Becky Wade's Blog, page 36

No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus

For my post today, I want to share this entry from Amazing Grace: 366 inspiring hymn stories for daily devotions. I love this hymn. The words really touch my heart because I know them to be true. I pray this post blesses you as it has blessed me.

… Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night? (Job 35:10)

It is not difficult to sing when all is going well. But often God gives a special song to one of his hurting children during the night times of their life. Believers find new joys in their nights of sorrow and despair, and they discover a greater closeness with their Lord during times of deep need. The apostle John wrote the book of Revelation while on the barren island of Patmos; John Bunyan completed the classic Pilgrim’s Progress while in the Bedford jail; Beethoven composed his immortal 9th Symphony while totally deaf; and Fanny Crosby once remarked, “If I had not lost my sight, I could never have written all the hymns God gave me.”

Charles Weigle’s song, “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus,” was the product of one of the darkest periods of his life. Weigle spent most of his life as an itinerant evangelist and gospel songwriter. One day after returning home from an evangelistic crusade, he found a note left by his wife of many years. The note said she had had enough of an evangelist’s life. She was leaving him. Weigle later said that he became so despondent during the next several years that there were even times when he contemplated suicide. There was the terrible despair that no one really cared for him anymore. Gradually his spiritual faith was restored, and he once again became active in the Christian ministry. Soon he felt compelled to write a song that would be a summary of his past tragic experience. From a heart that had been broken came these choice words that God gave to Charles Weigle:

I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus since I found in Him a friend so strong and true; I would tell you how He chang’d my life completely—He did something that no other friend could do.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me; all my heart was full of misery and woe; Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me, and He led me in the way I ought to go.

Ev’ry day He comes to me with new assurance, more and more I understand His words of love; but I’ll never know just why He came to save me, till some day I see His blessed face above.

Chorus: No one ever cared for me like Jesus; there’s no other friend so kind as He; no one else could take the sin and darkness from me—O how much He cared for me!

For Today: Psalm 144:3, 4; Jeremiah 31:2, 3; Ephesians 3:18, 19; 1 John 3:1

With God’s help, determine to rise above the problems and hurts that you may be experiencing and turn them into a blessing. Reaffirm your confidence in God’s love and care for you by singing this musical truth as you go.

Osbeck, K. W. (1990). Amazing grace : 366 inspiring hymn stories for daily devotions (193). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications.

Author Appearances

Having a day job in addition to writing makes it difficult for me to make many author appearances. However, recently two opportunities arose for events happening within a week of each other, and I’m delighted by the propspect of meeting with readers in person!

The first event takes place TOMORROW! I’m flying out today to meet a fabulous group of writing friends in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We will be retreating for the weekend, but we are also planning a wonderful reader event at Baker Book House on Friday, June 21. There are still spots available, so if you want to come, it’s not too late.

You can register here.

Next week, I’ll be doing a book signing in Branson, Missouri. This one came out of the blue for me, but it felt like it was meant to be.

Ever since I visited Branson in 2018 on a writing retreat, I’ve been itching to go back. I saw Sampson at the Sight & Sound theater there and fell in love with this Christian production company. When I saw they were doing Esther for 2023-24, I really wanted to return, but with lots of family happenings, I just didn’t see that a trip would work out.

Until . . . a sweet writing friend talked me up to the owners of The Fig Tree, a Christian book store in Branson. They invited me to come for a signing. I usually don’t agree to do signings when significant travel expense is involved, but this gave me the perfect excuse to not only to do a book event but to return to see Esther! Not to mention the fact that I’ve never been to Silver Dollar City, which seems like a crime since it is an amusement park built in a western/pioneer theme. Hmm . . . maybe I can count a day there as research.

As it turns out, my son Peter will be relocating to Oklahoma City for some training for his job, so we scheduled the trip for the same week that we’ll be helping him move in since Oklahoma City marks the halfway point between Abilene and Branson. Don’t you just love how God works out all those little details? So, thanks to all of our ducks lining up just right, my husband and I will be taking a belated anniversary trip to Branson next week that will culminate in a Saturday book signing at The Fig Tree on June 29. Yay!

If you live within driving distance of Branson, I’d love to see you at The Fig Tree. It will be a casual come-and-go event, which means plenty of time to chat.

Have you ever attended an author appearance?
(book signing, reader event, speaking session, etc.)

P.S. Since I’m on the road today, I might not respond to comments very quickly, but I promise to read them all and respond when I can.

Do you finish (a series) as you start?

I happened upon a dilemma recently: 

If I start a series in one form, can I satisfactorily complete it in another? 

Let me explain. 

Say there is a series I started in paperback. Then the ebook for #2 goes on sale. Do I break format to read the book? Or do I wait and finish the whole series in paperback? 

I know this might sound a little crazy to some of you, but I’ve run into some serious issues here!

For example, I started a series as ebook. Got book #2 on Audible. But I hated it! Not the book, just listening to it. (It was a mostly epistolary novel and I discovered I don’t like listening to type of story. For me, the “letters” (or emails or texts, etc) need to be experienced on the page. Recently, with that same series, I found a good deal on the paperback of book #3. Ack! What’s a reader to do? 

Or perhaps there’s the flip side. I’ve read a book one, and then hear that the audiobook is fabulous. Will switching formats midstream in a series muddle my “feeling” of the series? 

Of course, sometimes things work out. 

Late last year I listened to a book one in which I loved both the story and the narrator! But then I fell into the conundrum about books two and three. My husband and I share an Audible account, so we take turns with the monthly credit (although, truth be told, he uses most of them!). And I couldn’t find either book in audio in my library apps. 

I was about to break down and get book two as an ebook, but then I got an email from Audible telling me that all my wish list titles were on sale! I didn’t get too excited at first. I’ve seen those emails before only to discover the book is discounted to $11 but I can get it for less than that in paper or ebook. But I clicked over just to be sure. 

Lo, and behold, the books two & three I wanted were both on sale—under $5 each! Now I can finish Pepper Basham’s wonderful Freddie and Grace Mysteries series all in the same format. Which makes me happy. 

And then sometimes, like with Gabrielle Meyer’s Timeless series, I start in paperback and know from then on I will read that format simply because I wanted the whole series on my shelf! 

Of course, there are many series I’ve started in paper and finished as ebooks—and vice versa—and enjoyed the whole thing. But there is a part of me that likes to experience a series of stories in the same format. 

What about you? Does format matter in a series or do you switch seamlessly in series reading from ebook to paper to audio? Inquiring minds want to know! 

Do writers read reviews?

Some don’t. I do. I read all of them–good, bad, and ugly.

Am I a masochist? No, but I love to learn, and reading reviews helps me do that. I get to know my readers better. When a reviewer likes my book, I smile with a great deal of pleasure because it means my hard work “paid off” in terms of reaching a reader’s heart and mind.

When a reviewer hates my book, I tell myself, clearly, this person is not my ideal reader. Not every reader likes every writer. Not every reader will understand what I intended for that story. That’s just a fact of life.

And when a reader likes some things and doesn’t like some other things, I listen to what they have to say. After all, they are the reason I invested all those months of hard work. Sometimes I’ll write something that’s too realistic or too gritty for some readers, but fine for others–and at that point, I have to decide what the story requires. I try never to be too explicit–no sense in glorifying evil, is there?–but if you don’t portray evil as evil, then you’ve whitewashed reality.

When writing for religious readers, I have to be mindful that some folks believe one thing, and some folks another. When that’s the case, I try to be true to the Scriptures and let the reader take from the story what they will.

Every writer reflects his or her personal viewpoint and worldview–and most people tend to read writers with whom they agree. I often read writers with whom I disagree, just to see where they’re coming from. Paul, apostle to the Gentiles, took pains to understand the people he preached to. He knew their customs, their beliefs, and their gods. And he used what he had learned to meet them where they were.

So know this–reader reviews are important. Not only do they persuade other people to buy–or not buy–a book, but they can also teach the writers who wrote the book. Your words are important, too.

So when you read a book you have strong feelings about, leave a review. The writer will–and should–thank you. Even if the two of you don’t agree.

Inspired by Scripture

Wishing a very happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and father figures who have encouraged and built us up in Christ. We are grateful for you and the example you are to the world.

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

Mom Life/Writer Life

Are you familiar with the hashtags #MomLife and #WriterLife that people sometimes attach to their social media posts?

Well, there are times when my #WriterLife comes to the forefront, like when I attend a conference or I have a new book releasing. And there are many other times when #MomLife comes to the forefront, like now because it’s summertime at the Wade house and my college boy and high school girl are home with me. In fact, I’m going to take this opportunity to share a quick “proud mom” update on all three of my kids…

Our oldest daughter is 23 and working as a medical assistant in an orthopedic surgeon’s office in San Diego. She took the MCAT this past January, received an awesome score, and is now in the process of applying to medical school.Our son is 20 and just completed his sophomore year at Hendrix College where he’s majoring in film and also plays basketball. In mid-March he had surgery on his right hip to correct an “impingement” issue (because his hip bones grew in such a way that they didn’t fit together properly). May 31st, he had the same surgery on the left hip. So he’s currently in rehabilitation mode.Our youngest daughter is 15 and loves musical theatre. She just finished her freshman year at Booker T Washington High School for the Performing Arts in downtown Dallas. She’s in the theatre conservatory there, which means 3 of her 8 classes each semester are theatre classes.

I’ve always prioritized #MomLife and never regretted that. In fact, one of the things that I’ve enjoyed most about my writing job is that I work from home and have complete flexibility with my calendar. That’s been wonderful for me as a mom. Putting my family first has been the best and right choice for me. However, if I want to publish another book, then writing work still has to get done at some point. And there’s only me to do it.

So the challenge becomes 1) prioritizing family while 2) not letting the stress from the mounting pile of writing work creep over and sabotage the other areas of my life. To be honest, that’s not always easy. I’ve been struggling lately to concentrate on my current writing task (rewriting the third and final Sons of Scandal book). It’s been hard to find a rhythm or a productive pace. My motivation is low. I’m remembering why it would have best had I finished this rewriting phase on June 1 so that I could have sent it to my editor and had the summer off along with my kids. That’s always been my preference, but it didn’t happen this year. Which means I’ll be rewriting around upcoming trips, children, and 100+ degree Texas temperatures this summer.

Here’s me, at my desk with my computer on my lapHere’s my current hero, who keeps giving me this expression while waiting for me to focus on his book.

I’m going to do what I’ve learned to do over my twenty years of writing.

Keep calm and carry on.

I’m preaching to myself with the following verses but decided to share them here in case they bless you, too.

Trust. “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 God has enabled me to complete every Christian romance I’ve begun. He will enable me to complete this one, too.

Persevere. “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4 Even distracted and bumpy writing sessions add up over time!

Choose joy. “Rejoice in hope” Romans 12:12 The truest truth of my #MomLife and my #WritingLife is that I’m very, very thankful for both.

Can you relate to the challenges of juggling work and family? And/or please share a proud mom (or auntie or grandma) update about the young people in your life!

A Tour of London and Bath Bookstores & Giveaway

Monday I returned from a trip to London — Eric, two of our kids, and I spent 2.5 weeks there with 16 students on study abroad. It was a great time to explore — and for me to teach in a compressed timeframe, but what I wanted to share with you today is some of the delightful bookshops we explored while we were there. There were other bookstores we explored, too. We love Waterstones, and Oxford had several fun shops — I just didn’t grab photos. I’ll probably do another post with inside photos. There are an abundance of creative people who have designed some wonderful spaces to linger over books. These are a few worth investing time in while you’re in England.

Alice Through the Looking Glass is one of the shops on Cecil Court, otherwise known as Bookseller’s Row. The street itself was a disappointment with only a few bookshops and many of them of no interest, but this one was small and dedicated to Alice. So fun! It’s around the corner from Trafalager Square, the National Gallery, and Leicester Square, so pretty central. Well worth strolling into.

Not too far away near Covent Garden is this amazing travel bookshop — it’s also next to a wonderful gelato shop. The art on the side of Stanford’s and the other buildings in this little alley is what actually attracted me — and then we came back because the shop was closed the first time we walked by. Oh. My. Goodness. I could have spent so much money in the shop. It’s a perfect travel shop. The basement is light and airy and filled with maps and travel books. The ground floor definitely continues the theme but has such delightful travel themed gifts too. I loved this shop! (And the gelato in the neighboring shop is fresh and tasted like Italy. It was so good we went there twice — and we don’t do anything twice when we’re traveling.)

Notting Hill is a fun area to stroll, and it was very near to where we stayed between the Gloucester Square and South Kensington tube stops. Last time we were here I don’t remember going to the Bookshop, but Notting Hill with Julia Roberts is one of my favorite rom-coms. This time we made a point of going in. On. my. It was packed by perfect. Iconic and I could have spent so much money. I came out with a bag and some postcards…I was very aware of how much space I didn’t have in my suitcase, but it was PERFECT (and not a travel bookshop!).

We ended our trip with two days in Bath. This was a first for us, and I am SO glad we went. Bath is beautiful with the Georgian architecture and the Roman baths. So very beautiful and wonderful to walk around. But the book shops. Oh my goodness. We spent so much money in Bath, and Topping & Company is the large reason why. This indie had so many autographed books. It was our third visit where I took them up on the offer of the complimentary tea while Eric was deciding on which books to ship home and I discovered A.A. Milne wrote adult books as well as Winnie the Pooh. You can’t get those in the States, so two hopped into the box…I can’t wait to try those. I did buy one book here: it’s on Agatha Christie and her writing process…Fascinating! The store is beautiful and the service wonderful. It’s also the only way to see a Georgian townhouse, so you have to wander through it. Total hardship duty

While this is the last one I’m showing you today, the design features may have been my favorite. One wall going up to the first floor was decorated with Tin-Tin comics. The ceiling of the basement was covered with book bags. The ceiling above the cash registers had the coolest display to represent the authors who had signed there. So many reading delights truly all over the store. It was also another store swarming with customers.

After wandering through all these stores, I would not be surprised if I had a book with a very cool bookstore soon. Just saying…though a bookstore does feature prominantly in my novella from Christmas in Mistletoe Square, Silver Bell Secrets.

When you travel do you have something you always explore, like we explored these bookshops?

GIVEAWAY LINK: I’m also giving away a copy of Nancy Naigle’s latest book. You can enter the giveaway by popping over to my blog here. You’ll also see a photo of the Emporium’s ceiling covered with book bags.

Authors Who Inspire

Hi friends, and happy Wednesday! Today, I was thinking about authors who have paved the way before me and my peers, who have inspired me with their words, filled me with stories of hope, and even changed me as a person—helping me to see things in a new light or to deepen my walk with the Lord. Today, I thought I’d share two authors who inspired me deeply, along with a short list of my peers who continue to inspire me both with their stories and the examples of their writing lives. 

Agatha Christie: 

I first read Agatha Christie when I was gifted Murder on the Orient Express on my eighth birthday. Little did I know the impact it would have in directing me in the genre that I both love reading and especially writing. To me, there’s nothing like a whodunnit. I love how Austen set up her stories. How everyone was stranded there, and all were suspects. It’s amazing how she deftly wrote an assembled cast and yet realistically made each person a suspect. Made each person a distinct and fleshed-out individual. I read the book in one sitting, and to this day, I love to go back and read or watch them again (thanks to the movies with Kenneth Branagh). If you haven’t seen the movies, I highly recommend them, but Murder on the Orient Express remains my favorite both in print and film. 

Jane Austen: 

What list of influential authors could exist without Jane Austen on it? I’m amazed how Jane’s keen observations of society and masterful storytelling continue to captivate readers over time. Her stories are read, made into films, and adapted by a plethora of authors to this day. This shows the depth of her stories and the lightness of her pen. My favorite aspect of Jane’s writing, and it’s hard to choose just one, is her dialogue. Who doesn’t adorer the witty banter of Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, or the playful matchmaking of Emma Woodhouse in the aptly named novel Emma. While Pride and Prejudice remains my favorite, Sense and Sensibility runs a close second. It’s brimming with emotion that grinds at the heart in the tissues-handy way. 

Many of you have certainly heard this before, but Jane Austen was truly before her time, writing on topics such as social class, love, hardship, and hope. She has had the most impact on me to strive to explore themes of love and hope, to attempt to write dialogue in a way that flows so naturally (still working on that) and to explore and examine human nature, relationships, and character growth. 

Modern storytellers that have impacted my short list:  

I’ll send book covers to go with each author if we can do a thumbnail size. Except for my pic with Deb. 

Dee Henderson:
Her stories stretch my faith. 

Deb Raney: 

A glowing example of everything a writer should strive to be. 

Katherine Reay: 

Delightful stories that run deep. 

Kristy Cambron: 

Elegance in writing at its best. 

Terri Blackstock: 

The stories that keep me flipping pages late into the night.

And can we tag the authors in my social media post?  

How about you? Who has inspired you as a writer and/or a reader? 

Thanks for spending time with me today! 

Blessings, 

Dani

Regency-Inspired Dressmaking

This past weekend, I attended another interesting talk hosted by the Jane Austen Society of North American (Minnesota chapter). For this month’s meeting, we met in a dressmaking studio in St. Paul. The topic: The Art of Regency-Inspired Dressmaking: Tips and Tricks from a London-Trained Dressmaker.

Our speaker was master seamstress, Colleen Kahn. Colleen talked about dress design and how (and why) silhouettes changed over the eras, as well as pattern design and modification, fabric selection, “surface design,” (a new term to me) and trim. She also talked about undergarments like corsets (or stays) and petticoats, and outer garments like pelisses and redingotes.

She was an engaging speaker and obviously very talented. I found it interesting to visit her studio, see samples of her work, and learn a little about her sewing school (I didn’t even know that was a thing). She offers introductory sewing classes all the way to advanced classes in costume design.

Listening to her talk using a vocabulary unfamiliar to me (“stiff coutil, hand piping, tambour beading, rouleaux trim…”) I felt like a fish out of water (or one that ventured into JoAnn Fabrics). I also wondered if the experience was similar to what it might feel like for someone else to, say, find themselves at a writing class and not understand the lingo.

Anyhoo, even though I don’t sew (and that one awful elastic-waist shirt I made in high-school Home Ec class does not count), I enjoyed the presentation, and who knows, some of it might prove helpful the next time I have to describe a gown my Regency-era character is wearing.

What about you? Do you sew?

Oh dear! Oh! Deer!

We’re coming up on five years living in Southeast Missouri next month and something that is equally delightful and frustrating are the deer that wander (or sometimes stampede!) through our yard daily. We live along a waterway between two wooded areas and the deer make forays from woods to woods daily. We’ve counted as many as 42 deer running through the yard at one time! Forty-two! That’s not a typo, and it is quite a sight to see! But I like it even better when they calmly graze on the hill, keeping a watchful eye on us.

When we were looking at our house with the Realtor five years ago, two deer were grazing on the neighbors’ lawn on the hill behind our house. We thought that was so cool! And when we got back to Kansas after signing the contract to buy our house, we looked at the photos we’d taken and realized that a deer had been quietly watching us from the woods as we inspected the house. (Do you see her?)

Not long after we moved in July of 2019, the mamas started bringing their fawns to play on the lawn each evening. Every spring, they are a source of constant delight and entertainment. And just yesterday we spotted the first tiny fawn of this spring. There’s a 2-second video below of mama chasing the fawn into the safety of the woods. (Don’t blink or you’ll miss it!)

Dear deer. Often there are twins, and we love watching them grow. During the fall rut, we get to see some pretty crazy battles between bucks. (You have to look closely as they are so well camouflaged against the leaves!)

The buck stops here! Or several bucks stopped here. Usually the does and fawns far outnumber the bucks, but apparently there was a little convention going on when Ken snapped this photo last summer.

It’s an impressive sight in winter to see the deer gather on the snowy hill behind our house. (They apparently weren’t worried about standing in the middle of a sledding trail!)

Our biggest frustration with the deer has come as we’ve tried to plant some pretty trees, bushes, and flowers in the yard. We estimate those stinkers have eaten or destroyed about $1000 worth of new plants over the five years we’ve lived here. Grrr! There are only a few things they haven’t touched—ferns and lantana being chief among them. But even many plants labeled “deer-resistant” don’t seem to be safe from these critters. Even leaving the treat of a watermelon rind for them to snack on makes no difference.

We’ve tried repellant sprays, human hair, Irish Spring soap shavings, and plenty of other remedies recommended to us, all to no avail. Finally, we’ve just decided to count the deer as the “pretty things” in our backyard, fill a few pots with ferns, lantana, and colorful fake flowers, and call it a day.

I’ve moved my writing desk closer to the new arched window now that it’s spring. The views into the woods are always inspiring!

Do you see deer where you live? If so, do you consider them a delight or a nuisance? Do you have any great deterrents that aren’t already on the list of things we’ve tried?