Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 139

Interview with Author Barri Bryan

My guest today is my very dear friend Billie Houston, aka Barri Bryan. I met Billie and her husband Herb at the San Antonio Romance Writers. They had already electronically published several books when my novel Stroke of Luck came out, and they invited me to join them on an e-booksigning tour to Hastings Book Stores. None of the three of us has a good sense of direction, and we invariably got lost driving through the little towns. We always seemed to find the county courthouse everywhere we went! We had a lot of fun and developed a great friendship during our travels.

Billie and Herb introduced me to EPIC; we went to several conferences together, and Billie and Herb were part of my ideal writing weekend after one of the conferences. Billie and I will be attending the eFiesta at EPICon on March 17, and I'm really looking forward to both the event and seeing Billie.

Billie has recently released a book of poetry—Four Part Harmony, which I have reviewed.

Lillie: Welcome to A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye, Billie.

Billie:  I'm glad to be here. Thank you for inviting me.

Lillie: As I mentioned in my review, I'm not normally an aficionado of poetry, but I love your work. When did you develop a love of poetry, and how long have been writing it?

Billie: I can't remember a time that I wasn't fascinated by the magic of words set to meter and rhyme. The first poems I recall hearing were nursery rhymes that were printed on my little brother's baby powder can. My mother would read them to me over and over again, and I never tired of hearing them. I wrote my first poem when I was in the second grade.

Lillie:  Two of my favorite poems in Four Part Harmony are "After the Fact" and "Hindsight." I really identify with them because they so poignantly express the feelings of someone who has a loved one with dementia. Alzheimer's is often called "the long goodbye" because the person loses cognitive skills, memory, and the ability to communicate even though their body is functional. We know our loved one is still there, but it's difficult to connect. How were you able to capture those feelings so movingly?

Billie: The inspiration for both these poems was sparked by a fleeting moment of insight as I pondered a question my granddaughter asked. "Grandma, what will you do when Granddad is gone?" I suddenly realized the man I had loved for so many years, the man who had been my husband, my friend, my lover, my partner, and my protector may still be alive, but he was already gone. That brief and heartbreaking revelation was the beginning. Later I would work many hours to control and match the language of my imagination to the rhythm I heard in my head and the visions of my inner eye. Composing verse may seem on the surface to be simple and easy. It is arguably the most disciplined and structured of all literary undertakings

Lillie: I have no doubt that poetry is extremely challenging to write. What is the most important thing you want readers to take away from Four Part Harmony?

Billie: I hope readers will take away from Four Part Harmony the idea that poetry is not something esoteric and removed from daily life. It is a reflection of daily life.

Lillie: That's what I like most about your poems—they address real life. You're also the author of a book on writing. Tell my readers a little about that.

Billie: The title of my book on writing is A Core Curriculum for Creative Writing. Occasionally someone asks me, "What is creative writing?" I am always honest and tell them that I don't have a definitive answer for that question. I do know that every creative writing act overpasses the recognized order in some way, that creativity is a process, and that a creative writer always begins with that small spark that fuels imagination.

I taught English in public schools for several years. I became convinced during that time that the best way to learn to write is to write. A Core Curriculum for Creative Writing is predicated on the belief that learning to write well is not about reading, remembering, and reciting. It is about comprehension, perception, and recognition. The aim of A Core Curriculum is threefold: to help writers understand the importance of purpose, to perceive writing as a process, and to recognize the underlying principles that govern that process.

Lillie: You and Herb have also written a number of romances under the name Barri Bryan. I got such a kick out of the story of how and why you and Herb came up with the pseudonym. Please share that delightful story with my readers.

Billie: Twenty-two years ago when Herb and I first began writing as a team, we used our own names Billie and Herb Houston. One afternoon our then-quite-young-son came roaring into our front yard on his motorcycle. He came into the house, scowled at Herb and me, and announced, "You two are embarrassing me."

I looked at his several tattoos, the ring in his ear, and his pony tail and wondered how I had managed that feat.

Herb ventured to ask, "How?"

Our son has a business in San Antonio. It seems that some of his employees had found one of our publisher's web sites. A steamy love scene from one of our romantic novels was posted there. They read it and immediately began to ask, "Are these Houstons related to you?"

I seriously doubt that our son admitted that we were his parents.

It was then that we decided, or rather he decided, we needed a pen name. We chose Barri Bryan because two of our grandsons are named Barry and Brian.

Lillie: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?

Billie: I have books at Amazon, at Desert Breeze Publishing, at Whiskey Creek Press, and at

Fictionwise (search for Barri Bryan).

Lillie: Plenty of places to find your books! Several years ago, as a part of EPIC, you and I worked together to start the New Voices writing competition for junior high and high school students. That competition has grown dramatically and is now one of EPIC's showcase programs. You came up with the rules, guidelines, and categories, and they have changed little through the years. What in your experience enabled you to come up with such an effective competition?

Billie: The idea for the rules, guidelines, and categories for New Voices came for my experience as a teacher. There were often contests that students could enter to compete for scholarship money or other prizes. I remembered rules, guideline1,s and categories from several different contests I had worked with in the past, and I drew on that knowledge to put together what I thought would best work for New Voices.

I am proud to have had a small part in starting this work. It is such a great way to encourage fledgling writers and to recognize young talent.

Lillie: Is there anything I've failed to ask that you would like to share with my readers?

Billie: My current WIP (work in progress) is titled Forbidden. It's, of course, a love story. It's almost complete. Below is a blurb:

Forbidden delights are sweeter by far than any other pleasures are.

It seemed the perfect summer job, in a perfect setting, a luxurious ranch in far West Texas. Then the mystery and intrigue that surround this isolated utopia begin to unravel. Zoë Martin finds herself caught in a web of deceit and lies and falling in love with the one man in the world that she has no right to claim.

Can she find her way through the maze of secrets and taboos that haunt this forbidden place or has fate conspired with circumstance to ensnare her in a net of cunning and deceit?

Lillie: Sounds great, Billie. I'll be watching for it. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing about your writing with my readers. They will probably have more questions for you. Will you check in during the day to respond to comments and answer questions?

Billie: Yes, I will be happy to do that.

Lillie: If you have questions for Billie, leave a comment below.

===================

[image error]strong>BIO

Barri Bryan is the pen name for Billie Houston. I acquired a pseudonym at the behest of my adult children when one of them discovered a steamy excerpt from one of my romances at the website of a publisher.

I am a former teacher and educator. I like poetry, George Strait's music, old movies, and Earl Grey tea. My hobbies are reading, quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, taking long walks, and growing houseplants and herbs.

I'm a four-time EPPIE winner and a published author with over twenty novels, four books of poetry, numerous essays, several short stories, and one non-fiction how-to-write-book to my credit. I have been writing since 1990. I write the kind of books I enjoy reading — romantic tales about relationships, stories that explore feelings and probe emotions. The plots revolve around ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances and faced with difficult decisions.

Related Posts:My Ideal Writing WeekendNew Voices Contest for Young WritersBook Review: Four Part Harmony by Barri BryanInterview: Christian Author Molly Noble BullCreating Fictional Characters—Part 1: Characters Are Story PeoplePowered by Contextual Related PostsInterview with Author Barri Bryan was first posted on March 16, 2012 at 12:26 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza

Devotion for Fourth Friday in Lent 2012

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. ~ Mark 12:28–34

Heavenly Father, I love You with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind and with all my strength. Yet I often don't act like it. I put other things before You, when I want You to be first in my life. And while I want to love my neighbors as myself, sometimes it is so hard to do. Fill me with Your love and empower me by the Holy Spirit to show that love to You and to others. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Related Posts:Scripture for the Fourth Friday in LentScripture for the Second Saturday in LentPrayers for Fort HoodPassion Sunday 2011Prayers for Tucson, AZ VictimsPowered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for Fourth Friday in Lent 2012 was first posted on March 16, 2012 at 12:04 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza

Devotion for Fourth Thursday in Lent 2012

Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons," while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ~ Luke 11:14–23

Lord, I am with You. Give me the strength and courage to stand for You in a world that is against You. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Related Posts:Scripture for the Fourth Thursday in LentThird Sunday in Lent 2011First Friday in Lent 2011Scripture for Good FridayFifth Monday in Lent 2011Powered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for Fourth Thursday in Lent 2012 was first posted on March 15, 2012 at 12:02 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza

Devotion for Fourth Wednesday in Lent 2012

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." ~ Matthew 5:17–19

Lord, thank You that Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of Your Word. Help me to follow Him and do You Will. In His name. Amen

Related Posts:Scripture for the Fourth Wednesday in LentFifth Monday in Lent 2011Second Friday in Lent 2011Devotion for First Tuesday in Lent 2012Second Wednesday in Lent 2011Powered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for Fourth Wednesday in Lent 2012 was first posted on March 14, 2012 at 1:22 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza

National March into Literacy Month 2012

We're in the middle of National March into Literacy Month, sponsored by Marine Toys for Tots Literacy Program.

The purpose of the program is to provide resources for the most economically disadvantaged children to develop reading skills. I want every child to know how to read and to love reading and books as much as I do.

In honor of this month devoted to children's literacy, MAT@USC has provided an infographic of best-loved children's books. Click on the link to view the infographic.

Via MAT@USC: Become a Teacher

Related Posts:National March into Literacy MonthNational Family Literacy DayInternational Literacy DayInternational Literacy Day 2010Books for LiteracyPowered by Contextual Related PostsNational March into Literacy Month 2012 was first posted on March 13, 2012 at 12:56 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza

Devotion for Third Tuesday in Lent 2012

Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." ~ Matthew 18:21–35

Lord, I accept Your forgiveness, but often I'm not so willing to forgive others. When someone has hurt me very deeply or over and over again, I can justify to myself that the other person doesn't deserve forgiveness. I don't deserve Your forgiveness, either, probably even less than the person who has wronged me deserves my forgiveness. Yet You forgive me over and over again. Help me to show the same forgiveness and compassion to those who hurt me. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Related Posts:Fifth Saturday in Lent 2011Scripture for the First Tuesday in LentDevotion for First Tuesday in Lent 2012Third Monday in Lent 2011Scripture for the Third Tuesday in LentPowered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for Third Tuesday in Lent 2012 was first posted on March 13, 2012 at 12:01 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza

Devotion for Third Monday in Lent 2012

And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away. ~ Luke 4:24–30

Lord, show me to judge teachers and preachers by their words and actions, not by their familiarity or location. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Related Posts:Scripture for the Third Monday in LentDevotion for Second Sunday in Lent 2012Scripture for the Fifth Sunday in LentSecond Wednesday in Lent 2011Second Sunday in Lent 2011Powered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for Third Monday in Lent 2012 was first posted on March 12, 2012 at 12:50 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza

Devotion for Third Sunday in Lent 2012

So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true." The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he." ~ John 4:5–26

Heavenly Father, cleanse my heart and mind of the cares and distractions when I worship You so I worship You in spirit and in truth. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Related Posts:Scripture for the Second Thursday in AdventDevotion for First Sunday in Lent 2012Devotion for Third Wednesday in Lent 2012First Sunday in Lent 2011Scripture for the Fourth Tuesday in LentPowered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for Third Sunday in Lent 2012 was first posted on March 11, 2012 at 12:48 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza

Devotion for Third Saturday in Lent 2012

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." And he said, "There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate. "Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'" ~ Luke 15:1–3, 11–32

Heavenly Father, You are ever compassionate to Your children, forgiving us when we run from You and welcoming us home when we return. Too often we are like the older brother, jealous of Your compassion for our brothers and sisters and self-righteous even in our sin. Touch our hearts with gratitude for Your compassion and compassion for others. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Related Posts:Fifth Wednesday in Lent 2011Fifth Thursday in Lent 2011Scripture for the Third Saturday in LentFourth Saturday in Lent 2011Second Thursday in LentPowered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for Third Saturday in Lent 2012 was first posted on March 10, 2012 at 12:47 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza

Devotion for Third Friday in Lent 2012

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. ~ Luke 1:26–38

Lord, in the middle of Lent, we are reminded that You planned for Jesus to come into the world to die for us. Mary didn't know what was going to happen, but she simply said that she was God's servant and ready for Your will to be carried out in her. Give me Mary's faith and commitment to Your will, regardless of where it led her. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Related Posts:Devotion for the Second Sunday in AdventScripture for the Third Tuesday in Advent 2010Scripture for the Third Friday in Advent 2010Devotion for Christmas EveDevotion for the Fourth Monday in AdventPowered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for Third Friday in Lent 2012 was first posted on March 9, 2012 at 12:45 am.
©2011 "Lillie Ammann, Writer & Editor". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at lillie@lillieammann.com

Feed enhanced by the Add To Feed Plugin by Ajay D'Souza