Colleen Wait's Blog: Hello readers!, page 14

SUMMER READING SALE!

Just in time for everyone putting together their summer reading list, I have lowered the prices of my ebooks!   Now through the end of August, 2012 all eight are listed as $0.99 at Smashwords.  For your convenience, simply click on the book title link to take you to the website.  Happy reading!  Hurry, book prices go back up September 1st.  


Black Purple Sky


Lessons Learned at Summer Camp


Captured


Love on the Run


Sanctuary


Man in the Mirror


Mount Mission


Freedom Race

Flower Art

Normally, I'm not a fan of cut flowers.  They smell good and are very pretty, for a few days.  Then, they wither and die and I feel terrible throwing away something that someone, like my husband or a good friend, took the time to pick out, purchase, and give to me.  Being the creative type that I am, I have found a new way to preserve the beauty that God created.  Here's the latest installment of Flower Art.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.


And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” 

And God saw that it was good.Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 


The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
Genesis 1: 1-13


I had a lot of fun tearing the flowers apart and creating this picture.  The hardest part was taking the pictures.  I had to stand on a tall stool (while praying I didn't fall) and lean over.  


Which shot is your favorite?  I haven't decided but I still have the original on the floor.  Will be sad to clean up and throw it away. 

An actual Store!!!

Three of my books are in a physical bookstore.  Click here for the link to "Back to the Books", which is located in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

Because I'm so excited about this, the first three people who locate all three books - tell me how many pictures you find, which picture number they are in, etc, and I will mail you a paperback copy of one of the books.   Leave your comments on this page or email me at freedspirit05@me.com.    Hurry, first three to guess correctly wins!

HINT:  These are the covers you are looking for

A few new photos and a Song

How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes behind your veil(A) are doves.(B)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from the hills of Gilead.(C)
2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
    coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
    not one of them is alone.(D)
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth(E) is lovely.(F)
Your temples behind your veil
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(G)
4 Your neck is like the tower(H) of David,
    built with courses of stone[a];
on it hang a thousand shields,(I)
    all of them shields of warriors.
Your breasts(J) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle(K)
    that browse among the lilies.(L)
6 Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(M)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(N)
    and to the hill of incense.
You are altogether beautiful,(O) my darling;
    there is no flaw(P) in you.8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(Q)
    come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
    from the top of Senir,(R) the summit of Hermon,(S)
from the lions’ dens
    and the mountain haunts of leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(T)
    you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace.(U)
10 How delightful(V) is your love(W), my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(X)
and the fragrance of your perfume(Y)
    more than any spice!
Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
    milk and honey are under your tongue.(Z)
The fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(AA)
12 You are a garden(AB) locked up, my sister, my bride;(AC)
    you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(AD)
Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(AE)
    with choice fruits,
    with henna(AF) and nard,
14     nard and saffron,
    calamus and cinnamon,(AG)
    with every kind of incense tree,
    with myrrh(AH) and aloes(AI)
    and all the finest spices.(AJ)
You are[b] a garden(AK) fountain,(AL)
    a well of flowing water
    streaming down from Lebanon.

(Song of Songs 4)

gift day

In honor of my wedding anniversary, I am giving gifts!   Sanctuary is free with Coupon code ZG68Q.  

Support Indie Authors

A local book store in Colorado, Back to the Books, is selling books by Independently Published Authors, myself included.  I applaud their courage and willingness to promote as of yet unknown and undiscovered talent.  I encourage everyone to please visit their website  here. 


Here are a few books on the website in the thriller/suspense category:  http://www.bttbonline.net/category.aspx?zcid=2691



(I have not personally read or reviewed these books.)

ColleenWaitEdits editing and proofreading service

* 20+ years of experience in the medical field in transcription   and editing.* 8 published books
* Recommendations:    **Thank you, Colleen, for the gentle yet thorough editing of my project. The manuscript is now in the hands of the publisher, and going through the content review phase. Thanks to your skillful eye, I am confident there will be very few alterations required. The editing process is, indeed, a little like being asked to perform major surgery on one's child without benefit of anesthesia. Thank you for respecting the work, the process and my emotional attachment. Most of all, thanks for being smarter than my Spell Check! -L A Day


    **Attention and warning to writers. Learn from my mistakes.  After having 6 books published, I contracted with (and paid) a local publisher to edit, print and distribute (and promote) a novel. My critique group edited the manuscript before I submitted it. The first editing of the manuscript by the publishing company should have been a warning. The editing was unacceptable. I had it redone.

For two years I waited, impatiently, for a galley. I found numerous errors in the galley, had it marked up and was promised that these grammar, spelling and typesetting errors would be corrected before printing.

Six months later, I sent copies of the final, published book for review. Imagine my embarrasment when a sympathetic editor asked to mark corrections (spelling, grammar, typesetting, etc) for me. I agreed. She returned my book, a book that should have been on the market, with errors on over ONE HALF of the pages!

I applaud her concern and effort, and recommend her services, at reasonable cost, to anyone who wants an honest editing job at a fair price.- grandmas-on-the-go@blogspot.com Carol Weishampel

How can I help you with your manuscript?   Contact me today at freedspirit05@me.com for more information. 

Flowers and Friends

Mr. Lizard is king of the Dianthis
I'm trying to hide.

Gardenia bonsai tree.


A silly cat
This little guy is going to be a 12-foot tall Sunflower.


Just a few pictures to celebrate Spring. 

Easter like Christmas?

I was just wondering, why can't Easter by more like Christmas?  No, I don't mean the tree and Santa Clause.  On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus by giving gifts.  Charitable giving is on the minds of hearts of many, not just Christians during this time.  We give to our family, to friends and coworkers, and our neighbors.  We give to the poor and the needy families in our neighborhoods.  It bothers me that, in general, that it stops on December 26th.

So, if people are in a giving mood surrounding the celebration of Christ's birth, why not his resurrection?  After all, the resurrection is what gives us hope. It's the culmination of Christ's time here on earth.  It's the completion of his task, that promise of eternal life.

We give for his birth, yet we hunt for candy on His resurrection.  Anyone besides me see a problem with that?

I'd like to change that.  If you are reading this and gave during Christmas, please think about giving on Easter.  If you are reading this and didn't give during Christmas, please give on Easter.  After all, Christ died for you.  He gave IT ALL!!!  If you were planning on going "Easter shopping" to buy that "Easter dress" for yourself and your children I would like to challenge you to take that money and give it to the homeless, the poor, the needy.  Give to your local pregnancy center or homeless shelter.  Buy dinner for someone who is out of a job.  Pay for the groceries of the family in the check out line who is counting pennies.  Give to the parents/families of our military who are struggling.

Most of all, give because everything you have belongs to God.  He gave us his son who gave us his life so that we could live with him in Heaven.

GOD IS LOVE.  LOVE IS A VERB.

I DIED FOR YOU BECAUSE I LOVE YOU.GIVE TODAY.

Klondike House

I recently had the pleasure of working with John Dwyer, author, in editing his new book, Klondike House.  


"The eldest of six children, John Dwyer recounts his memories of a rural childhood on the remote but beautiful Beara Peninsula in West Cork, Ireland. Complemented by a series of childhood photographs, his stories are told in vivid and colourful prose.

He describes the hard but happy work of saving the hay, cutting the turf, shearing the sheep, and digging the potatoes. His humour comes to the fore as he describes a rampaging sheep and an innocent hobby nearly caused a local outcry. His account of his own family connections with America and especially Butte, Montana are a microcosm of all Irish-American stories of immigration.

Sprinkled with a selection of fitting works by some of Ireland's best-known poets such as Seamus Heaney, Patrick Kavanagh and Paul Muldoon, this gem of a book is a chronicle of the simple but happy life of an Irish farmer boy."
You can purchase Klondike House at Amazon.