Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 101

In Others' Words: Easter

"No person [should] walk out into the world to begin the day until he or she has stood beneath the cross to receive God's love." ~Max Lucado, author

 

May each of you experience God's love today and every day.

He is risen!

It's a Real Book: Wish You Were Here is here!

A package arrived at my house on Tuesday — two packages, actually.

In one was a copy of my debut novel, Wish You Were Here, with a note from my editor, Jessica Wong, saying the book was "hot off the presses." That's a cliche any author will embrace.

The second package contained several additional copies of my novel — but not for me, for several influencers. So those copies of my book have already left the house.

But I still have my advance copy.

And the fun memory of my daughter, Amy, taking photos of me with my "real" books. Because, you know, me + a camera pointed at me = bloopers. And then there's my other daughter, Katie Beth, getting into the act. (She provided the bunny ears.)

Writing's been pretty serious business for me the past few months, what with a deadline looming for book #2. The whole "I must, I must, I must" mantra is driving me hard.

Sometimes I forget that I'm living my dream. And I that I love to write. It's fun. I'm b-l-e-s-s-e-d to be able to do what I'm doing: write stories that I hope will entertain and encourage others.  And then I have a silly photo shoot with my daughters (all three of them, because the youngest decided to hold a blanket up behind me as a backdrop) and suddenly the laughter is back.

In Your Words: Are you having fun yet?

*Join in the wedding dress fun! Please send me your wedding dress photos to put in my "album" as we celebrate the soon-to-be launch of Wish You Were Here! Email them to beth@bethvogt.com.*

In Others' Words: Imagination

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."  ~Albert Einstein, physicist

A few months back, I was trying desperately to come up with a new story idea.

As the saying goes, I had nothing.

I played the writer's "what if?" mind game while I drove around town. While I moved laundry from the washer to the dryer to the laundry basket. While I grocery shopped. While I loaded the dishwasher. While I exercised. While I showered. (Sorry, TMI.)

You get the idea.

Every idea seemed like a same-old-same-old idea.

And then I found a picture that my son, Josh, designed in high school. (See photo.) It's 20 different interpretations of a key.

Twenty.

Talk about imagination!

Looking at my son's creativity motivated me to not give up. If Josh could come up with 20 different perspectives of a common household object, surely I could think (and pray) my way to a new story idea.

And yes, yes I did.

My son's artwork now hangs in my office to remind me that imagination is an amazing thing … and that I can be more creative than I ever realized.

 

In Your Words: If you had to choose, would you choose logic or imagination? And just for fun: What gets your creativity, your imagination, flowing?

Guest Post: Debut Author Olivia Newport

Today my friend and fellow debut author, Olivia Newport, shares a quote with us. Olivia will be joining me, Katie Ganshert and Dani Pettrey for an a-ma-zing launch party on May 15th! Mark your calendars  & plan to join us.

 

 

 

"It always happens. When you give these little people power, it goes to their head like strong drink." Violet Crawley, dowager countess of Downton Abbey

I do love the dowager. She's one of the reasons I got hooked on Downton Abbey, the popular PBS Masterpiece Classic series. Her sense of superiority lets you know just where you stand. This quote comes from a moment when Violet Crawley did not get her way with a person whom she considered to be beneath her social status, but who had authority in a particular decision.

Another reason the show captivates me is that I've written a book called The Pursuit of Lucy Banning set slightly before the era of Downton Abbey, but with many of the same themes—the rich and the not rich, social structures in upheaval, young women striving to discover who they might become, young men examining what it means to love.

My characters in a wealthy neighborhood of 1893 Chicago mirror Violet Crawley and her opulent, privileged environment. And then the glass turns on my own life. Violet Crawley would not have given a working stiff like me the time of day, but she challenges me to look—really look—at the people in my life.

Who are the people I fail to notice? Who are the people I feel superior to? Who are the people who support my life and keep me comfortable? May God give me grace to make space for them, to nurture genuine connections, to be an instrument of God's love.

 

 

Olivia Newport's novels twist through time to discover where faith and passions meet. Her husband and two twenty-something children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where day lilies grow as tall as she is. Find her at www.olivianewport.com.

 

In Others' Words: Words

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." ~Mother Teresa

My friend, Beth Jusino, probably didn't even realize how her words encouraged me, but to this day, I remember where we were, what she said, and how I hugged those words to myself.

At the time, Beth was an agent with Alive Communications, a top literary agency located here in Colorado Springs. I stopped by to visit her one day and she gave me a tour of the offices. Standing beside a massive set of wooden bookshelves, Beth said, "This is where we keep our clients' books. We file them alphabetically, so your book will one day be here." And she pointed to the spot where a "V"-named author's book would be placed.

At the time, Beth knew I was working on a nonfiction book about late-in-life motherhood. If it was picked up by MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International, my intended goal, I would, by default, be represented by an agent at Alive.

I was hoping and praying — and writing.

Beth spoke words of affirmation to me. She believed in me.

Her words were the best kindness anyone could ever offer a writer. And I hear the echo of her voice in my heart to this day.

 

In Your Words: Whose voice of kindness echoes in your life today? Are you looking for a chance to speak kind words to someone else?

 

*And, yes, my book, Baby Changes Everything, was published by MOPS in 2007!

In Others' Words: Think and Wonder

"Think and wonder. Wonder and think." ~Dr. Seuss,  American writer & poet

Here's the wonderful thing about being a writer: It has forced me to think and wonder.

Some days it feels as if all I do is think and wonder. Wonder and think. (And, no, I don't just wonder why I decided to become a writer, although there are those moments too.)

Sometimes I am thinking and wondering until I find an answer — like what happens next in my work-in-progress (WIP) or how do I solve the problem my hero is having? Yes, it's wonderful to be able to solve my fictional characters problems for them. Real life isn't always that easy, but then again, I don't get to pre-plan my problems like I get to do for my hero and heroine.

I like answers in my real life. But there are times  I am content to just think … and wonder … and leave it at that. I've learned that, no, I don't have all the answers. And that growing up means accepting that reality, along with the reality that God isn't always going to tip his hand and tell me his plans for me (even as he promises that his plans are designed to give me a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11)

In Your Words: It's Friday. What have you been thinking and wondering about this week? Have you found your answers — or are you content to think … and wonder … and trust?

 

photo by arte_ram/stockxchng.com

In Others' Words: Doors

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."

~Flora Whittemore, author

Open doors and closed doors.

Sometimes I've had no choice in the matter — a door has been slammed in my face with the finality of, well, the slap of a hand across my face.

Sometimes I've chosen to shut a door. While that open door may have been right for a season of my life, it's now time to grasp the handle and push it closed. Not all relationships are forever and sometimes I am the one who acknowledged that.

Prayerfully opening a door (saying yes to something) doesn't guarantee success.

And prayerfully closing a door (saying no to something) doesn't guarantee you'll never be disappointed. Or heartbroken. Or hurt.

Here's what I've learned through the open-shut-them-open-shut-them rhythm of life's doors: I've been given the inestimable freedom of choice. When I make a choice it's not just me-myself-and-I that is affected. And sometimes I don't realize that truth until years and years later.

And here's another thing I've learned: Shutting a door takes just as much courage as opening a door.

In Your Words: If you had the choice, would you open a door or shut a door? Why?

 

In Others' Words: Give and Take

"One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it." ~Sidney Howard, American playwright

This is spring break week for my youngest daughter.

And yes, we are having some vacation fun. Sort of.

I am the "sort of " part of the equation.

I have several major deadlines looming. I've learned that deadlines don't budge just because spring break shows up on the calendar — or summer vacation or Thanksgiving or Christmas or your birthday, for that matter.

In a perfect world, I would have planned my deadlines around spring break (and every other holiday). But that's not real life.

Which brings me back to our "sort of" vacation fun — and to this quote. I know what I want: I want to meet my deadlines and I want to turn in my best work. And, yes, I also want to see my family some on spring break.

Right now, deadlines trump family.

I'm thankful my husband and kids understand that, while they are my ultimate #1 priority, they are not the #1 priority this week. They're giving me huge amounts of grace this week — and lots of focused writing and rewriting time.

In Your Words: What have you had to give up to accomplish your goals? Any words from the wise on balancing competing priorities?

 

photo by andrewatla/stockxchng.com

In Others' Words: Laughter

"Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it." ~L.M. Montgomery, author, Anne of Greene Gables

I am a huge proponent of game nights.

Uno.

Scotland Yard.

Settlers of Catan.

What's Yours Like?

And the newest Vogt family game: Quelf. If you do not own this game, go purchase it immediately. Seriously. It is the most laugh-inducing game we've ever played.

Laughter truly is good medicine — both Scripture and scientific research says so. To encourage laughter at the end of your week, here's a one-minute clip from one of my favorite comedians, Ken Davis:

Watch this video on YouTube

 

In Your Words: What makes you laugh? Do you have a favorite family game or a favorite comedian?

 

Note about the photo: Yep. That's me … laughing so hard something's probably trying to come out my nose. And, yes, it's during a game night with some of our best game night buddies, our friends "The Martys."

In Others' Words: Mistakes

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." ~Elbert Hubbard, American writer

Here's your dose of reality for today: You're going to make a mistake.

Mistakes happen — and some of them will be yours. Now deal with that truth and move on.

As a writer, sometimes I'm paralyzed by the idea of not getting a scene or a chapter right. I stare at the computer screen, hands resting on my keyboard … and I've got nothing. The words rolling around in my head aren't worth spilling out into a Word document. The dialogue is stilted. The storyworld nonexistent. The interaction is b-o-r-i-n-g.

But I have to push past all my writer worries and write something. If I don't, then fear wins.

You know what else? I've made mistakes as a mom, as a wife, as a friend. And I haven't resigned from life. I've asked forgiveness — but I haven't quit. Oh, sure, I've thought about quitting, but only when I've let fear rule the day.

Mistakes happen. Now that we've got that settled, let's get on with the rest of the day.

In Your Words: How do you push past the fear of making a mistake?

 

 

istock photo/frender