Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 149
May 10, 2017
What did you want to be?
Erica here:
.
I'm curious...what did you want to be when you grew up?
One of the warehouses at Vetsch Hardwoods
Did you know from a young age what you wanted to do? Did it take you awhile to figure it out? Is what you're doing now remotely related to your childhood ideas?
My husband and I were talking about this recently. When he was a kid, he wanted to be a paleontologist or a dentist, and when he got older, he wanted to be a teacher. Then he wanted to work in radio, which he did for awhile.
What he didn't want to do is work for/with his dad in the family business.
So guess what he does now? Yup, you guessed it. He is now an owner in the family business, and he loves what he does.
When I was a kid, I dreamed of being a veterinarian, a nurse, a medical missionary, a teacher, or a writer. (I also wanted to train horses for the circus, own my own zoo, and breed racehorses.)
I did grow up to be a teacher, and I'm now a writer...still waiting for the circus gig, though.)
Our daughter came out of the school after her first day of kindergarten and informed me that she was going to be a teacher. She never wavered from that goal, though she refined it as she got older to Early Childhood Educator. Now she's a pre-school teacher with Head Start, and that fills her teacherly happy cup up every day.
Teaching school all week isn't enough!
She teaches pre-school Sunday School, too!
Our son rarely mentioned what he wanted to be beyond perhaps a video game beta-tester. :) Now he works for a courier service based in the upper midwest, and he drives lots of miles all by himself, which he seems to like immensely, since he doesn't have to talk to anyone and can listen to his music while he drives.
My cutie-patootie son, age 1So, how about you? What did you grow up to be? Was it what you dreamed about being as a child?
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.
I'm curious...what did you want to be when you grew up?
One of the warehouses at Vetsch HardwoodsDid you know from a young age what you wanted to do? Did it take you awhile to figure it out? Is what you're doing now remotely related to your childhood ideas?
My husband and I were talking about this recently. When he was a kid, he wanted to be a paleontologist or a dentist, and when he got older, he wanted to be a teacher. Then he wanted to work in radio, which he did for awhile.
What he didn't want to do is work for/with his dad in the family business.
So guess what he does now? Yup, you guessed it. He is now an owner in the family business, and he loves what he does.
When I was a kid, I dreamed of being a veterinarian, a nurse, a medical missionary, a teacher, or a writer. (I also wanted to train horses for the circus, own my own zoo, and breed racehorses.)
I did grow up to be a teacher, and I'm now a writer...still waiting for the circus gig, though.)
Our daughter came out of the school after her first day of kindergarten and informed me that she was going to be a teacher. She never wavered from that goal, though she refined it as she got older to Early Childhood Educator. Now she's a pre-school teacher with Head Start, and that fills her teacherly happy cup up every day.
Teaching school all week isn't enough!She teaches pre-school Sunday School, too!
Our son rarely mentioned what he wanted to be beyond perhaps a video game beta-tester. :) Now he works for a courier service based in the upper midwest, and he drives lots of miles all by himself, which he seems to like immensely, since he doesn't have to talk to anyone and can listen to his music while he drives.
My cutie-patootie son, age 1So, how about you? What did you grow up to be? Was it what you dreamed about being as a child?SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER
Find me on AMAZON.COM
Find me on FACEBOOK
May 9, 2017
Interview & #Giveaway with Larry Timm
I'm (Jaime) super glad to have another guest, Author Larry Timm, in my place today to tell us about his new release and the life of a suspense writer!! Stay tuned to the end, as we're giving away a copy too!
____________________________
Thank you so much for visiting us today here at the CCC blog! Can you tell us about your latest release and what inspired you to write the story?
Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of the CCC blog. I am thrilled to be here.
MURDER FOR EMILY’S SAKE, my debut suspense novel, has been a labor of love that began several years ago. The concept hit me one day, and it grabbed my heart and mind and said, “You better pay attention to me, because I’m not going away!”
MURDER FOR EMILY’S SAKE is about three women who met a teenage girl named Emily outside of an abortion clinic, and help her make the decision not to abort her baby. A few months later, due to a rare condition, Emily dies attempting to give birth. Her father, driven mad by grief, swears he will hunt down the three women, because he believes they are responsible for Emily’s death. The three women—Lindsay Birk, Nancy Gunn, and Kathy Schultz, who are committed to speaking up for the lives of the unborn, must now fight for their own lives. Emily’s father plans on burying them, like he had to bury his daughter…except they will be alive when he puts them in their caskets. Then, once he buries them, he is sure they will die…eventually…for Emily’s Sake.
I was inspired to write this story by my conviction about the sanctity of human life, born and unborn, and my belief that many times God’s most precious gifts are many times also the most fragile. My deep appreciation for the brave and committed men and women who put themselves “on the line” to defend the lives of the unborn also inspired me to write this story.
On a REALLY personal note, this story, came to have an even more intimate meaning to me when my daughter was diagnosed with cancer (after chemo and radiation, it’s in remission). More than ever before, I try not to take the gift of each day for granted. This book is dedicated to my daughter. If you want to learn more about our journey through our daughter’s cancer, you can read an article I wrote by going to http://christianstandard.com/2017/01/beauty-in-the-battle/
Of all your characters in this story, which one did you enjoy writing the most and why?
Wow! This is a really tough question. I became so attached to all the characters. But I loved seeing Lindsay Birk’s character develop as the story went on. She found a greater appreciation for the things and people in her life, and she was driven by an inner strength that only grew more intense as the story went along. Her determination and grit amazed to me. And Momma Mac was a blast! She’s a joyful person whose loyalty to family and friends inspired me. And, man, does she have a habit of saying whatever is on her mind!
If you could cast your characters in a Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play them?
Great question! The problem is I don’t know the names of the current crop of Hollywood types.
How did you decide on the setting/location for this novel?
I picked Wichita, Kansas because that’s where I was raised.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it and why?
Since the common wisdom is that a writer should write what he knows, I’m sure my wife would say that I shouldn’t attempt to write Romance novels. Ouch.
Moving on from your story, tell us a little about yourself. We’ll help! What literary character is most like you and why?
Okay, this is going to sound weird, but the literary character that has stuck with me most over the past several years is Odd Thomas. He’s an incredible character from the Odd Thomas series of novels by Dean Koontz.
Odd Thomas believes in doing the right thing to help others, even if that conviction puts him in some really hard positions. He believes that there is good and evil in this world, and he wants to see good win.
And he is longing for a better day…a better place.
What strange writing habits do you have? Like standing on your head while you write with a pen between your teeth?
When I’m writing, I have a habit of talking out loud to myself. And I pace…a lot! I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, so sometimes I have to talk myself through scenes as I’m writing.
Do you have a writing mentor, or another author who has inspired/encouraged you in some way?
There are several: Deborah Raney, in addition to being a mentor, did an initial edit on this book, and she has been a great help to me. And Nancy Mehl has been a good friend and mentor, as well as a fellow-suspense writer. Kim Vogel Sawyer has been an encourager too. Also, Joe Courtemanche, Karl Bacon, and Mike Ehret have been constant sources of inspiration and encouragement to me. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful writers from ACFW, especially from the chapter in Wichita. Writers have always been my heroes. And Dean Koontz continues to amaze me with each of his books.
We talk a lot about faith and how it weaves throughout our fiction, here at the blog. How has your faith affected/or not affected your writing?
My faith affects everything about my writing. Whether I’m writing fiction or non-fiction, I first and foremost write for an audience of One, and that One is my Lord Jesus. I never have and never will apologize for letting my faith inform my writing. To me, writing is an act of worship. I pray that God will help draw people closer to Him through whatever I write. Yes, I want my writing to entertain, but more than that, I want it to inform people of some element of truth. And there is truth because there is God.
Because Jaime has some darker elements to her split-time historical and contemporary romantic suspense coming out this year, she likes to ask weird questions. So, if you were responsible to write your own epitaph for your tombstone, what would it say?
“It wasn’t the bacon!”
Anne is an insatiable romantic with a serious vintage aura in all she writes. Do you have fabulous love story in your family history that you could share with us in a few words? If not, what about your own?
This one is easy to answer! My wife surrounds our home with a love that makes what I do possible. She never lets me forget that she believes in me, and loves me. I mean, seriously, I married waaaaay out of my league. One of the most amazing examples of the love that she nurtures in our home is what she says each night and each morning to our children. She tells them, “I love you, my precious gift from God.”
Erica and Gabrielle both write sweet historical romances. How does romance influence your own writing?
It probably influences my writing more than I think. I do try to create relationships that have ups and downs, but also have note of hope and restoration. I do want to weave in the truth that love conquers all.
We’d love you have you share a snippet from your novel to entice us and hook us! J Please share something below:
“As dawn broke on Friday morning, fingers of orange light stretched slowly over the freshly mounded dirt. Jack patted the last shovelful down, pausing long enough to wipe sweat from his forehead. No one would find this grave until it was too late. He walked across the dew-soaked grass and tossed the shovel into the truck bed. It landed with a muffled clatter on the tarp he’d used to cover the casket and the parts to the lowering device he’d stolen from the storage shed at the local burial vault company. He went around to the passenger’s side door and removed the rusty metal grave marker he’d taken from the cemetery where his dear Emily had been laid to rest. It was a temporary marker, the kind with a small rectangular notice holder attached to a metal stake. He’d removed the existing notice and now inserted the new one he’d prepared. He read it out loud one more time, just to be sure it sounded right… He’d decided against using the day and month of her birth, choosing rather to only list the year. Besides, if he used the full birth date, then he would have to use the full death date. And that was impossible. He simply did not know how long she would survive after being buried alive. She might die today or tomorrow, but her death would come soon.
After returning to the head of the grave, he smiled and pushed the stake down into the soil.”
_______________________________
a Rafflecopter giveaway
____________________________
Thank you so much for visiting us today here at the CCC blog! Can you tell us about your latest release and what inspired you to write the story?Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of the CCC blog. I am thrilled to be here.
MURDER FOR EMILY’S SAKE, my debut suspense novel, has been a labor of love that began several years ago. The concept hit me one day, and it grabbed my heart and mind and said, “You better pay attention to me, because I’m not going away!”
MURDER FOR EMILY’S SAKE is about three women who met a teenage girl named Emily outside of an abortion clinic, and help her make the decision not to abort her baby. A few months later, due to a rare condition, Emily dies attempting to give birth. Her father, driven mad by grief, swears he will hunt down the three women, because he believes they are responsible for Emily’s death. The three women—Lindsay Birk, Nancy Gunn, and Kathy Schultz, who are committed to speaking up for the lives of the unborn, must now fight for their own lives. Emily’s father plans on burying them, like he had to bury his daughter…except they will be alive when he puts them in their caskets. Then, once he buries them, he is sure they will die…eventually…for Emily’s Sake.
I was inspired to write this story by my conviction about the sanctity of human life, born and unborn, and my belief that many times God’s most precious gifts are many times also the most fragile. My deep appreciation for the brave and committed men and women who put themselves “on the line” to defend the lives of the unborn also inspired me to write this story.
On a REALLY personal note, this story, came to have an even more intimate meaning to me when my daughter was diagnosed with cancer (after chemo and radiation, it’s in remission). More than ever before, I try not to take the gift of each day for granted. This book is dedicated to my daughter. If you want to learn more about our journey through our daughter’s cancer, you can read an article I wrote by going to http://christianstandard.com/2017/01/beauty-in-the-battle/
Of all your characters in this story, which one did you enjoy writing the most and why?
Wow! This is a really tough question. I became so attached to all the characters. But I loved seeing Lindsay Birk’s character develop as the story went on. She found a greater appreciation for the things and people in her life, and she was driven by an inner strength that only grew more intense as the story went along. Her determination and grit amazed to me. And Momma Mac was a blast! She’s a joyful person whose loyalty to family and friends inspired me. And, man, does she have a habit of saying whatever is on her mind!
If you could cast your characters in a Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play them?
Great question! The problem is I don’t know the names of the current crop of Hollywood types.
How did you decide on the setting/location for this novel?
I picked Wichita, Kansas because that’s where I was raised.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it and why?
Since the common wisdom is that a writer should write what he knows, I’m sure my wife would say that I shouldn’t attempt to write Romance novels. Ouch.
Moving on from your story, tell us a little about yourself. We’ll help! What literary character is most like you and why?Okay, this is going to sound weird, but the literary character that has stuck with me most over the past several years is Odd Thomas. He’s an incredible character from the Odd Thomas series of novels by Dean Koontz.
Odd Thomas believes in doing the right thing to help others, even if that conviction puts him in some really hard positions. He believes that there is good and evil in this world, and he wants to see good win.
And he is longing for a better day…a better place.
What strange writing habits do you have? Like standing on your head while you write with a pen between your teeth?
When I’m writing, I have a habit of talking out loud to myself. And I pace…a lot! I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, so sometimes I have to talk myself through scenes as I’m writing.
Do you have a writing mentor, or another author who has inspired/encouraged you in some way?
There are several: Deborah Raney, in addition to being a mentor, did an initial edit on this book, and she has been a great help to me. And Nancy Mehl has been a good friend and mentor, as well as a fellow-suspense writer. Kim Vogel Sawyer has been an encourager too. Also, Joe Courtemanche, Karl Bacon, and Mike Ehret have been constant sources of inspiration and encouragement to me. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful writers from ACFW, especially from the chapter in Wichita. Writers have always been my heroes. And Dean Koontz continues to amaze me with each of his books.
We talk a lot about faith and how it weaves throughout our fiction, here at the blog. How has your faith affected/or not affected your writing?
My faith affects everything about my writing. Whether I’m writing fiction or non-fiction, I first and foremost write for an audience of One, and that One is my Lord Jesus. I never have and never will apologize for letting my faith inform my writing. To me, writing is an act of worship. I pray that God will help draw people closer to Him through whatever I write. Yes, I want my writing to entertain, but more than that, I want it to inform people of some element of truth. And there is truth because there is God.
Because Jaime has some darker elements to her split-time historical and contemporary romantic suspense coming out this year, she likes to ask weird questions. So, if you were responsible to write your own epitaph for your tombstone, what would it say?
“It wasn’t the bacon!”
Anne is an insatiable romantic with a serious vintage aura in all she writes. Do you have fabulous love story in your family history that you could share with us in a few words? If not, what about your own?
This one is easy to answer! My wife surrounds our home with a love that makes what I do possible. She never lets me forget that she believes in me, and loves me. I mean, seriously, I married waaaaay out of my league. One of the most amazing examples of the love that she nurtures in our home is what she says each night and each morning to our children. She tells them, “I love you, my precious gift from God.”
Erica and Gabrielle both write sweet historical romances. How does romance influence your own writing?
It probably influences my writing more than I think. I do try to create relationships that have ups and downs, but also have note of hope and restoration. I do want to weave in the truth that love conquers all.
We’d love you have you share a snippet from your novel to entice us and hook us! J Please share something below:
“As dawn broke on Friday morning, fingers of orange light stretched slowly over the freshly mounded dirt. Jack patted the last shovelful down, pausing long enough to wipe sweat from his forehead. No one would find this grave until it was too late. He walked across the dew-soaked grass and tossed the shovel into the truck bed. It landed with a muffled clatter on the tarp he’d used to cover the casket and the parts to the lowering device he’d stolen from the storage shed at the local burial vault company. He went around to the passenger’s side door and removed the rusty metal grave marker he’d taken from the cemetery where his dear Emily had been laid to rest. It was a temporary marker, the kind with a small rectangular notice holder attached to a metal stake. He’d removed the existing notice and now inserted the new one he’d prepared. He read it out loud one more time, just to be sure it sounded right… He’d decided against using the day and month of her birth, choosing rather to only list the year. Besides, if he used the full birth date, then he would have to use the full death date. And that was impossible. He simply did not know how long she would survive after being buried alive. She might die today or tomorrow, but her death would come soon.
After returning to the head of the grave, he smiled and pushed the stake down into the soil.”
_______________________________
a Rafflecopter giveaway
May 8, 2017
Monday's Devo: Worship is My Anti-Thesis
Anne here.
When the theme is stress and the thesis emphasizes worry, when the world says by definition I had a stressful week last week, or that looking ahead I should be stressed by the unknown on the horizon--I get down. I worship. I wait for the anti-thesis to my culture's critique and prediction.
I have a minor procedure scheduled this week. I've had, truly, total peace about it. But the closer it gets, my brain goes all crazy on me. Everyone knows there are no guarantees in this world and that in a word, a flash, life can take a different turn.
But as I worshiped and talked with my Lord this week, He reminds me of His sovereignty in a barrage of ways so tiny, so timed, so precisely for my soul. And just how He does this for billions all across the globe and the centuries, while He's also busy keeping the planet spinning and the flowers blooming, and the sun shining--just rocks me through and through. He's got this.
My daughter's twenty-third birthday is today. Last week her birthday request was for me to take her to Manifest worship night to attempt prophetic painting--basically painting your conversation with God while you worship. We drove after work on Friday night to an out of the way little country church across state lines on a road we'd never been to before. #RoadAdventure! We worshipped with sisters and brother's we'd never met before. We heard their testimonies and worshipped together. An awesome reminder to me of God's handiwork, His sovereignty, and how He works all things together for our good.
Then yesterday, during the children's bell choir, they chimed their bells to "I've got peace like a river in my soul" and I got all teared up thinking how child like faith accepts peace easily from the Father. It's us who muddy up the waters thinking far too much about the "what if's".
Next, we stood for adult worship and the words of my favorite hymn I'd picked 31 years ago for my baptism swept over my should. The tears of peace rolled over me. It was true then. It's still true now. It will be true no matter what lies ahead. Lord, "Take My Life and Let it Be".
And the conclusion of my Anti-cultural-thesis: we sang "The Lion of Judah" Love that song.
I can't put into words, or paint for you the exact peace I have for this week. But I just offer it to you this week as a voice of hope and peace for your week as you face a world that throws Anti-Peace at you. Worship. See what precise things God reveals to you.
Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen.-------------Blog post by Anne Love-
Writer of Historical Romance inspired by her family roots.
Nurse Practitioner by day.
Wife, mother, writer by night.
Coffee drinker--any time.
Find me at: www.anneloveauthor.com
Find me on:FacebookFind me on: PinterestFind me on: Goodreads
Find me on: Twitter
Find me on: Instagram
When the theme is stress and the thesis emphasizes worry, when the world says by definition I had a stressful week last week, or that looking ahead I should be stressed by the unknown on the horizon--I get down. I worship. I wait for the anti-thesis to my culture's critique and prediction.
I have a minor procedure scheduled this week. I've had, truly, total peace about it. But the closer it gets, my brain goes all crazy on me. Everyone knows there are no guarantees in this world and that in a word, a flash, life can take a different turn.
But as I worshiped and talked with my Lord this week, He reminds me of His sovereignty in a barrage of ways so tiny, so timed, so precisely for my soul. And just how He does this for billions all across the globe and the centuries, while He's also busy keeping the planet spinning and the flowers blooming, and the sun shining--just rocks me through and through. He's got this.
My daughter's twenty-third birthday is today. Last week her birthday request was for me to take her to Manifest worship night to attempt prophetic painting--basically painting your conversation with God while you worship. We drove after work on Friday night to an out of the way little country church across state lines on a road we'd never been to before. #RoadAdventure! We worshipped with sisters and brother's we'd never met before. We heard their testimonies and worshipped together. An awesome reminder to me of God's handiwork, His sovereignty, and how He works all things together for our good.
Then yesterday, during the children's bell choir, they chimed their bells to "I've got peace like a river in my soul" and I got all teared up thinking how child like faith accepts peace easily from the Father. It's us who muddy up the waters thinking far too much about the "what if's".
Next, we stood for adult worship and the words of my favorite hymn I'd picked 31 years ago for my baptism swept over my should. The tears of peace rolled over me. It was true then. It's still true now. It will be true no matter what lies ahead. Lord, "Take My Life and Let it Be".
And the conclusion of my Anti-cultural-thesis: we sang "The Lion of Judah" Love that song.
I can't put into words, or paint for you the exact peace I have for this week. But I just offer it to you this week as a voice of hope and peace for your week as you face a world that throws Anti-Peace at you. Worship. See what precise things God reveals to you.
Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen.-------------Blog post by Anne Love-
Writer of Historical Romance inspired by her family roots.
Nurse Practitioner by day.
Wife, mother, writer by night.
Coffee drinker--any time.
Find me at: www.anneloveauthor.com
Find me on:FacebookFind me on: PinterestFind me on: Goodreads
Find me on: Twitter
Find me on: Instagram
May 4, 2017
Summer Plans
Winner of my Birthday Fun giveaway is Emily Smith!
Gabrielle Here:
It finally feels like spring in central Minnesota!! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for warm weather, pretty flowers, and bright blue skies. Every day my children remind me how many days until school is over. Only sixteen more days and summer vacation will be here!!!!
I took my boys on a bike ride today! It was beautiful!That has me thinking a lot about our calendar and all the things we hope to do this summer. I'm very protective of our family time and make sure we have plenty of it. I don't like to crowd our calendar, but things start to pile up so quickly! The kids will do Vacation Bible School, swimming lessons, a week-long play, and Bible camp for the girls. I plan to host two writers retreats, one at a historic mansion nearby, and the other at my house with Erica (we're working on a fun project that we'll announce soon). We have a couple family reunions, a camp out or two, and a week-long trip to Ohio in August where I'll participate in the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat (we're making it a family road trip with my parents in their RV and we plan to visit my uncle when we're in Cincinnati). I hope to take the kids to a few historic sites (some in Erica's neck-of-the-woods!) and maybe a museum, if we're lucky.
In between all that, we manage to spend a lot of our time swimming and boating in the river behind our house, and at several lakes nearby. We also play golf, go to the drive-in theater, and host many family-friendly gatherings at our house. It's our favorite time of year and we try to enjoy it to the full.
I can't wait for summer vacation! What about you? Do you have any special plans? Are you taking a trip? What are your favorite childhood memories of summer vacation?
Gabrielle Meyer
Find me on Facebook
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Find me on Goodreads
Find me on My Website
Sign up for My Newsletter
Gabrielle Here:
It finally feels like spring in central Minnesota!! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for warm weather, pretty flowers, and bright blue skies. Every day my children remind me how many days until school is over. Only sixteen more days and summer vacation will be here!!!!
I took my boys on a bike ride today! It was beautiful!That has me thinking a lot about our calendar and all the things we hope to do this summer. I'm very protective of our family time and make sure we have plenty of it. I don't like to crowd our calendar, but things start to pile up so quickly! The kids will do Vacation Bible School, swimming lessons, a week-long play, and Bible camp for the girls. I plan to host two writers retreats, one at a historic mansion nearby, and the other at my house with Erica (we're working on a fun project that we'll announce soon). We have a couple family reunions, a camp out or two, and a week-long trip to Ohio in August where I'll participate in the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat (we're making it a family road trip with my parents in their RV and we plan to visit my uncle when we're in Cincinnati). I hope to take the kids to a few historic sites (some in Erica's neck-of-the-woods!) and maybe a museum, if we're lucky.In between all that, we manage to spend a lot of our time swimming and boating in the river behind our house, and at several lakes nearby. We also play golf, go to the drive-in theater, and host many family-friendly gatherings at our house. It's our favorite time of year and we try to enjoy it to the full.
I can't wait for summer vacation! What about you? Do you have any special plans? Are you taking a trip? What are your favorite childhood memories of summer vacation?
Gabrielle Meyer
Find me on Facebook
Find me on Amazon
Find me on Goodreads
Find me on My Website
Sign up for My Newsletter
May 3, 2017
American Heritage Girls and Quilts!
Erica here:
This week I got to attend a speaking engagement I have been looking forward to for some time. I met with a local troop of the American Heritage Girls!
Most of the time when I have a speaking engagement, it's to talk about writing fiction, the publishing industry, books and the like. But this time, they asked me to come talk about another passion of mine, quilting!
I was asked to give a brief history lesson of quilting and bring some examples of how a necessity has become a folk art.
EEK! Just up my alley!
Antique quilt in the foreground, and a memorial quilt
sewn by yours truly.
I brought samples of Civil War and Depression era fabrics, examples of machine and hand quilting, some quilting books that showed classic and modern designs, and a vintage 30's quilt sewn by my husband's grandmother.
It was such a pleasure to talk about history and quilting to a nice, interested group of girls and their leaders. I love being able to combine my passions!
As an added bonus, one of the girls was named Erica, and she's a Jayhawk fan!!! :) :) :)
What are some of your interests and passions?
SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER
Find me on AMAZON.COM
Find me on FACEBOOK
This week I got to attend a speaking engagement I have been looking forward to for some time. I met with a local troop of the American Heritage Girls!
Most of the time when I have a speaking engagement, it's to talk about writing fiction, the publishing industry, books and the like. But this time, they asked me to come talk about another passion of mine, quilting!
I was asked to give a brief history lesson of quilting and bring some examples of how a necessity has become a folk art.
EEK! Just up my alley!
Antique quilt in the foreground, and a memorial quiltsewn by yours truly.
I brought samples of Civil War and Depression era fabrics, examples of machine and hand quilting, some quilting books that showed classic and modern designs, and a vintage 30's quilt sewn by my husband's grandmother.
It was such a pleasure to talk about history and quilting to a nice, interested group of girls and their leaders. I love being able to combine my passions!
As an added bonus, one of the girls was named Erica, and she's a Jayhawk fan!!! :) :) :)
What are some of your interests and passions?
SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER
Find me on AMAZON.COM
Find me on FACEBOOK
May 2, 2017
Tosca Lee Visits - Hear About #Firstborn on #ReleaseDay! #Giveaway too!
Ever just go a little fan happy? I (Jaime) am finishing up my second novel for Bethany House Publishers this month, so some author friends are stopping by and helping me give you something fun to read on this Tuesday! But TOSCA LEE??? Wowsas! Hope you enjoy our little chat and make sure you hang tight 'til the end. Tosca is also gifting one of our readers with a copy of her novel! :)
____________________________________
Thank you so much for visiting us today here at the CCC blog!
Can you tell us about your latest release and what inspired you to write the story?
Thank you for having me! My latest release is Firstborn, the sequel to The Progeny, which ended on a cliffhanger for which I’m sorry! (Okay, not really. I actually laughed the evil laugh when I wrote it.) But I also intended for Firstborn to release sooner than it has. So for everyone who read Book I, thank you for waiting so patiently!! It was a fan who asked me to write about the infamous Countess Elizabeth Bathory, and so her life forms the underpinning in this story about her fictional descendants. Of all your characters in this story, which one did you enjoy writing the most and why?
I had so much fun with the entire cast, though in Firstborn I loved writing the scene with Tibor, the Zagreb “prince.” He’s a little bit crazy and only appears in one scene, but I really enjoyed writing him.
If you could cast your characters in a Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play them?
Oh gosh. This is always a difficult question for me to answer, because I never picture anyone specific as I write the characters. Just their personalities. So I honestly don’t know!
How did you decide on the setting/location for this novel?
Since Elizabeth Bathory lived in the Austro-Hungarian empire, that much was already set for me. I took my mom with me on my 2015 research trip and we had a ball basically eating our way through Hungary, Croatia, Austria. For the U.S. scenes, I opted to start in Maine—the land flowing with blueberries and lobster. The Greenville/Moosehead Lake area has been a favorite getaway place for me, so the story starts there.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it and why?
Well, I’ve already written about the life of Judas from his perspective, and a fallen angel, too, so I kind of feel like I’ve plumbed the depths. The crazy thing is, as I wrote about Judas, for example, and his agenda for God in Iscariot… I realized I was largely writing my own story, which was a very sobering thought.
Moving on from your novel, tell us a little about yourself. We’ll help! What literary character is most like you and why?
As a novelist, I kind of feel like someone from Alice in Wonderland—stepping into new realms, and then, on deadline, saying all the time, “I’m late, I’m late!” What strange writing habits do you have? Like standing on your head while you write with a pen between your teeth?
Yeah. No. Wait, is that a thing?
I always have to have coffee/caffeine. I’m pretty sure this is standard. I pray by the side of my desk before I begin. It sounds a lot like begging, but God's used to that from me. Other than that, snacks. I’m pretty sure I have enough crumbs in my keyboard to feed a small child. Do you have a writing mentor, or another author who has inspired/encouraged you in some way?
I’m lucky to have a lot of author friends. We all encourage (and, when need be, torture) one another. Most of all, I’m fortunate to have an amazing husband who loves to brainstorm and prays for me daily. I can’t imagine doing this without him. I have—I wrote eight books before we met and married—but this is way better. Also my sister Amy, AKA the original guinea pig. These stories are so much for her.
We talk a lot about faith and how it weaves throughout our fiction, here at the blog. How has your faith affected/or not affected your writing?
My stories are about questions of faith. Of identity. Of why God does or doesn’t do certain things and how God may or may not perform the way we believe God should. What grace looks like. What love looks like. I write to explore these questions for myself… and always come away with more questions.
At the end of the day, this journey has made me more at peace with the idea of mystery. Of letting God be God in a way that I cannot fully comprehend. For me—someone who needs answers—that has been huge.
Because Jaime has some darker elements to her split-time historical and contemporary romantic suspense coming out this year, she likes to ask weird questions. So, if you were responsible to write your own epitaph for your tombstone, what would it say?
Jaime is my kind of girl.And just this: “She loved.”
Anne is an insatiable romantic with a serious vintage aura in all she writes. Do you have fabulous love story in your family history that you could share with us in a few words? If not, what about your own?
Ahhh! I could fill up pages about the gentleman farmer and single father of four I married just last year. But as for family history, there’s more crazy stuff than romance—including the fact that I recently learned I’m distantly related to Elizabeth Bathory, the “Blood Countess” herself.
Erica and Gabrielle both write sweet historical romances. How does romance influence your own writing?
Though I’m not known for writing romance per se, I like to include it in most of my books. Romance is hard to write! I’ll anguish more over a kissing scene than a battle.
We’d love you have you share a snippet from your novel to entice us and hook us! J Please share something below:
Since Firstborntakes up right where The Progeny left off, I leave you with this from The Progeny’s opening:
No one speaks when you enter the Center for the final time. There is no need; you’ve gone through the counseling, tests and a checklist of preparations to get the plastic bracelet you show up in the day of treatment. The one that saves a life. They don’t need to know why you’re doing it any more. Or that you lied about it all.
I’m 21 years old and my name doesn’t matter because it’s about to be erased forever.
__________________________________________________
Check out more from Tosca at her Web Site!
FIRSTBORN releases TODAY! :)
HOW FAR WILL AUDRA ELLISON GO TO PROTECT WHAT SHE LOVES?Face-to-face with her past, Audra Ellison now knows the secret she gave up everything—including her memory—to protect. A secret made vulnerable by her rediscovery, and so powerful neither the Historian nor the traitor Prince Nikola will ever let her live to keep it.With Luka in the Historian’s custody and the clock ticking down on his life, Audra only has one impossible chance: find and kill the Historian and end the centuries old war between the Progeny and Scions at last—all while running from the law and struggling to control her growing powers.
With the help of a heretic monk and her Progeny friends Claudia, Piotrek, and Jester, Audra will risk all she holds dear in a final bid to save them all and put her powers to the ultimate test. Love, action, and stunning revelation reign in this thrilling conclusion to The Progeny.
Enter to win a copy!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
____________________________________
Thank you so much for visiting us today here at the CCC blog!
Can you tell us about your latest release and what inspired you to write the story?
Thank you for having me! My latest release is Firstborn, the sequel to The Progeny, which ended on a cliffhanger for which I’m sorry! (Okay, not really. I actually laughed the evil laugh when I wrote it.) But I also intended for Firstborn to release sooner than it has. So for everyone who read Book I, thank you for waiting so patiently!! It was a fan who asked me to write about the infamous Countess Elizabeth Bathory, and so her life forms the underpinning in this story about her fictional descendants. Of all your characters in this story, which one did you enjoy writing the most and why?
I had so much fun with the entire cast, though in Firstborn I loved writing the scene with Tibor, the Zagreb “prince.” He’s a little bit crazy and only appears in one scene, but I really enjoyed writing him.
If you could cast your characters in a Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play them?
Oh gosh. This is always a difficult question for me to answer, because I never picture anyone specific as I write the characters. Just their personalities. So I honestly don’t know!
How did you decide on the setting/location for this novel?
Since Elizabeth Bathory lived in the Austro-Hungarian empire, that much was already set for me. I took my mom with me on my 2015 research trip and we had a ball basically eating our way through Hungary, Croatia, Austria. For the U.S. scenes, I opted to start in Maine—the land flowing with blueberries and lobster. The Greenville/Moosehead Lake area has been a favorite getaway place for me, so the story starts there.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it and why?
Well, I’ve already written about the life of Judas from his perspective, and a fallen angel, too, so I kind of feel like I’ve plumbed the depths. The crazy thing is, as I wrote about Judas, for example, and his agenda for God in Iscariot… I realized I was largely writing my own story, which was a very sobering thought.
Moving on from your novel, tell us a little about yourself. We’ll help! What literary character is most like you and why?
As a novelist, I kind of feel like someone from Alice in Wonderland—stepping into new realms, and then, on deadline, saying all the time, “I’m late, I’m late!” What strange writing habits do you have? Like standing on your head while you write with a pen between your teeth?
Yeah. No. Wait, is that a thing?
I always have to have coffee/caffeine. I’m pretty sure this is standard. I pray by the side of my desk before I begin. It sounds a lot like begging, but God's used to that from me. Other than that, snacks. I’m pretty sure I have enough crumbs in my keyboard to feed a small child. Do you have a writing mentor, or another author who has inspired/encouraged you in some way?
I’m lucky to have a lot of author friends. We all encourage (and, when need be, torture) one another. Most of all, I’m fortunate to have an amazing husband who loves to brainstorm and prays for me daily. I can’t imagine doing this without him. I have—I wrote eight books before we met and married—but this is way better. Also my sister Amy, AKA the original guinea pig. These stories are so much for her.
We talk a lot about faith and how it weaves throughout our fiction, here at the blog. How has your faith affected/or not affected your writing?
My stories are about questions of faith. Of identity. Of why God does or doesn’t do certain things and how God may or may not perform the way we believe God should. What grace looks like. What love looks like. I write to explore these questions for myself… and always come away with more questions.
At the end of the day, this journey has made me more at peace with the idea of mystery. Of letting God be God in a way that I cannot fully comprehend. For me—someone who needs answers—that has been huge.
Because Jaime has some darker elements to her split-time historical and contemporary romantic suspense coming out this year, she likes to ask weird questions. So, if you were responsible to write your own epitaph for your tombstone, what would it say?
Jaime is my kind of girl.And just this: “She loved.”
Anne is an insatiable romantic with a serious vintage aura in all she writes. Do you have fabulous love story in your family history that you could share with us in a few words? If not, what about your own?
Ahhh! I could fill up pages about the gentleman farmer and single father of four I married just last year. But as for family history, there’s more crazy stuff than romance—including the fact that I recently learned I’m distantly related to Elizabeth Bathory, the “Blood Countess” herself.
Erica and Gabrielle both write sweet historical romances. How does romance influence your own writing?
Though I’m not known for writing romance per se, I like to include it in most of my books. Romance is hard to write! I’ll anguish more over a kissing scene than a battle.
We’d love you have you share a snippet from your novel to entice us and hook us! J Please share something below:
Since Firstborntakes up right where The Progeny left off, I leave you with this from The Progeny’s opening:
No one speaks when you enter the Center for the final time. There is no need; you’ve gone through the counseling, tests and a checklist of preparations to get the plastic bracelet you show up in the day of treatment. The one that saves a life. They don’t need to know why you’re doing it any more. Or that you lied about it all.
I’m 21 years old and my name doesn’t matter because it’s about to be erased forever.
__________________________________________________
Check out more from Tosca at her Web Site!
FIRSTBORN releases TODAY! :)
HOW FAR WILL AUDRA ELLISON GO TO PROTECT WHAT SHE LOVES?Face-to-face with her past, Audra Ellison now knows the secret she gave up everything—including her memory—to protect. A secret made vulnerable by her rediscovery, and so powerful neither the Historian nor the traitor Prince Nikola will ever let her live to keep it.With Luka in the Historian’s custody and the clock ticking down on his life, Audra only has one impossible chance: find and kill the Historian and end the centuries old war between the Progeny and Scions at last—all while running from the law and struggling to control her growing powers.
With the help of a heretic monk and her Progeny friends Claudia, Piotrek, and Jester, Audra will risk all she holds dear in a final bid to save them all and put her powers to the ultimate test. Love, action, and stunning revelation reign in this thrilling conclusion to The Progeny.
Enter to win a copy!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
May 1, 2017
Vintage News: Old Books & Food Memories
Winner of Becky Wade's give-away: Ashley!
Anne here.
Yep. I'm a vintage addict. Most of you know that. Imagine my thrill when I discovered a hidden treasure in a box of my mother-in-law's things packed away in the back of my closet.
My daughter, Emily, is launching into adult-ing and she is finally more interested in cooking. She'll be leaving soon for a year abroad in Ireland and asked for a copy of my Mennonite Cookbook that is falling apart.
I trekked to the back of the closet and pulled out the box of Granny's old cookbooks, hoping to find an extra copy with her handwriting in the margins. I did find one, but I also found one that slipped my attention somehow: a copy of Fannie Farmer's Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent from between 1905-1915!
A vintage find for an old book-collecting-geek!
How did I miss this?! But it's what it evoked in me that surprised me most.
I love the dedication to her mother, because that's the best source I know for good cookery.
I love the inscription of my mother-in-law's name inside the cover that reminds me of food and caring legacy from the center of the home--the kitchen (and yes, even the garden).
My great Grandmother Susie cultivated a large vegetable garden that she "trucked" to town where many summer vacationers bought fresh from her. (Incidentally, she sold to many cottagers in Bay View, Michigan, the setting my debut book coming in July!) She had nine children and cared for her husband, and an invalid brother. Counting all of them and the hired farm hands, she cooked and baked three meals a day--that's close to forty-two plates of food every day!
Great-Grandmother Susie on the right, with her sisters
My Grandmother Emma had a similar garden, and besides vegetables it included an amazing red raspberry patch, and brilliant gladiolas. She used to make fresh homemade bread and took them with the veggies and flowers to the flea market on Saturdays after she'd worked a full week as an LPN.
Grandma Emma's galvanized pan I still use for canning.
My Mom, Edna, is the best in the kitchen. We grew up planting gardens, bare feet in the dirt, bent over to pull weeds and pick berries and beans. She taught me home canning, freezing, and ensured that I knew a balanced diet included a plate with rainbow colors on it. Many hours of family time were spent in the kitchen cutting strawberries for homemade jam after she'd already worked a long day as an RN in a nearby office.
Cooking from the "rainbow"...
So, along with a copy of a cookbook from my MIL, Linda, I will do my duty to pass to Emily the treasures of good cooking, caring, and eating well with your family. I always think of this great legacy as I teach good nutrition, exercise, and label reading to my own patients. I once asked my MIL what she would have been if she could have finished school and chosen any profession. She said without hesitation: "I'd be a cook!" She had recipes stuck in every inch of her cupboards. She passed on hand-written recipes in her mother's handwriting, and those of her Amish neighbor and adopted mom, Katie Hershberger's favorites.
It's not food in a box, through the drive through, or passed through the window of my car that remind me of the loving care from the generations before me. It's the squish of garden dirt between my toes. The handwriting of my mother and my mother-in-law scribbled between the pages on my kitchen counters. It's the food memory of canning tomatoes, making jam, the smell of Sunday dinner in the oven. It's sitting around the table together.
It's the care in those food memories that I treasure beyond everything vintage about my back closet discovery.
Readers:
What's your best food memory?
What kitchen legacies were passed to you?
What's your favorite passed-down recipe?
What will you do to pass on good care, good food?
-------------Blog post by Anne Love-
Writer of Historical Romance inspired by her family roots.
Nurse Practitioner by day.
Wife, mother, writer by night.
Coffee drinker--any time.
Find me at: www.anneloveauthor.com
Find me on:FacebookFind me on: PinterestFind me on: Goodreads
Find me on: Twitter
Find me on: Instagram
Anne here.
Yep. I'm a vintage addict. Most of you know that. Imagine my thrill when I discovered a hidden treasure in a box of my mother-in-law's things packed away in the back of my closet.
My daughter, Emily, is launching into adult-ing and she is finally more interested in cooking. She'll be leaving soon for a year abroad in Ireland and asked for a copy of my Mennonite Cookbook that is falling apart.
I trekked to the back of the closet and pulled out the box of Granny's old cookbooks, hoping to find an extra copy with her handwriting in the margins. I did find one, but I also found one that slipped my attention somehow: a copy of Fannie Farmer's Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent from between 1905-1915!
A vintage find for an old book-collecting-geek!
How did I miss this?! But it's what it evoked in me that surprised me most.
I love the dedication to her mother, because that's the best source I know for good cookery.
I love the inscription of my mother-in-law's name inside the cover that reminds me of food and caring legacy from the center of the home--the kitchen (and yes, even the garden).
My great Grandmother Susie cultivated a large vegetable garden that she "trucked" to town where many summer vacationers bought fresh from her. (Incidentally, she sold to many cottagers in Bay View, Michigan, the setting my debut book coming in July!) She had nine children and cared for her husband, and an invalid brother. Counting all of them and the hired farm hands, she cooked and baked three meals a day--that's close to forty-two plates of food every day!
Great-Grandmother Susie on the right, with her sistersMy Grandmother Emma had a similar garden, and besides vegetables it included an amazing red raspberry patch, and brilliant gladiolas. She used to make fresh homemade bread and took them with the veggies and flowers to the flea market on Saturdays after she'd worked a full week as an LPN.
Grandma Emma's galvanized pan I still use for canning.My Mom, Edna, is the best in the kitchen. We grew up planting gardens, bare feet in the dirt, bent over to pull weeds and pick berries and beans. She taught me home canning, freezing, and ensured that I knew a balanced diet included a plate with rainbow colors on it. Many hours of family time were spent in the kitchen cutting strawberries for homemade jam after she'd already worked a long day as an RN in a nearby office.
Cooking from the "rainbow"...So, along with a copy of a cookbook from my MIL, Linda, I will do my duty to pass to Emily the treasures of good cooking, caring, and eating well with your family. I always think of this great legacy as I teach good nutrition, exercise, and label reading to my own patients. I once asked my MIL what she would have been if she could have finished school and chosen any profession. She said without hesitation: "I'd be a cook!" She had recipes stuck in every inch of her cupboards. She passed on hand-written recipes in her mother's handwriting, and those of her Amish neighbor and adopted mom, Katie Hershberger's favorites.
It's not food in a box, through the drive through, or passed through the window of my car that remind me of the loving care from the generations before me. It's the squish of garden dirt between my toes. The handwriting of my mother and my mother-in-law scribbled between the pages on my kitchen counters. It's the food memory of canning tomatoes, making jam, the smell of Sunday dinner in the oven. It's sitting around the table together.
It's the care in those food memories that I treasure beyond everything vintage about my back closet discovery.
Readers:
What's your best food memory?
What kitchen legacies were passed to you?
What's your favorite passed-down recipe?
What will you do to pass on good care, good food?
-------------Blog post by Anne Love-
Writer of Historical Romance inspired by her family roots.
Nurse Practitioner by day.
Wife, mother, writer by night.
Coffee drinker--any time.
Find me at: www.anneloveauthor.com
Find me on:FacebookFind me on: PinterestFind me on: Goodreads
Find me on: Twitter
Find me on: Instagram
April 26, 2017
Birthday Fun
Gabrielle Here:
Tuesday was my birthday and I turned thirty-seven, which means I was born in 1980. I always liked being born that year, because it made doing the age-math easier. In 1987, I was seven-years-old. In 1989, I was nine. In 1990, I was ten. And in the year 2000, I was twenty.
But I digress...to celebrate my birthday, I'd love to give something away! I was blessed with a wonderful birthday, filled with many of my favorite people and things, so I wanted to pass along the blessing to one of my friends here.
I'll send the winner a signed copy of one of my books, winner's choice. Just enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win. *US Residents Only.
I love birthdays--mine and others. I've even been known to tell random strangers it's my birthday... :)
Your Turn: When is your birthday? Do you enjoy birthdays, or do you prefer to ignore them?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tuesday was my birthday and I turned thirty-seven, which means I was born in 1980. I always liked being born that year, because it made doing the age-math easier. In 1987, I was seven-years-old. In 1989, I was nine. In 1990, I was ten. And in the year 2000, I was twenty.
But I digress...to celebrate my birthday, I'd love to give something away! I was blessed with a wonderful birthday, filled with many of my favorite people and things, so I wanted to pass along the blessing to one of my friends here.
I'll send the winner a signed copy of one of my books, winner's choice. Just enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win. *US Residents Only.
I love birthdays--mine and others. I've even been known to tell random strangers it's my birthday... :)
Your Turn: When is your birthday? Do you enjoy birthdays, or do you prefer to ignore them?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Getting your DNA test
Erica here:
So, have you seen the commercials for ancestry.com's DNA tests? You can purchase a kit, and when it arrives, you provide a DNA sample (in this case saliva,) return the test to ancestry.com, and in a few weeks, they will send you your results.
These results include a breakdown of your ethnicity, which seems to be one of the biggest draws of getting your DNA analyzed. Ancestry.com uses 26 different ethnic groups ranging from Native American to Eastern European to West African. From what I gather, this look into a person's ethnicity is often one of the biggest surprises. What you thought you heard Great Aunt Gussie say about you being French might actually not have been true.
But, though I have been tempted to try out this DNA analysis service, some questions arise that have prevented me from taking the leap.
1) Ancestry.com is not owned by the LDS church, but it does have close ties to the Mormon church. What does this tie to the Mormon church mean when ancestry.com is compiling statistics and data?
2) What does the laboratory and Ancestry.com do with your data, sample, and report? Do they archive those? Though they have a privacy policy in place, do they have control of the sample and data, or does the laboratory? What might be the future implications of having your DNA on file somewhere?
3) What will change for me if I have a DNA test? I am who I am. I have quite a bit of info already as to my ethnicity. Is curiosity enough of a reason to spend the money and enter into the spheres of influence of questions #1 & #2?
I know some folks who have used the DNA test on ancestry.com to help with family research. More than one woman I know who was adopted as a child has found a sibling later in life through this test. Some people have been surprised by the results, learning that what they thought was true about their heritage was actually not, and as a consequence, they were able to trace relatives hitherto unknown.
What about you? Have you thought about having a DNA test done? Have you used Ancestry.com?
SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER
Find me on AMAZON.COM
Find me on FACEBOOK
So, have you seen the commercials for ancestry.com's DNA tests? You can purchase a kit, and when it arrives, you provide a DNA sample (in this case saliva,) return the test to ancestry.com, and in a few weeks, they will send you your results.
These results include a breakdown of your ethnicity, which seems to be one of the biggest draws of getting your DNA analyzed. Ancestry.com uses 26 different ethnic groups ranging from Native American to Eastern European to West African. From what I gather, this look into a person's ethnicity is often one of the biggest surprises. What you thought you heard Great Aunt Gussie say about you being French might actually not have been true.
But, though I have been tempted to try out this DNA analysis service, some questions arise that have prevented me from taking the leap.
1) Ancestry.com is not owned by the LDS church, but it does have close ties to the Mormon church. What does this tie to the Mormon church mean when ancestry.com is compiling statistics and data?
2) What does the laboratory and Ancestry.com do with your data, sample, and report? Do they archive those? Though they have a privacy policy in place, do they have control of the sample and data, or does the laboratory? What might be the future implications of having your DNA on file somewhere?
3) What will change for me if I have a DNA test? I am who I am. I have quite a bit of info already as to my ethnicity. Is curiosity enough of a reason to spend the money and enter into the spheres of influence of questions #1 & #2?
I know some folks who have used the DNA test on ancestry.com to help with family research. More than one woman I know who was adopted as a child has found a sibling later in life through this test. Some people have been surprised by the results, learning that what they thought was true about their heritage was actually not, and as a consequence, they were able to trace relatives hitherto unknown.
What about you? Have you thought about having a DNA test done? Have you used Ancestry.com?
SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER
Find me on AMAZON.COM
Find me on FACEBOOK
April 25, 2017
A bit of Inspiration . . .
No better way than to start the day than with an inspiring story of making a difference with the little things. How will you impact those in your week?
Check out this man's tale and be inspired to make a change, to tell the ones you love how much you love them!
Check out this man's tale and be inspired to make a change, to tell the ones you love how much you love them!
