Cathy Bryant's Blog: CatBryant.com ~ Journey Blog, page 113

Winners, Updates & Blog Awards

Blog Awards:

Tammy at Tammy's Book Parlor and Megan at Inspired By Fiction both bestowed the Beautiful Blogger Award on WordVessel blog. Thanks so much, Tammy and Megan!



Here are the rules for this award, be sure and take them if I give your blog this award:



1. Thank and link to the person who gave you the award.



2. Pass this award on to 15 bloggers that you've recently discovered and think are fantastic.



3. Contact those blogs and let them know they've won.



4. State 7 things about...

BOOK REVIEW: "The Clouds Roll Away" by Sibella Giorello (& Book Giveaway)

Back at the beginning of March I had the honor of hosting author Sibella Giorello in an author interview. I was so impressed by her answers that I couldn't wait to crack open her new book, When The Clouds Roll Away.





I can't say enough good things about this book. Sibella's writing is very distinctive, and the tone of the novel reminds me of an old detective movie, only better! The main character, Raleigh Harmon, is an FBI agent back at home in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia, and once ...

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Betsy St. Amant (& Book Giveaway!)

Please help me welcome author Betsy St. Amant! Here's her bio:

Betsy St. Amant lives in north Louisiana, has a strong penchant for polka dot shoes and chocolate, and is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers group. Betsy is multi-published through Steeple Hill and has also been published in Christian Communicator magazine and Praise Reports: Inspiring Real Life Stories of How God Answers Prayer. One of her short stories, 'Kickboxing or Chocolate', appears in a Tyndale compilation ...

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Kathi Macias

I'm delighted to welcome author Kathi Macias to WordVessel. Kathi, how long have you been writing and when was your first book published?



I've been writing since I discovered words—which was before I ever started school. I never wanted to do/be anything other than a writer. I'm in love with words and the power behind them. I am also aware of the responsibility that goes with using that power. As for my first book, it was a women's devotional titled A Moment A Day, published in 1988, which t...

Consequences, Consequences, Consequences

Yesterday's post about decisions begged to be followed by today's post about consequences.)



As a school teacher I have the decisions/consequences lecture perfected. I can't count the number of times I've lectured erring students about how bad decisions lead to negative consequences. The reverse is also true. Our good decisions lead to positive consequences.



Is it possible that our good decisions can also lead to negative consequences? What about bad decisions ending up not so bad after all?...

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I'm guest blogging today over at AP Free Writing 101 (with a TEXAS ROADS book giveaway). Hope you can join us! Now on to our topic for today--Decisions!



* * * 

Along with Villains & Heroes and Motive & Assumption, I've also been thinking a lot about how we make decisions.



I, for one, have always struggled with making decisions. Sometimes I'll stand in my closet for several minutes, an internal debate raging in my mind, before I can even pick out something to wear. (My own personal take on ...

Spilled Out - Part Five

(Over the past few weeks leading up to Easter, I've changed up my routine a bit and offered Bible stories about characters and their relationship to Jesus. I wanted to be able to see the arrest, crucifixion and resurrection from their eyes. We don't have all the details of these stories given in the Bible, so those parts have been fictionalized. You can read the other parts of the story here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four.)





Mary Magdalene trudged up the hill toward the tom...

Updates & Winners

Wow! What a week! I've sent out several review copies of TEXAS ROADS (35 to date), made several phone calls to public libraries in Texas (which resulted in 9 sales), and thanks to my Mom, scheduled two book signings close to where I grew up. On April 23rd, from 3:00-6:00 p.m. I'll be at Hastings bookstore in Brownwood, Texas, and On April 24th, from 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. I'll be at the mall in Brownwood signing books. If you live nearby, please stop by for a visit!



 Just to keep you in the l...

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jennifer Hudson Taylor

I'm delighted to welcome author Jennifer Hudson Taylor to WordVessel. Here's her bio:



Jennifer Hudson Taylor is the author of historical Christian fiction set in Europe and the Carolinas. Her debut novel, Highland Blessings will release in May 2010, and the sequel, Highland Sanctuary, will follow in October 2011. Jennifer's fiction has won awards in the American Christian Fiction Writers' Genesis Contest, and her other works have appeared in national publications, such as Guideposts, Herita...

Motives & Assumptions

Last week I wrote a post about What I've Learned About Villains & Heroes From Watching 'Survivor,' and a comment from writer friend Jody Hedlund really got my brain to thinking about mixed motives.



Do you realize that everything we do carries mixed motives?



Let's say that I down a huge bowl of Blue Bell Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream. Why? Here are some possible motives:

It tastes good.
I've got a sweet tooth.
I'm upset about something, and trying to comfort myself with food.
I'm tired of...