Becky Wade's Blog, page 96

Muffin Hats and Mob Caps

A week or so ago, I attended a meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America, Minnesota Chapter. Instead of having a speaker, this month we made Regency-era hats and caps.

I have made myself two or three caps to wear of evenings since I came home, and they save me a world of torment as to hairdressing.”

—Jane Austen letter, 1813

I am not crafty, but I thought it would be fun to gather with other women to “work” while we chatted and sipped tea. And it was! Such gatherings were common in the Regency era and women often brought along their needlework baskets or bags on calls, so they could be productive while visiting.

The organizers made it easy for even those of us with little sewing experience.

These generous women pre-made simple “muffin hats” and mob caps for us to adorn.

…Next week shall begin my operations on my hat, on which you know my principal hopes of happiness depend.”

—Jane Austen letter, 1798

They also supplied a wide array of sewing notions and decorations like ribbons, lace, feathers, and brooches for us to use to trim our hats and caps and make them our own. Here you can see some of the results:

Have you ever gathered with friends to talk while your hands were busy with some craft or hobby? If not, do you think you would enjoy the experience?

Muffins Hats and Mob Caps

A week or so ago, I attended a meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America, Minnesota Chapter. Instead of having a speaker, this month we made Regency-era hats and caps.

I have made myself two or three caps to wear of evenings since I came home, and they save me a world of torment as to hairdressing.”

—Jane Austen letter, 1813

I am not crafty, but I thought it would be fun to gather with other women to “work” while we chatted and sipped tea. And it was! Such gatherings were common in the Regency era and women often brought along their needlework baskets or bags on calls, so they could be productive while visiting.

The organizers made it easy for even those of us with little sewing experience.

These generous women pre-made simple “muffin hats” and mob caps for us to adorn.

…Next week shall begin my operations on my hat, on which you know my principal hopes of happiness depend.”

—Jane Austen letter, 1798

They also supplied a wide array of sewing notions and decorations like ribbons, lace, feathers, and brooches for us to use to trim our hats and caps and make them our own. Here you can see some of the results:

Have you ever gathered with friends to talk while your hands were busy with some craft or hobby? If not, do you think you would enjoy the experience?

A Different Kind of Cover Story

I just love stories about how a book cover came to be—the process of working with a publisher’s design team and models, or for some of the more creative among us, how you designed your own cover. Or in my case, how my husband designs the covers for my books. (He designed these beauties below!)

But maybe a more accurate title for this blog post would be “A Different Kind of Title Story.” My novel Beneath a Southern Sky was the fourth book I wrote (twenty years ago now!) and it was contracted by WaterBrook Press after my first three books were published by Bethany House Publishers. The reason this book (and my next three) were published by a different publishing house is a story for another time, but this was the first time my publisher let me keep my original title. That’s right. When you write for a traditional publisher, you may not get to use your first choice of titles.

So I was thrilled that WaterBrook Press liked my title, and I was even more thrilled when we searched amazon.com for other books with the same title and found there was nothing like it! That’s pretty rare! A couple of years after my book was released, a non-fiction book was published called Beneath Southern Skies. But for a long time, that was the only book with a similar title.

Fast forward about fifteen years and the floodgates opened! If you search for my title now, you will find nine titles that have Beneath a S_______ Sky in common, another dozen that have Beneath a _______ Sky in the title (most of those have the same number of syllables and rhythm as Beneath a Southern Sky.) Even more interesting: Almost every one of these books has been published within the last five years, several of them this year alone!

You’ll find titles with Beneath an _______ Sky, including Indian, Irish, and Italian skies, and then more titles with Beneath the _______ Sky. (There were a couple I didn’t include because the covers were a little on the racy side.)

Here are some titles with Beneath _______ Skies (plural) including two more Beneath Southern Skies!

There are more in the Fantasy/Science Fiction genre:

And still more in the non-fiction genre:

I’m especially fond of the title Beneath Missouri Skies now that we live in Missouri. Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa are also represented. And in addition to Southern skies, I noticed there are now Northern and Western sky titles. (Maybe I should write a book called Beneath an Eastern Sky, just to round things out!)

There are two starless skies, two star-lit skies (and one starlet sky!) And if I really stretch the cover “copycats” I could add these titles, which continue the “beneath/under the _______ stars/sky” theme:

I’d like to think that my novel was the impetus for these dozens of almost-identical and similar titles. However, that last group is actually a great example of how authors come up with unique and different titles—a task that becomes more of a challenge every year with thousands of new books being published. If it’s not obvious by now, a title idea often comes by twisting and reshaping an existing title to fit your story and make it your own.

It helps if there is an unusual name or place in your title. Mitford in a title is a pretty sure bet that the book was written by Jan Karon. And you will only find one book titled The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. (But it’s a good one!)

I still always hope to come up with a wonderful title that no one else on earth has ever used. That’s rare. And since titles can’t be copyrighted, it’s perfectly fine to have all these books with similar titles. The downside is that you never want a reader to request your novel and end up with another author’s same-titled book!

Have you ever chosen a book simply because you liked the title? Have you ever accidentally read the “wrong” book because it had the same title as the book you thought you were getting? Maybe you’ve discovered a new author that way! No matter what the title of the book you’re currently reading, I hope it’s a good 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.

Spring Happenings!

This spring has sprung with all its beautiful green glory here in central Michigan. After a very long winter, we are loving every single second of the warmer weather and regaining our color after the past six months of a dull gray landscape.

In addition to my usual writing and editing projects, this spring has been busy with a couple of major events.

The first was the annual rummage sale that my church hosts. After a two-year hiatus because of Covid, the rummage sale was busier than ever because people had more stuff than ever to donate.

As you might expect, I’m in charge of the used book sale portion of the rummage sale. There were 14 large tables filled with books as well as boxes of books under each table! It was a LOT of work to organize!

This year, the sale earned $34,000 to go toward missions. Isn’t that incredible? So that you can see the scope of the rummage sale, here are a few pictures of the sanctuary showing different sections. (I’m sorry to say that I didn’t get any pictures of the book section!)

The second major event was my daughter’s bridal shower that I hosted for family and friends. As I’ve mentioned previously, my daughter is getting married in July. We wanted to celebrate with her as well as shower her with gifts so that she’ll have everything she needs as she starts married life.

Here are just a few pictures from the fun day!

The bride-to-be!Me with my three daughtersMy daughter and her fiancé

In book news, if you missed the release of To Tame a Cowboy in early May, then head over to my website to check out more information about the book and to see what readers are saying about it.

And in other book news, my next sweet but adventurous medieval romance book, Ensnared, is releasing on June 14 (less than a month away!). You won’t want to miss this next installment! Find out more information here: http://jodyhedlund.com/books/ensnared/

Your turn! What are the spring happenings in YOUR life?

The Joy of Song

I have always been a music lover. I can remember singing every commercial jingle that came on the TV when I was kid, just because it was musical. I remember the pre-K teacher who brought her guitar to class and taught us folk songs like “You get a line, I’ll get a pole.” (Yes, it was the 70’s back then.) I remember singing America (This land is your land . . . ) after saying the pledge of allegiance in elementary school. I remember “helping” my dad warm up on those Sundays when he was leading singing at church. Music and memory seem to go hand-in-hand with me.

As a band nerd from 5th grade through my freshman year of college, and a choir nerd for the rest of my college career, music has been an integral part of my life. It’s probably no surprise that I married a man with a similar musical experience. We raised our children with lots of Bible songs and silly songs and 80’s songs. I’ll never forget the time a friend from church watched our kids for us for a week. When we picked them up, she told us it was like babysitting the family von Trapp!

Singing in church is the highlight of my worship experience. Music has the power to touch places in my soul that nothing else can penetrate. Hearing harmonies blending in sweet accord as we extol our Savior nourishes my spirit like nothing else.

Back in January, I posted about an opportunity I had to sing with a large a cappella group as part of a Praise & Harmony recording. You can see that post here. It was such a magnificent experience. After months of behind-the-scenes editing and producing, all of that hard work is starting to come together.

Praise & Harmony has begun releasing a few sample videos. None of these are the full songs, but I wanted to share a few highlights with you. You might see my face pop up once or twice. I’m harder to find in some videos than others.

I hope you enjoyed these snippets. I look forward to the day I get to join the heavenly choir and no longer have to worry about missing a note or losing my voice.

What are some of your favorite worship songs?

It’s All in the Simmer

I’m not a cook. I don’t like it. I’m not good at it. But there is one category of food where I feel somewhat confident: soups. 

Not complicated cream soups, mind you. I’m talking basic broth soups here. I think a lot of my comfort in this area of cooking goes all the way back to our early married days. Jeff was in law school; I was working at the university in a job that paid little but at least offset that with a large tuition benefit. We were so fortunate then to be involved in a Christian Legal Society student chapter. One year, a student in the year ahead of Jeff had a party at his apartment. When we arrived, I went into the tiny kitchen and saw him opening cans and dumping the contents into a large pot on the stove. I must have thought, “Huh, if he can do that, maybe I can, too.” 

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

I stepped closer and asked what he was making. 

“Soup,” he told me. 

I asked him to show me how. Thus began the first iteration of “Alex’s Soup,” which is still a staple in our wintertime diet. Only I no longer use the canned vegetables. I’ve graduated to the real things. 

Anyway, he showed me how he browned some ground beef, added stock and whatever canned vegetables he had on had. (Did I mention law school? We were so poor, said in my best Anna Delvey voice.) Then, he said, you let it simmer. 

Photo by Marisol Benitez on Unsplash

As the years passed, I got better at figuring out what to add and when. As our grocery budget grew, I learned how to do soup and stew with real veggies. How to season it just a little differently each time. I gained confidence in my ability to cook soup—but it all came down to the simmer. I couldn’t really mess it up. I would put it together and then leave it to do its thing. In other words, I could dump all the ingredients in, read a book, and wa-la! Dinner! 

I’ve come to realize my stories follow much the same process as soup. My brain is the bit pot on the stove. I dumping all kinds of research as well as real life I’ve heard of or experienced. Sometimes I season with one kind of detail; sometimes another. But the key is that after all those things are settled in my brain, I have to let them simmer together to soften the veggies and find the full flavor. 

The characters. The plot. The tension. The conflict. They all come out in the simmer. As I add new ingredients (pieces of information) to the mix, things taste just a little different. I sample it every now and again, see if I can identify something missing and add it. And then simmer a bit more after that. 

When I make a soup dinner, I’m often anxious to get it in the bowl, but I always enjoy it more if I can be patient and let the simmer do its job. The same is true with the stories. Sometimes I’m itching to get something on the page, but if I can pull back, give all that work some time to combine in the fire of my brain before diving in, it usually results in something better. More flavorful. More satisfying. 

I think everyone has things that need to simmer in their heads. Mine is stories. My husband’s is major purchases. For some people it’s conversations or change or even just dreams, before taking the first step. 

So what about you? What thing in your life has to “simmer” before it’s ready? I’d love to know! 

You Can Rest

Have you heard about You Can Rest by Katy Boatman? If you have a preteen girl, they need this book—and keep reading because I’m giving away a copy TODAY!

Preteen girls have lots to be anxious about these days, and Katy Boatman, who has worked with them for 15 years, understands that.

With an authentic voice and mentor mindset, Katy wrote You Can Rest to help young readers calm their hearts and minds by focusing on the one who brings true rest: Jesus. 

Each day is structured with a Bible verse to open, a devotion to ponder, and a prayer to close. With journaling prompts throughout the book, this 100-day devotional helps readers reflect on their everyday anxieties from a biblical perspective, leading to hope in Christ. Topics include: 

IllnessesIsolationFriendshipsSchoolworkAppearanceThe newsThe futureBeing misunderstoodEven falling asleep at night!

Take a peek at the introduction. Katy writes in such a real, personal way.

Packed with grace and truth and sprinkled with humor and delight, You Can Rest shows preteen girls that our worries and fears do not have the final say. Jesus does.

ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF *YOU CAN REST* BY LEAVING A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG BY 7PM CENTRAL TODAY SHARING HOW YOU “REST” IN JESUS. I’LL RANDOMLY CHOOSE A WINNER!

One of my favorite books in the Bible is Deuteronomy. And a favorite verse that helps me “rest” in Jesus is…

The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
(Deuteronomy 33:27)

What about you? How do you rest in Jesus?

Happy Tuesday!

Tammy

How My Writing Journey Began

People are always asking how I became a writer, expecting, I fear, some mystical story. They also ask what inspires me, and tend to look disappointed when I truthfully reply, “The mortgage.”

You see, being a writer is a job like any other. You show up, go to work, and earn a check, which you only earn when your readers buy new books. (Used books don’t count).

But there is a necessary time of training, and not everyone has the patience to endure it.

I never dreamed of being a writer. Never fantasized about writing the Great American Novel, never dreamed of living in a garret and suffering for the sake of my Art. I’m a practical person, more focused on the nuts and bolts of things than the whys and wherefores. But apparently I’ve always had a natural aptitude for words and I’ve always been a reader (which, I’m sure, explains the love of words). So when a trusted friend suggested that I change my college major from music to English, the idea of working with words appealed more than singing for the rest of my life. I’d been doing that, you see, and my voice was tired and my suitcase worn out. Duct tape could only patch things up for so long . . .

So I graduated from college with a degree in English Lit, taught high school English for a year, then worked at a large church writing curriculum. I kept telling myself that when the time was right, I’d quit my job and actually become a writer.

Writing for English class while touring with my college singing group

My husband and I were waiting for children (we adopted ours) when I decided to plunge in. I quit the day job (not recommended unless someone else in your family gets a paycheck) and had stationery and business cards printed: freelance writer for hire. I mailed those cards and a brief letter to every advertising agency and magazine in my mid-sized town, then I was amazed at the responses. A great many business people, apparently, were happy to hire someone to write their letters, brochures, advertising copy, etc. I bought and studied books on how to write effective letters, brochures, and advertising copy, and set about establishing a reputation for being fast and dependable. I figured I might not be the most talented fish in the sea, but at least I could be prompt, professional, and diligent.

And I learned . . . from my employers and from my mistakes.  For five years I worked for magazines and businesses, and I learned as I went along. I relentlessly studied books on the craft of writing. I rewrote and polished and rewrote again. When the children arrived, I tended to them and wrote during nap time.

In 1988, an artist friend and I entered a contest for unpublished children’s book authors. After studying a book on how to write children’s picture books, I wrote a manuscript. A few months later, I learned that out of 500 or so entries, our manuscript won first place–and first prize was publication. If I Had Long, Long Hair became my first book. At the same time, I was writing about my family’s experience with adoption and sold a nonfiction manuscript to a publisher. Those first books gradually moved me out of magazine work and into book publishing–after years of learning and writing and reading and studying.  I am still learning and reading and studying, for each genre requires that a writer adhere to certain requirements.

So when aspiring writers ask me for advice, I tell them to read–a lot. I also advise them to subscribe to Writer’s Market. Study the periodicals market; study book publishers. Find out what they want to buy and concentrate on writing that–-if you want to sell your writing. If you want to write for yourself or for your loved ones, go ahead, write what is on your heart. But if you want to sell, you have to learn how to write professionally. You wouldn’t take out somebody’s appendix without learning how, would you?

Another wonderful place to learn is at a writer’s conference. There are many wonderful conferences around the country and throughout the year. Find one, go, and learn before you try to submit something to a publisher.

My philosophy is that a writer is like a builder–if you know how to use the construction tools and if you are familiar with the blueprints for various jobs/genres, you can master the work and write anything.

But it requires study and basic know-how. If you’re interested, I’ve written a series of lessons designed to help you use certain writing tools. “Writing Lessons from the Front” are available here or online retailers. I’ve even produced a video course you can check out here.

Not everyone is called or wants to work alone, sitting at a keyboard, hour after hour, day after day. But if you are, start learning and keep at it while God opens and closes doors to take you on your writing journey.

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.