up I always went by the name Beau. I signed every school paper, introduced and was introduced to everyone I met, as Beau. That was my name. Then in junior high, no one there had bothered to ask for my name. It was already on their official transcripts: Brett Armstrong. As it turned out, my name wasn’t legally Beau. So, I asked my parents about it.

Apparently before they knew I was a boy, Mom and Dad tossed around baby names. One night they were watching a rerun of the Beverly Hillbillies. My dad (and this is hard for me to believe because it seems so out of character for him) suddenly proposed that they should call me Jethro Bodine if I was a boy or Jethrine Bodine if I was girl. That got shortened to Bo for ease and morphed into Beau after I was born. Mom claims the intention was to name me that officially, but that they had given her some pretty potent drugs during delivery which rendered her decisions questionable.
 
Ever since junior high, starting at a new place I usually have to go by Brett. But before long people stumble on Beau. At work, one of my references introduced my boss to Beau, because my reference didn’t realize my real name is Brett. In the writing community Beau got out among some blogging friends because my personal e-mail was set up years ago and Beau is the name attached to the account.

Conversations become interesting too. I’ve had several where the person starts out calling me one name and by the end is calling me the other, possibly unawares. So far, I don’t have a Jekyll and Hyde complex over it, but it does make for an amusing quirk. Though I have typically kept the Beverly Hillbillies origin story close to the vest.

Too funny. Thanks for sharing that interesting story about your name(s), Brett/Beau!

If you enjoyed this interview and want to know more about his book and him, keep reading for links and information.
​Jason is an expert at running from his past. When it catches up, he finds himself hiding in a peculiar inn listening to a tale from centuries past.

The story is Anargen's, a teen who is pulled from all he loves to follow his oaths of loyalty to the fabled King of the Realms. Together with his mentor, Cinaed, he rides north on a special quest to mediate peace talks between ancient foes--the men of Ecthelowall and the dwarfs of Ordumair. Nothing goes as planned. Many on both sides of the dispute despise Anargen's Order. Worse, an arcane evil has returned to the North. This "Grey Scourge" seeks to ruin the peace talks and ensure a lost treasure held by the dwarfs is never found by those for whom it is meant.

As Anargen's story unfolds, Jason begins to wonder whether it is truly just a fable. He soon finds himself drawn into the conflict Anargen faced--a battle which has shaped and can destroy his world.

Want to watch a trailer for this book? Click here.

Interested in buying? Here's your link.
Brett Armstrong has been exploring other worlds as a writer since age nine. Years later, he still writes, but now invites others along on his excursions. He’s shown readers hauntingly sorrowful historical fiction (Destitutio Quod Remissio), scary-real dystopian sci-fi (Tomorrow’s Edge Trilogy), and dark, sweeping epic fantasy (Quest of Fire saga). Where he heads next is as much a discovery for him as readers. Through dark, despair, light, joy, and everything in between, the end is always meant to leave his fellow literary explorers with wonder and hope.

​Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8281587.Brett_Armstrong
Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/brettarmstrongwv     
Twitter:        https://www.twitter.com/BArmstrongWV   
Pinterest:      http://www.pinterest.com/ChristianKid044  
Website:       https://BrettArmstrong.net   

Nanowrimo is Coming

If you've been following me long, you know I participate in Nanowrimo almost every November. It's a challenge where the author agrees to strive for 50,000 words in 30 days. I have participated 8 other years, achieving over 450,000 words altogether. My first two books were written in Nanowrimo 2011 and 2012. The one coming out next year is from 2013. There's just something exciting to me about seeing the little bars grow each day when I enter my word count.
This year, my story idea has been percolating for a while. I've titled it "My Mama Dated Santa." That's right. It's a Christmas story! I got into reading them quite a bit during December last year, and I guess it inspired me. Here's the blurb I've come up with for it so far. I know it will be tweaked quite a bit between now and when it finally gets in your hands, but it will at least give you an idea.

Burnt out on Christmas, the last thing Trudy wants to do is take her nephew to see the local Santa. Running into a Scrooge of a storekeeper, Nick, while there doesn't make her feel any warmer toward the holiday. But sometimes Santa and the spirit of the season can work wonders in hardened hearts, especially when that particular Santa turns out to be a former boyfriend of Trudy's mom.

Like where I'm headed with this? I hope so! Keep your eyes on my Facebook page because I'm going to be asking for input and ideas over the next few weeks. And if you participate in Nanowrimo, too, feel free to friend me. My username is jersgirl.

Behind the Scenes: The Hayride

Halloween has always been a favorite holiday of mine. What's not to love about getting dressed up and lots of candy? As a teenager/young adult, I fell in love with hayrides. Only one problem: most of the time, the ride went down to the local park that was all decorated for the haunted trail. Not my favorite. I don't do scary. As I was writing Jessica and Chad's story in An Unexpected Legacy, I was trying to figure out how she was going to overcome some of her reluctance to go into a relationship with him. And this scene popped in my head. Combine one of my favorite things with one of my least favorite and have him be a protector. Bingo. So, I thought I'd share one of my favorite scenes from Legacy with you today as I gear up for fall and Halloween and snuggle weather. Enjoy!    Around fifteen climbed aboard the old farm trailer.
   Jessica decided to sit at the front and Courtney sat to her right. They perched on the hay bales and pulled a blanket over their legs as everyone else piled on.
   Chad strode up and pointed to the spot to the left of Jessica. “This seat taken?”
   She shook her head and he sat next to her, the scent of his shampoo wafting over her as the breeze blew her way. He leaned back against the railing and his arm brushed against hers.
   “So, what all is involved in a haunted hayride?”
   Courtney leaned forward. “I think there’re guys with chainsaws and silly masks that jump out and try to scare you as you ride through this park they’ve got decorated with tombstones and stuff.” She waved her hands in the air as she described everything, almost knocking Jessica’s hat off. “It’s silly, but fun.”
   “Chainsaws?” He raised his brows.
   “They’ve taken the chains off. It’s more for the noise-factor. To make you feel like you’re in a horror film or something.” Courtney laughed. “I love it. That’s why I organize the mysteries and horror novels, and Jessica is in charge of the romance section.”
   “Do you work at the library?” Chad gave a confused little frown.
   “We own a bookstore together. But it would be all cookbooks and romance novels if it were just Jessica. She doesn’t do mysteries or horror.” Courtney play-punched Jessica’s arm.
   “I hate it.” Jessica gave a little shrug.
   “Then why are you here?” He focused his attention on her.
  “I like the hayride part, there and back. The ones we went on in college, I would hide behind Courtney when the haunted part was going on. And I wanted to come to the bonfire. There’s just something wonderful about singing praises to God with the stars above and the air nice and cool while your front gets toasty from the fire and your back freezes.”
   “Wow.” He laughed. “Doesn’t that sound inviting?”
   “Okay. So I’m weird.” Jessica threw her hands in the air.
   “I don’t think so.” He shook his head, one side of his mouth going up in a half-grin.
   She quickly looked away before he could see the blush she knew was creeping up her cheeks.
   ​“Everyone ready?” Randy called out.
   All the Young Professionals cheered, and the truck jerked to a start and rolled down the driveway and out onto the county roads.
   The cool night air made Jessica glad for her fleece jacket. She tucked several strands of hair back under her hat to keep them from blowing in her face. It was several miles to the haunted park, but the group around Jessica stayed fairly quiet. Several people down at the other end of the trailer grew boisterous; their laughter and jokes carried above the crunch of the wheels and the engine of the truck. Courtney spoke in hushed tones with Amber. Mary and Garrett sat on the left side of Chad and held hands.
   The truck slowed and made a right turn into a local park. Fake spider webs hung in the bushes on either side of the entrance, and a man in a lab coat and crazy hair jumped up onto the trailer. Jessica shifted a bit in her seat. She really did hate stuff like this, but despaired being a party-pooper.
   “Just wanted to give you guys a head’s up as to what’s about to happen.” Lab-coat guy’s voice was rough and gravelly. “This is a haunted trail you’re about to embark on. This close to Halloween, the ghosts and goblins come out to play. There might be monsters and murderers, vampires, or any other ghoulish creature you can think of. I have no control over them, so if they decide to join your ride, well, enter at your own risk!”
   Several of the guys laughed.
   “Watch out for any weapons they might use. Chainsaws might not have a chain on them, but they can still burn you. Don’t touch the creatures and they shouldn’t hurt you ... much!” The man rubbed his hands together, let out a creepy laugh and jumped off the trailer.    Randy inched forward, and Jessica held her breath.
   “You okay?” Chad whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her shoulder.
   “Sort of.” She inhaled shakily.
   Just then, the first chainsaw started up right next to the trailer, and Jessica jumped, bumping into Chad. He put his arm out to steady her. As the masked creatures crept and pushed closer to their hayride the farther they drove into the park, she snuggled into his arm that remained around her shoulders. A scene set up to the left revealed another man in a lab coat supposedly working on a dead body, fake blood all over the stark white of his costume. To the right, creepily-masked guys leaped out from behind tombstones in a phony graveyard. Jessica knew it wasn’t real, but when the guys with chainsaws jumped up on the trailer with them, she closed her eyes and buried her head in Chad’s shoulder.
   “It’s okay,” he murmured as he rubbed her arm.
   Her friends laughed and shrieked as the chainsaws roared and other creatures moaned and growled. The trailer kept moving forward, and her heart galloped in her chest as one of the machines revved close to her head.
   Courtney laughed to her right. Some of the guys taunted the actors as they scared the girls. Chad’s arms made a welcome safe haven, and she pushed down the guilty nudge for letting him hold her this way.
   After what seemed like an eternity, she heard the last chainsaw cut off, and silence hung on the air. She slowly lifted her head and looked around to see everyone laughing with one another, several of the other girls also with boys’ arms around them. Her hat had fallen off somewhere along the ride and Chad handed it to her. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and sat up.
   Chad studied her.
   “I’m sorry about that,” she whispered, wishing she could hide under the trailer.
   “I’m not.” He reached up and gently moved another strand of hair off her cheek. “You okay now? You were shaking pretty good there for a while.”
   Thankfully, it was dark enough he shouldn’t be able to see her blushing. “I’m fine.” She straightened her jacket and refused to meet the stare she knew Courtney was giving her. Jessica would never be able to live this one down.
Author note: I never got to snuggle into a boy during one of these hayrides like this, but I do remember hiding under a blanket one time! Anyone else hate being scared or do you love going to things like this?
Interested in reading more? Here's the link to the rest of the book.