Serena B. Miller's Blog, page 8

Quick Update On Movie

Terry Cunningham, the director of Love Finds You In Sugarcreek, Ohio, just sent me a behind-the-scenes glimpse of working on the sound track for the movie. The shot in front of them is of Bertha (Kelly McGillis) telling Officer Rachel (Sarah Lancaster) that they will not compromise when it comes to doing God’s will.

At this point, we know for sure that UP TV will be airing it in June. Probably the 1st. I’ve seen a rough version of the movie, absolutely loved it, and can’t wait to see the final product.

Inside the sound booth – working on the audio for Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio. In this scene Bertha (Kelly McGillis) is telling Rachel (Sarah Lancaster) that they will not compromise when it comes to doing God’s will.

-Serena

 

Clutter!

One more week and this latest book I’ve been writing will–Lord willing–be finished. I’ll send it off to my editor and then I will begin my clearing-out stage. I’ll wad up and throw away reams of scribbled notes, put my research books back on the shelf, and maybe even dust and vacuum. I love this part of the process.

This isn’t me, but sometimes it feels like it!

I’ll also spend time clearing out the clutter in the rest of the house. Drawers, closets, garage, overflowing trash cans, inedible objects in the refrigerator. It feels so good to organize and reclaim my house after allowing everything to fall apart as I try to hit my deadline.

It isn’t just my house I’ll put back together. I’ll also try to repair the friendships I’ve allowed to stagnate during this “birth” process of getting a book finished. I’ll get to start cooking again.

The oddest thing about having a career as a writer is that it has made housework very appealing when it didn’t used to be. But back to clutter……

For many years, I lived several hundred miles away from my family back before e-mail, and I would compose weekly letters to my mother detailing everything that had happened in my life that week. Since I was raising boys, I included cute little things they would say and do. Mom saved every letter religiously. When my family and I move back home, she gave me a big, plastic, garbage bag filled with twenty years of my life in letters.

I carried that bag home with me, put it in the garage, and made plans to go through each single letter to glean all the wonderful memories and tidbits that I’d want to put into a scrapbook. It was a big project, and one that I kept putting off. Then the big day arrived when I decided that today I’d really take a run at that small mountain of letters. I went out to the garage and…..there was no big plastic bag on the shelf where I’d put it. I looked behind boxes, and everywhere I could look. The bag of letters was nowhere to be found. I went inside and questioned my husband. He came out, took one look at the shelf where I was pointing, and said, “That bag was your letters to your Mom? I’m sorry. I thought it was trash and put it in the garbage several weeks ago. Those letters are gone.”

There was nothing that could be done. It was completely out of my control. Twenty years of my life had been set out with the garbage and I could never get it back, no matter how apologetic and contrite my husband was.

Then something odd happened. I realized that instead of being angry, all I felt was RELIEVED! I didn’t have to go through those letters after all. I didn’t have to work on scrapbooks. I could do anything I wanted. The day’s agenda had suddenly lightened up.

It’s been several years since my husband accidentally threw my letters out, and I’ve never regretted the fact that he did that. Instead, every time I think about it, the only thing I feel is relief.

Clutter is like that. If it isn’t something you love or need or find useful or beautiful–be kind to yourself and get rid of it. Life will fee so much lighter if you do.

-Serena

Attention Bargain Shoppers! eBook Sale!

I LOVE IT! MY PUBLISHER IS GIVING READERS A BREAK… AGAIN!

I’m so excited! Just a few months ago An Uncommon Grace was on sale and now the sequel, Hidden Mercies, is on sale!

My publisher just informed me they are only charging $1.99 for the ebook from now until December 22th. (Instead of the $10-$15 they usually charge.)

I don’t know about you, but where I live it’s getting really cold! I’m just glad they’re giving readers a chance to cozy up with a cup of cocoa, a quilt, and a bargain copy of Hidden Mercies!

ENJOY!

-Serena

Locations to grab a copy!

Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / CBD / Google Play / Kobo

The Best Christmas Present Ever!

Anna Mei

I’ve been bawling off and on all day after seeing a video my friend Kendra posted online of her husband giving their newly adopted daughter a bottle this morning. They had just arrived at the orphanage in China where Anna Mei has been waiting these many months for them to cut through all the red tape and get to her. The little girl is most definitely a fighter. We could see it in her eyes the first time we got pictures. With a cleft palate, eating was extremely difficult and she was underweight–she needed to be a fighter.

There have been so many seemingly insurmountable problems to overcome. Breathless, prayer-filled days when we didn’t know if  the paperwork would come through on time. Terror over a surgery she had to endure–while Kendra and Matt ached to be with her.

Daddy and Anna Mei

And then early this morning, they got to hold her in their arms for the first time. The thing that set me into such a crying jag wasn’t just the pictures, but it was hearing Kendra from behind the camera saying “She’s okay! She’s okay! She’s okay!”  The great relief in her voice broke my heart.

Big sis and Anna Mei

I’m looking forward, someday, to getting to watch that little girl run and play tag with the other children in our church–her little mouth repaired completely, good nutrition strengthening her tiny body, her mother admonishing her to slow down, to not run too fast in church.

Grandma and Anna Mei

Today is a great day for this sweet family. Because of their courage and faith, because of their love and dogged determination, there is one less orphan in the world today…and one very, very happy family.

In Kendra’s own words about having shared details of their journey with us: “Maybe you need reminded today, because we all do sometimes, especially a day like today…there is good all around, too. Good people. Good deeds. Good things happening. A God that, who at the very core of his character, is good. Hope when there wasn’t any before in sight. Miracles. Incredible acts of kindness and sacrifice. Flowers pushing their way up through concrete and refusing to not grow and bless the world with its beauty even if it had to break through rock to do it

One big very happy family!

A Blackberry Tea

June Bentley contacted me a few weeks ago inviting me to come for tea at her home in Garrison, Kentucky. June is the grandmother of one of my son’s former co-workers, and is an avid reader. She also has a lifetime of interesting memories and stories gleaned from helping her husband run the local grocery store for many years. Her roots in Garrison run deep. She’s an elegant woman who makes being 86 years old look good. We set a date for November 16.

Ruth Miller (My Mother-in-law) and June Bentley greeting everyone coming through the door!

A couple weeks later, June called back to change the address she had given me. Instead of her home, we were going to meet at the First Christian Church in Garrison. She laughed and said that she had too many friends to fit into her house and they all wanted to meet me.

Some of the beautiful centerpieces Lisa and Jennifer put together!

When I showed up at the First Christian Church, I was astonished at the time and effort that had gone into preparing for the tea. June’s daughter, Lisa, and her daughter-in-law, Jennifer, had turned the fellowship hall into an absolute work of art. Each seating table was set with beautiful tea sets, lovely centerpieces, and there was a serving table filled with so many different kinds of sandwiches, cookies, muffins, etc. that it was hard to decide which ones to choose. They also had just about every kind of tea imaginable available. They’d used blackberries from my latest book, Under A Blackberry Moon as their theme.

Just a part of the awesome spread they had prepared!

Approximately forty of us met in the auditorium, where a friend of June’s who has a gorgeous voice sang, and June read a poem about friendship. Then I stumbled through a talk about my journey as a writer. The women were kind enough to listen attentively in spite of my inability to refrain from dodging down frequent rabbit holes whenever I’m talking.

…and of course you can’t have a Tea, with out tea!

Afterward, I had the pleasure of visiting with so many wonderful women. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–those who read inspirational fiction are some of the nicest people in the world!

They also made a very nice setup for me to sign books!

-Serena

 

Writer Friends

Emilie Richards

One of the things that impressed me most when I joined Romance Writer’s Of America, was the support and encouragement women writers give other women writers. A seasoned author who has helped me enormously is Emilie Richards. One day, I had reached the point as a wanna-be writer where I decided to quit. Getting published, I decided, was just too hard. When Emilie heard this, she basically threw an e-mail fit and threatened to drive to my house from her home in Virginia and personally drag one of my unpublished manuscripts from beneath my bed and send it in to a publisher. I remember thinking two things: 1) Emilie did not make empty threats and 2) I did NOT want her crawling beneath my bed among all the dust bunnies. I promised her I’d stay in the game, and I signed a contract with a publisher soon afterward. Emilie is one of my favorite people in the world and one of my favorite authors. It’s an honor to have my latest book featured on her website today. Blackberry Moon featured on Emilie’s website

The Sisterhood of the Pink Ribbon–Update!

I wrote the following post six years ago. It seems like only yesterday all this happened.I thought in honor of the pink ribbon month, I would repost it along with the follow-up good news that my niece is now six years cancer-free! We were just talking about this and she pointed out the fact that God had answered her prayer to allow her to live long enough to see her children grow up! Praise God for answered prayer! And for some excellent doctors and nurses.

Posted on November 30, 2007 by Serena

As many of you know, my niece was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer a few weeks ago. She discovered it early enough that the surgeon was able to remove it all. The biopsy of the lymph glands was clear. We celebrated.

She is now in the process of enduring several months of “preventative” chemotherapy. The prognosis is good.

Frankly, I don’t even like thinking about the word “cancer.” I don’t like using the word “chemotherapy.” I don’t like pondering anything that involves hospitals or illness or pain. I am infamous in my family for having passed out cold on the doctor’s office floor when he mentioned that my elderly mother might have to have open heart surgery.

And so, wimp that I am, I’ve been privately annoyed in the past by all the pink ribbons constantly in my face–annoyed because they made me think about a subject I wanted to ignore.

That has changed. My annoyance has now changed to gratitude. Within 24 hours of my niece’s diagnosis, the phone calls began. Phone calls from survivors. Women from her church, women who knew women from her church, women from our home town who know her mother. Encouraging phone calls. Strengthening phone calls.

What I’ve discovered is that there is a sisterhood of thousands (millions?) of women warriors who’ve fought the breast cancer battle and won.

The pink ribbon symbol doesn’t annoy me any more. Instead, it represents a celebration of life, of victory, of a society that is capable of linking arms and marching against a common enemy. Because of the money raised by the pink ribbon campaigns, my niece’s hospital is on the cutting edge of helping women beat the disease.

There is another sisterhood involved in the pink ribbon society–those who help their loved ones get through the chemo. At the present time, that’s where I am. I will be spending large chunks of time in another state, helping my niece take care of her family. I would give anything if my niece didn’t have to go through this, but since she does, it is an honor to be a small part of the sisterhood of the pink ribbon.

-Serena

Attention Bargain Shoppers! eBook Sale!

I LOVE IT! MY PUBLISHER IS GIVING READERS A BREAK!

Some of you might remember that my book, An Uncommon Grace, was one of three finalists (out of several hundred entries by published authors) in the Carol Awards last month.

The good news is–my publisher informs me they are only charging $1.99 for the ebook from now until October 25th. (Instead of the $10-$15 they usually charge.)

These chilly fall days could be a perfect time for cozying up with a cup of cocoa, a quilt, and a bargain copy of An Uncommon Grace.

ENJOY!

-Serena

Locations to grab a copy!

Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / CBD / Google Play / Kobo

FINALLY! THE BABY ARRIVES!!

So…little Miss Clara Grace Miller finally decided to make her appearance at 12:52 p.m. yesterday afternoon, more than a week past her expected due date. She weighed eight pounds five ounces, was twenty-one inches long, has curly black hair and is a healthy baby!

She’s also gorgeous. We are, of course, not a bit prejudiced–but it is our contention that she is quite possibly the prettiest baby girl in the universe!

Our daughter-in-law, Meaghan, had been hoping for a completely natural childbirth, and managed to have one in spite of being overdue more than a week. Eleven hours labor. She is tired but so happy. This is her and Caleb’s first baby. He is nearly as relieved as Meaghan–not only about the safe arrival of his newborn daughter, but of the fact that he did NOT pass out (as he greatly feared) and the staff did NOT have to drag him out of the birthing room feet first.

Thanks to having a Canadian mother and American father, Clara Grace will have dual citizenship, which is very cool, as is having plenty of grandparents and uncles and cousins and aunts who totally adore her. It has been ten years since we had a newborn in the family, so I doubt she’ll be laid down for awhile. We’re just kinda spending all our time passing her around right now, taking turns rocking and admiring her.

Here’s what has been running through my mind every time I look at that sweet little face: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV)

-Serena

Serena becoming a grandma again! And thoroughly enjoying it!

Caleb is completely mesmerized by the new addition to their family!

 

Day eighteen: (10-5) movie set of LFY Sugarcreek Ohio (Final Day)

Our grandbaby chose to ignore her delivery date after all, and so our family continues to wait with bated breath for this precious little girl to arrive. My son and daughter-in-law have wisely chosen not to share her name with anyone until she gets here (we are an opinionated bunch, and they are worried there will never be a consensus) and so we continue to call her “Twinkle-Toes” the nickname my husband gave her after seeing an ultra-sound where she was wiggling her little feet.

In Sugarcreek, the bank robbery scene is being filmed. One of the local banks has been kind enough to allow the crew to film there. It is interesting to me that the last scene filmed will be the first one movie-goers will see. As a writer, I have the luxury of describing in as many words as I need, a characters’ back story and thoughts. But the director and actors must “show” everything. An emotion I can describe in depth, must be shown, in milliseconds, on an actor’s face. My heroine Rachel’s back story–the day her daddy gets shot and she stops being a little girl–has to be shown, not told.

It is to be a relatively short day because it is the last. I’m assuming things will go smoothly. When I left yesterday, they were actually ahead of schedule–which is pretty unheard of in the movie industry.

Today, although it is good to be home, I’m missing the new friends I made on the set, and also thinking back on the things I have learned.

Prejudice often lurks in the strangest cracks and crannies of our minds. I’m beginning to think that it can take a lifetime to root it all out. If you had asked me a month ago if I was a prejudiced person, I would have laughed at the thought. I have no problem with different cultures or skin colors. This world is one of fascinating diversity to me. I did not think I had any prejudice about professions, either. In my opinion, the sweet woman who cleaned my hotel room is as worthy of respect as the attorney I met on set. Both work hard at their jobs. .

I did, however, have one prejudice of which I was unaware–it was about the people who make our movies. When I decided to spend time on the set, I assumed I would be spending time with at least a few spoiled, overpaid Hollywood-types. I expected to see enlarged egos and watch at least a couple hissy fits.

What I saw was not what I expected.

Instead of seeing an actor with an over-sized ego, I saw Tom Evert Scott jump up to help a local waitress who was overloaded to the point of dropping a tray. I experienced Tom taking the time to kindly encourage me as I struggled through my small cameo role. Sweet Sarah Lancaster, took the time to comfort and hug me when I broke down in tears at the beauty of her scene at the lake. I will forever carry the image of Kelly McGillis patiently sitting on a box in the hot sun, repeatedly getting up to say her lines over and over whenever they needed her. Such humble professionalism in spite of being a movie icon. I’ll always remember the skilled wardrobe ladies doing laundry and alterations late into the night after everyone else had gone to bed. I’ll always remember watching a very young, but extremely competent and focused crew working twelve and fourteen-hour shifts day after day.

In between scenes I had time to talk with many of the people involved in the making of this movie and I heard life stories that made me practically gasp with the pain of what some of them had endured. It didn’t take long to realize that we were one bruised and battered group of people who were coming together to create a cinematic gift for other people to enjoy.

The director, Terry Cunningham, told me yesterday that one of his favorite moments of being in this business is sitting in a crowded theater, watching and listening to people enjoy a movie he directed. “That’s the best feeling, Serena,” he said, wistfully. “That is the absolute best feeling!”

A few minutes later, I was talking to Stephen Campanello, production manager, as he congratulated me on having written a good book for them to work with. In response, I quoted another romance writer. “I’m not trying to change the world,” I said. “I’m just trying to brighten someone’s weekend.”

“But maybe…” Stephen said. “Maybe it is possible to change the world by brightening enough people’s weekends.”

Mission Pictures International, which is producing this movie, is a relatively new production company trying to make a difference by creating family-friendly movies with strong moral values.They are not alone. There are others.

The Uplift cable channel, on which this movie will first air, has over 65 million viewers, and is adding more every day. I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with one of the Uplift executives from L.A. who came to visit our set. She spoke passionately with me about her vision for creating a television station that will continually “uplift” our culture instead of tearing it down.

We Christians are awfully quick to criticize Hollywood. Sometimes that criticism is justified. But after what I’ve seen these past couple of weeks, I can’t help but wonder if it might not be wise to remember to throw a little praise their way when they get it right.

As for me….from this point on, I will be offering some heartfelt prayer for those brave souls who are trying to change the world by brightening someone’s weekend….one good movie at a time.

-Serena

Front Page of the Love Finds You in Sugarcreek Ohio Movie Flyer

Back Page of the Love Finds You in Sugarcreek Ohio Movie Flyer