Serena B. Miller's Blog, page 11
July 28, 2013
Honorary Rase
The six extraordinary children of Carl and Madelyn Rase….and me. I got to be an honorary Rase for an evening at the annual “Rase Roundup!” Steve and I grew up with this family and it was great to see all if them again. By the way, the scene from The Measure Of Katie Calloway where Katie gets a job offer based on her ability to make an apple pie was based on my memories of their mama’s apple pie. That pie was so good it has lingered forever in my memory, right alongside the feeling of welcome and peace i felt in their home.
June 27, 2013
American Christian Fiction Writers Association (ACFW)
I’ve been a member of ACFW for more years than I can remember. I’ve watched it grow from a fledgling organization to the huge and active proponent of Christian literature that it is now. I’ve also sat at the awards banquet at their yearly national conference year after year cheering my writer friends on as they vied for position for the coveted Carol Awards. I hoped, but never really expected, to final in the Carol, myself.
Last week, I cooked at a primitive church camp on an island in Canada. No electricity, no cell phone, no indoor plumbing. Bathing was accomplished by plunging into a body of water named Ice Lake. I was driving home, feeling grungy and sleep deprived, with my oldest son. We stopped for lunch, and I received a phone call I’ll never forget. The caller, who was from ACFW, informed me that my book, An Uncommon Grace, was a finalist in the Carol Award. I started to squeal but she stopped me. “AND,” she said dramatically, “Your historical, A Promise To Love, is ALSO a finalist!”
That’s when my son had to give me a stern look to keep me from jumping on the table and dancing. All I could do the rest of the way home was repeat over and over, “I double finalled in the Carols, Derek!”And he would patiently reply, “I know, Mom.”
A writer fights against self-doubt every day of our lives. Something like this makes me think that maybe, just maybe, by the grace of God, I’m doing a good job after all.
The ACFW conference is in September. I’ll be there, hopefully wearing something fancy if I can find anything that fits. If I win–God be praised. If I lose–God will still be praised. Either way, I am one happy camper!
Click here for the list of finalists for the 2013 Carol Awards
May 3, 2013
National Day Of Prayer
[image error]Every year on May 1st, in Portsmouth, Ohio, you will find a small table set up in the rotunda of our beautiful courthouse with local volunteers doing something many people would consider quite unremarkable…reading the Bible out loud.
Why do we do it? One reason only. Because we still CAN!!
It isn’t at all impressive. It isn’t even particularly evangelistic. It’s just one person, reading the Bible into a microphone for one-half hour while people with court business walk past, then that person hands the Bible off to the next person and the next. This goes on all day. Quietly. Seamlessly. No fanfare.
My reading started at Mark, chapter 13. I read through the betrayal by Judas, the scourging of Christ, the horrific crucifixion, the doubt of the believers, and then the amazing resurrection. I stumbled over some of the King James words–a translation I rarely read–but I read aloud the Word of God for a half-hour and then handed off to my friend, Steve Williams, who then handed off to our friend, JoAnn Miller, who handed it off to my husband.
Funny thing. Even written in the archaic words of King James English, in an echoing rotunda, in an age where we are practically entertained to death—the Word of God still has the power to move me to tears.
It is a very big deal to have the freedom to read the Bible out loud in a public building. People have died for that right. In a quiet way, that half-hour felt downright victorious.
April 15, 2013
April 8, 2013
New Book! Hidden Mercies
Tomorrow Hidden Mercies is officially released!
Good news! My publisher says that Sam’s Club has purchased several thousand copies, and it will also be available at Amazon, B&N, CBD, Simon & Schuster, and Christian Book Stores everywhere!
April 2, 2013
An Awesome Classroom!
A few weeks ago I was in Arkansas visiting my sister when a friend asked me to come speak to her class for their career studies.
(Jake – Write what’s on your heart, and it’ll be okay!)
It was raining that morning and on the way to the school my car got rear-ended while I was waiting at a traffic light. (It was totaled.) When I arrived at the school, I was shaken up, wet, miserable, and the last thing I wanted to do was teach a class.
(Alaina – It’s A LOT harder than it looks… but it’s a lot of FUN too!)Then the kids came! Bright, eager, kind. Forgiving and attentive even when I lost my train of thought. Those precious children even took notes as I stumbled through my presentation.
(Heidi – Never give up on your dreams either!)
When I invited them to be part of a real-life “brainstorming session” about a nutshell idea I had about writing a historical romance based on research I’d done about the Ohio River in the 1700′s, they participated with enthusiasm and creativity.
(Scarlett – I’ll most definitely let your teacher know!)
Sometimes magic happens when a group of people, young or old, get together. That was what it felt like to me as the students helped me plot my next historical novel. Magic. I forgot all about wrecked cars and insurance issues as we entered into the 1700′s world of Primrose and John (the names they chose for my heroine and hero.) A class period I had worried about having enough material to fill ended up going way over-time as they helped me brainstorm. Their next-period teacher was even gracious enough to allow us to finish.
(Kendra – Have fun exploring your writing!)
This week I received some notes from that classroom, which I’m posting for the enjoyment of the kids who absolutely made my day.
(Caleb – I love your cartoons! A professional cartoonist once told me, he drew on every piece of paper he could find when he was your age!)
For the kid’s privacy, I’m deliberately not naming the school or using anyone’s last names, but I thought they would enjoy seeing their notes here on my website. 
(Teacher Debbie – May the Lord bless you, and your excellent students!)
February 22, 2013
An Amish Wedding Invitation: New eShort!
Sometimes people ask me to describe the mental process I go through in order to come up with the stories I write. I never know how to answer. Frankly, if someone could step inside my head, they would probably be as confused about the process as I am. However, one thing I can say that there is always an incident that causes the writer-synapses inside my brain to start flashing like a fire engine. When that happens, I know I have a story.
My latest Amish novel, HIDDEN MERCIES, which will come out April 9–opens with an Amish wedding scene in which the groom has not shown up and the bride is beside herself with humiliation and worry. That scene began to percolate as I sat through three hours of Amish preachers speaking in German during a real-life Amish wedding. Since I could not understand more than two words, I began to wonder if Amish brides ever get left at the altar, and if so, what would happen. The rest of those three hours just flew by.
My publisher thought it would be fun for readers to get a peak behind the scenes of HIDDEN MERCIES, and experience with me the real Amish wedding that I actually attended.
This e-short, which was published a couple days ago, should be interesting to anyone who would enjoy a glimpse of the work, thought, and planning that goes into celebrating a marriage among the Old Order Amish.
January 25, 2013
Aunt Mary
I received a very special gift this week. My first cousin, Eva Gleim, sent me a picture of her mother, my aunt, reading my first book not long before she passed away. This picture especially grips my heart because back when I thought I would never, ever, make it as a writer, Aunt Mary was one of my biggest encouragers.
Mary worked terribly hard. Raising six children, feeding them out of a huge garden, taking care of everything from stray cats to little nieces and nephews, but somehow in the middle of all that work, she still found time to play the piano, sing, dream…..and read love stories. As she once told me when she was well into her eighties, “I like a little kissin’ in a book I’m a-reading.”
I’m so grateful that she got to hold the first love story I ever published. Because of her, I’m always mindful to put a little kissin’ in every story.
January 15, 2013
Miliary Contracting–good pay, dangerous job.
For those wondering how in the world my son ended up working as a military contractor in Afghanistan, or for those who are interested in a great-paying (albeit dangerous) job, my son just published an easy-to-read book that crystallizes his years of working as an Human Resource manager in Afghanistan. In it he explains the why, how, and how-to of getting various jobs overseas. Everything he wished he had known before he went there. It is an important book for those ex-military personnel who are struggling to find good-paying jobs here in the states. I was surprised that in some places it reads like an adventure novel–and I found myself chewing my fingernails, amazed at how much he had never told me. For paperback or kindle edition click here.
January 11, 2013
Real Life Heroes
The following is a recent post from my son’s face book. He is working as a military contract worker in Afghanistan. Missing him today after getting to see him for a few days over Christmas.
“I work with Heroes. Today started horrifically. Large truck/car bomb went off at one of my subcontractor’s compound less than a mile away. It was so loud and shook so hard I thought we were hit again like on May 2 and I kissed the floor. Multiple injuries, building destroyed etc. at their location. Within seconds we had guns cocked and loaded. Within minutes we had medkits ready, combat medics, food, shelter, etc. This was our “family” and we were bringing them to safety and care. The attached shows real life superhero’s. I consider these guys friends and family. The guy on the far left has saved my life more times than I’d like to admit. The dude with the purple gloves is someone I trash talk with everyday but seeing him jump into action was amazing. In fact everyone on my team today was amazing. Normally I don’t like to post things for OpSec reasons but this pic was on a public news site.”
