Becky Wade's Blog, page 86

Listening & Pausing

This post is a little late because yesterday, when I would have normally written my post, I had to step back and listen to my body. In my 40s this is something I am learning the importance of doing.

September has been intense, all.

Two novellas due.

My oldest getting married.

ACFW national conference where I had board responsibilities in addition to co-teaching three workshops with the amazing Pepper Basham.

And three extra speaking engagements in addition to my normal class load.

I can admit: It’s been a lot.

I kept telling everyone, it’s all good. It’s just a lot.

I turned the last book in the 20th. And yesterday, my body told me to slow down. I had a funky headache that was a clear signal I needed to pause or my body would make me. In my 30s and even early 40s, I blew right by those signals. Now, I know it’s better to pause for a few hours than be forced to power through a week of feeling awful.

So last night, I didn’t grade. I didn’t write. After an hour curled up in bed, I took an hour to walk in a beautiful park, an hour to read, and then headed straight back to bed. Today I can think. So thank you for your grace. May we all learn to listen — I certainly have more growing to do. One friend told me “you gave yourself a whole two hours?” For me, that’s growth. Here’s to more growth!

How do you recharge when your body says enough?

Three One-Year Anniversaries–and a Giveaway!

It’s hard to believe, but it has been one year since I launched my new website and republished my first novel, both using my real name! But perhaps the thing I’m most proud of is that this past Saturday I hit the 52nd edition of my weekly newsletter. Yep, one whole year.

This was a huge leap of faith for me! I never liked sending out newsletters. I never felt like I had anything to say and didn’t enjoy being promotional, either. But last year, as I was doing all the website and republishing stuff, the Lord graciously showed me a way to keep in touch with readers in a sustainable and enjoyable (for me and for subscribers!) way. And I felt His urging to send it out every week. 

Seriously? No one wants to hear from me every week!

But I gulped down my fear and did it. I’ve loved the response. So many people enjoy it. Why? 

It’s a simple email each Saturday morning with three short sections: 

A link to my blog post from that week.A short blurb (graphic and 2-3 sentences) concerning writing or family news or something historical or bookish.A book I’m currently reading.

That’s it! It makes me so happy to schedule it each week. And to do random giveaways each month from my subscriber list. 

In my gratitude, I want to bless those around me, so to celebrate all three of these one year milestones, I’m doing a big giveaway that I want you to know about! 

I’ll be giving away TWO books and gifts bundles, each containing a D’Ann Mateer book, a Secrets from Grandma’s Attic book, a “Kindred Spirits” mug from A Fine Quotation, a bookmark from Bliss Books and Jewels, and a $15 Amazon card. 

How to enter? This link will take you to the giveaway page. Email required for entry (and will only ship to US, sorry international readers!), with other actions to get more entries. 

That’s it! 

Thanks for celebrating with me! 

Do you subscribe to author newsletters? What do or don’t you like about them? 

Challenge Accepted

About five years ago, I accepted a challenge from a friend who had made it her personal goal not to watch more TV than she spent time in God’s Word. Accepting that challenge has changed my life.

I had long been a student of God’s Word, but over the past few years I’ve fallen more and more in love with His Word—and deeper in love with Christ. My hunger and thirst for knowing God—not just “learning more about him”—has increased in ways I didn’t expect. And I’m so grateful.

Part of this journey has been discovering new favorite Bible teachers and classes such as…

Paige Brown’s Standing Alone: Scenes from Elijah and Elisha

It’s only Week 2 and it’s already such a rich study. Watch Week 2 really quick today, if you can, as the livestream “disappears” tonight! Tick Tick

And don’t worry about missing last week’s lesson, Paige does a fabulous job of recapping the previous week (last week was an introduction).

WATCH STANDING ALONE WEEK 2

The nitty gritty on Standing Alone, the series

If anyone else is taking Paige’s study, please speak up and share your experience!

What are you currently reading in God’s Word? And if I could be so bold, could I challenge you (in love) to spend more time in God’s Word than in watching TV? Talk about reaping treasures untold both here and for eternity. God’s Word, the gift that keeps on giving!

Love from Nashville,

Tammy

Enter to win September’s giveawayA book from our own Robin Lee Hatcher

ENTER TO WIN

Volunteer!

A few years ago I wrote a novel, THE DEBT, about what happens when a famous TV preacher’s wife unexpectedly meets the son she gave up for adoption long before she became a Christian. That story came to me all in a rush, and I knew the Lord was in it because it convicted me. I have always believed, you see, that Jesus meant what He said when he prayed, “I pray not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). The trouble was, I was involved with a large church and my husband’s youth ministry, and I worked from home. I really didn’t have a “world” to go into.

So I decided to find one. When we moved to a different community, I started a neighborhood book club to discuss books, knowing that I could discuss the faith element–or the lack of one–in any book. But probably my most significant foray was into the local SPCA.

If you love animals, your local humane society, county shelter, or SPCA needs volunteers. You don’t have to be skilled, you only have to have some time to spare. They will teach you what you need to know (mostly about how to get animals in and out of cages without losing them), and you can set your own schedule.

Because I like photography, I decided to volunteer as a photographer. It’s long been proven that good photos help animals find homes more quickly, so I pulled out my camera and went to work. The animals actually helped me become a professional photographer, because as I tried to make better pictures, I had to learn how to use a camera, composition, fine-tuning, and then post-processing. And no matter how rough a day I was having, spending an hour or two at the shelter proved to be useful therapy.

But though I love animals, I was really there for the people. I discovered all kinds of compassionate people who were fiercely protective of animals, so I knew they had kind hearts. Some were believers and some weren’t, and while I wasn’t there to preach, I did want to represent Jesus with every word and deed. Those people were my “world,” and though I had to give up that regular schedule because of family demands, I still do photo shoots for rescue organizations whenever I can. Because of the animals, but mostly for the people.

So if you don’t have a world in which to be a witness for Christ, ask the Lord to show you a world this week. If you love animals, you can always check out your local shelters. You’d be amazed at how much the experience will bless you. But whatever you do, remember Jesus’ prayer–He doesn’t want us to be cloistered Christians, but to live in the world and season it like salt. And light. That’s part of our calling.

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.

Another New Book Release

ENTRUSTED is now available! This is book six and the grand finale of the Knights of Brethren series!

I have to say, when I opened up a blank document to begin writing this last story, I honestly didn’t know how I was going to wrap up this series and bring all the loose ends together.

Of course, I knew I needed to tell Kristoffer’s story and continue the quest for the holy lamp (the relic that I introduced in book five). I also knew I needed to have the final epic battle with King Canute (from the neighboring country). But beyond that, I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to bring everything to a satisfying ending.

To make matters more complicated, not only had I developed an external threat to the Knights of Brethren (King Canute and his army of Dark Warriors), but I’d also thrown in an internal threat (possible betrayal from within the tight-knit group of knights).

With so much to resolve, you can only imagine my trepidation. But as always, I plunged forward with telling Kristoffer and Birgitta’s love story. And somehow along the way, they took over the storytelling, led me on a dangerous and delectable journey, and came up with an ending that defied anything I could have imagined—oh, wait, I did imagine it!

It’s true that sometimes I forget the characters aren’t real people. They come to life so vividly, I just let them dictate the story so that by the time I write the climax, they’re fully in charge and somehow happen to create an ending that satisfies me.

I’m happy to report readers are satisfied with the series conclusion too! Here’s what they’re saying:

“What an amazing conclusion to this wonderful and entertaining series! I was completely captivated from the opening scene until the last page. I recently read Enflamed and loved it, but I think Entrusted is even better.”

“This book was just a wonderful conclusion to an amazing series. I have so loved this series and I am so sad to see it end.”

“This is the last book in the Knights of Brethren series and, OH. MY. GOODNESS, it is a story that will captivate you and hold you spellbound until the very end!”

“An absolutely perfect ending to an epic and romantic series, this book was SO good! Oh my gosh, I was completely enraptured reading it. I didn’t even notice the passing of time because the story just pulled me in, and I didn’t come up until I had finished it in one sitting. I LOVED this story!”

To learn more about ENTRUSTED head over to my website page here: http://jodyhedlund.com/books/entrusted/

New Book Release!

ENTRUSTED is now available! This is book six and the grand finale of the Knights of Brethren series!

I have to say, when I opened up a blank document to begin writing this last story, I honestly didn’t know how I was going to wrap up this series and bring all the loose ends together.

Of course, I knew I needed to tell Kristoffer’s story and continue the quest for the holy lamp (the relic that I introduced in book five). I also knew I needed to have the final epic battle with King Canute (from the neighboring country). But beyond that, I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to bring everything to a satisfying ending.

To make matters more complicated, not only had I developed an external threat to the Knights of Brethren (King Canute and his army of Dark Warriors), but I’d also thrown in an internal threat (possible betrayal from within the tight-knit group of knights).

With so much to resolve, you can only imagine my trepidation. But as always, I plunged forward with telling Kristoffer and Birgitta’s love story. And somehow along the way, they took over the storytelling, led me on a dangerous and delectable journey, and came up with an ending that defied anything I could have imagined—oh, wait, I did imagine it!

It’s true that sometimes I forget the characters aren’t real people. They come to life so vividly, I just let them dictate the story so that by the time I write the climax, they’re fully in charge and somehow happen to create an ending that satisfies me.

I’m happy to report readers are satisfied with the series conclusion too! Here’s what they’re saying:

“What an amazing conclusion to this wonderful and entertaining series! I was completely captivated from the opening scene until the last page. I recently read Enflamed and loved it, but I think Entrusted is even better.”

“This book was just a wonderful conclusion to an amazing series. I have so loved this series and I am so sad to see it end.”

“This is the last book in the Knights of Brethren series and, OH. MY. GOODNESS, it is a story that will captivate you and hold you spellbound until the very end!”

“An absolutely perfect ending to an epic and romantic series, this book was SO good! Oh my gosh, I was completely enraptured reading it. I didn’t even notice the passing of time because the story just pulled me in, and I didn’t come up until I had finished it in one sitting. I LOVED this story!”

To learn more about ENTRUSTED head over to my website page here: http://jodyhedlund.com/books/entrusted/

Happy Dancing

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the ACFW national conference in St. Louis. Many of our IBLF blogging buddies were there. What fun to see Cara, Deb, and Jody. I heard Angela was there, too, but I don’t think our paths crossed. There is something so energizing about meeting up with writing friends. It renews my passion and my dedication to the writing craft.

Many of my dearest author friends were part of the Baker Publishing breakfast on Saturday morning. This included authors from both Bethany House and Revell. A collection of precious friendships in full flower and new relationships just starting to bud. I wish we could have had more time to catch up with each other.

Not only did I come home renewed from seeing dear friends, but I also brought home some exciting new hardware. My novella, A Texas Christmas Carol, won the prestigious ACFW Carol Award! What a huge honor. Here is a somewhat blurry montage of what happened, captured by various friends in the audience. My mind is still a bit blurry about it all too! You might notice that one of my friends from the breakfast photo, Gabrielle Meyer, is the person who presented the award to me, making the moment extra sweet.

As timing would have it, the e-single version of my winning novella released this week with a new cover.

Since I’m still in a celebratory mood, I’ll give away a Kindle copy of
A Texas Christmas Carol to one reader who leaves a comment today.

If books awards were like the Oscars, and you could create an award category to value the aspects you most enjoy reading, what category would you want to include?

Funniest Fictional MomentMost Tear-Jerking SceneMost Swoony HeroCleverest HeroineMost Heart-Pounding SuspenseBiggest Plot TwistMost Surprising WhodunitBest Sigh-Inducing Kissing SceneMost Spiritually Poignant???

Writerly Advice

Hi friends,

Happy Wednesday! I always look forward to my Wednesdays with you. I hope your day is off to a beautiful start. I always start my day out with quiet time or group Bible study followed by writing. I find my mind is freshest first thing in the morning, so I block my mornings until lunchtime exclusively for writing. In the afternoon, my brain just doesn’t work as creatively, so I reserve that time for editing or sketching out the next scene or scenes I want to work on.

I’ve been writing since 2003, contracted in 2010, and my debut novel released in 2012. It’s been a long journey. Hard to believe it’s been a decade since my first novel, Submerged, hit the shelves. But one thing hasn’t changed—my desire to learn. I know there’s always more I can learn and ways I can grow as a writer. I think a good writer never stops learning. Today, I’m going to share a few of my favorite writing lessons.

To truly be a good writer, you need to have a love for reading. For the writer, reading feeds the creative well, it allows you to study how other authors introduce characters, reveal plot twists, and charge your emotion. Reading, for the writer, is an education and enjoyment wrapped in one.

Emotion. If you don’t feel emotion, whether it be happiness, sorrow, or breathless anticipation, you can be sure your reader won’t feel it either. So much of this comes in via the writing technique known as “Show vs. Tell.” We can visually see the emotions of our characters playing out on the page, along with Deep Point-of-View where we’re in sync with the feelings, internal beliefs, and raw emotions broiling up within our characters. Emotion plays a huge role in the story journey.

I love C.S. Lewis. My girls were homeschooled all the way through, and I have the most beautiful memories of us sitting around the living room as a family and reading aloud The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis was so right. He created a lush, full world inhabited with people, adventure, and peril simply by putting words on the page. Though, there is no “simply” in writing. I’m going to cheat and sneak one more quote in here, but this is my favorite quote on the dedication and perseverance writing takes and is reported to be by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway is reported to have said, “It is easy to write. Just sit
in front of your typewriter and bleed.”

Revisions are the life of a writer. We all have the fun or painful first draft, depending on which draft you enjoy writing most, but then come revisions. Revisions are crucial in shaping and forming the story. It’s where you deepen your characters, build up the setting, fine-tune the dialogue and layer, layer, layer. You need to commit to keep at it until the story shines through all the drafts.

Question: Which writing quote speaks most to you? As a reader, what aspect of storytelling has the biggest impact on you in a novel?

Blessings,
Dani

Saved from Sinking Sand

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to the UK, fulfilling travel plans made and cancelled more than two years before. We were so thankful to be able to visit England again, and felt oddly privileged to be there when Queen Elizabeth died—to be able to watch the news with locals and to witness their heartfelt reactions firsthand.

While we were “across the pond,” one of the places we belatedly visited was the north coast of Cornwall, the setting of my novel, A Castaway in Cornwall.

We took the ferry from the town of Padstow across the Camel estuary to the village of Rock, and from there, walked on a narrow, sandy track along the coast and skirted a golf course on a quest to find one of the area’s most unforgettable landmarks—St. Enodoc Church.

Camel Estuary with the dreaded “Doom Bar” sand bar showing, which sunk many ships

After a wrong turn or two we ended up taking a circuitous route partway up Brea Hill (which, although taxing, also afforded a bird’s eye view of the churchyard).

St. Enodoc Churchyard from above

Eventually we made it. How wonderful to see the place in person, which was much as I’d envisioned it when describing it in the novel. (Although now, thankfully, not buried in sand!)

St. Enodoc with the estuary and sea in the background

From the sixteenth to the middle of the nineteenth century, this chapel built among sand dunes was all-but buried by blowing and shifting sand. For that reason, people called it “Sinkininny Church,” or “Sinkin’ Neddy.” To maintain tithing rights and consecration, the vicar had to host services there at least once a year. Because the door was covered by sand, he descended into the sanctuary through a hole in the roof. In the novel, this entrance into the church provides a hiding place when the hero is being pursued.

Lychgate with coffin rest (left) and the porch door being decorated for a wedding (right)

By 1864, the sand was removed and the church restored, primarily through the efforts of the local vicar. This mostly-above-ground church is the St. Enodoc we are able to see and enjoy today.

After exploring the church and graveyard for a time, my husband and I continued on to see other places mentioned in the book: Daymer Bay, Trebetherick, Greenaway Beach (my character’s favorite), and finally Polzeath, before beginning the long trek back to the ferry. Our fitness watches logged over ten miles that day!

Daymer Bay with Trebetherick above (left) and Greenaway Beach (right)

The walk was memorable and satisfying—perhaps all the more because of the effort it took to reach our goal. Have you taken any long walks lately? Searched out a place or landmark you longed to visit? Please share.