Becky Wade's Blog, page 43

My Puzzle Table

Do you enjoy jigsaw puzzles? I do! But I confess that I rarely indulge in them for three reasons. 

I don’t have space to leave a puzzle out. I have Dolly, who enjoys a snack of puzzle pieces. If I start a puzzle, I get nothing else done until it’s finished. (See #1 and #2!) 

Two Christmases ago, both my mom and my husband gave me puzzles for Christmas. I put together the one my mother gave me, which confirmed numbers one through three above! That spring, I was on deadline, so I told myself I would do the lovely Jane Austen’s World puzzle my husband got me as a reward when I turned my book in. 

But alas, turning my book in coincided with the beginnings of the Great House Disaster of 2023. Puzzles didn’t even enter my mind. At least not until this past Christmas when we were back in our house and my daughter gave me a great puzzle of old-fashioned Santas. I pulled the dining room table to where I could see the Christmas movie they were watching and I finished the whole thing. (Again, see #1-#3 above!) 

And so the dream started. A dream to have a place to do a puzzle. Where it was out of the way, safe from doggie teeth, and I didn’t have to be obsessive about completing it. 

I found this on Amazon: 

Not only does it have a cover that clips down (to keep the dog from being curious, but its legs fold down, so I can slide it under my bed it I need it completley out of hte way without messing up what’s on the felt table top. 

But that’s not all! The best part, to me, is that it has wheels! Most times I don’t even need to fold it up, I just need to roll it to a different room to get it out of the way. Which means I don’t have to be obsessed with it. I can pull it out and work at night while we watch a show or on a lazy weekend afternoon. 

To complete the perfection, there are four felt-bottomed drawers underneath the table top for the extra pieces. These also clip shut. 

Here’s a little video to give you a more thorough tour if you want: 

I love having a puzzle going now. And I love that next time I see a great puzzle I don’t have to remind myself that it isn’t practical to think I could get it done. 

Do you enjoy jigsaw puzzles? Do you have a dedicated space for puzzling? 

Guess who’s walking . . . and I have a question!

Well, he’s finally doing it. Our little Leo is walking! It’s still that drunken sailor sort of gait, but we’ll take it.

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Naturally, he’s into everything—and has also taken several falls. All part of learning to walk. But it’s such a sweet time. Meanwhile little sister Ari is still getting adjusted to her new world and is a precious little bundle of snuggles. And spit up. : )

I just love looking at her tiny hands…

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I recently decided to get a swing much like the ones we had for our kids when they were little. Gracious, these “kid appliances,” while luxuries, certainly are helpful. The gorgeous afghan in the second picture was made by my precious Aunt Jean Dickey and is so comfy and warm. Not to mention a treasure since Aunt Jean made it.

Joe and I are incredibly blessed to be able to keep our two little grands a couple of days a week while our son and daughter-in-law are at work, and we have such fun together. Although I will say that come Tuesday and Thursday evenings, we’re both fairly tired. LOL

A question for you parents and grandparents: I’m looking for a good baby-proofing solution for our cabinets and drawers. Instead of going with a more old-school version, I found this one on Amazon. It has good ratings, but I’m wondering if anyone in our community has something else they’d personally recommend. Anyone?

I’m busy racing toward another deadline and am ready to have this first solid draft completed, so I can dive back into rewrites. I live for rewrites. It’s like Christmas in Spring. It’s where the book really takes on deeper meaning and characterization, where the setting comes alive, too, with all the sensory details.

Until then, I’m incredibly grateful for our own Deb (Raney), my writing critique partner, who will start reading for me soon. She always offers such great insight and ideas, not to mention catches so many mistakes. I wouldn’t want to write a book without her! (Yep, Deb, I’m talkin’ to you, woman. Get ready. It’s coming your way.)

Blessings on your Tuesday, friends,

Tammy

When in Rome . . .

In January, I think, I handed in my latest novel which is set in Rome. The manuscript came back in February, and I set about making it better per my editor’s notes.

It’s a story about a young woman who ages from 18-22 in the book, and a young man who ages from 22-26. Neither of them are married, which suited the story because they have to get together at the end, you see. (I’m sure you figured that out).

But during the revisions, I learned that in Ancient Rome, all women of childbearing age HAD to be married. If you were widowed, you had to marry again within two years. The same for men–if you were young and, um, viable, you had to procreate and create little Romans!

(Can you imagine if we had the same laws today? Instead, today’s world is doing the opposite. But I digress.)

So I had to do some reworking to figure out how the officials even knew if someone hadn’t married, etc. And how were they punished if they refused to marry? Interesting stuff–so much so that I didn’t mind doing all that rewriting.

The Romans had those marriage laws because, on the surface, they wanted to appear to be pro-family. But underneath it all was the very real fear that the imported slaves were going to overrun them. A single family of five in the city of Rome could have 200 slaves, and only strict laws and benign treatment could prevent slave uprisings.

The Romans fascinate me–they were the first to establish representative rule of the people in their senate, but their Imperial period only illustrated the principle that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

In any case, THE DAUGHTER OF ROME will release in Spring/Summer 2025. But for your reading pleasure, THE SISTERS OF CORINTH, book two in the series, releases on May 21. I hope you’ll check. it out!

Are you as fascinated by the Romans as I am? What strikes you about them?

~Angie

Inspired by Scripture

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How are you spending your weekend?

At the time I prepared this post on Wednesday, Cara had nothing scheduled for Thursday, so I wrote about the hunt. When her post came out yesterday afternoon, it was too late for me to write a different post as other things were on my schedule. So here you go. A second reminder to join the hunt.

Yesterday, the Spring Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt kicked off. Several of the Inspired by Life and Fiction authors are participating. Thirty authors in total. Over $1500 in books and prizes will be given away. If you’ve never participated in one of the hunts before, they are great fun. The authors all prepare exclusive content (mine is about the American Bison, facts I learned while researching for my The British Are Coming series), and most authors offer additional giveaways.

Don’t miss out. Come join us. Gather clues. Enter the bonus giveaways. Read the content. It isn’t a race, so take your time and enjoy.

The hunt begins on Lisa Bergren’s site.

Hope to see you there.

~robin

Have you joined the Hunt?

The spring Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt, that is?

I love these hunts. They are such a great way for me to discover new authors by going through the hunt and learning more about authors who are friends and discovering new authors. I always learn something about their books, too. It’s such fun. And this year’s collection of books is fabulous. Just look at them:

 It’s so easy to join the fun. All you have to do is start at the first stop on Lisa Bergren’s website and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes! Many authors have bonus giveaways. I’m hosting one (and I’m stop two) that’s tied to The Vanished that releases next month.

The hunt BEGINS today, 3/14 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.Hunt through the loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 3/17 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Don’t forget, many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

How do you like to discover new to you authors? I’ve found many I love through libraries or the recommendations of friends. I’m starting interviews for the next season of Book Talk and I’ll be meeting a couple new to me authors through that, and I can’t wait! It’s such fun to learn their stories.

As I prepare for the launch of The Vanished next month (have you preordered your copy yet?), I’m rereleasing the prequel Art of Deception. This novel was part of the Come What May collection that released in August. If you missed Art of Deception then, you get it for $2.99 through my store. I’ll set it up to go wide after the semester ends. Happy reading, ya’ll!

Let’s Get Creative!

Hi friends! 

Happy Wednesday! I always look forward to my days with you. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and spend a little of your day with me. 

Thank you so incredibly much for your amazing support of my new release, One Wrong Move! I so appreciate you taking the time to read Christian and Andi’s adventure and for sharing it, too! Plus, the amazing amount of reviews has been such a blessing and so humbling. You guys are the best! 

Many of you have kindly asked what’s coming next. I’m happy to announce I’m working on book two of the Jeopardy Falls series! This is my favorite stage of a story’s progress. The creative “play” time. It’s when there’s a blank slate, and all the possibilities lay open before me. 

It’s both fun and daunting. I get to dream about everything that may or may not go in the story, but there is a fear that what I envision in my head…all the possibilities won’t come to fruition on the page. That I won’t be able to tell the story as well as I hope. 

However, at this stage, I push that fear aside. (It comes back as the internal editor I constantly have to shush, but that’s another blog post.)  So I push it aside, and like a kid in a candy store, I go wild. I play with the characters, with my ideas for scenes, with all sorts of inspiration. 

Today, I thought I’d share two of the main sources of inspiration I delve into during this stage in the process. 

First, I’m super visual, so I like to make a collage of how I envision the characters, setting, and “snapshots” of the feel I want the story to evoke. 

If you’ve read One Wrong Move, you might be able to guess what couple book two is about from the pictures below. I’m also tactical, so instead of starting with a Pinterest inspiration board, which I do closer to a book’s release, I go old school. I print out pictures and attach them either to a corkboard or a posterboard. Here’s just the really rough start of book two’s board. 

Next, I put together a soundtrack that I play before writing or during revisions. I can’t write with music playing during my first draft unless it’s instrumental. I’ve already collected a solid handful of songs for book two. Here’s one of them that really speaks to one of the characters’ faith journeys. It’s one of my favorite songs, too. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes peek at how I begin a story. 

Reader Question: 

What is something that inspires you? 

Blessings, 

Dani 

A Fan of Fans

This past Saturday, I attended a Jane Austen meeting with author-friend Erica Vetsch.

Our speaker was the talented and knowledgeable Candice Hern. She introduced us to a category of small, ornamental, folding fans now called Brisé fans, which were popular during the Regency period. (Although then referred to as ivory fans or pierced fans.) Unlike fans of folded silk or paper, these were made from intricately pierced, carved, and (sometimes) decorated sticks of ivory, bone, horn, or mother of pearl.

Candice described the time-consuming craftsmanship and historical context, explaining that fans became smaller as women switched from carrying belongings in large pockets hidden beneath their skirts to carrying reticules when narrower Regency-style dresses came into fashion. (For a more detailed explanation and more images, visit Candice’s wonderful website.)

We were also privileged to see in person several examples of Brisé fans from Candice’s own collection.

(Fans from Candice Hern’s private collection.)

Candice concluded by addressing the “Language of Fans,” debunking the existence of a system of secret meanings until at least 1827, when French fan maker Duvelleroy began including  printed slips with meanings in his fan boxes as a marketing ploy. Even so, she led us through a few fun examples, like: Drawing the fan across your cheek = I love you. Touching the handle to your lips = Kiss me.

Here are Shellie, Erica, and Michelle practicing secret messages with their fans. I believe Shellie is saying “yes,” while Erica and Michelle are signaling “no.”

Despite the Language of Fans not being, in her terms, “well codified” during the Regency, Candice acknowledged that a woman could still wield a fan quite effectively.

The fan, in the hand of a female, has often been a source of mischievous delight, and many a tender word has been conveyed by its assistance.”  

—The Mirror of Graces, 1811

Image credit: CandiceHern.com

What graces does not a fan place at a woman’s disposal if she only knows how to use it properly! It waves, it flutters, it closes, it expands, it is raised or lowered according to circumstances. Oh! I will wager that in all the paraphernalia of the loveliest and best-dressed women in the world, there is no ornament with which she can produce so great an effect.”

— Madame de Staël  (1766-1817)

The engaging talk was followed by brunch, and a lovely morning was had by all. Do you belong to the Jane Austen Society of North America? If you ever have the opportunity to hear Candice Hern speak, I am sure you will enjoy it and learn something, too.

Coffee Time

It’s no secret around here that I love coffee. If you’ve been reading on the blog for long, you’ve likely seen more than a few photos of my coffee bar that houses most of some of my collection of more than 100 mugs.

I think coffee first became a symbol of something special when I was a kid. My parents didn’t drink coffee every day, so anytime the smell of coffee wafted through our farmhouse, we knew that something fun was about to happen. Company was coming and our table would be filled with laughter and interesting conversations, delicious food (my mom was an amazing cook!), and then dessert served with coffee.

My grandmothers and my mom, sometime in the late ’70s or early ’80s. Judging by my grandmother’s corsage, it was likely Mother’s Day. Just looking at this photo, I can almost smell the coffee brewing while they washed up the dinner dishes before serving dessert!

Even though I’ve always loved the aroma of coffee brewing, I didn’t really develop a taste for it until I was a newlywed working in a newspaper office that was freezing cold. The only way to keep warm was to go to the back room where the press guys always had a coffee pot going. Black coffee in a Styrofoam cup not only warmed your insides, but kept your hands from turning into blocks of ice.

As a young mom, a cup of coffee represented a much-needed break from the busy day of laundry, cooking, cleaning, diapering, and rocking babies to sleep. And as the kids got older and went off to school, coffee was something I shared with friends during an impromptu visit, or at Bible study, or after a day of shopping.

After I started writing, coffee became fuel for my writer’s engine. The whole process of getting the coffee pot going was a time to mull over my story before I sat down to write. I’ll never forget when Ken was laid off from work and we had to cut our budget to the bone. When I mentioned to a group of writer friends that coffee would no longer be part of my life, they rallied around and provided in the most loving and precious ways. Years ago, I shared that story here on the blog.

Coffee has been back in our budget for many years now and it’s an everyday thing for me. Part of my morning ritual, but I don’t think I will ever take it for granted. This winter, I splurged and spent some of my dad’s Christmas money on a good coffee grinder and an espresso machine. Oh. My. Goodness. I am so enjoying my Americano with cream every morning. I have a new appreciation for the baristas who make my coffee in coffee shops! There’s definitely a learning curve. Especially with the steamer as you can see from my milk-splattered wall!

Are you a fan of coffee or tea or something else? What is your favorite memory centered around something warm and caffeinated? “

And for those of you who like to read while you sip your coffee…

I shared a few weeks ago about working on a new sequel to my novella Playing by Heart (also published as A January Bride in the Winter Brides collection) and I’m delighted to share that Playing for Keeps is available now! As of this writing, only the print version is available, but it will be out in e-book format very soon. Playing for Keeps includes both novellas—the old and the brand new sequel—in one volume for one low price of $9.99 (only $3.99 for the e-book). And I just love that Alex, the matchmaking cat, once again stars on the beautiful cover, designed by my husband this time around.

Inspired by Scripture

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.