Becky Wade's Blog, page 119

Becoming a Warrior

Hi friends,

Happy Wednesday! Hope you’re having a wonderful week. I always look forward to spending it with you.

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned on social media how my daughter Ty took Little Man to a Ninja gym and he had a blast!

It was so fun seeing him enjoying the obstacle, parkour course, especially because we’ve been huge fans of the show Ninja Warrior for years now. While we love watching everyone from stay-at-home moms to bricklayers to Olympians battle the course, the main reason we love the show is because of the stories they share about the competitors’ lives. My daughter Kayla and I tear up every single time. One competitor started training to run the course as a way to get strong enough to help carry his wife who has MS when she’s too weak or unable to walk. Another athlete overcame childhood abuse, and one survived years of bullying.

Many of the ninjas are there to not only compete but to raise awareness about causes they are passionate about. Kevin Bull has shone a light on a rare autoimmune disorder called alopecia that makes your hair fall out. He’s been a huge inspiration to many kids who have the disease. Roo Yori advocates for shelter dogs and dog adoption and the list goes on. It makes us want to not only support the causes but to find our passion and raise awareness about it.

It’s flat-out amazing watching men, women, and now teens push their limits, to strive for something they didn’t think they could conquer when they started out and seeing them crushing the course.

While they use the term “competitor,” Ninja Warrior is a place of community. Most, if not all, of the athletes, train in groups or with a partner. They cheer each other on, even switching out t-shirts to show support for their fellow athlete.

Last but not least, we’ve watched competitor Daniel Gil show tremendous love for wife, kindness in spirit, and most of all giving glory to God. Two years ago, Daniel came in second in the championship and when asked how he felt having lost, he replied with his arms around his wife, something to the effect of, “How could I say I lost? I have the whole world in my arms.” Man, I hope I love like that. I hope I honor and glorify God as he does. And, I hope I push my limits far more often than I have been—trusting God to lead the way.

Reader Question: What’s your favorite show to watch? Or the most-inspiring novel you’ve read?

Blessings,

Dani

Thankful for Bookstores

Last week, I attended the Christian Product Expo (CPE) near St. Louis, MO, flying for the first time since the pandemic began. (Sigh… Traveling isn’t the pleasure it used to be, but I was grateful for uneventful flights.) CPE is a trade show where booksellers learn about new products, order inventory, and receive training and inspiration to continuing doing their jobs, often during trying times.

The first day, I participated in a multi-author book signing and enjoyed talking with retailers. As an author, it was so encouraging to learn that while many bookstores have closed, many others are still alive and well!

(Left) with Erica Vetsch. (Right) with author Irene Hannon and retailer Betty Goeckner.

The next day, I spent time in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s booth, encouraging booksellers.

(Left) with Jen of CPE. (Right) Authors Deborah Raney and Cynthia Ruchti.

I also loved spending time with writing friends like Cynthia Ruchti, Irene Hannon, Erica Vetsch and our own Deborah Raney.  

Deborah and her husband have recently created several journals, which I was able to preview at the show. I especially liked their Travel journals, as well as their Tea and Quotes journals. You can see all their journals here.

Which journal do you like best?

And do you have a favorite bookstore? Please continue to support them!

A Disappointing Ending

Ken and I experienced a pretty big disappointment this past week. Nothing that was life and death, for sure, but in the space of an hour, we went from being giddy with joy to being crushed when a big landscaping project in our backyard got washed away less than 24 hours after it was completed.

Our landscapers brought heavy equipment into our backyard last Tuesday and by the end of the day, we could begin to see our vision come to life.

The landscaping crew worked for three long days building a dry creek and a stairway designed to become a waterfall when it rains. The crew finished their work on Thursday evening and less than 24 hours later, it began to rain!

Ken and I hardly got any work done the entire day! We were just giddy, standing out in the rain rejoicing at how perfectly our dry creek ran as the water came down the hill as it always does when it rains.

After a few minutes, the water began to cascade down the stairway, just as we’d planned…

Everything was working just as we’d dreamed and planned. But a few minutes later, our joy turned to trepidation as the rain fell harder. In the span of only 55 minutes, almost four inches of rain fell—a gulley-washer like our neighborhood hasn’t seen since we moved here! The water quickly breached the banks of our new creek, but worse, water gushed down the hill, and the flagstone stairway waterfall, built into the hill where rain had already washed a gulley, all but collapsed as the rain carried away the new soil that had been brought in and packed around it. It was pretty sobering to see the power of water, even against several tons of massive rocks!

When the rain finally subsided, we could see that the damage was pretty severe. But as disappointed as we were, we also had to acknowledge that there was a good chance our short-lived landscaping project had kept the water from getting in our basement. This video shows the power of the water.

The grass seed and straw mulch that finished off our project mostly washed away and we’re not sure yet whether the beautiful stairway waterfall can be salvaged. But the dry creek isn’t too badly damaged. Just some river rock that needs to be put back in place between the flagstones. We absolutely realize that this is a first-world problem, and pales in comparison to everything else that is going on in the world. I would say easy come, easy go, but there was nothing easy about the work our great landscaping crew did!

Saturday morning we cleaned up the patio, washed down the furniture, and counted our blessings. Several times, we said, “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” Yes, we’re sad and disappointed that our big project was wrecked almost before we could enjoy it. But in the whole scheme of things, we know this is small potatoes. We are blessed and grateful, and unlike so many other problems, this one is fixable. Things like this help put everything in proper perspective and teach us to hold material blessings with an open hand.

Inspired by Scripture

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Taking Back the Arts

When I awakened this morning, I discovered that I was writing this blog post in my head as I came to consciousness. I’m sure it was brilliant in that place between sleep and awake while what I actually write will fall short of that. But I’m going to try anyway.

In the 1970s, when I came under the Lordship of Jesus the Messiah, there was almost no Christian fiction. The local Christian bookstore’s fiction section was two shelves high and only two to three titles wide and represented only two or three authors. That was it.

There was a common train of thought in the church back then that fiction wasn’t good for a believer because it wasn’t true. Another common thought was, if you had a book open, it needed to be the Bible and only the Bible.

Friends, from the moment I was born again, I’ve had a passion for reading and studying the written word of God. I’ve read the Bible from cover to cover many, many times during my Christian walk, and when not reading from front to back, I’ve spent time meditating on and studying individual books of the Bible. So don’t misunderstand what I am saying. Reading the Bible is important. The Bible is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is food for the soul.

But disdaining fiction is a sad thing. Good fiction is true because it reflects us and the world around us.

There is a reason Jesus taught in parables. We (mankind) respond to story. We learn better when we are taught through story. We are wired that way. God made us that way. We discover truths about ourselves through the story of the prodigal son, for instance. And not just the version that Jesus told. Many novels have been written to illustrate that biblical story. I’ve written one, Return to Me.

Through many centuries, Christians “owned” the arts. The great writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, et al, believed in the message of Christ and they shared that message through the art they created. But somewhere along the way, followers of Jesus relinquished much of the arts to the world. We only need to look at so much of what comes out of Hollywood to know that’s true.

One of the reasons I am such a fan of The Chosen is because the creators know the power of a story told well. The show takes us into the lives of the disciples. The episodes let us see those followers of Jesus as people we can relate to. And through those characters, we catch glimpses of ourselves and God can teach us in those moments.

I’ve heard Dallas Jenkins, the creator and director, say something like, nothing blesses him more than hearing people are reading their Bibles more because of watching The Chosen. That’s something I’ve said about my own books. Yes, I want to entertain my readers, but I hope my stories also make readers hungry to know Christ better and better and therefore turn to Scripture to do so.

Sometimes I get angry at the culture we live in. I get angry over what has been taught to my grandchildren in public schools and through TV and movies and books, again a reflection of the culture. And that twisted culture has infected everything.

But art doesn’t just reflect the culture. Art can and does influence the culture. It can lead the culture. Christians should be encouraged to pursue the arts. To write the truth. To act the truth. To paint the truth. To sing the truth. And all of us should support the efforts of those Christian artists who are doing just that.

I can’t help thinking of Lauren Daigle’s beautiful song, You Say, and how often I heard it on dance shows and talent shows a couple of seasons ago. Sure, I realize that many didn’t understand that it was God telling the listener that she (or he) is enough. Many heard it as a love song. And it is a love song. Just a very different kind of love song. The kind that God sings over His children. And God touched hearts through it.

Believers, let’s impact our very troubled world with the truth of Christ through our art. Let’s give back truth to the world, one artistic endeavor at a time.

~robin

Being a Reader In Today’s Current Market

Today I’m taking off my author hat and putting on my reading cap!

It’s over halfway through the year, and I decided to analyze how I’m doing on my reading progress for 2021. Somehow, I’ve managed to average about 50 books a year for the past 8 years (except last year in 2020 I only read about 30).

As I took stock on where I’m at this year, I realized I’m on track with my 50-book average, in part due to Kindle Unlimited (KU). This is the first year I’ve had a subscription to KU (which is like “Netflix” for books where you pay a monthly fee and can read, well, an unlimited number of books). I wasn’t sure how I’d like it, so I decided to give their two-month trial a go. The two months was all it took to hook me.

What I especially like about KU is that when you finish a book, there are lots of suggestions for other authors who write similar style books. I’m able to try those authors without having to pay for each book.

The other aspect of KU I’ve liked is the ease of returning books that don’t jive. If I start the book and it’s not what I expected, I don’t feel obligated to finish it. To be honest, it’s somewhat freeing.

When I pay full price for a book, I feel like I need to push through and finish the book, even when it’s not really holding my interest or even when I don’t particularly like it.

However, when I’m paying a one-time monthly fee, I feel as though I need to make sure I’m “getting my money’s worth.” That means I give myself permission to “give up” on a book more quickly and move on to something that I like better.

Let’s face it, over the past ten years, the book landscape has really changed due to so many factors. And it’s changed for the better . . .

There are literally millions of books available at the click of a button. If you find an author you like, you can binge on all their books (not just their newest releases). It’s easier to discover similar authors. It’s easy to get suggestions within Facebook Groups. Books are fairly inexpensive (especially with monthly plans like KU).

My conclusion? It’s a wonderful time to be a reader!

What are some of the things you like best about being a reader in today’s current market? What is something you like the least?

When God’s People Stand Together

I’ve always known that God’s people were a powerful force when responding to His call. Just look at the decimated walls of Jericho. Yet, I’ve gained an entirely new perspective these past few weeks as God’s people worked a miracle in the opposite direction–shoring up my quivering infrastructure with divine support beams of prayer, encouragement, and love.

On July 31, I was pronounced the winner of the Romance Writer’s of America Vivian Award for the Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements category. This is a prestigious award in the romance community, and I was excited and honored. Then a tsunami of backlash hit. You see, the prologue of the book begins with the massacre that happened at Wounded Knee in 1890, and my hero was part of the 7th Cavalry. Despite the fact that he is horrified by what happens that day and leaves the army with three of his men to become activists for justice, attacks rolled in claiming my book romanticized genocide. To appease the masses, RWA rescinded my award two days later. What followed was a week of hateful outrage that was picked up by national news outlets. What broke my heart most was not the loss of an award, but the fact that people were using my book to bash Christianity and the message of redemption.

I was a weepy mess for the first few days. Shame enveloped me, even though I didn’t believe I had done anything wrong. I knew I needed help before discouragement and bitterness took hold. So I reached out to a handful of writing friends that I knew I could trust and asked them to pray for me. I reached out to my publisher and my agent. A few days later, I reached out to a private group of readers. I reached out to my Bible as well. Knowing I needed something positive to combat all the negativity being hurled at me, I chose Philippians 4: 1-9. I meditated on the call to stand firm, to focus on things that are lovely and admirable, to believe God capable of guarding my heart and mind with his peace that passes understanding, and above all else, to let my gentleness be known to all.

I did not protest or defend myself to those who lashed out. I did my best to ignore the vitriol and respond with kindness and professionalism to those who contacted me directly, and God proved that a gentle answer can turn away wrath. But I don’t want to talk about me, I want to brag on the people of God.

As the week went on, I felt a change come over my heart. The barbs didn’t hurt as badly and my emotions weren’t quite as volatile. The prayers of God’s people were shoring me up.

Then came the tangible blessings.

My publisher stood beside me and my book and issued a statement that served as a shield for me when reporters contacted me for comments.

Dozens of encouraging messages found their way to me through Facebook and email.

My readers began a campaign to bury the harsh reviews on Goodreads and Amazon by liking all the good reviews.

People bought extra copies of the book to show their support.

Writers I barely knew reached out to share stories of their own battles with controversy.

Complete strangers reached out with compassion and support. One speculative fiction writer sent me an email stating that he had never bought a romance novel in his life, but he’d just bought mine because he knew the power of God’s redemption and he wanted to support that message.

As if that wasn’t enough of a miracle, more love poured out in a postal anointing.

A Texas writing friend send me a care package that had me laughing hysterically as I unpacked each of her little items with running commentary on sticky notes.

If you’re not familiar with Texas history, Google the Gonzales canon to see what “Come and take it” refers to. And I’m an avid cross stitcher, so her note about having the patience to stab something thousands of times cracked me up!

Another writing friend send me a hug in a jar.

I needed all the hugs I could get, so this was perfect!

My agent sent me the ultimate comfort care package – chicken soup, rolls, and oatmeal cookies. Who knew you could send soup through the mail? But it was lovely. Warm and comforting and so yummy. And best of all, I didn’t have to cook, which was a blessing because I also happened to be on deadline with my latest book due this past Sunday.

Another group of writer friends sent me a lovely arrangement of flowers followed a few days later by this beautiful sign art with a verse from Isaiah. It is now proudly displayed in my living room so that I can constantly be reminded of his care for me.

One group of readers sent me a sweet card and inside was a first place blue ribbon from the self-dubbed RRA – Romance Readers of America. This made me laugh and soothed the sore places inside.

I received some GORGEOUS handmade cards that I know took much love and time to construct. I felt these paper hugs deep in my spirit.

Then on Monday night this week, my Inspired By Life and Fiction blogging buddies along with several other authors threw me a surprise Zoom party. I thought I was meeting one person, but when I joined the link, dozens of faces looked back at me, all smiling and full of blessing. They had sent me a package that they wanted me to open on Zoom so everyone could see. These fabulous ladies had gone in together to buy me a replacement award that is far more meaningful than anything I could have received from RWA. They granted me the Truth and Grace award in honor of my book, At Love’s Command. I was stunned. Utterly stunned.

The very next morning, I took my beautiful new award to the office of my day job where I display my books and awards, and I placed this lovely statuette in a place of honor on my shelf.

The outpouring of love that I have received from God’s people, many of them slight acquaintances or even complete strangers, has allowed me to see Jesus in action on a scale I’ve never experienced before. I would never wish this kind of ugliness to befall anyone else, but I do wish everyone could experience the miracle of God’s people going out of their way to stand together on your behalf. It is humbling and awe-inspiring. I pray that I will never forget this experience so that I may be eager to answer the call when another someone else in God’s family needs a little shoring up.

Never underestimate the healing effect of a card, email, or small gift. When combined with the power of prayer, they can move mountains of discouragement and shore up crumbling confidence. I’m living proof.

Have you ever experienced the love of God expressed through His people?

Book Life Friends

I’ve been firmly planted in the writing life for 20 years now, and in that time I’ve made some great friends—both readers and writers. One of the joys of being back in the Dallas area is being closer to many of those people again. In the past couple of weeks I’ve been able to reconnect with a few of these special people face-to-face.

Several years ago I posted on my facebook page that I was attending the Texas Book Festival. I got a message from a woman I had known online for a little while—a fellow reader—who said she was there, too. So we made a plan to meet up and attend a session together. Thus began a lovely friendship with Staci Scott and her daughter, Gretchen. Turns out we have a lot in common. We continued to connect online and sometimes in person at the book club Staci ran through her church. And we’d always attend at least one session together at the Texas Book Festival! Then Staci’s family moved to the Dallas area, though they still returned to Austin for the book festival. But then suddenly we lived close to one another again!

A few days ago we got to meet up in person at a restaurant between our houses. The sweet high school girl I first met is now 20 and starting nursing school in a few days. We enjoyed visiting again about books we’ve read or want to read as well as catching up a bit on life—their move to Dallas, our move back to Dallas.

Six months before my first book released with Bethany House (2011), I heard they had signed another author from the Dallas area. I didn’t know her, but found out she attended the same church as my brother and sister-in-law. And, lo and behold, they’d all been in the same Sunday School class for a while! Thus began my friendship with our own Becky Wade. We’d meet up every now and again to catch up on life and talk writing. Then we moved to Austin. I can’t remember exactly when I first met sweet Shelli Littleton—maybe an ACFW conference?—but I know we met for lunch at least once through the years besides connecting online. The three of us met for lunch recently, and what a joy it was to talk writing and books and life in person again!

Of course my longest standing writer friends are here in my town. I began attending Rockwall Christian Writer’s group in early 2002, a year after I completed my first novel (via Nanowrimo!). By May of the next year, Mary DeMuth, Leslie Wilson and I were meeting once a week for critique. We named ourselves Life Sentence. Almost twenty years later, these are two of my dearest friends. We’ve walked through so many things together, including but not limited to the ups and downs of the writing life! Right now we are engaged in a fun pursuit together: eating at a different restaurant (non-chain) in the Rockwall area together each week. In alphabetical order. Backwards. Leslie is the queen of fun and Mary and I are happy to play along.

Of course there are more reading and writing friends in the area I still haven’t had a chance to reconnect with. And so many more across the country who I try to see in person when I happen to visit their neck of the woods! But it’s been really grounding and life-affirming to reconnect with my local book life friends.

What about you? Are you still catching up on reconnecting with friends since 2020? Do you have friends who don’t live near you but you meet up with them regularly? Tell us!

Brainstorming & Birthdays

I love brainstorming books.

I love the endless possibilities at the outset, all the combinations of what ifs, and the “Oh, have you ever thought about trying this?” suggestions.

Brainstorming is definitely one of my favorite stages of the writing process. That, and discovering who the characters are as I write and rewrite, digging deeper with each pass.

One of our brainstorming sessions (Coeur d’Alene 2021)

Part of our brainstorming weekend in Coeur d’Alene always involves LOTS of laughter, as you can see me and Janet Ulbright doing here. I could hardly catch my breath!

Janet Ulbright and me sharing a funny moment

After I brainstorm a book, something special starts happening. Life starts introducing ideas all around me. And that’s exactly what happened when we went to an art fair in Coeur d’Alene this year.

I happened across a booth FULL of the art that my female protagonist crafts. She works in metals. And when Robin and I happened across this booth, Robin snapped a pic for my idea file.

Art fair Couer d’Alene 2021

I love brainstorming—and I also love birthdays, which is a good thing because they just keep comin’!

I celebrated the BIG 6-0 last week and welcome this next decade with open arms. There’s so much to be grateful for these days, and so much that I would still like to do, Lord willing. Yet there’s a comfort in knowing who you really are—which takes getting some years beneath your belt to truly grasp. And there’s also a sweet peace in knowing who you will never be. So far 60 is fabulous!

60th Bday celebration with friends and family Strawberry Cream Cake from Triple Crown Bakery in Franklin – YUM!

One of my favorite gifts I received this year is a gorgeous and oh-so-cushy handmade blanket from my dear friend Kim. And the little sign I’m holding (RELAX, we’re all crazy. It’s not a competition.) is also a fun one. (Thanks, sweet Kim!) Kim matched the colors to our house perfectly. But no surprise there. She’s an amazing decorator.

And now…a GIVEAWAY!

If you haven’t read At Love’s Command by our own sweet Karen Witemeyer, it’s an absolute must! I’m giving away a copy to one special Inspired by Life & Fiction friend today. At Love’s Command is a wonderful story about the power of God’s redemption.

Enter to win by:

1) filling out the Rafflecopter form, and

2) leaving a comment on this blog post sharing a favorite birthday gift you’ve received in recent years.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blessings on your Tuesday, friends,

Tammy

DO YOU LOVE JOURNALS?

If yes then this month’s giveaway on my website is definitely for you!

Picture credit: Ken and Deborah RaneyENTER TO WIN ONE OF THREE JOURNALS — Your pick!

First Book

Do you remember the first book you ever read? Not a book that someone else read to you—I heard hundreds of books read to me by my mom, grandparents, and my older sister, Bonnie, before I learned to read one myself. But what about the first book you actually read on your own? I think mine was this one:

I was introduced to Dick, Jane, and Sally in first grade, and their story intrigued me. I admired pretty, well-dressed Jane the same way I looked up to my older sister. Adorable little Sally reminded me of my baby sister, Peggy. Like them, our family also had a dog—theirs was named Spot, ours was Lady. I didn’t have any brothers, so I always had a bit of a crush on Dick—he was my first fictional, romantic hero. (Although, at the time, I was convinced he and his sisters were real people. I think all writers hope their characters will spring to life in readers’ minds.)

The book’s setting fascinated me. In the illustrations, the story’s background always seemed so much neater and more perfect than the setting of my life. I was a bit envious of it, to tell you the truth. (And I still love a novel that takes me to an exotic location or time period, don’t you?)  

In true 1950’s style, the children’s mother always wore a dress, their father usually wore a suit. The “plot” of the first few books were told mostly through the illustrations. Without them, the dialogue and narrative were pretty stilted, consisting mostly of simple words like “oh” and “look” and “see” repeated endlessly. (Today, I prefer reading novels with a rich, lush vocabulary and vivid descriptions.) Even so, I was hooked on that book!

I came across Dick, Jane and Sally and the memories they triggered while researching my newest novel, “The Wish Book Christmas.” I was looking up everything about life in the 1950’s—fashions, cars, toys, Christmas trees—and somehow I ran into my old friends. Instantly, I was a kid again, sitting at a splintery wooden desk, quietly flipping ahead to the next chapter in the lives of Dick, Jane, and Sally. (I had to flip ahead because the other kids in the class were reading much too slowly, and I needed to see how the story ended. That’s another great quality in a novel, isn’t it?)

It’s MUCH too soon to start blogging about Christmas, (even though I’m told “The Wish Book Christmas” can now be pre-ordered and will be out in September) but I wanted to show you the novella’s very 1950’s cover. I’m thrilled that it has such a nostalgic feel to it. (And the little boy admiring the tree could be Dick, right?)

We’ll talk more about that book and our Christmas memories as we get closer to the actual holiday season. But for now, I would love to know if you remember the first book you ever read—and how it affected you. What was it about the story that was most memorable to you—the plot? The characters? The setting? Or maybe it was the way it showed you something about yourself or your life? I would love to hear from you!

My older sister Bonnie reading to me.