Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 45

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 

"Visitation" with donor portrait, from Altarpiece of the Virgin (St Vaast Altarpiece) by Jacques Daret, c. 1435 (Staatliche Museen, Berlin). [PD-US]

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah, 
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb, 
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 
cried out in a loud voice and said, 
“Blessed are you among women, 
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me, 
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, 
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

Luke 1:39-45

The Seekerville bloggers are praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional prayer coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please join us in praying for our country!God Bless the USA!
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe. 

WISHING YOU A PRAYERFUL ADVENT

AS WE PREPARE FOR THE BIRTH

OF THE CHRIST CHILD! 

Please pray for all those who were impacted by the storms that ripped through

the country last week, especially those who were injured and lost property

and for the repose of the souls of those who died. May the Lord comfort

their families and bring relief and aid to all who are in need. 

Weekend Edition

  






If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes.  Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected.


Monday: Kristi Ann Hunter
Wednesday: Debby Giusti offered "A Writer's Advent Reflection," with photos of Sacred Art. Debby and all the Seekers wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas!
Friday: Winnie gave us some examples of lessons writers can learn from Christmas songs


Monday:  Jan will be bringing us a Carol of Christmas.
Wednesday:  Cate has something Christmasy up her sleeve.  Friday: Christmas Eve - Seekerville Closed






A March Release byDEBBY GIUSTI
Pre-Order from AMAZON now!

 An Amish Spring Anthology and Debby Giusti is one of the authors.

To learn more join the FB Reader Group

 Amish Spring Romance | Facebook

Available now at your favorite bookstores!

This sale only lasts for a few more days!

Go to Jan's website for ordering links: www.JanDrexler.com





The Two Halves of the Climactic Moment by KM Weiland by Helping Writers Become Authors
A Writer's Favorite Things by Bob Hostetler at Steve Laube Agency

Christmas Gift Ideas for the Writer In Your Life by Michelle Sass Aleckson at Learn How To Write A Novel
To Comma, or Not to Comma Part Two  by Lori Freeland at Writers In The Storm

How to Write a Compelling Antihero by Lucy V Hay at Writers Helping Writers
12 Awesome Holiday Book Ad Templates for Authors by Teresa Conner at Book Brush Blog
A Crash Course on the Motivation-Reaction Unit by Lewis Jorstad at The Novel Smithy
Direct My Writing Paths by Crystal Bowman at The Write Conversation
Storytelling Expectations: Character vs. Plot Arcs by Jami Gold 
Rising Action In A Story by Gloria Russell at Write To Done
How to Embed a Video in Your Emails by Ilma at MailerLite Blog

Writer Takeaways From Christmas Songs

 

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. I hope everyone is having a really merry and blessed Christmas, full of the joy and hope that is at the heart of this season.

Every time I turn on the radio right now, Christmas music, both hymns and secular, come bursting out. I got to wondering if I could find any writerly takeaways from any of these and came up with the following seven:

I Saw Three Ships (you can listen to it HERE)

Writer Takeaway:
The rule of three is a powerful thing. Not only are there the titular three ships in this song, but all of the stanzas repeat the phrase “On Christmas day” three times. We are all wired to sit up and take notice when things come in threes – it starts from our earliest years as we learn stories about The Three Little Pigs, Three Blind Mice, Goldilocks and the Three Bears – you get the idea.
By The Way - According to some sources, the three ships mentioned in the song are camels, the 'ships of the desert', and refer to the camels the wise men road into Bethlehem on.

The 12 Days Of Christmas 

 (you can listen to it HERE)

Writer Takeaway: 
I actually have 2 takeaways from this one

First is the power of repetition – you need to weave in the important stuff more than once (see above on I Saw Three Ships)The second is the endless riffs writers can make on the same theme. I read somewhere that from the initial  18th century release of the poem this song is based and now there have been about 20 official variations. And of course there are all the unofficial, pop culture and off-the-cuff versions that crop up every year.

Do You Hear What I Hear 

 (you can listen to it HERE)

Writer Takeaway:
Appropriate use of the five senses in any scene helps to make the writing stronger and more vivid.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer 

 (you can listen to it HERE)

Writer Takeaway:
Everyone loves a good underdog story, especially when the underdog does something heroic and saves the day.

 

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 

 (you can listen to it HERE)

Writer Takeaway:
Foreshadowing and Anticipation can be used to great effect to keep the reader hanging onto your every word. And if there are negative as well as positive consequences (He knows if you've been naughty or nice!) so much the better.

The Little Drummer Boy 

 (you can listen to it HERE)

Writer Takeaway:
The best hero gives from the heart, not the wallet

 

All I Want For Christmas Is You 

 (you can listen to it HERE)

Writer Takeaway:
This one is especially important for romance writers – remember to keep the romance front and center in your story

So what do you think about my takeaways? Can you think of some others from these songs or other Christmas songs?  

I hope that each and every one of you have a sweet, joyous, blessed Christmas.

The Gift of Advent

I am big on Advent and Lent.

I am big on prep work.

I think half the fun of getting ready for celebrations... and sorrows... is the prep work that turns busy hands into sharers of grief and joy. Laughter through tears is truly my favorite emotion.

We can simplify it and call it a Martha mindset, but I think it goes deeper than that.

It's a nurturer mode. It's what makes some folks great nurses, teachers, health aides, home aides, mothers, fathers, ministers, day care providers...

I see Advent like that.

Prep time! A time of sharing, a time of prayerfulness, a time of repentance (and that's a beautiful thing!), a time of sacrifice and helping and being a better version of ourselves. Maybe even carrying some of that over to our everyday lives.

This Advent has been quiet and wonderful.... according to plan.

And then disaster struck on December 10th and 11th.

A major conflux of storm systems created record-breaking tornadoes across five states. Tornadoes that destroyed home, health, livelihoods. Tornadoes that leveled towns. Flattened churches. Took lives.

It is a dreadful situation. The logistics of a December stream of hundreds of possible tornado sightings and one that stayed on the ground for a record-breaking 227 miles.

Did you know that the United States has FOUR TIMES more tornadoes than all the other countries that ever have tornadoes combined? The unique head-on battle between the Rocky Mountains cold air and warmth pushing north from the Gulf of Mexico result in what becomes a toxic mix of physics, meteorology and force, resulting in strong storms that spew tornadic venom.

LINK TO WAPO STORY ON DAWSON SPRINGS

But this Advent, we can take our good wishes, our prayers, our beliefs and put them to work helping those in the storm's path. Helping those who've lost everything and helping those helping them.

Remember after 9/11, how Fred Rogers told the kids that it's okay to be scared because sometimes scary things happen. But then he advised them to look for the helpers... There are always helpers, he said.

Fred was right. When disaster hits, my family looks for the helpers. We know that national and international organizations can do wonderful work, but we like to know that the bulk of our funds go to the intended outreach, and so we look for local churches.

I search through readers, through Facebook posts, through whatever I need to and we designate that person/organization/church to be our hands and feet of Christ on the ground. Having helped many folks over the years, I know that bins and boxes and bags of old clothes come pouring in.

Frankly, they need cash. One thing I always admired about the Salvation Army in NYC was that the commanders had access to cash and they would take that to the streets to help those after 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy. When power is out for days and weeks... when plastic cards are unusable... when there's no clean water, no bathrooms (imagine that!) and no place to stay, cash is king.

I remember my son having to sleep on friends' couches for months after Sandy hit Lower Manhattan.

I met a waitress there who lost her job and couldn't work for a year until things were re-built because there were no places to work.

That lost income was monumental at her level... there were no government bailouts.  There was no work from home. There were only helping hands and friends. And that's what we can become this Advent.

We are part of the story. We are part of the framework. And there is a heartfelt Christmas feeling in reaching out and giving. And when we can't give (totally understandable) we pray.

I drove through Joplin, Missouri with Mary Connealy a year after that devastating F-5 tornado swept through town.

It was still a disaster area. The rubble and debris had been swept clean, but all across the landscape, all you saw were pipes sticking up out of slabs of concrete and broken trees.... it was mind-boggling because we don't tend to see the aftermath up north. I did, that day and it was a wake-up call.

News ebbs after a week or two.... after the final funeral.... but our hearts know that the work goes on.

And that's when our family reaches out to a local church to find out who's falling through the cracks. Because someone always falls through the cracks, and pastors and their church staff often know who they are... and how to help.

The Kentucky Governor's office has set up this disaster relief fund and they promise that no fees are taken out of the funds (this is important because a lot of funds are hit with 3 to 10% fees that scrape that percentage off of donations)  WESTERN KENTUCKY TORNADO RELIEF

I've seen folks from Joplin raising money for Mayfield... I see colleges raising money for disaster relief. Facebook folks.... Samaritan's Purse, Salvation Army and the Red Cross.... and while this is probably ALL GOOD, I'm simply posting the Kentucky governor's link.... 

Our family Christmas gift this year will be to this disaster relief because honestly, dear friends... there is nothing we need. We are blessed. And quietly sharing that blessing is like standing by that lowly manger with a hot meal for Mary and Joseph.

Since we can't do that... we'll do this.

And while the gift of our hands reaches people in need, we'll pray for all those folks' well-being.

Bestselling, multi-published inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is kind of bossy, and she's a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kind of gal, and she gets a little hard-nosed about this and that and the other thing, but she loves God so much that every now and again she does something nice. SHE DOES NOT WANT THAT TO GET AROUND, OKAY????  :)

You can chat with Ruthy via email at loganherne@gmail.com and on Facebook at Ruth Logan Herne... 

She and the whole Herne/Blodgett family send you their very best wishes for a beautiful, spiritual Christmas from the very muddy lands of Western New York.

A Writer's Advent Reflection

By Debby Giusti 

As I entered church on the first Sunday in Advent, my attention was drawn to a new banner hanging near the altar. The design was simple yet symbolic. Rays of light streamed from a star superimposed in the center of a large circle.

The meaning came in a flash…

Christ’s light shines in the darkness.   

The Annunciation, Bartolome Esteban Murillo,
c. 1660, Prado Museum. [PD-US]
To me, the circle represents the Earth with the star shining down from on high, just as the Star of Bethlehem brightened the heavens more than 2,000 years ago. Scripture tells us the world was in darkness, awaiting the Messiah, until God in his infinite mercy sent his Son to be our Savior. 

Without doubt, the Lord is a Master Storyteller, and the plot points of his Nativity read like a well-crafted novel: a woman pregnant out of wedlock, a man who takes her as his wife, a journey in difficult circumstances to a crowded city where they can’t find lodging and are forced to shelter in a stable. 

The Nativity, Sandro Botticelli, c. 1473-1475. [PD-US]

The woman delivers her child. Angels herald the birth. Shepherds pay homage to the tiny babe, and a star leads Wise Men from distant lands to the Infant King. A heinous despot’s evil plan to kill the child is thwarted, and the loving mother keeps all these things in her heart as her son grows in stature and grace. 

Fast forward to Jesus’ public ministry when we read about the many ways he lifted up the broken and made them whole. Christ’s light brought healing and forgiveness and the surety of everlasting life in union with a loving Father who sought salvation for his children. 

As writers, Christ invites us to let his light shine through our own stories. The ways in which we do that are as varied as the tales we weave. I take everything away from my characters in the course of my suspense novels. With nowhere to turn, they turn to the Lord. In their time of need, they realize they are not alone—nor have they ever been alone—because the Lord is near to all who call upon his holy name. 

Often a wound in their past keeps them from accepting love. When they finally forgive themselves, they’re then able to ask forgiveness of God. Once their pain is brought to the light and healed, they can move forward and accept the love of another. 

Adoration of the Shephers, Gerard van Honthorst, 1622
Pomeranian State Museum, Germany. [US-PD]

A number of my characters feel unworthy of God’s love. Of course, none of us is worthy—we all fall short—but the Lord never stops loving us and inviting us into relationship with him. 

Even those writing outside the Christian genre allow the light of Christ to shine when good triumphs over evil and hardened hearts open to love. 

Readers identify with our characters. Those who have closed God out of their lives live vicariously through our stories. Truths are revealed and lessons learned that soften the harden heart and encourage even the most jaded to reclaim their faith in God. 

Adoration of the Magi, Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel, Padue,
Italy. [PD-US]

In my first published novel, NOWHERE TO HIDE, the heroine reads a short prayer stitched on a sampler, “Jesus, I trust in you.” Over the course of the story, she opens her heart to the Lord and, at the climax, recites the prayer to find the strength and resolve to save herself and her child. 

My novella, “Yule Die,” reissued this fall in CHRISTMAS PERIL, involves a hostage situation and a strong-willed heroine who hopes to shine Christ’s love on the gang members holding her captive. The story takes a new direction as the hero, a season Atlanta cop, realizes the true meaning of Christmas. 

My heroine in AMISH CHRISTMAS SEARCH must forgive herself before she can open her heart to the Lord. Just as in my other stories, forgiveness plays an important role in allowing Christ’s light into the darkness of her past. 

Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus, Guido Reni,
c. 1635, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. [PD-US]

How do you let the light of Christ shine in your stories? What have you learned about yourself from the characters you’ve created? What gifts will you bring the Christ Child this Christmas—the gift of your writing, your service to others, the gift of prayer and quiet time spent with Him? 

Thanks for all you do to spread Christ’s light and love. 

Merry Christmas! 

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

Uncovering secrets in this Amish town could deliver deadly consequences.

When the robbery suspect she’s tracking begins attacking delivery girls in Amish country, officer Marti Sommers must go undercover as bait. With ex-cop Luke Lehman’s niece as one of the targets, this case is personal. After all, Marti’s rookie mistake ended with Luke injured and another officer dead. But can the two former colleagues stop a deadly smuggling ring…before Marti becomes the next victim?

Releases March 2022

Pre-Order on Amazon!

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT

The Baptism of Christ, by Juan Navarrete, 1567,
Prado Museum. [PD-US]

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none. 
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them, 
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion, 
do not falsely accuse anyone, 
and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation, 
and all were asking in their hearts 
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying, 
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn, 
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways, 
he preached good news to the people.

Luke 3:10-18

The Seekerville bloggers are praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional prayer coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please join us in praying for our country!God Bless the USA!
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe. 

WISHING YOU A PRAYERFUL ADVENT

AS WE PREPARE FOR THE BIRTH

OF THE CHRIST CHILD! 

Please pray for all those who were impacted by the storms that ripped through

the Midwest this weekend, especially those who were injured and lost property

and for the repose of the souls of those who died. May the Lord comfort

their families and bring relief and aid to all who are in need. 

Weekend Edition

  






If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes.  Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected.


Monday: Mary Connealy talked about Creating Characters--Give them a quirk. Mary is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to Nicki Chapelway!
Wednesday:  Ruthy had fun with a Christmas Cookie Round-up and the winner of "Embracing Light in Wishing Bridge"  is Terri Lynn! Congratulations, Terri!

Friday: Annie was looking for some reading suggestions! Feel free to continue commenting.  Winner for a box of books is Elizabeth Litton. Congratulations!!


Monday:  Kristi Ann Hunter
Wednesday:  Debby Giusti will provide an Advent Reflection! Be sure to stop by for a cup of Christmas tea and yummy cookies!  Friday: Winnie






A February Release byDEBBY GIUSTI
Pre-Order from AMAZON now!

 An Amish Spring Anthology and Debby Giusti is one of the authors.

To learn more join the FB Reader Group

 Amish Spring Romance | Facebook

Available now at your favorite bookstores!


The Lumberjack's Bride (A Mississippi Piney Woods Novella)is ON SALE for .99cents.
Click Here to Buy from Amazon


New Release!!!Pam is excited to present the re-issue of Meet in the Middle,originally part of one of the Seekers Collections way back when.
Click Here to Buy Meet in the Middle








How to Write Deep POV with Karen Witemeyer by Thomas Umstattd Jr. at Steve Laube Agency
5 Tips for Starting a Journaling Habit by Michael Hyatt
Don't Quit! Keep Going! by Alena Wendall at Learn How To Write A Novel
A Gift Guide for the Writer in Your Life  by Greer Macallister at Writer Unboxed
Why You Should Write a Skeleton Draft by Lewis Jorstad at The Novel Smithy
The Gift of Possible for Writers by Audrey Frank at The Write Conversation
How Symbolism Adds Depth to a Story by Angela Ackerman at Writers Helping Writers
Your Website Design Best Practices Checklist for 2022 by Megan at MailerLite Blog
How to Dictate a Book by Jason Hamilton at Kindlepreneur
Using Magnets to Attract Readers by Terry Odell by Kill Zone Blog

Share Your Christmas Reading with Me!

Hello Seekerville! First off, can you believe we're already in December of 2021?!  How are you? 
Last year was the first time we spent Christmas home and not with either my in-laws or with my family. We got a small tree - not quite Charlie Brown's tree, but shorter than my Darcy and still taller than me.  We watched It's a Wonderful Life per our tradition, and reread a few classics.  I once did a post on a personal tradition of rereading books on Seekerville, and it's been a norm for me to reread books I've fallen in love with.  However for this year, I'd like to do something a bit different. 

Asking for some Christmas cheer!

This year during this Christmas season, I'd like to add to my personal arsenal of favorite books from recommendations from YOU! Reading has always been a joy, a hobby, an outlet for stress, but most importantly a part of me. Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, I have not been able to read like I used to, but not for a lack of trying. Since the amount of books I can read in a given year had diminished substantially, I do need to be selective, one being that it must be available in ebook file (for my Paperwhite - one of my saving tool)!  With that said, the ones I did read this year, not many landed in my forever pile.  So I need you to help me add to my "TBR." 

What Books? 

With an ocean of books out there, I know it'll be hard to come up with just one.  So, I've compiled a list of topics that may help narrow things down. *wink wink. Just tell me the first book that comes to mind with the given topic. 

Family gatheringTraditions Image from PixabayChristmas classicWinter wonderlandBed & BreakfastSleigh RideSecret SantaChristmas carollingChristmas PageantJourney through BethlehemChristmas themed Book CoversAdventWishlistStocking StuffersCozy fireplaceCoffee shopCookies / BakingMistletoeReaderWoof Woof
Christmas Giveaway I’m gifting one US winner a mystery box of books!  To enter, just help me out with the above by leaving a comment (numbering corresponding topics) and you're entered. (You don't have to provide a book for each topic. Just one will do.)

If we have more than 25 (different) Village commenters, I will add another winner to also win a box of books. So share and bring your friends! 
Image from Pixabay

Box(es) will be mailed to the winner(s) as soon as possible (and hopefully arrive before Christmas). 
Subject to Seekerville giveaway terms and conditions.
THANK YOU & Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cookie Christmas!

 THIS IS NOT A FLUFF PIECE.

There is nothing fluffy about the amazing goodness and share-ability of Christmas cookies! Be they brownies or blondies, sugar or thumbprint, frosted or sprinkled (or both!), peanut butter with frosting or kisses, gingersnaps or ginger bars, pumpkin or chocolate chip.... and don't forget our ethnic classics! Pfeffernusse, lebkuchen, macarons and macaroons! :)

I don't take cookies seriously.

I take cookies HAPPILY! So I asked some of my buddies about their favorite cookies. 

Not a scientific poll, mind you... just a question.

What's your favorite Christmas cookie? We want to know! And if you want to put the recipe in the comments, well, we'll try it out! #mustlovecookies

Debby Giusti likes cookies well enough, but when we posed the question of cookies to the Seekers, here was Debby's response: 

My favorite Christmas treats aren't homemade, but they bring to mind so many wonderful memories of the three years we lived in Germany. Our favorite Christmas goodies were--and still are--Stollen and Nurnberger Gingerbread cookies. Here in the States, I buy them at our local Fresh Market grocery. Another December favorite is Panettone, which comes from Italy and stems from my husband's side of the family. When my granddaughter was young, she said it was the biggest muffin she had ever seen. We eat Panettone for breakfast with our morning coffee and enjoy the German treats at night after dinner. Exploring other cultures is always fun and can lead to new holiday discoveries that turn into family traditions.

Multi-published author Gabriele Meyer has a SECRET RECIPE!!!! But it's a secret so I can only hint about it here, but here's her take on Christmas cookies...

My all-time favorite are Christmas Monster Cookies. I have a secret family recipe that people are always trying to get from me, but I’ve been sworn to protect it with my life. 😉 They really are the most delicious cookie I’ve ever eaten and the recipe is just a little different from any other I’ve seen. I remember my mom making them when I was little and they always meant a fun family event was just around the corner!

Ruthy here, and I loved this idea and I'd never made Monster Cookies so I grabbed a few recipes online... with great reviews... and came up with my own. I noticed that more flour, less oats gives a chewier cookie and more oats gives a crisper version with a chewy center. I think the beauty of this recipe is the splash of butterscotch chips to make it like an elevated-on-a-pedestal "Oatmeal Scotchie", remember those?

Here's the recipe I used:

1 cup butter

2 cups peanut butter

5 eggs

2 1/2 cups brown sugar (I use dark because I like a background molasses accent)

2 cups sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

CREAM ALL OF THAT TOGETHER. BEAT THOROUGHLY TO MAKE A NICE CREAMY, DELICIOUS MIX!

ADD IN:

4 1/2 cups Quick Oats

2 cups flour (I use bread flour, but all purpose works fine)

4 tsp baking soda

Mix in thoroughly with dough hook.... Then stir in 1 cup butterscotch chips, 2 cups dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli or Nestle Dark), 1 cup chopped peanuts, 1 1/2 cups M&Ms.  Some folks add raisins. Now I like raisins well enough but my family would literally take up arms so to avoid a Christmas meltdown, I didn't include raisins.

I pretend these are healthy. Like SO MANY EGGS!!! And OATS!!! :)

Drop by tablespoons onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 12 to 14 minutes. 

Cool.

And the lovely bestselling author Linda Goodnight shared that her favorite Christmas cookie recipe is really a "bar"....  The Magic Cookie Bars from Eagle Condensed milk! Note to all, folks noted in the comments that the original recipe has you pouring the can of condensed milk over the top after all the layers are in place... not just over the graham crumbs. 

Okay, that's some ideas from us.Now what about you?If you have a favorite Christmas cookie or any cookie... drop a comment below. Leave a link if you like, or type in the whole recipe... we've got room! :) 
And to add sweetness to sweetness, Ruthy is offering a copy of "Embracing Light in Wishing Bridge", her newest Wishing Bridge release! Your choice, Kindle copy or paperback..... 

And commercial plug: Waterfall Press has put the Kindle versions of Welcome to Wishing Bridge and At Home in Wishing Bridge on sale at .99... You can get all four Wishing Bridge stories right now, Kindle editions, for under $10.

Now that's a sweet holiday deal! Well done, Amazon!

WELCOME TO WISHING BRIDGE LINK       

Multi-published, bestselling inspirational author Ruthy Logan Herne loves God like to an exponential of 10, loves her family, her country, dogs, chocolate (chocolate is a given) and coffee. She also loves to hear from readers and writers. With over 60 novels and novellas, she knows a lot and talks a lot. Friend her on Facebook, Email her at loganherne@gmail.com or swing by her website ruthloganherne.com 

Creating Characters--Give them a quirk

 

I'm the little girl in the center. You know...the CUTE ONE!!???There are unsubstantiated rumors that I was a quirky little thing!Also, I believe my mother is very pregnant with the fourth of her eight kids.What can I say....it was the baby boom!
One of the things I like to do when creating characters is give them quirks that compliment their personality or career choice, or whatever their underlying deal is.

I remember in Sharpshooter in Petticoats, Mandy McClellen Lindscott, a wickedly fast, accurate shot with her rifle, had a callus on her trigger finger.

When she was worried, or angry or even just thinking, she’d rub that callus with her thumb. That was her quirk. And it said a lot about her. How she thought of herself. The weight she carried because of her rifle skills. Negative and positive things. She counted on that trigger finger. She also had a lot of fear about how cool she got in a crisis. Cold honestly. She carried the fear inside her that she had what it took to be a killer.

So right now, I’m creating a group of sisters who are brilliant and, on top of that brilliance, they are highly educated and trained to take over a big business, a lumber industry but also the other facets of the dynasty their father had built.

One of the sisters is a chemical engineer, before that was really a term. Chemicals were created and the word and job of engineer exists (in addition to train engineers) But the two hadn’t really been cut off into a specialized field called chemical engineer.

So my heroine loves chemistry and, because her father’s dream was to build train tracks up a mountainside.

Someone’s going to have to build those tracks (that’s book #3).

Someone’s going to have to invent excellent brakes, super strong freight cars able to carry massive weight.

Someone is going to have to blast holes in mountains to build the tunnels they need.

My heroine gets the job of blowing stuff up. The Element of Love coming February 2022.

The twist in this book is the sisters, so smart, but wealthy all their lives, have to run away from home because danger has come to the Stiles Mansion up in the vast, remote forest.

And they have to HIDE. So they hide out as servants…and guess what? They have no skills. Sure they can modify, improve and get a patent for heavy duty undercarriage elements for a train car. But can they patch a hole in the knee of someone’s pants?

And how in the world does a bloody hunk of unidentified meat turn into a meal?

They are doing their best to fake it but they don’t dare tell the truth because if word of their whereabouts reaches the ear of their enemy, they are in dreadful danger.

So my smart heroine is faking NOT being smart. A the woman who has always had servants is trying to fake being a servant. She is bad at it. And she’d learning a few lessons about a ‘woman’s work’ having true value. And how, though she was always polite and thankful, she may have not given enough respect to the servants who fed and clothed her while she did ‘important’ work.

I’m having a lot of fun trying to make her humble and servant-like, and having her feisty, brilliant mind sneaking out all the time.

So...quirks. Give your characters quirks to make them three dimensional.

Do you have characters that are quirky? Tell me about them.

Today, for the Christmas season, I’m giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter.

If you want, you can use it to pre-order The Element of Love...but no one's gonna check if you use it for wild living!!!

Merry Christmas

The Element of Love by Mary Connealy

With their sharp engineering minds, Laura Stiles and her two sisters have been able to deal with their mother's unfortunate choice in husband, until they discover his plans to marry each of them off to his lecherous friends. Now they must run away--far and fast--to find better matches to legally claim their portion of their father's lumber dynasty and seize control from their stepfather.

When Laura befriends a mission group heading to serve the poor in California during their escape, she quickly volunteers herself and her sisters to join their efforts. Despite the settlement being in miserable condition, the sisters are excited by the opportunity to put their skills to good use. Laura also sees potential in Caleb, the local minister, to help with gaining her inheritance. But when secrets buried in Caleb's past and in the land around them come to light, it'll take all the smarts the sisters have to keep trouble at bay.