Becky Wade's Blog, page 106
January 23, 2022
Inspired by Scripture
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January 21, 2022
What’s New in 2022
With as busy as I am, sometimes I know I’m confusing my readers with everything I have going on! (I honestly confuse myself sometimes too!) So in an effort to give the bigger picture, I thought I’d take today’s post to outline what to expect from me over the coming year.
As you know, in this month of JANUARY, my second Waters of Time book, NEVER LEAVE ME, hit shelves. If you haven’t yet gotten your copy, then take advantage of this special with Baker Book House!
In FEBRUARY, I’ll be in full swing with my new adventure with Sunrise Publishing as their Season 7 author. Aspiring historical romance authors who are interested in publication can submit an audition (due Feb. 28). Three authors will be chosen to carry on my popular Bride Ship Series while being mentored by me. Take a moment to read more about publishing through Sunrise to see if this might be a good fit for you: https://sunrisepublishing.com/current-seasons-2/
In MAY my third Colorado Cowboy book releases, TO TAME A COWBOY. This book carries on the McQuaid family saga with Brody’s long-awaited story! Be on the lookout for sign-ups for my launch team in March (available to those who are a part of my Facebook Reader Room).
In JUNE, ENSNARED releases! This is the third book in my Knights of Brethren story and continues the adventures the special group of knights that serve with King Ansgar (from Entwined Book 2). This newest installment gives dashing and daring Gunnar his happily ever after and involves a quest for a sacred chalice rumored to bring healing. Here’s the cover that was just revealed this week!
In JULY, ENRICHED hits shelves. The fourth book in the series, it tells the story of Torvald and his journey toward true love as he works with Gunnar to locate the holy chalice in time to save the queen. And here’s the cover of this beauty (with many thanks to Roseanna White Designs for her stunning covers!).
In SEPTEMBER, I’ll be heading to Cincinnati where I’ll be participating in ACFW’s Storyfest for Readers! If you haven’t registered yet for Storyfest, you are welcome to use my code (jodhedlund) for a discount. I hope to see you there! And while at ACFW, I’ll also be teaching a Continuing Education class for historical writers.
In OCTOBER, book four in my Colorado Cowboy Series releases, FALLING FOR THE COWGIRL. The cover is currently being developed, so I can’t show all of it to you just yet. But I can tell you that this story is about Ivy McQuaid, the youngest and only girl in the McQuaid family. Her story was a TON of fun to write, and I hope you’ll thoroughly enjoy reading it!
While I don’t have firm dates, I am hoping to add into the mix a third book in my Waters of Time Series. AND Books 5 & 6 in my Knights of Brethren series are heading into editing and cover development, so they also may be available this year!
Whew! There you have it! And on a personal note, I’m also excited that one of my twin daughters will be having her wedding in July!
What’s NEW for YOU in 2022?
January 20, 2022
Favorites from Under the Tree
I know, I know. Christmas is so last year. 2022 has arrived. We should be looking forward, not back. Perhaps we should, but I have a few new items around my house that are still making me smile every time I see them, so the Christmas joy is living on in the New Year. Besides, I’m still a little giddy over them, and I’ve just got to share with people who will understand my bookish delight.
Favorite New Decor
I admit to dropping hints about these pillow shams. I adore Aimee Stewart’s bookshelf art, and since I happen to be working on a new series based on fairy tale retellings, these were simply perfect. They sit on my bed now and I see them every day. Confession time – when I’m making the bed, I almost always take an extra minute to stare at the pillow designs and simply enjoy them before tossing them onto the bed.
Favorite New Activity
This one, my hubby picked out all on his own with no help from me. I enjoy a good puzzle, and if it features books, even better. I have quite a few in my collection, and to be honest, I didn’t think there were any new ones out there. Well, my heroic hubby found one, and I love it. An antique reading room/book shop that looks so cozy. And there are so many fun details to explore.
My hubby was out reffing soccer on Tuesday evening, so I took advantage of the quiet house and got started on this beauty. All the pieces are sorted and the edge pieces are together. It’s ready for me to dive in to the good stuff!
Favorite Sentimental Gift
I saved the best for last. Handmade gifts carry so much sentiment, and my daughter is the queen of crafted Christmas gifts. Just last year, she taught herself to crochet and made everyone in the family Star Wars characters. Our Han and Leia have been on display in the living room since 2020, and during 2021 they were joined by Chewbacca and Boba Fett. However, the crocheted gift I received this Christmas was not part of the Star Wars universe.
I love hot tea. It’s my beverage of choice not only for curling up with a good book, but it also fuels me through long weekend writing sessions. When I saw this beauty, I couldn’t stop grinning. In fact, it is prominently displayed in my bedroom where I can see it whenever I am writing.
Is that not the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen? I know I’m a little biased, but even the tea bag is smiling!
What were some of your favorite things from under the tree in 2021?
What Christmas gifts or memories keep bringing you smiles well into the New Year?
January 19, 2022
The Stories in Old Books
As you know, I’ve been cataloguing the books in my library. I got about half done via barcode, but the other half? Too old for barcodes! So I’ve been inputting them manually, little by little. The other day I did a shelf of Grace Livingston Hill novels. I have a ton of them! Most are reprints from the 1970s-1990s, but a few are the old, hardbound books with fragile pages. As I carefully flipped to the title page of each book to note publication date and publisher, I remembered why I love old books so much.
Partly, of course, I love the story inside, otherwise it wouldn’t be on my shelf! But the stories of old books don’t stop with its pages.
I take such pleasure in knowing that I hold the book in its original published form. Not just the type and the words, but the original cover as well. Usually this means a hard cover which is essentially plain, with only the title and author. A few have dust jackets with an illustration, but it’s rare to find books from the early 20th century with those paper covers intact.
The inside cover of an old book is also a treasure trove for the imagination. Often there is an inscription of a gift, a Merry Christmas or a Happy Birthday, often with the accompanying year of its gifting. Sometimes there is only a name noting a previous owner. It’s also interesting when there’s a notation of a library in which the book once lived or the penciled in price from a used/rare book store.
Two different owners? 
Not only an old inscription, but a price tag from The Strand bookstore in NYC, reminding me of our trip there. It’s these notations—the book’s passport stamps, if you will—that really endear old books to my heart. Who were these people? Did they read the book more than once or did they read it at all? Was it a beloved title or a random gift? And how did it reach my bookshelf? Was it discarded during a spring cleaning binge? When downsizing to a nursing home? Kids cleaning out a parent or grandparent’s belongings after they passed, with no attachment themselves to this title?
Old library book–they preserved the dust jacket!When I read an old book, I often wonder about all those who have turned these exact pages before me. Those who have read and lived and died. And I wonder what will happen to these books after I’m gone. Likely my children will haul them all to Half Price Books or donate them to the local library. But maybe they will find a few to hold onto. Or my grandchildren will snatch a few from the giveaway box.
Whatever the fate of my already old books, I hope that one day someone else will hold it in their hands, and as they read, they’ll wonder about me.
What is the greatest appeal of old books for you? Is it just about a favorite story in its original packaging or does the “history” of the book draw you? What has been your favorite old book find?
January 18, 2022
Redeeming Love the movie – at last!
Last Tuesday night, I attended a screening of Redeeming Love, the film adaptation of Francine Rivers’ bestselling novel Redeeming Love that releases nationwide this Friday, January 21st. Oh, oh, oh…
I went in with high expectations, and the movie exceeded them all. It has everything—poignancy, humor, passion, gut-wrenching heartbreak, and, of course, redemption. I can’t wait to see it again with my family this weekend!
I was able to take a couple of friends with me to the screening and they loved it too.
Thanks, Kim and Polly, for sharing that experience!
And look who we ran into…
The lovely Melinda Doolittle (have you heard this woman sing?!) and her beautiful mom Mama Marguerite!Melinda, Mama Marguerite and I were part of a group of women who went to Israel together in 2019, and there’s a history of me and Melinda and the Dead Sea. She claims I saved her from drowning, but um…it’s really difficult to drown in the Dead Sea. LOL
Next, I saw the ever joyful and effervescent Patsy Clairmont!
If you’ve never heard Patsy speak, oh for the love, treat yourself today. Here you go!
There were fun doughnuts and pastries…
And “swag bags” with all sorts of fun things, as well as a “photo wall” with props!
It was a fun girl’s night, for sure. But what impacted me most—and that still resonates inside me—is the depth of love Christ has for us that’s portrayed in Michael and Angel’s story. So powerful. So moving.
Friends have asked if this is a movie suitable for young children. No, I don’t believe it is. And here’s why…
The movie, set against the historical backdrop of the California gold rush, deals with very adult themes. Sex trafficking. Brothels. The sexual abuse of minors. But it also showcases the extraordinary gift that God designed in marriage between a man and a woman, including the beauty of sex, one of his purest gifts—that the world is always quick to pervert and twist.
Another friend who also saw the screening that night has grandchildren, so I asked her to share her insights as a grandmother as to whether she plans on taking them to the movie. She said…
I read the book, Redeeming Love, 18+ years ago. It was given to me at a time I was having some teenage disagreements with one of my daughters. My very obedient daughter started acting out in ways I didn’t recognize. Come to find out, there was a boy causing much of her inner turmoil. I gave the book, Redeeming Love, to her.
Fast forward, she is doing great, and I now have 5 granddaughters.
After seeing the movie at the premiere, I talked to my girls and we agreed that we want our 15, 14 and 13 year old granddaughters to see the movie. It is appropriately rated PG13, and warrants a parents judgment call. I have already purchased the tickets and look forward to our discussions following the movie!
Because our culture is confronted with so much sexuality in movies today and because sexual sin is so often shrouded in secrecy, I think most teenage girls NEED to see Redeeming Love.
~ An anonymous loving grandmother
If you’re on the fence about whether to take your pre-teen or teenager, my advice is to see the movie first yourself, which is what I did back in the day with our kids. Then you’ll know for sure. And if you DO decide “Yes, I want them to see it,” then you’ll be that much more prepared for the discussions that will ensue.
I’ve been asked, “Do you have to have read the book to see the movie?” Not at all. The movie stands firmly on its own.
I’m praying with great anticipation about what God is going to do with Redeeming Love on the big screen!
Find out where the movie is playing in your area, and please grab some friends and go see it THIS WEEKEND. Thursday* or Friday night, if you can. Seeing a movie opening weekend is huge for helping to create buzz.
(*The movie is showing on Thursday nights in some markets)
Do you plan on seeing Redeeming Love?
Have you read the novel? Or maybe I should ask, “How many times have you read it?” : )
Tammy
January 17, 2022
Husbands and chickens and possums, oh my!
In 2017, we moved to a house on a larger lot. In 2018, I implemented my dream of having chickens. They are entertaining, excellent pets, and always a source of adventure.
Last night we had another night to remember.
My chickens have two areas: the run, a huge wire pen, and the coop, where they sleep at night. The large coop has an automatic door, which closes at sunset and opens in the morning. Last night, when I went out to manually lower the door on the little bantam coop, I noticed that the big girls’ door had not automatically lowered. But it was already dark and I was tired after a long, day, so I told myself I’d take care of it tomorrow.
The grandkids were over, so hubby got them packed off and was taking them home but he called to tell me he couldn’t get out of the gate. For some reason, it wouldn’t let him out, so I had to go out there with my screwdriver and a flashlight to see what was the matter. But as I walked out the bedroom door, I heard SCREAMING from the chicken coop–hubby would have to wait. I wish you could have heard that chicken screaming–sounded like a weird European siren, wailing over and over . . . until Mama arrived. 
I shone my flashlight on the door–which was still open–and saw Easter spill out of the opening and run toward me. Pancake, who usually sleeps in the run on a dog crate, was all in a tizzy, running to and fro. (Chickens are blind in the dark, so if you ever need to catch a chicken without running, just wait until dark, and you can pretty much do anything you want with them).
So I ran to the back door of the coop, opened the door, and shone my light inside–and saw an adolescent possum who was NOT playing dead. What to do? Three of my hens were roosting within his reach, and I didn’t dare leave. So I screamed for hubby, who didn’t hear me, then made a few threatening gestures, so the possum ran out the door–but he was still in the run, and so were Pancake and Easter.
So I ran to the gate, gave hubby the screwdriver and wished him luck, then ran back to the coop. I picked up Pancake and Easter, and put them in the coop. Then I had to climb into the elevated coop (no easy feat, especially in the dark), and manually lowered the door.
Knowing the girls were safe, I went around to an alternate run door, where I could see the possum wedged between the coop and the metal run. He wasn’t trapped, he was waiting. Little rascal.
So I grabbed the broom I had picked up as a weapon, and swatted his hind end, which was only inches away from the coop door. That bad boy dropped out of sight and ran away.
I took several deep breaths, then went to see if hubby and grands had made it out of the gate. They had.
So–today I need to make sure the door works and plug that gap between the run and the coop. I love all creatures, but I will defend my girls. Poor babies.
Do you have chickens? Have you ever WISHED you had chickens? Honestly, I’d keep a few even if they didn’t lay eggs (which they don’t–much–in the winter, because a hen needs 14 hours of sunlight to produce an egg.) Fascinating, no? If you have any questions about chickens, be sure to ask!
One of the babies I hatched!
January 16, 2022
Inspired by Scripture
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January 14, 2022
My Favorite Covers of 2021
Every January I enjoy looking back at the prior year of Christian fiction and picking my favorite book covers. It wasn’t easy! There were so many fabulous covers to choose from. Here are a few of my personal favorites….
The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy CambronA dressmaker AND Paris? Yes, please. I love the peach-colored gown against the sepia-toned background that gives the reader a sense of the WWII setting.
Dark Intercept by Andrews & WilsonExcellent suspense cover! Everything about this cover — the fonts, the ominous colors, the silhouette of a man running with a gun in his hand — works together for me.
Every Word Unsaid by Kimblerly DuffyAt a glance, this cover anchors the reader in an exotic, historical setting. The fact that the woman is running gives us a sense of urgency. The title is gripping. And the overall image provides a great sense of balance and symmetry. Every detail feels carefully chosen.
Come Back to Me by Jody HedlundHere, dramatic red hair twines with the title. Plus, I’m intrigued by the ancient British church in the background. Fabulous cover for a time-crossing novel!
Plot Twist by Bethany TurnerUtterly charming! The movie reels, planes, coffee cups, and computer all hint at this novel’s story line and characters. Good covers raise a question in a reader’s mind. This one makes me ask myself, “What plot twist happens in this book?”
The Orchard house by Heidi ChiavaroliGorgeous photograph layered with a title font that feels nostalgic and an artful graphic design. Striking creativity, striking colors.
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti CallahanSuch an evocative winter setting! You have a sense, when you look at this cover, of how it feels to be the woman in the red coat, passing through this walkway alone. The title and buildings make a reader (correctly) think this book has a CS Lewis tie-in.
In a Far-off Land by Stephanie LandsemThe art deco detailing combined with the model’s make-up and hairstyle speak clearly of this book’s time period. I love the spray of glitter. And this face! So beautiful and memorable.
Which covers of 2021 were your favorites?January 13, 2022
Classic Hollywood & a Giveaway
February 1st, I’m rereleasing my novel
Stars in the Night
into the world. This is one of my favorite books that I’ve written because it marries my love of World War II with suspense. As my oldest put it at the time the book came out…”Mom, I love this book. It has a body count!”
Join @cara_putman for classic movie reviews and a giveaway as she celebrates the rerelease of Stars in the Night
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I thought today I’d share my favorite Harvey, a classic from 1950, with you. If you like this one, be sure to stop by my blog for more…I’m sharing two a week this month. And be sure to read to the end to enter a contest I’m running this month in celebration fo the coming release!
Basically, Harvey is a slap-stick comedy in which a grown man (Elwood P. Dowd) introduces everyone to his friend Harvey, a six foot tall rabbit. His sister, played to perfection by Josephine Hull, tries to commit him to a mental institution, and a comedy of errors ensues. Elwood and Harvey become the catalysts for a family mendingits wounds and for romance blossoming in unexpected places.
Jospehine Hull won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and when you watch the movie, you will totally understand why. But you’ll wonder why Jimmy Stewart didn’t win the Best Actor Oscar, especially when you consider he makes a huge, invisible rabbit seem real.
This movie is a lot of fun to watch. Even though it’s from 1950, it’s still black and white (at least in the version I have). And it has a basically feel good storyline that makes you want to suspend belief for the 100 or so minutes of the movie. It’s a film the whole family can watch and enjoy together.
In celebration of the release of Stars in the Night, I’m running a giveaway for a copy of the book as well as the winner’s choice of two of the movies I review. You can enter through January 31, 2022. Good luck!
Here’s more about Stars in the Night: Hollywood 1942. When attorney Audra Schaeffer’s sister disappears, Audra flies to Hollywood to find her but instead must identify her body. Determined to bring the killer to justice, Audra takes a job with the second Hollywood Victory Caravan. Together with Robert Garfield and other stars, she crisscrosses the southern United States in a campaign to sell war bonds. When two other women are found dead on the train, Audra knows the deaths are tied to that of her sister. Could the killer be the man with whom she’s falling in love?
January 11, 2022
Overcoming Story Obstacles
Happy Wednesday, friends! I hope your New Year is off to a great start. I thought it would be fun to answer a variety of reader questions I’ve received in my next few posts. Two questions I often get are: “How do you stay inspired to write?” and “How do you overcome writer’s block?” I’m mentioning both questions because I believe the answer is the same, and I found it in a book that I read years ago. In it, the author recommended taking one day a week to do something that refills your creative well. That helps reignite the spark of inspiration and that brings you joy to dive back into your story the next day.
It’s taken me several years and a few books to figure out what keeps me from burning out and helps me overcome the pesky and often debilitating obstacle of writer’s block. And, yes, I believe writer’s block is very real. Do all authors wrestle with it? No. Do I? Yes. Often it is self-inflicted as I fight my internal editor who whispers, ‘you can’t write, and this book is going to prove it.’ It’s that fear of messing up that tries to stall me into procrastination, but I must push past that. God doesn’t want me, or anyone, to be held hostage by fear in any area of our lives. Here are the ways I’ve found helpful in renewing my inspiration. If you aren’t a writer, I hope these tips will be helpful to you too!
Prayer and God’s Word: Spending time in God’s Word and in communication with Him—whether it’s our prayers or simply sitting still in His presence is the wisest way to find guidance, direction, hope, and a calm spirit that equips us for the work He’s called us to. I often need to remind myself that it’s God who laid this desire to write in my heart. I can rest in the promise of His presence through it all and He’s equipping.
Inspirational quotes: I’m a quote girl. I love reading quotes on a variety of subjects ranging from writing, book quotes, inspirational and motivational quotes. A stirring quote really gets me thinking and often helps me see things from a different perspective. When I find ones that really resonate with me, like the one below, I print them out and hang them on the wall in front of my desk for a while until a new one really sticks with me. I have a binder that I put them in and pull out and flip through it when I’m wanting encouragement or need motivation.
Read a lot: There’s nothing like opening a book and entering a new world, living amongst characters you feel are friends, experiencing an adrenaline rush as the hero races to defeat the villain, and the sweet warmth you feel at the end of a love story. Reading well-written books also inspires me to strive to write well-written books. I enjoy reading a wide variety of books. In non-fiction I love books on faith, cultivating a well-lived life, devotionals, etc. Some of my favorite non-fiction authors include Lara Casey, Emily Ley, Stormie Omartian, Alistair Begg, and C.S. Lewis. In fiction, I read a wide variety of genres including, young adult, romantic suspense, thrillers, contemporary romance, and historical romance. Some of my favorite fiction authors include Dee Henderson, Irene Hannon, Terri Blackstock, Becky Wade, Karen Witemeyer, Jody Hedlund, and Julie Klassen.
Reader question: What fills and stirs you with inspiration?
