Becky Wade's Blog, page 76

Immersed in Words

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Hi friends, 

Happy Wednesday! I’m super excited to have Debb Hackett guest blogging for me today. Debb’s one of my mentees and friends, and I’ve loved watching her grow as a writer. Today she’s sharing about the power of words. Enjoy! 

When I think back, most of my life has been inspired by words. As a child and teenager, I pored over books, using them to visit far-off or nonexistent places and have breathtaking adventures. In college I studied Philosophy and learned some big words, uttered by amazing thinkers, and my minor in communications taught me how to use words effectively. My career has been in radio news, where every word counts and repeating one in the same story, is frowned upon. 

From teenage years onward and still inspiring me today, is the word of God. I’m so inspired by scripture that I even started a blog with some other writers where we pull just one word from the Bible and then explore the power and message held in that word.

Now, as I work as hard as I can to become a published author, words have taken on fresh importance. When you’re writing for radio, you learn about theater of the mind. You’re painting an image using words and sounds. In print, you don’t have the sounds and I’m not writing children’s books so no pictures to help either. Words must communicate smells and sounds, tastes, and textures. They’re called on to describe emotions and sights, or paint images of people and situations in readers’ minds. As a writer, I need to use words to fill your heart with joy or your eyes with tears, to make you laugh or sigh, as you sit and ponder what you’ve read. 

As part of this endeavor, I attend classes about using words, taught by those far better at this craft than me. Dani Pettrey (my first ever writing buddy), Deb Raney, Karen Witemeyer and Tamara Alexander are all brilliant teachers. I’m sure Jody Hedlund and Becky Wade are too, I just haven’t had the fun of sitting in one of their classes. But I have read their books and they’re among my favorites. 

That brings me to another favorite wordy duty. I need to find the words written by others and devour them. Reading is a vital privilege. Learning how other writers use words to get their message across helps us newbies grow. That makes it my job to read what the regular ladies from this blog are writing. So being here today with them, is a “pinch me” moment, thank you all.

Debb Hackett

Writer, broadcaster and speaker Debb Hackett has been a radio journalist for more than twenty years. Married to a test pilot, Debb lives just outside London, England, with her husband and their two daughters. Her first work of fiction won the Foundation Award at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and was an ACFW Genesis Award finalist. When she’s not writing, Debb can be found leading worship, cheering for Green Bay or skiing. If you can swing by her house while she’s making scones, that would be a win. She blogs at: https://debbhackett.com

Always More to Learn; Always More to Eat!

No matter what your interests are, there is always more to learn, isn’t there? It’s one of the reasons I enjoy being a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America; an organization that offers lectures and workshops on a wide variety of topics of interest to history buffs, Jane Austen fans, and to authors of Regency-set novels like me.

Earlier this month the meeting topic was Martha Lloyd’s Household Book: The Original Manuscript from Jane Austen’s Kitchen. The speaker was the book’s author, Julienne Gehrer.

I always enjoy learning about recipes and food (favorite subjects, as my waistline attests) but especially because a main character in my new series, On Devonshire Shores, is a gentlewoman who, due to financial constraints, learns to bake and cook.

In writing The Sisters of Sea View, and its sequel, A Winter by the Sea, I have consulted a few of the same cookbooks (or “receipt books”) mentioned in the talk. So helpful!

I found it an enjoyable and informative talk, which also left me hungry.

What sorts of things do you enjoy learning about? Have you ever made an old recipe?

Bridges (Get the e-book FREE today only!)

My novel, Bridges, set in the little town of Winterset, Iowa, home of the covered bridges of Madison County, is free for today only. Ken and I first visited the iconic bridges on a trip to visit our youngest son when he attended college in Iowa. That’s where the idea for this book was first sparked, and we visited several times after that so I could research the area and the bridges. You might remember that Ken and I traveled back to Winterset the autumn after my book was published in January 2021.

The charming town that inspired the bestselling novel The Bridges of Madison County was also the inspiration for my novel, but Robert Waller’s book “inspired” my own novel in a little different way than you might imagine. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so you’ll have to read Bridges to find out what I mean by that.

You’re no longer allowed to drive across the covered bridges, but it was fun parking our camper in such a way that it looked like we did!

While the covered bridges are the stars of Winterset and Madison County, one of my favorite scenes in the book took place at Clark Tower, where Ken and I have hiked up to several times. The views from the top of the tower are breathtaking, especially in the fall!

Ken noticed this patch of chicory growing near Holliwell Bridge. I loved the juxtaposition of the inspiration for both my Chicory Inn Novels series and Bridges, so had to snap a pic from this perspective:

Our entry into Winterset was the same as my hero, J.W. McRae’s, in Bridges. Here’s the first paragraph of the book and the exact spot where it takes place in real life:

J.W. McRae braked at the stop sign where St. Charles dead-ended at Clark Tower Road. He shifted his pickup into Park and rested his forearms atop the steering wheel, his chest constricting. If he didn’t know better he’d think he was having a heart attack.

Those of you who’ve already read Bridges know that there’s a special reason that the bridge pictured on the cover of my novel is NOT one of the Bridges of Madison County. But I love how this interior of Holliwell Bridge echoes the cover Ken designed for my book:

Don’t forget today’s special offer! And remember, the e-book for Bridges is only free if you grab your copy TODAY! Click on the image below to get this special deal:

To see how I envisioned my characters and setting, check out my Pinterest board HERE.

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.

A Long and Winding Road

As an author, I don’t have favorites among my own books. Each was written for a reason, and each is special to me in its own unique way. I will confess, however, to having some favorite characters from my books. 

One of my favorite couples is Cleo and Sherwood from Fit To Be Tied (2009). I adore feisty Cleo, and I love “watching” her try to turn a British nobleman (recovering from wounds suffered in WWI) into a cowboy. The whole story had a fun dynamic that just wouldn’t leave me.

In 2009, I got the idea for a new series that would bring more Brits to the American West, this time in the late 1800s. I wrote a proposal in early 2010 and called the series The British Are Coming. My publisher at the time scheduled for the three novels to be published in 2013 and 2014, after I finished the books already contracted.

But before I began serious work on the first novel in the series, the publisher decided that they would prefer for me to write some contemporary stories instead. Those turned out to be four novels and a novella set in Kings Meadow, Idaho.

Thus, The British Are Coming returned to my idea folder on my computer.

In 2016, another publisher contracted the series and asked me to add a novella to the front end. After some thought about who these new characters would be, I began to write the novella. But before I was more than 10% finished, the publisher defaulted. 

The series returned once again to my idea folder.

Fast forward to 2021 when I made the decision to concentrate on writing indie books. My first question was, what will I write? I had more than a few options, but when I looked at The British Are Coming again, I knew I wanted to tell these stories at last. It was time.

And so, coming in May 2023, here is the first story in The British Are Coming series, To Enchant a Lady’s Heart.

Here’s the back cover copy:

He has nothing to offer. She has everything to lose.

Despite the dishonorable circumstances of his own birth, Adam Faulkner has never begrudged his half-brother Sebastian’s legitimate position as the Viscount Willowthorpe. Having a title and everything that goes with it never mattered to Adam—until “everything” became the hand of Miss Eliza Southwick. Adam knows, as the stable manager at Hooke Manor, he shouldn’t hope to wed a well-born miss. After all, enchanting such a lady’s heart would take a true gentleman…something he is not.

Eliza Southwick loves horses more than society and doesn’t care a whit about status or titles. But her father has set his sights on the Viscount Willowthorpe for his future son-in-law and has brought his daughter to Hooke Manor in hopes of arranging a marriage contract. When a spark first kindled during a chance meeting between Eliza and Adam grows stronger, she doesn’t dare tell her father how she feels. He will disown her entirely if she fails to do his will, and the cost of following her heart has never seemed higher.

“Robin Lee Hatcher opens her new series, The British Are Coming, with a delightful novella that’s sure to capture readers’ hearts. The characters are unique, and the plot is engaging from start to finish. This promises to be a fun series with a clash of cultures as the British characters travel to the Western United States. Readers who are looking for well written historical romance will enjoy this novella and the novels to follow.”
– Carrie Turansky, award-winning author of No Journey Too Far and The Legacy of Longdale Manor

And here’s a little about the series:

The British Are Coming series begins with a novella set in Victorian England where readers meet Adam Faulkner, the illegitimate son of the Earl of Hooke, and the gentlewoman he loves. It continues with stand-alone novels set in America in the mid-1890s featuring Sebastian Whitcombe, heir to the Earl of Hooke; his younger sister, Lady Amanda Whitcombe; and his tradesman friend, Roger Bernhardt. They have come to the American West—Sebastian for a last adventure before taking himself a wife, Amanda to experience some of the thrills she witnessed as a child in London at Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, and Roger to paint the beauty of Yellowstone before taking over the family business in London. Adventure and romance abound!

It has been a long and winding road for these stories, and I can hardly wait for the release of the first book so I can share it with all of you.

~robin

The Grumpy Bookpeddler

After the first of the year, my family and I took a trip to Murfreesboro, TN for my nephew’s wedding. My husband’s brother (the father of the groom) had visited Abilene when our son married last May, but we hadn’t seen the rest of the Tennessee Witemeyers since well before COVID. What a joy to spend time with family! We stayed up late each night playing card and board games, shared meals together, and had lovely conversation.

We took the opportunity to grab a photo of the 9 Texas Witemeyers who made the trip to Tennessee during the reception.

I managed to snatch one photo of the bride and groom when they first entered the reception hall. The bride was beautiful, and my nephew was about as proud as a man could be.

So, what does any of this have to do with a grumpy book peddler?

Well, the Texas Witemeyers rented a house to hold all nine of us, and as we were driving through downtown Murfreesboro to get there, I happened to spot an intriguing sign on a storefront along the way.

The Grumpy Bookpeddler

I knew at once that I needed to find time to visit that shop! As it turned out, it was less than a mile from the house where we were staying. So on Friday, while many of the group traveled into Nashville, I twisted my daughter’s arm, and the two of us drove down to check out the used bookstore.

To my surprise and delight, there was a “Jesus is Lord” sticker on the door. And the very first book shelves inside were filled with Christian fiction! Four shelves of Christian fiction, followed by several shelves of Christian non-fiction. Wonderful!

I even found 3 of my books on the shelves.

I complimented the owner on his store and told him how wonderful it was to have Christian fiction on such prominent display instead of tucked away in a back corner. He said it made sense to put the good stuff at the front of the store. Don’t you love that?

This was a hidden gem worth finding!

As the store’s website proclaims:

Do you like to visit bookstores when you travel?
What was the last hidden gem of a place you discovered?

Playing by Heart Cover Reveal!

When I rebranded in 2021 as the real me—D’Ann Mateer instead of Anne Mateer—I was able to get my rights back to my Bethany House novels in order to do this. Three of them are currently available—Wings of a Dream, At Every Turn, and A Home for My Heart. 

Today I am excited to announce that the final book, Playing by Heart, will be available in early March! I love this book for so many reasons. Here are the top three: 

First, I used a family history tidbit about my grandmother, a teacher, being asked to coach the girls basketball team—and she knew nothing about basketball—back in the 1930s. And like Lula, she held a Master’s Degree, although hers was not in math.

My sweet grandmother, who went to be with Jesus in 2006. Even in her younger days she was not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination!

Second, my oldest son, middle child, loves basketball and at the time I wrote the book was working toward a career in teaching and coaching. (Which he now does! And he coaches high school girls!) 

School picture for his first year (this year!) teaching and coaching at the high school level.

Third, in this book I wrote for the first time in two first person points of view—the hero, Chet, and the heroine, Lula. This is also my first book to be a true “romance” in terms of genre definition. 

My images of Chet and Lula while I wrote.

The story is set in 1918 Oklahoma. It’s a story of love and sacrifice and family—and being willing to learn and do new things. 

Here’s the back cover copy: 

Lula Bowman has finally achieved her dream: a teaching position and a scholarship to continue her college education in mathematics. But then a shocking phone call from her sister, Jewel, changes everything.

With a heavy heart, Lula returns to her Oklahoma hometown to do right by her sister, but the only teaching job available in Dunn is combination music instructor/basketball coach. Lula doesn’t even consider those real subjects!

Determined to prove herself, Lula commits to covering the job for the rest of the school year. Reluctantly, she turns to the boys’ coach, Chet, to learn the newfangled game of basketball. Chet is handsome and single, but Lula has no plans to fall for a local boy. She’s returning to college and her scholarship as soon as she gets Jewel back on her feet.

However, the more time she spends around Jewel’s family, the girls’ basketball team, music classes, and Chet, the more Lula comes to realize what she’s given up in her single-minded pursuit of degree after degree. God is working on her heart, and her future is starting to look a lot different than she’d expected.

And here’s the cover the lovely Roseanna White–author of amazing historical fiction and cover designer extraordinary!–created for it: 

Don’t you love the way his eyes are completely intent on her face? I love it so much! The whole cover is a much better reflection of the story than the original cover one. Honestly, the original cover was the only one in my traditional publishing career that I disliked. I felt it didn’t reflect the time period or the story. But now everything is put to rights, including my real name on the cover. 

Look for pre-order links soon on my social media and website!

Have you read this book before? If not, do the cover or back cover copy make it of interest to you? 

Babies, Bible Studies & Books, oh my…

BABIES

Will you consider it overindulging if I share a couple of quick pics (or more) of Leo, our precious grandson? I hope not, because we are in absolute love with this little guy!

Here are three pics from a recent photo shoot but let’s count them as one since they’re small and “tiled.” : ) [Photo credit: Snaps by Sally]

I just love Leo in this little burnt orange onesie (below)—and might have ordered it in a couple of different sizes for coming months. But it was on clearance at Target so that’s not obsessive, right?

And one last pic…

We were out to dinner the other night celebrating our daughter-in-law Kellie’s bday a little early (HBD today for real, KELLIE!), and Kelsey was holding Leo while we all chatted and ate cheesecake. I don’t know if it was the stimulating conversation or if something else was amiss, but he was zonked!

Thanks for indulging this new Gram Tam. Who knew grandchildren could be such fun!

BIBLE STUDIES

TODAY IS THE FINAL DAY to watch/listen to WEEK 1 of Paige Brown’s Bible study in the book of James.

If you’ve not studied the Bible with Paige yet, you’re in for a real blessing. As Paige often says, “One of the most important things we’re going to say today is ‘Get out your Bibles!'” Her Bible studies go deep into the Word and character of God. You will leave changed.

The livestream is Wednesday at 10AM central, then that week’s video stays available until the following Tuesday night when it disappears.

I highly encourage you to join me for this 8-week study—and watch Week 1 before it disappears tonight!

BOOKS

Several of you have asked if I’m writing something new, and if I have a new book coming out this year. Yes and yes!

A Million Little Choices—my first contemporary, first first person POV, and first dual timeline—releases November 7 from Focus on the Family. We’re working on the cover right now, so I’ll share that as soon as it’s available.

Here’s a peek at A Million Little Choices—

Sometimes secrets just won’t stay hidden…
 
Two women from different centuries living in the same house share strikingly similar journeys.
 
Claire Powell’s life is turned upside down when her beloved husband admits to a “near affair.” But when Stephen accepts a partnership with an Atlanta law firm without consulting her and buys a historic Southern home sight-unseen—it pushes their already-fractured marriage to the breaking point. Claire’s world spirals, and she soon finds herself in a marriage she no longer wants, in a house she never asked for.
 
In 1863, Charlotte Thursmann, pregnant and trapped in a marriage to an abusive husband, struggles to protect her unborn child and the enslaved members of her household. Desperate, she’s determined to right the evils her husband and others like him commit. But how can one woman put an end to such injustice? Especially if her husband makes good on his threat to kill her?
 
Both Claire and Charlotte discover truths about themselves they never realized, along with secrets long hidden that hold the power to bring God’s restoration—if only they choose to let it.

Currently, I’m writing my first book (of two) for Tyndale Publishers, and while I appreciated the chance to write a dual timeline (incorporating both contemporary and historical stories), I’m really enjoying being back to straight historical.

More soon on this book which will release in 2024, but it’s got tons of great Tennessee history and fabulous Southern food, and is a book I’ve wanted to write for some time now.

So what’s going on in your busy world? Any news of babies, Bible studies, or books you’re reading (or writing) you’d like to share? We’d love to hear!

Blessings from my corner of Nashville,

Tammy

JANUARY GIVEAWAY ENTER TO WIN

What You Can’t See . . . Matters

Two weeks before Christmas, the water meter reader left a note on my gate–“Meter is moving at 12:00 p.m.,” it said.

Apparently the meter reader is a man of few words, but I grasped his meaning–at a time when a house should be relatively free of running water, mine wasn’t. So I went out to the street to look at the meter, and saw that the man was right–the little triangular symbol that indicated running water was spinning lazily, but I wasn’t washing clothes or dishes.

Uh oh–we had a water leak. So I had to hire a “Leak Detector” (they’re a real thing), so the man came out and after poking around all my spigots and listening intently in all my bathrooms, he pulled out the heavy equipment and listened for gurgles coming from beneath the earth. And there, not a yard from the meter, we found the problem–a leaking pipe beneath a crape myrtle I planted five years ago.

Can you imagine searching this lawn for a leak?

So then I called a plumber and they repaired the pipe. Preparing to bask in the glow of a job completed, we went out to check the meter and found that it was still spinning . . . but very slowly. The leak detector came back out and was nice enough to not charge me, but he said I probably had a little leak and could call him back when it turned into a big one. That’s the problem with leaks, you see. They come from weaknesses in a pipe, and they don’t heal themselves.

In the mean time, I thought the slow spin could be caused by a dripping faucet, so I called my handyman and he fixed that. I didn’t even bother to check the meter, since I was so confident that the problem was solved.

Until yesterday. I was washing my hands, and as I turned off the water, I thought the water flow in the sink seemed a little . . . reduced. So I walked out to the water meter on the street and saw that the little triangle was spinning like an airplane propeller. The BIG hand on the meter was even spinning quickly, and that means serious trouble. A few days of that, and the water company might as well attach a hose to your bank account and drain it all.

Fortunately, after living in this house five years, I’ve learned that we have a water shut off halfway across the lot, so I turned that off and saw that the meter had stopped spinning. That meant the problem was near the house, not out in the yard with my hundreds of trees and bushes.

I know where the main pipe feeds into the house, and sure enough, after raking away some leaves, I saw that the leaves underneath were wet–soggy, even. So this morning I had some plumbers come out, but they quickly realized they were over their heads. They couldn’t tell exactly where the leak was, and with all those plants and tree roots . . .

Not my pipe, thank goodness.

So I had to call Mr. “I Find Leaks” again. And he came that afternoon, thank the Lord. Because we were living with no water, and when we DID turn it on to take a shower, that meter started whirling again. Plus, I had Airbnb guests coming for the weekend . . . .

The point of this story? You may be going through your life with a smile, doing what you’re supposed to do, appearing to be perfectly fine to the untrained eye . . . but if you have a problem underneath, something you’re reluctant to deal with . . .

Well, take it from someone who’s learned, it’s better to take care of the thing that continues to leak your precious physical and mental energy. Take some time to pray about whatever it is, call a friend, talk the problem through with someone you trust. Because those little leaks can turn into a major headache, and you’ll find yourself brushing your teeth with bottled water.

My broken pipe–actually, it was an L joint that disconnected.

Update: Thursday afternoon, Mr. Leak Detector came out, injected air into the line, and walked all over the yard with earphones and a microphone. Then he heard the gasp of air bubbles–and it was nowhere near the place where I was going to have the plumbers dig. The plumbers came Friday afternoon, and with minutes to spare, they fixed the leak. I gave them homemade cupcakes as a thank you.

My airbnb guests arrived, we were able to use the sinks again, and we didn’t have to resort to hauling water from the creek. God is good . . . and if you have a child who doesn’t know what to do with his or her life, let me suggest plumbing or leak detection. It’s hard to find those when you need one!

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.