Becky Wade's Blog, page 170

Our 2nd Annual Thanksmas

For the second year in a row we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with all our kids (and this year our granddaughter, too!) in a whirlwind 48 hours. It works out best, at least right now, for our boys to go to their in-laws over Christmas, and so we do Thanksgiving and Christmas in one fell swoop in order to get to do it together.

[image error]Enjoying the fire and the s’mores.

The kids starting trickling in on Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon, everyone had arrived. We managed to build a fire and cook s’mores at our rented house in the country while Ivy slept. Fun time with the adult children. Then we began to prepare for our Thanksgiving feast!

[image error]My mom, Nana, with great-granddaughter, Ivy.

This year, we stayed in a house near my sister and my parents, allowing us all to spend Thanksgiving day with my extended family—and some of their extended family! Besides my sister and her family and my brother and his family, each of them also brought some in-laws. And not just parents! My brother-in-law’s sister and two of her boys were there, and my nephew’s mother-in-law also joined in! All in all, we had 28 people for dinner. Everyone pitched in so that along with the turkeys my nephew fried (my first time to eat a fried turkey. It was amazing!) we had lots of side dishes and desserts. And after all our worrying, we had just the right amount of food.

[image error]I love how generous our kids are with each other!

When we returned with our kids to our rented house that night, we set the presents under our “tree.” I only brought the stockings last year, but this year I couldn’t stand not to have some sort of a tree for Ivy’s first Christmas. And this one was perfect! I hung it with command velcro strips, and all the ornaments velcro on the tree. I hope Ivy (and other grands!) will love it in years to come.

The electric fireplace in the rented house was an extra surprise!

Friday morning, we woke up to Christmas music, filled stockings, and presents to open. Ivy did really well with it all. She loved her new toys and books. We ate breakfast tacos and hung out in our pjs most of the day.

And then our happy little family began going their separate ways. One son and daughter-in-law had to leave Friday afternoon. Ivy and her parents were gone by mid-morning on Saturday. Jeff and I and our daughter spent time Saturday with my parents and my sister and brother-in-law. By Sunday morning, everyone was home or on the road home.

It went way too fast, especially with the big family get together taking most of one of our two full days, but it was good to be all together. To assuage my mama heart, we’ll be making the rounds to spend time with each of our kids and their families over the next few weeks, to enjoy time with them one-on-one, which we love. But we also love those collective memories we make, even if they whizz by in a blur of hours.

One last dose of adorableness!

What was your favorite part of Thanksgiving 2019?

Getting critiqued

For the past almost-eighteen years now, I have worked with a writing critique partner on every book. That crit partner has become one of my dearest friends and is none other than IBLF’s own Tamera Alexander. Tammy and I met in October 2002 at the very first ACFW Conference in Kansas City. She wasn’t yet published at the time but offered to critique a novella I was struggling with. (It’s no coincidence that novella, Playing by Heart, went on to final for a Christy Award…one of three finals for me, but Tammy has gone on to win four Christys, including this year!)

I think this is our first photo together, taken in October 2003 at the ACFW Conference.

You might notice that I’m writing on Tammy’s usual day to post. That’s because she is on the tail end of a super tight deadline and I just happened to turn in a manuscript Monday morning, so I was freer than she was and we traded days. There was a time when we worried about our deadlines colliding, but we’ve both discovered that when we are on deadline, it’s actually inspiring to take a break and critique each other. It’s only happened a few times, but these recent books we each finished were probably the closest our deadlines have been to each other.

Oh, we were so young back then! This was at a writers group retreat before an ICRS trade show (probably back when it was called CBA).

I can’t express how helpful I find it to have Tammy’s eyes on my work before I send it off to my editor. Not only does she have an eagle eye for basic typos and grammar issues, but she is the queen of great plotting and substantive editing.

The way our process works is that we each try to get our book about three-fourths finished before we send it off to the other for critique. That way, we’re pretty much on the same schedule and the critiquer can keep up with the critiquee to the bitter end. We use Track Changes just as our professional editors, and we do try to comment on the things we like, even if it’s just a smiley face or a “Love it!” And there’s a mutual professional respect for each other that permeates our comments. But most of the time, we don’t have time for a ton of niceties, and we’re pretty tough on each other because we’d rather have the “wounds of a friend” than hear the same criticism from our professional editors!

All dressed up for the Christy Awards in 2006.

The weeks when we are critiquing almost daily for each other are full of laughter and joking and deep appreciation for the gift of our friendship. Tammy always opens her critiques with a written prayer for my book, and that her words would encourage rather than discourage. God has blessed those prayers immensely. I can’t count the number of times Tammy has stayed up with me on the other end of the Internet till three a.m. critiquing scene by scene until my manuscript is finally winging its way to my editor. I admit I haven’t done the same for her because I turn into a pumpkin around nine p.m. But I have gotten up early to read for her. Oh, how we cheer for each other when we finally write “the end.”

We co-taught a workshop at an ACFW conference in 2011. Let’s just say that Tammy has the gift of snark, so that’s an expression you’ll see on my face often when we’re together. But oh, what fun!

Tammy’s favorite line for me is “Don’t make me come over there…” which she types beside any place I broke a writing rule that I know better than. I always tell her I would LOVE for her to “come over here” but so far she hasn’t made good on her threat nearly often enough. (I am delighted that we live less than four hours apart now, and already we’ve been able to get together along with our hubbies because of that shorter distance.)

Ken and I were blessed to get to stay with Joe and Tammy this past May on our way to teach at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in North Carolina. Here, we’re walking on the grounds of Carnton Plantation, the setting for Tammy’s current series. She’s holding on to her doggy for dear life, and I’m clutching a pinecone for unknown reasons. Haha!

My most-used line for Tammy is probably “Are you sure this word was in use in 1848?” It has been to our advantage that Tammy writes historical while I write contemporary. I also love that our life experiences have given us such different perspectives. I’m a farmer’s daughter. Tammy grew up in the big city. I’m a Midwesterner, Tammy’s a Southern gal. (We mean different things when we say, “Bless her heart.”

Perspective: Of Mountains and Seas (And A Giveaway!)

Please welcome my dear friend Elizabeth Musser as my guest blogger today. Elizabeth, Tammy Alexander, and I share the same German publisher, Francke, and the three of us traveled together on a book tour a few years ago. We had a blast! Now, I have the privilege of endorsing Elizabeth’s newest book, “When I Close my Eyes.” Make sure you enter for a chance to win a copy. ~ Lynn

Perspective: Of Mountains and Seas

by Elizabeth Musser

So much of life is about perspective: how I perceive a situation, how
I accept the different circumstances that twist their way into my life.

And so it is with our stories. The novelist is giving the reader a
certain perspective and hoping that it resonates with the reader.

My newly released novel, When I Close My Eyes, is about a
middle-aged writer who is in a coma, remembering her past. Part of the
story takes place in Asheville, NC, surrounded by the Blue Ridge
Mountains at the height of their color in the fall. The other part of
the story takes place at a beach in La Grande Motte, France, beside the a
Mediterranean Sea.

When I received the final cover for the novel, I absolutely loved it.
They’d caught the feel of the novel down to the detail of the font
fading, symbolic of someone going in and out of wakefulness. And my
heroine, Josephine, is standing by the Mediterranean Sea.

Even though the main part of the story takes place in Asheville, I
wanted to make sure the back cover copy included a mention of the
Mediterranean, since that was the cover setting:

There is one story novelist Josephine Bourdillon shirked from
writing. And now she may never have a chance. Trapped in her memories,
she lies in a coma. The man who put her there is just as paralyzed.
Former military Henry Hughes failed to complete the kill. What’s more:
he failed to receive payment—funds that would ensure surgery for his
son. As detectives investigate disturbing fan letters, a young but
not-so-naive Paige Bourdillon turns to her mother’s tormented past for
answers. Could The Awful Year be worse than one they’re living now? Set
against the flaming hills of North Carolina and the peaceful shores of
the Mediterranean Sea, When I Close My Eyes tells the story of two families struggling with dysfunction and finding that love is stronger than death.

Perfect!

But then I received a slew of gorgeous graphics that the team at
Bethany House had designed for computer and smart phone backgrounds. And
I literally caught my breath when I saw the design for the smart phone.
Because of the shape of that graphic, more of the original photo is
visible. And guess what? Josephine isn’t standing beside the
Mediterranean Sea. She’s standing on a mountain, gazing out at the mist
on the mountains.

It’s the perfect representation of the beginning of the book, a description taken from one of Josephine’s novels:

The clouds hang low, a mist caught between the carpet of mountains. I
stand at the top of the lookout and gaze into a never-ending motion of
undulating valleys and peaks. On and on, seemingly forever, they rise
and fall in lush green hues and deep blue ridges that span past history.
The mountains hold my imagination, and I feel a call to their beauty.
Then they fade out of view as the mist floats above and around them,
like puffs of smoke. I hover in the mist; I feel the calling of the
dawn. I see the first ray of light piercing through the mist and I know.
I am forgiven.

These Mountains Around Us, Josephine Bourdillon

The design team had picked the perfect picture, and in a
serendipitous way, the cover perfectly fit both settings in the novel.
Do you see the clouds and the mist and the mountains?

I absolutely love this cover for many reasons, but especially because
it taught me a lesson in perspective. I can easily see something
different because of where I am coming from.

I hope you like the cover. And I hope you also enjoy the story.

To be entered in a giveaway for a copy of When I Close My Eyes, print or e-book, leave a comment below.

BIO

ELIZABETH MUSSER writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing
chalet—tool shed—outside Lyon, France. Elizabeth’s highly acclaimed,
best-selling novel, The Swan House, was named one of Amazon’s
Top Christian Books of the Year and one of Georgia’s Top Ten Novels of
the Past 100 Years (Georgia Backroads). All of Elizabeth’s novels have
been translated into multiple languages and have been international
best-sellers. Two Destinies, the final novel in The Secrets of the Cross trilogy, was a finalist for the 2013 Christy Award. Her latest novel, The Long Highway Home was a finalist for the 2018 Carol Awards. Elizabeth’s novel, When I Close My Eyes, will be published in November, 2019.

For over thirty years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been
involved in missions’ work in Europe with One Collective, formerly
International Teams.  The Mussers have two sons, a daughter-in-law and
three grandchildren. Find more about Elizabeth’s novels at www.elizabethmusser.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog.

Inspired by Scripture

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Gratitude and Grace

Hi friends, 

Excited to be sharing a little bit of today with you. I can’t believe it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow. I love that we have a day of thanks set aside to celebrate all God has blessed us with. I think it’s so easy (and I’m speaking from experience, unfortunately) to get wrapped up in preparing for the holiday season and we forget to stop, breath, and let thankfulness and gratitude to fill our hearts. 

Today I’m going to share a few ideas for helping us to you keep our focus on the One who has blessed us with all things. 

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

~ James 1:17

Start the day off with a Thanksgiving Devotional:

This is an excellent devotional for Thanksgiving morning from Billy Graham: Thanksgiving with Meaning Devotional

Reflect and Remember

Look back through pictures of past Thanksgivings, remembering the joy of celebration and all we have to be thankful for. 

Read Psalm 100 before your meal



Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2  Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Share Thankfulness

Around the table, have everyone share one memory or thing they are thankful for. 

This year I’m thankful for my family, for their support through all we’ve been through with my health this year. Thankful for God giving the doctors wisdom and guidance. For giving me such a stalwart husband who reminds me God has us through this all. I’m thankful for my children who are growing into such amazing adults and for my grandbabies who fill my life with joy. I’m thankful I get to tell stories and for readers who bless me over and over with their encouragement and support. I’m thankful for YOU for taking time out of your hectic schedule to spend some time with me today. I pray you all have a blessed Thanksgiving. 

To share a little bit of our Thanksgiving with you, I’m sharing one of our favorite family recipes with you. Hope you enjoy! 

Reader Question:

What’s one thing you’re thankful for this year?  

Look forward to reading your answers! 

Blessings, 

Dani 

Love Comes Softly…Forty Years Strong

Janette Oke’s novel, Love Comes Softly, has recently celebrated its fortieth anniversary of publication. That author and that book are often credited with pioneering the Christian fiction genre. Since then, the novel has birthed a whole series of books as well as a Hallmark television series.

I first met Janette when I worked in marketing for Bethany House Publishers about twenty years ago. I was part of the team that created a display and promotions to celebrate One Million Sold of that title in the late 1990s. Here is a treasured photo of Janette and me from the Christian Booksellers’ trade show that year. It remains on a shelf near my writing desk even now, all these years later.

How young I was! A young, long-haired hopeful with so much to learn. This was well before I finished my first novel, but the dream to become an author was already there and had been since I was a girl. A dream spurred on by the great experiences I had working with talented Christian authors and publishing professionals over the years.

My husband reminded me of another occasion, when he and I
attended a publishing event honoring Janette Oke. We had taken a copy of Love
Comes Softly and asked her to sign it. She knelt right beside our chairs
and signed it there and then to our chagrin! She has always been such a humble
woman.

I am grateful for her godly example, as well as that of Beverly Lewis, who I also had the privilege of working with over the years. What an inspiring training ground that was for someone who dreamed of being a published author someday!

And now, I am no longer young (though still hopeful and still with more to learn) but recently I was touched when Bethany House asked me to write a tribute to Janette to include in the 40th edition of Love Comes Softly. I felt unworthy to be included, but also honored.  Here’s a portion of what I wrote:

I’ve had the privilege of reading many of Janette Oke’s books and working with her during my early years as a marketer and editor for Bethany House Publishers. Janette—quiet, humble, godly, and oh-so-likeable—made a big impression on me. I remember her giving God the glory for her success and modestly explaining her writing process, saying she would simply pray, go for a walk, then come home and write the next chapter. I was also impressed to learn that she answered every one of her fan letters by hand. Congratulations, Janette. You have touched and inspired innumerable readers (and writers) over the years, and I am blessed to be one of them.”
—Julie Klassen

Love Comes Softly, 40th Anniversary Commemorative Edition

In honor of her special anniversary, I have an extra copy of Love Comes Softly to give away to one commenter. Leave your email address [type (at) in place of the usual @ to avoid the spam filter] and I will choose one winner.

Have you read Love Comes Softly? If you don’t already own this classic novel, what are you waiting for? Visit your local bookstore or order online today.

The big engine that could

Union Pacific’s historic steam locomotive, Big Boy No. 4014, is touring the Union Pacific system throughout the end of the year to commemorate the transcontinental railroad’s 150th anniversary. Ken and I just happened to be in Ken’s hometown, Ellsworth, Kansas, when Big Boy came through this past Saturday morning. What a fantastic experience!

The whole town came out for the event and Ken and I found different spots along the route to shoot photos from. We got some neat perspectives! His from head-on, mine from the side (and from the comfort of our vehicle! It was cold that morning!)

Kansas November skies sure made a beautiful backdrop for Big Boy’s steam.







I especially love Ken’s shot of the train as it parked in town near the Ellsworth Co-op grain elevator. It seemed like the entire town came out to see Big Boy! Certainly, for us, it was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Has Big Boy come through your area of the country? Here’s where you can see Union Pacific’s beautiful historic steam locomotive during the rest of the year. (Not all trips are open to the public.)

This is one of the prettiest sounds on earth. I remember hearing the trains both east and west of our farmhouse when I was a kid and it was like a lullaby.

Posted by Deborah Raney on Thursday, November 21, 2019

Listen to Big Boy’s whistle as it came around the bend. To me, this is one of the prettiest sounds on earth. I remember hearing the trains both east and west of our farmhouse when I was a kid, and it was like a lullaby.

Inspired by Scripture

Wishing a blessed Thanksgiving week to all our friends here at Inspired by Life…and Fiction.

This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashEntertainment.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.

My Love Story… with Books

A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Christy Award gala in Nashville, Tennessee. I thought I’d share a portion of my talk with you here at Inspired by Life and Fiction. It’s my hope that my fellow booklovers will find something to relate to in my memories and that my story will nudge you to remember your story! -Becky

Because I’m a romance novelist, I thought I’d begin by telling you a love story. A love story between me…. and books. Like many couples, I was introduced to books through mutual friends. In this case, my mom and dad.

As you can see from my face in this first picture, it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight. Possibly, because whatever he’s reading to me looks really boring. [I used strike-through on that, because I now suspect this may have been a book of Bible stories.]

My interest in books grew gradually over time. I couldn’t read at this age. But I was the oldest and bossy enough to make my younger sister listen while I pretended to read to her.

Before I entered Kindergarten, my mom began sitting me beside her on our patterned, purple and gold living room sofa (it was the 70’s) in our sunny southern California living room. There, she introduced me to chapter books, most notably Laura Ingalls Wilder books. My mind started to imagine the word pictures she was painting. I was eager, every time, to hear what happened next to Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura, Carrie and the others. And sad every time, when the day’s reading ended. It was at that point that my interest in books deepened into something deeper. Attraction.

I learned to read early and easily, a blessing since math and I have always had an adversarial relationship. I started checking books out from the library and reading them to myself. Among them, Judy Blume books.

A few years later, I advanced to Nancy Drew books. After several of those, I realized I was more interested in Nancy’s relationship with Ned Nickerson than in the mystery she was solving.

It was then, around sixth grade, that I discovered 1980s YA romances. (Represented in the collage above by the ice-skating cover and Sweet Valley High.) For me, these stories were a wondrous discovery! I enjoyed the focus these books had on family and friend relationships. But most of all, I adored the thrill and the tension of falling in love.

It was right around this point, when I found the type of book that suited me best, that I truly began to fall in love with books.

From there, I quickly graduated to full length novels written for adults. In the shot above, I’m traveling in Japan with a really ill-advised haircut. You’ll notice that not only am I holding my book, but while posing for this photo, I’m keeping my finger in my place.

In high school, books and I began dating seriously. I’d stay up late with books. I’d read books in the back seat of the family car. I vividly remember sneaking time with a book in the stairwell of our church during living a Christmas tree rehearsal.

The above photo is from spring break during my college years. Instead of partying, I was reading.

Here I am as a newlywed, still with a book attached to my hand.

It was around this time that it first occurred to me that I might be able to write a book of my own. I was young, ignorant about the craft of writing, hopeful, naive, able to eat gluten. I imagined that my romantic history with books qualified me to write books and so I did what all the best romantic couples do. I made a commitment to books. I vowed before witnesses that I, myself, would write one.

A honeymoon phase followed. I joyfully wrote an historical romance set in Norway that was one hundred and forty thousand words long. I made every rookie mistake possible and — no surprise — no one wanted to publish my manuscript.

Three more manuscripts and four years of unmitigated rejections followed. But I loved writing and I was determined to make my relationship work, so I kept churning out stories.

And then, one glorious day, my phone rang. An editor with one of the big New York city houses introduced herself, told me her name, and said that she wanted to publish my book.

These are the bouquets friends and family sent me to celebrate my book deal. As you can tell from my expression, I was ecstatic. My relationship with books was finally being recognized!

This photo was snapped a year later at my first book signing. If there was a thought bubble pointing to my head in this picture it would be filled with: Books and I are destined for greatness! I can see how it’s going to go! I have so many exciting things ahead of me: a long career, bestseller status, fame, fantastic covers, fawning editors, glowing reviews until death do writing and I finally part.

It didn’t go that way.

Whatever you call the authors who do worse that midlist (lowlist? bottom of the list?)… that’s what I was. I had a handful of fans. Embarrassing covers. An editor who left the company and orphaned me. My publisher rejected my proposal for more books.

Disillusionment, disappointment, and burn-out swamped me.

My love for writing tarnished and it seemed that its love for me had tarnished, too. Books, the thing I’d been enthralled with since Laura Ingalls Wilder had, for the first time, let me down.

For the next seven years, writing and I separated. I kept in touch with books only distantly. [Every good romance needs a black moment, right?]

I mourned the fate of my relationship with books, but those seven years were wonderful in other ways. I had three kids. And even though my romance with books had gone south, it was now my turn to sit my children beside me and read books to them aloud.

Then one day, unexpectedly, the Lord began to breathe new life and warmth into the cold, bitter state of my heart toward writing. I started to hear Him calling me back to it, very clearly. And as soon as I heard His voice, for the first time in many years, I wanted to write again.

So I came back to it, rusty and battered. This time, the commitment to write a manuscript was not naive and starry-eyed. By now my relationship with books could no longer be classified as young love. By now, our relationship was long-standing and weathered.

It’s endured more weathering in the years between then and now.

I’ve experienced the beauty of a second chance. Fresh hope. Fresh disappointment. I’ve written with preschoolers under my feet. And I’ve written in quiet. Some readers have encouraged me in ways I can never repay, other have criticized. I’ve walked paths that are green with inspiration and walked deserts devoid of inspiration. I’ve written manuscripts that came together obediently for me. And I’ve written manuscripts that were so hard that they tempted me to file for divorce from writing.

I’ve encountered people who scoff at the romance genre, not understanding that the currency of romance writers is emotion and emotion is one of the very hardest things to achieve in fiction. I’m met other people who’ve understood the appeal of this genre so well that in them I’ve found a kindred spirit.

Ultimately, what’s kept this romance of mine going so far is the stuff of any time-tested romance. Not an easy happily ever after. But rather consistent work. Determination. Grit. Effort. Loyalty. And most of all, full reliance on God.

My romance with books isn’t over and neither is yours.

So, readers! I’d love to hear. Did your romance with books share any similarities with mine?

Meeting Readers in Gainesville, TX

This past Saturday, Regina Jennings and I had the honor of participating in a book launch event celebrating the Serving Up Love Harvey House Brides novella collection in Gainesville, TX. We had such a great time! Readers drove in from as far as 6 hours away! (Kari Scott gets the award for driving the farthest. You rock, Kari!)

We kicked things off with a tour of the historic Santa Fe Depot and Harvey House that is still standing in Gainesville. This is the setting for my novella, and I loved getting to return to the place I had visited during my research. There was even one room open this time around that had been closed previously. That was a fun bonus! The Morton Museum volunteers dressed in Harvey Girl uniforms and ran the tour. What a fount of knowledge they provided on the local history. Fabulous!

Here are Regina and I in the Harvey Lunchroom with the sample swivel chair and counter set with Harvey china. See that giant horseshoe marked out in the floor? That’s my favorite part! That is left from when the actual lunch counter stood there. You can see exactly where it was and imagine what it was like for the Harvey Girls to serve from inside the horseshoe. They actually were trapped behind the counter since the door from the pantry led directly into the center of the horseshoe. They would have to through the pantry and enter the lunchroom from outside to get to the other side of the counter.

Unlike some Harvey Houses that had a formal dining area with tables and chairs, the smaller lunchroom in Gainesville only had the counter, but they could seat up to 40 customers at one time.

After our tour of the Depot, we all congregated at a local community center for a fun pie social and book presentations. Harvey Houses were famous for their pie. They served it by the quarter slice – 1/4 of an entire pie! Our slices were a little slimmer, but just as delicious.

Regina gave a fun talk about female Pinkerton agents including several actual cases covered by the first female Pink, Kate Warne.

I shared about the inspiration behind the collection as well as the local research that found life in my story. (Yes, I am known for talking with my hands. Ha!)

All in all, it was a great day. I got to meet several Facebook friends in person for the first time, and was even asked to sign Paula’s Kindle! That was a first for me. I was so awed by the request, I had to obtain pictorial evidence to prove it hadn’t been a figment of my imagination. Ha!

We had several local superstars who helped bring this event together. Bonnie McKee is a reader friend who spearheaded getting the event started. Jennifer Johnson-Spence is the librarian who took charge and made it happen with help from her Cook Country Friends of the Library and Morton Museum volunteers.

Here are Regina and I with Jennifer – the woman who made it all happen!

Getting to meet readers face-to-face is a rare and joyous occasion. And getting to host an event with my good friend Regina, made it all the more fun.

If you could meet two authors of your choice, who would you choose?