Becky Wade's Blog, page 166

Confessions of a Wonder Woman

I was reminded this week of one of the nicknames I’ve acquired over time. It’s one that wears me out just typing it: Wonder Woman. I’ve been able to do a lot of wonderful things during my relatively short life. I’ve been blessed, but sometimes it’s exhausting trying to live up to people’s expectation that I am Wonder Woman.

I know the truth. I’m not. I’m just a woman who wants to live a life of wonder.

It’s too hard living up to everyone’s expectations. Even harder living up to mine. You may have seen something like this:

For me, my 20s were about apologizing for who I was. Sorry, if you have the opportunities I had, you could’ve graduated from college at 20, too. You could have had a great job in Washington DC. I’m not special. I’m lucky. I vividly remember turning 25 and telling myself I didn’t have to keep pretending I belonged. I actually belonged in my job.

My 30s were about hustle. Trying to create a space for myself in a town I never imagined living in. Discovering what it meant to parent two, three, and then four kids spread over ten years. Proving I was a good attorney. Working insane hours writing a crazy number of books a year to prove I could write. Working my way into a teaching position at a world-class university. It was all worthwhile, but exhausting.

My 40s have been about settling into who I am without apology. A combination of grace and kindness extended to myself for the first time. And settling into who I am, so I can extend that without strings to other people.

I can almost guarantee that every wonder woman you admire inside feels like she’s not all together. That she’s so far from Wonder Woman it’s laughable. But we keep showing up, and that is a wonder.

And lest you think she’s not my favorite woman superhero, here’s the trailer to the new movie. I cannot wait to see it. I may have watched this trailer a dozen times in the last couple days. (And I think editing the trailer would have been so much fun!) The music is a blast. I’m done gushing, and can’t wait to see it when it releases in June. What movie are you excited about?

In Need of Hope

Happy Wednesday, friends! I’m excited to be here with you today! Thanks for taking the time to drop by and say hi. I really appreciate it.

A few years ago, I did a project called Alphabet for the Soul and each week I’d share a word that started with the letter I was on—A-Z. The majority of letters were easy to come up with words for them and each led to a small devotional. However, some letters were really tricky. Finding a word for a mini-devotional that started with X or Z was very interesting. But I found one for each. The word I found for X is xerach. Yes, it’s a word. I had no idea what it meant until I looked it up and now when I think back on it, I remember how much it encouraged me.

With my husband having surgery last week and me having a neck procedure yesterday, I could use some encouragement today. Two surgeries are not how we hoped to start the year off, but when I think of the word xerach, I think of God whispering words of hope and encouragement in my ear. So, I thought it would be fun to share the word with you today. o share today’s word with you. It was a little interesting coming up with an applicable word for X, but I found one, and I don’t know about you, but it really speaks to where I am right now with my recent health issues and some other trials I’m facing. It’s a word that holds so much encouragement, I feel God whispering it to my soul as I type this out.

Now, I’m sure you either have already Googled xerach or you’re patiently waiting for its definition so here’s you go: 

Xerach is: Plant succession staring on bare ground or rock (an empty place or a hard surface) and culminating in a mature climax forest.

It’s a word with such deep meaning and I think really reflects the trials and growth Christians go through while becoming more like Christ. 

Xerach is a mature forest that grew from the humblest of beginnings.  I don’t know about you, but lone xerach flower blooming in the desert is a far mightier display of God’s might than a meadow full of them. If He’s planted you in a dry place, trust that He’ll bring you to bloom.

God says in His Word:
“For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” ~Isaiah 43:19 

If you are struggling to grow in a dry, hard place, trust that God is at work and when you mature into full bloom, you will be a glorious reflection of Him to behold. I thought I’d include some Scripture verses and passages to encourage you today. 

For Further Study: 

2 Corinthians 5:17 Isaiah 66:22Isaiah 11:1-9Isaiah 41:18-20 (in addition to verse 19 above)  Psalm 31:24

Here is a song that has spoken to me so much over the years when I’ve been in dry places. I hope it speaks to your heart today as well.

What song fills you with hope whenever you listen to it?

I’d love it if you’d share.

Blessings, 

Dani 

Coming in July, Colors of Truth

It’s always a pretty good feeling (#majorunderstatement) when you finally get a book finished, edited, and submitted to your publisher. And when you get the final cover, too!

That’s where we are with my next release, Colors of Truth, the second full-length novel in The Carnton Novels Collection, releasing July 2020.

Based on the real history of Carnton, an antebellum home that served as a Confederate hospital, Colors of Truth follows the journey of an Irish immigrant arriving in a country where her kind isn’t wanted, and of a former Federal soldier returning to the scene of a battle that almost destroyed him.

More about Colors of Truth, Carnton 2
Releasing July 2020

Oy, this newest book took a long time to write, and it incorporates so much of my spiritual and emotional journey last year. Which admittedly, was a tougher one with walking Dad home after years of dementia. But oh what blessings 2019 held, too, on that very same road. I still treasure them, even as I still feel a weariness inside me.

There were moments when I doubted I would ever fully get this story onto the page. But with the help of my wonderful writing critique partner, Deb Raney (love you, friend), and my editors (Jean and Jocelyn), we did. And I’m excited to share Wade & Catriona’s story (and that of fiesty little Nora pictured on the cover!) with you in July. I’ve never written about sisters before, and I loved it! Especially with them hailing from Ireland.

Me with Deb in May 2019 when she and Ken visited us in Nashville



I found this pic as I was searching for one of me and Deb! LOL! It’s of me and Deb with Brandilyn Collins in 2007 at an ACFW Conference. Talk about a blast from the past!

This week I’ll start the third and final story in the Carnton novels series, which was brainstormed last summer during my annual July retreat with the Coeur d’Alene ladies in, you guessed it, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

I can’t wait to go back and listen to my recorded session again. To drink in all the laughter and ideas flowing around the table. What a gift those ladies have been in my life!

The Coeur d’Alene Ladies who have “carried me” for years, bless them!
From L to R on back row (in the above pic): Brandilyn Collins, Francine Rivers, Sandy Shephard, Tricia Goyer, Karen Ball, Sunni Jeffers, Janet Ulbright Front cluster of “four”: Robin Lee Hatcher, moi, Sharon Dunn, and Gayle DeSalles in pink





We have such fun together. #fivedaysofheaven
(Robin and I are roomies, so you can imagine how much we talk and laugh into the night.)

I couldn’t write the novels I write without the loving encouragement and support of these women, and I’m grateful for each one.

A bit of novel trivia behind Colors of Truth:
The McGavocks who lived at Carnton in the 19th century hailed from County Antrim, Ireland, as do Catriona and Nora in the book—and as did my family too! When I unearthed that bit of history a few years back, I found it rather ironic that I’m writing the continued history of a family that my ancestors might have once known back in Ireland. And that somehow we’re connected yet again geographically in Franklin, Tennessee.  #smallworld #stalkinghistory #stopfollowingme 

Do you know your ancestry? Where did your people hail from?

Blessings on your week,

Tammy

In case you haven’t visited Carnton in Franklin, Tennessee, the setting of all the Carnton novels, I’d love to give you a quick tour!

Visit Carnton, Franklin, TN, the setting of all the Carnton novels

The Carnton Novels Collection
Christmas at Carnton, the novella that launched the series
Carol Award Winner
With This Pledge, the first full-length Carnton novel
Christy Award Winner

At a Loss for Words

Monday is coming and I have to write my regularly scheduled blog.
The problem is, I’m all out of words. I have no more stories to tell.
That’s because the deadline for my next novel is two weeks away. I’ve
been writing it for a year, and it has turned out to be 130,000 words
long. That’s a lot of words—which is why I’ve run out!

The novel is finished but I’m spending the final month editing and
tweaking and putting in all the final touches. That means I haven’t gone
anywhere in days. My friends think I’ve become a hermit. My family
forgot what I look like. I have nothing cute or funny or interesting to
say in a blog because I’ve been holed up in my office, working. But the
day after I turn in this manuscript, I get to leave my work and cold,
snowy Michigan for a vacation in Florida with my husband and our
friends.

So, what’s my point? I have two. First, there are seasons in life
when we need to dive into our work with everything we’ve got. As the
scripture says, “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as
working for the Lord.” Work isn’t a curse that we’re doomed to perform
like slaves. When God enables anyone “to accept his lot and be happy in
his work—this is a gift of God.” But it shouldn’t consume our lives all
year long, either.

Which leads to my second point—rest. God ordained rest, too. My
Puritan ancestors would like me to feel guilty for sitting on a beach a
few weeks from now when I should be working hard, giving my all, all the
time. I’d like to remind those workaholic ancestors that God rested
from His work on the seventh day. He wove the rhythms of work and rest
into the fabric of creation. He doesn’t mind at all when we rest from
our labors. Truly!

In case you’re wondering, the yet-to-be-named book that I’m racing to
finish will be published in June of 2021. I know, that’s a very long
time from now. But I’ve also completed another novel entitled “If I Were
You,” which will be out in June of THIS year. It takes place in London
during World War II and has a bit of a “Downton Abbey” feel to it.

So, here’s my advice. Work hard at what you do right now so when my
book comes out next summer you can sit on a beach somewhere and read
while you rest from your labors. And now . . . I need to get back to
work.

Inspired by Scripture

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6 Ways to Keep Readers Up Past Their Bedtime

One of my favorite compliments
from readers is, “I stayed up really late reading your book.”

Story tellers would much rather
have their books keep readers awake until unreasonable hours rather than having
their books put readers to sleep.

So how can writers make readers
bright-eyed, excited, and turning the pages rather than bleary-eyed, yawning,
and closing the book?

Here are 6 ways to keep readers up past their bedtime:

1. Make Every Scene Count:



Before I write a scene, I envision a stage and my characters upon it. Who would
want to go to a play and watch the actors meander around the stage talking to
themselves or reflecting on problems while eating, getting ready, shopping,
driving in the car, talking on the phone, etc.? Big yawn.



Rather than the mundane and ordinary, our audience wants to be entertained by
the unfolding story. Put the characters on stage and have them jump right into
the action and drama.

If we eliminate static scenes, then readers will come to expect that every scene in our book adds suspense or value to the plot, even when we slow the pace. The more succinct and necessary we make each scene, the fewer parts readers will be able to skim or skip.

2. Make Every Character Count:

Before I add a new character (particularly a minor one), once again I envision a stage. I check to see if any of the other characters who are already on stage can do the job first.

First, I don’t want my stage becoming cluttered with too many characters. Our audience will have a hard time keeping them all straight even if we do our best to give them unique tags and names. So when I need a minor character, I try to use one I’ve already brought onto the stage earlier (rather than add a completely new character).

If we write tight with our characters, we increase the potential for them becoming more memorable versus getting lost on the crowded stage. And in doing so, we hold our reader’s attention better.

3. Cut the Flowery Descriptions:

When I write descriptions, I look at the stage and decide what props I need and why. I don’t wax eloquent about the weather or the clothing or the people passing by—just because I want to. I make myself have a reason for adding in those details.

As a historical writer, I have a little more leeway with descriptions, because of course I have to bring to life a bygone era for a modern reader.  Nevertheless, I still try to be careful not to overdo the floweriness. If any descriptions lasts more than a couple of sentences, it’s likely gone on too long and either needs trimming or should be moved somewhere else.

4. Create and prolong suspense:

None of my books are “suspense” novels. But every book can benefit from having elements of suspense laced throughout. Noah Lukeman in his book The Plot Thickens, describes suspense this way, “Suspense, simply, is about creating and prolonging anticipation.”

Once our readers are invested in our characters, suspense is process of dangling our readers breathlessly along, continuing to put our characters into situations where readers longs to find out “what happens next.”

Lukeman says this, “One can have underdeveloped characters and weak journeys and a hackneyed plot, but if suspense exists, and audience will often stay with the work . . . suspense, more than any other element, affects the immediate.”

5. Increase conflict:

When I look at developing conflict, I generally target three main areas for each main character: physical (or outer) conflict, emotional (or inner) conflict, and relational (or romance) conflict. I weave all three strands together like a braid. These conflicts are often inseparable yet distinct. And the writer’s job is to keep intertwining the strands without letting one sag.

Yes, the conflicts will ebb and flow. Perhaps we will bring resolution to some issues, but then we must introduce new situations and circumstances that continue to push our characters. Ultimately, we want to prolong the tension for as long as possible throughout the book—keep the braid tight until we near the end.

6. Use Read-On-Prompts (ROP):

At the end of every scene and chapter, every time we switch character points-of-view, every break in the action—we should look for ways to keep the reader wanting to find out what happens next. We want to make it hard for them to put the book down at a “natural” resting place.

However, we need to be careful about tacking on a ROP. It needs to flow naturally out of the scene. If we resolve something within one of our conflict strands, then we should make sure we start introducing a new problem or issue before we wrap up the scene.

What about YOU? What keeps you reading a book past YOUR bedtime?

A Blog Full of Bargains!

I love a good sale. Don’t you? Well, today, my friends, we’re all in luck. There are some fantastic sales going on in the world of Christian fiction. When my publisher notified me that I would have two books discounted this month, I decided to ask around and see if other author friends had promotions going on as well. Several did!

Take a look:

The first book in my Ladies of Harper’s Station series, No Other Will Do is on sale for $0.99. (Only $0.79 on Amazon and Christianbook!)

Men are optional. That’s the credo Emma Chandler’s suffragette aunts preached and why she started a successful women’s colony in Harper’s Station, Texas. But when an unknown assailant tries repeatedly to drive them out, Emma admits they might need a man after all. A man who can fight–and she knows just the one.

Malachi Shaw finally earned the respect he craved by becoming an explosives expert for the railroad. Yet when Emma’s plea arrives, he bolts to Harper’s Station to repay the girl who once saved his life. Only she’s not a girl any longer. She’s a woman with a mind of her own and a smile that makes a man imagine a future he doesn’t deserve.

As the danger intensifies, old feelings grow and deepen, but Emma and Mal will need more than love to survive.

A mazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook

My most recent book is also on sale this month. You can read Zach and Abby’s story for only $2.39 on Amazon and Christianbook. ($2.99 at other major retailers.)

After fulfilling a pledge to a dying friend, Zacharias Hamilton is finally free. No family entanglements. No disappointing those around him. Just the quiet bachelor existence he’s always craved. Until fate snatches his freedom away when the baker of his favorite breakfast bun is railroaded by the city council. Despite not wanting to get involved, he can’t turn a blind eye to her predicament . . . or her adorable dimples.

Abigail Kemp needs a man’s name on her bakery’s deed. A marriage of convenience seems the best solution . . . if it involves a man she can control. That person definitely isn’t the stoic lumberman who oozes silent confidence whenever he enters her shop. Control Zacharias Hamilton? She can’t even control her pulse when she’s around him.

When vows are spoken, Abigail’s troubles should be over. Yet threats to the bakery worsen, and darker dangers hound her sister. Can she put ever more trust in Zach without losing her dreams of independence?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook

Want more historical romance options? Check out these fabulous finds!

The Accidental Guardian by Mary Connealy – $1.99

Freedom in the Mountain Wind by Misty Beller
(A brand new release!) – $0.99

The Number of Love by Roseanna White – $0.79

Ring of Secrets by Roseanna White – $1.99
(Oops – It looks like the sale price for Ring of Secrets has expired since the original creation of this post. Sorry.)

Maybe you prefer contemporary or biblical fiction. Well, here you go!

When He Found Me by Victoria Bylin – $0.99

Until the Mountains Fall by Connilyn Cossette – $2.39

And if you want to take a walk on the wild side, try this box set of Christian steampunk by Morgan Busse. Two complete books for only $3.99!

Amazon – $3.99

Besides books, what are your favorite bargains to find?

Have you ever discovered a new favorite author by trying a
promo-priced e-book?

Day Trip: Taylor, Texas

When we moved to Austin almost 4 (gasp!) years ago, my husband said we’d spend our weekend taking day trips around Central Texas. Little did he know his job would be so all-consuming and travel heavy as to make that nearly impossible! But just before Christmas, when the frenzy of holiday parties had ended and we hadn’t yet left to visit family, we had a rare, free Saturday and beautiful weather, so we decided it was time to head out on one of those day trips.

We had been talking of visiting Taylor, Texas, for a while. Our biggest interest there was the Dan Moody Museum. (More about that in a bit!) But Taylor is also know for its barbecue, as are so many small Texas towns. And like so many Texans, we do love our barbecue. In fact, sampling and comparing barbecue—and forming an opinion on who does it best—is almost a professional sport in Texas!

Louis Mueller’s, Taylor, TX

So armed with our hunger and our love of history, we drove about 45 minutes to get to Taylor, timing our arrival with the opening of lunch at Louis Muellers, considered by many as one of the best barbecue places in Texas. (We wanted to be there by 11 because when they sell out, they close.) Being the last weekend before Christmas, the crowds were sparse. But we were not disappointed, because the brisket was some of the best we’ve ever eaten. And the sausage! Oh my! We would go there again. Although later a local told us she likes the other barbecue place in town better. So in the name of research we will definitely be required to return.

Taylor was founded in 1876 with the coming of the International-Great Northern Railroad. As such, it boasts several lovely Victorian homes that are at or nearing 100 years old as well as a main street lined with late 19th century and early 20th century buildings. The main street bumps up to the rail yard since the railroad brought the settlement. Today’s Taylor is doing a good job revitalizing the old storefronts into cute boutiques, antique shops and restaurants. Still a ways to go, but enough to keep us busy after our early lunch and before the museum opened.

The Dan Moody Museum

I love visiting small town museums. They guard some of the best history. The Moody Museum is no exception. For those of you not from Texas (and even some of you who are!), Dan Moody was our youngest Attorney General, elected at age 31, and our youngest Governor, elected at the age of 33! He grew up in Taylor, Texas, in the house that is now his museum, donated by his sister who never married and lived in the house her entire life.

Over the course of his career, Dan Moody was known for prosecuting the Klan in Central Texas, calling out the corruption of Ma and Pa Ferguson in the governor’s office, and seeking to restore integrity to state’s finances. He quit public service after one term as governor because he was broke and needed to take care of his family. But while he moved into a private law practice, he continued to give of himself for the public good on the state and national levels in various non-elected capacities. In other words, Dan Moody was truly one of the good guys. The kind not often seen in public life, past or present.

When we headed back to Austin that afternoon, we felt full. Full of barbecue. Full of history. Full of the joy that comes from being together on a beautiful December day. Hopefully there will be more of those kinds of day trips for us in 2020.

What is the most memorable “day trip” you have taken?

Cover Creation: The Bridge to Belle Island

I always enjoy getting a behind-the-scenes peek at how book covers are created. Here is a video and a few photos that describe the cover design process for my newest novel, The Bridge to Belle Island. I hope you enjoy them as I did. First a 3-minute video. Turn up your volume control!

Publicist Amy Green (Bethany House Publishers) describes the cover design process for the new novel, The Bridge to Belle Island.

Once the design direction is chosen, designer Jennifer Parker hires a model based on my character description and rents or buys a costume and any needed props. Below you can see the stylist, Tessa, transforming the model from a modern-day woman into a Regency heroine as the photographer looks on.

Below (left) photographer Mike regards our model through his view finder. On the right, designer Jennifer reviews an early shot.

Next, here are a few outtakes from the photo shoot. (Note: we considered having the model hold a basket—baskets play a role in the book—but in the end decided it was too reminiscent of “Red Riding Hood.”

A Room of Her Own

After writing my first three novels at our kitchen table and the next few books from a corner of the living room in the small duplex where we raised our four children, I was thrilled to get my first dedicated office when the kids started leaving for college and we bought our first home. I’ve now had three delightful offices in which to write, and each one holds special memories for the books I wrote there.

My current office in our home in Missouri features a daybed where I often nap…er, recline on a mountain of pillows to work on my novel-in-progress. This room also gives us an extra guest room when all the kids are home for a visit. Our oldest son slept there this Christmas and it was wonderful having him and the other kids there. But it was good to get my office back too, especially since I’m on deadline most of the winter with two different projects.

If the weather allows, I much prefer writing on the screened porch overlooking our beautiful wooded backyard. A little piece of heaven on earth! And thankfully, the weather seems to cooperate more often in Missouri than it did in Kansas. We were even able to sit out here several days in December when the kids were home!

After the kitchen table, this was my first “office”—a table in the corner of our living room (and you’ll see that farmhouse table served as my desk for many years to come until it made its way to the screened porch in our current house. That table is cracked, scarred, burned by an unattended candle, but it has such great memories for me. I’m glad we found a place for it here!)

I was surprised to note how many items from this photo are still in my current office!

My first dedicated office when we lived in the tiny town of Moundridge, Kansas, started out looking like this composite photo:

By the time we moved eight years later, the wallpaper had come down and the office had “grown up” into this:

I had the prettiest outdoor writing space at that house, thanks to the gorgeous native prairie garden Ken planted there. It was ever-changing through the seasons and offered so much inspiration. Alas, the deck wasn’t covered and was often too hot or cold or windy or wet.

This was the light-filled office in our house in Wichita, Kansas. My dream office. I loved this colorful space and wrote many a book there, including my five-book Chicory Inn Novels series.

This was my outdoor writing space at the Wichita house:

For me, where I write has such an influence on my concentration and creativity. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to carve out some wonderful spaces—both inside and out—from which to tell my stories.

What is your creative outlet? Do you have a special room or space where you like to create?