Heidi McCahan's Blog, page 9

Eight Things I Learned This Spring

Every season, a writer I respect and admire (Emily P. Freeman) writes a post about things she’s learned or observed, then invites other writers to collectively share their posts, as well. I’m a goal-setter, a self-reflecter, a tracker-of-progress kinda girl, so this opportunity always appeals to me…then I get nervous and chicken out, becoming a lurker instead of a participant. But yesterday Emily sent an email reminding us it was time to share, and her explanation of why she keeps her lists of what she learned resonated with me:

“Maybe you are in a season where what you thought you knew for sure is beginning to shift.

Maybe “shift” is too gentle a word for where you are right now – instead it feels more like a tsunami has washed all of your for sures completely out of your vocabulary.

Or maybe you are living your regular life today much the same as you were yesterday, but a year from now you don’t want to forget who you are, where you are, and what you’re learning.”

Good stuff, yes? Click over to Emily’s lovely corner of the internet and read her post, then visit a few new friends’ posts, take all that inspirational goodness you’re feeling, and share your own thoughts with us. Here’s what I’ve learned this spring:

1. I can take a break from social media and the world keeps on turning. It’s true. Recently I experienced some vertigo-like symptoms, and the dizziness increased the longer I scrolled through social media feeds. So I stepped away from the internet world. A brief respite from the mindless scrolling wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The break was refreshing, actually. Real life keeps happening whether I document it online or not. While being a writer requires an online presence, I learned that I use social media as a time waster,  or a way to escape reality. Then when I re-enter normal life, I’m overstimulated and grumpy. That’s not something I’m proud of, and I’d like to make a change. So I’ve deleted Facebook from my phone and limited my overall social media time to 30 minutes a day. Instagram is by far my happy place. If it’s yours, too, I’d love to connect with you there.

2. Voxer Terrifies Me. My {extroverted} writer friends have mentioned their affection for Voxer, the walkie-talkie messenger app, several times. I can’t even. Just the idea makes me curl up the in fetal position with my blankie.

3. I’m all about the low-key ‘coasters. Splash Mountain? Not so much. We made a quick stop at Magic Kingdom, our second visit as a family, but this was the first time our youngest could really participate. The boys and Steve started their day at Space Mountain. I people-watched. They did convince me to try Splash Mountain. Oy.  I won’t let that happen again. The combination of the dark tunnels, the unexpected dips and turns… no, thank you. I think I’ll stick with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, pictured here. It’s just right for a big chicken like me.

4. Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo is the best. My stylist introduced me to this product last year and it is a game-changer for my morning routine. Washing my hair every day is not good for my hair, and it’s labor-intensive. Ain’t nobody got time for that. But the oily, bedraggled look isn’t appealing, either. Then Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo walked into my life, and all is right with the world. Smells good, easy to use, and lets me go a day between washing/blow-drying.

5. Coloring makes me happy. At first I scoffed at the adult coloring book craze. Until I remembered how much I LOVED to color as a child. It’s still fun as a grown-up, too. A great way to brainstorm about the novel I’m working on, or keep my hands busy while listening to a podcast, and I feel like it relieves stress, too.

6. Friendships are difficult sometimes, and we’re not alone in our struggles. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Lisa-Jo Baker’s new book, Never Unfriended. I’ve been blessed with several wonderful friends over the years, and continue to value those relationships more with each new season of life. Let’s be honest, genuine connection with other women is hard. Perplexing. Sometimes painful. I’ve certainly experienced a handful of friendships falling apart, which seems to impact future relationships, as well. Occasionally I’ve retreated into isolation, discouraged and paralyzed by negative self-talk. If you can relate to anything I’m writing here, maybe this book is for you. It’s also available as a Bible Study, exploring how our relationship with Jesus is the authentic model for earthly friendships. More details about that here.

7. Disney cruises live up to the hype. We made an impulsive, somewhat last-minute decision to hop on our first Disney cruise. I’m so glad we did. It was a fantastic three-day getaway that ended much too soon. The customer service, attention to detail, entertainment, the food, Castaway Cay…I could go on and on. It’s a family vacation we’ll always remember. Our kids are growing up so fast, and Steve and I are grateful we ‘unplugged’ from the noise and chaos of real life and spent a weekend creating these memories with the boys.

8. Waiting is excruciating, yet God is ALWAYS faithful. Despite our pretty pictures and wonderful memories of our Disney vacation, this picture also summarizes what the last year of our daily life has felt like. Trudging through a storm, head down, more ‘bad’ weather blowing through the canyon…it is hard to press on and wait for the Lord to act. We humans pretty much stink at that. Yet God is always, always faithful. He has stretched us. Our faith in His goodness has grown exponentially in our struggles. We’ve railed against His timing, begged for relief from the uncertainty … yet He’s heaped blessing upon blessing upon us. No, the hard things aren’t all gone. I’m positive there’s more challenges ahead. But He remains by our side through it all, because He is a good, good Father.

Thank you for stopping by, friends. I hope you’ve learned something. Again, I encourage you to hop on over to Emily’s place and share your own post there.

Photo credit: Toby Mac, Heidi Blankenship, Mari Pi, Tim Tiedemann

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Great Beach Reads

With Memorial Day just ahead, officially kicking off the summer season, it’s time for booknerdigans everywhere to daydream about what we’re going to read. I’m linking up with The Broke and the Bookish and sharing my top 10 beach reads. These are books I’ve eagerly anticipated because I’m fond of the author’s work, and/or I’m simply drawn to the cover design because it seems like the perfect book to enjoy at the beach or beside the pool.

*Before We Were Yours is probably not a lighthearted read, based on the description, yet Lisa Wingate is a master storyteller and I read everything she writes. I’m sure the ‘weighty’ subject matter will make for an intense reading experience.

Your turn: Which books are you excited to read this summer? Share in the comments. I’m always looking for suggestions. Happy reading!

beach photo credit: Mink Mingle via Unsplash

Guess What? Love Flies In is Free All Weekend. Tell Your Friends.

Love Flies In, originally released in the summer of 2015, is FREE all weekend. Whoop! Whoop!

Part of the brainstorming and creative process for me involves making up a past for the characters, which influences their actions on the pages of the story. As my writing has improved and I’ve finished more manuscripts, my creative process has shifted, so my ‘interviews’ with my fictional friends have evolved a bit. But these character interviews are still an essential component because they help me craft a novel with believable characters and provide the reading audience with a little taste of what’s to come in the story line.

Here’s a mini Q & A with Chase Binford, the novella’s hero. Enjoy!

Name: Chase Binford

Where are you from? I’m originally from Anchorage, Alaska but I’m planning to relocate to Emerald Cove, Alaska. My cousin is selling his cabin there and I’d love to buy it. We spent a lot of time there when I was growing up and it’s the perfect location to settle down and hopefully raise a family.

Occupation: Seaplane pilot

Ambition in life: My best friend and I are launching a charter flight service in Emerald Cove. We offer whale-spotting trips, sightseeing tours of the most beautiful coastline in the world and charter service to remote locations.

Best thing that’s happened to you: growing up in a loving family and becoming a pilot.

Worst thing that’s happened to you: My brother and I tried a short stint on the mission field. It wasn’t anything like I expected and I ended up coming home.

Earliest childhood memory: walking beside the lake in Anchorage with my parents and watching the seaplanes take off.

Favorite quote or verse: I have too many favorites to pick one. I don’t like to fail. At all. Since I’m trying to start something new right now, I’m focused on a verse from the book of Isaiah. ‘See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.’ (Isaiah 43:19 NIV)

What makes you laugh? A good clean joke … Occasionally Will Ferrell movies … Tisha McDowell’s witty banter.

 

Back Cover blurb: Southern belle turned sea kayaking guide Tisha McDowell is determined to buy her friends’ lakeside cabin and make Emerald Cove, Alaska her permanent home. Until sea plane pilot, Chase Binford, sets his sights on the same cabin. Now the race is on. She has a history of mocking his beliefs. He knows the heartache of falling for an unbeliever.

Will the woman who ridiculed his faith finally win his heart?

Thanks for stopping by, friends. I hope you love Chase and Tisha’s story. You’ll see Tisha and Cami again, by the way. Harlequin Love Inspired will release The Farmer’s Daughter in 2018, which is set in North Carolina and features one of Tisha and Cami’s older sisters, Natalie. Stay tuned for more details as that story moves closer to production.

For now, you can download Love Flies In here. It’s free until May 22nd. If you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, it’s available there, as well.

Happy weekend!

Five Minute Friday: Mom

In a world that measures success in number of subscribers, ‘likes’ and heart emojis, motherhood offers handmade gifts we will treasure for a lifetime.

In a culture that places a premium on ‘self’, motherhood calls us to put the needs of our children before our own (sometimes) selfish desires.

When the magazines in the grocery store aisles glorify flawless physical appearances, God’s Word tells us to focus on cultivating our children’s hearts.

As a mother of three, I’ve listened to rambling updates on Minecraft, Roblox, and various XBox 360 gaming achievements, cleaned up more than my fair share of bathroom floors, helped assemble a bazillion Lego creations, and driven countless miles in the car. In a world constantly proclaiming that I deserve to be happy and satisfied, (as well as the one who gets the last word), motherhood consistently teaches me to be humble. To be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. {James 1:19}

While I confess I’m still tempted to chase after what the world values, this Mother’s Day and in the days to come, I hope I can appreciate the priceless, abundant gifts that reside within the walls of my own home.

As an author, I certainly strive to sell a lot of books, crave the admiration of a fan base, and dream of winning prestigious awards, yet motherhood has taught me that the best job I’ve ever had is being three people’s Mom.

Thanks for stopping by. If you’re a mother, I hope you have a blessed Mother’s Day. If your mom no longer walks this earth, I’m sending virtual hugs and chocolate.

This post is a part of Five Minute Friday, where we write for five minutes (or more) on a common prompt. Curious? Click over here for more details and an option to share your blog post with this fantastic community of creative souls.

Photo credit: Meg Nielson via Unsplash

Five Minute Friday: Sing

Can you sing?

I can’t. I’m capable of producing sound from my vocal chords, and in my head I sound like Lauren Daigle , but I’m fairly certain that’s a misperception on my part. As a recovering perfectionist, I rarely sing outside of the shower. We almost always have music playing at home and in the car. Sometimes I will hum along to the radio, but if someone comments, I clamp my mouth shut. In church, I almost always stood next to my parents during worship, who both sing beautifully. Now I’m married to a gifted singer so it’s easy to let his beautiful voice drown out my own. Worship isn’t about me, anyway.

But the prideful, fallen side of me still wants it to be.

I want to make a joyful noise unto the Lord and I want it to sound perfect.

Thankfully, in His infinite wisdom, God blessed me with other talents and abilities. Writing is by far a more satisfying endeavor. It is definitely my passion. The creative outlet that makes my heart, well, sing.

Have you ever wanted to achieve a goal, win a race, or master a new hobby? Yet no matter how hard you tried, you missed the mark every time?  I’m writing a novel now about a disillusioned songwriter who wants to write a chart-topping hit and change the world with his art, but he can’t even get more than 1,000 people to watch his YouTube videos, much less get his work in front of a recording artist.

Maybe, just maybe, he’s creating for the wrong reasons. Striving for the applause of a fickle audience that will never bring him the satisfaction he craves.

I can’t wait to see what my new fictional friend (and I) learn on this journey together.

Your turn: what comes to mind when you hear the word ‘sing’ ?? Pop on over to KateMotaung.com and share your thoughts. Every Friday this wonderful community of creative souls writes for 5 minutes-unscripted-about a particular prompt. Feel free to jump in, blog what’s on your heart, then link up your post. Visiting other posts and leaving a comment is a great way to make new friends, too.

Blessings!

 

Photo credit: Jason Rosewell via Unsplash

Failure: Unpopular Notion or Life-Changing Opportunity?

Failure: the dreaded outcome of a challenging endeavor. An undesirable finish to a grueling race. The absence of merit. To put it in fancy Merriam-Webster terminology, “the nonperformance of something due, required, or expected; a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency; a condition of being bankrupt by reason of insolvency.”

To put it bluntly, failure isn’t an acceptable outcome in our society. In a nation of winners, we don’t do ‘failure’.

Yet not one of us will leave this earth without encountering failure. Some more frequently than others. If it’s part of the human condition, why are we all so loathe to accept it?

This is the theme I’ve set out to examine in the novel I’m currently writing, Love’s Sweet Melody. It’s about a baker who can’t really bake all that well, but she’s determined to succeed, because the death of her bakery means the death of her late parents’ legacy. Failure isn’t an option. Enter a handsome, All-American hero who thinks he can only be a barista, yet secretly is a fantastic baker. To make matters even more interesting, he desperately wants to change the world by writing a chart-topping country song. Somehow he keeps coming up short, in life and in love. Failure is the outcome he fears most.

The sweet, light-hearted nature of an inspirational romance juxtaposed with grittier concepts such as fear of failure and imminent death of our greatest dreams both excites and terrifies me. One minute, I’m cheering mentally because this is going to be sooo fun to write. The next minute, I’m procrastinating like crazy and wasting away my best hours of productivity scrolling through Instagram.

Apparently I’m afraid of failure, too. Much like my heroine, who can’t make a macaron to save her life, I’m worried what exploring this theme will reveal about my own shortcomings.

But maybe, just maybe, this is the joy of the journey. Much like the story of Joseph, who had intimate encounters with failure and rejection on many fronts, perhaps the Lord uses even these perceived slights and ‘insufficiencies’ as part of His sovereign plan.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. — Genesis 50:20 NIV

I’m watching The Masters golf tournament on television this weekend. The stakes are high. Winner takes home not only the much coveted green jacket and a place in the halls of sports history, but a huge financial payout, as well. Sergio Garcia, playing in his 19th Masters and 70th consecutive major event, is still chasing that elusive victory. As I thought about what to write in this post, his perspective in an interview resonated with me. “…I think I’m working on trying to accept things which can happen here and can happen anywhere. It’s part of golf. It’s not easy. It’s much easier to say than to do. But that’s the challenge we always have, you know, making sure that you accept the bad moments or the bad breaks with the good ones, and kind of move on.”

Wise words from someone who has lived the heartache of falling short numerous times. A seasoned veteran in this game of life has enough experience to know that good can come from bad. There are blessings in the midst of hard failures. I hope this is the journey I can plot for my new fictional friends, the baker and the barista/songwriter, and in the process, make it a life-giving truth I absorb for my real life, as well.

May your endeavors, whatever their outcome, be sweet, my friends.

Your turn: if you’re feeling brave, tell me about a time failure brought a sweet outcome you never anticipated but are now grateful for.

Cover Reveal: Lara Whatley’s Frozen Flames

Hi, bookworms!

My friend Lara Whatley is revealing the cover for Frozen Flames today. Check out the blurb for this intriguing YA sci-fi/fantasy set in Toronto.

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Blurb:

Lexi would give anything to have those minutes back—the minutes when she’d stood inside the fence, waiting for the clock to tick down on that stupid dare. If she hadn’t stayed—hadn’t gone in the first place—she wouldn’t be in this mess. 
 
But she had, and she was. And now things were different. 
 
Very different. 
 
When you wake up one day with a whole range of new abilities, life gets interesting quick. You can fly, disappear, and shoot deadly flames from your finger tips. Suddenly, being an orphan who’s forced to live at your high school seems like no big deal. Now your biggest worry is that people have started to notice. And they won’t seem to leave you alone. 
 
For Lexi, navigating this new world is no easy task. Can she control her abilities? Whom can she trust? Has she said goodbye to ‘normal’ forever?

Frozen Flames releases June 1, 2017. Click here to add it to your want-to-read shelf on Goodreads.

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Born and raised in the rolling horse country of southern Ontario, Lara Whatley has always had a passion for reading. As soon as she could, she was writing short stories, and then her first novel. She published her debut novel in 2014, and is continuing to pursue her passion. When not writing or reading, Lara can be found in the great outdoors with her two dogs and imagination.

Connect with Lara:

Website: http://larawhatley.com
Twitter: @LaraEwrites
Facebook: http://facebook.com/thelastpages/


Congratulations, Lara. I look forward to reading Frozen Flames.

Five Minute Friday: Safe

Happy Friday! This is the day writers write for five minutes on one word, unscripted, then share their posts here. Whether you’re a veteran at this blogging thing, or writing your very first post today, all are welcome to join this warm and caring community.

Today’s word: safe

We’re six weeks in to 2017 and there’s a good chance we’ve encountered surprises. Unexpected twists and turns. Circumstances, events, choices we hadn’t anticipated.

Options we’d rather not have to consider.

Or maybe 2017 is off to a smashing start and the opportunities are astounding. The blessings abundant. Maybe you can’t even believe how great life is right now…

And you’re wondering when it’s all going to go south again. Holding your breath. Digging your nails into your palms, just waiting for something hard to leap up and rattle your confidence.

Here’s to sailing your ship, anyway. Even if the water looks choppy. Or it’s smooth as glass and you don’t want to mess up a good thing.

Here’s to looking toward the horizon with excitement for all God has in store for you, instead of clinging to the safety and comfort of your harbor.

“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” -Psalm 112:7 (NIV)

 

quote: William G.T. Shedd

photo credit: Alin Meceanu

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Blog Post…

Hi, friends!

I did not participate in Five Minute Friday today because:

A. We are traveling back from Great Wolf Lodge and I’m so water-logged and exhausted I can barely speak in coherent sentences. And also…

B. Harlequin invited me to share my Call Story over at So You Think You Can Write. #yesplease! I’ve only been waiting since forever to write and share that blog post.

If you’d like to read more about my long, twisty road to publication, you can find that post here.

Have a great weekend.

Five Minute Friday: Control

Happy Friday! Today we write, for five minutes–unscripted–on one word. This is a warm and welcoming community, so feel free to jump in and join us. There’s a lot of talented writers linking up their blog posts and I’m often moved by what they write. Click here for more details.

Ready…set…go!

When I saw today’s prompt, I laughed. Control. Well of course I’m going to write about that. I’m a control f-r-e-a-k.

Yes, I’m well-aware that control is just an illusion.

Doesn’t stop me from wanting it. Craving the illusion that I’ve got it all figured out. If only God would move and act and do on my timing, everything would be perfect.

Then my stomach’s coiled in knots and everything in my life feels like it’s coming at me much too fast and I find myself cleaning my house like royalty is coming for dinner. (Does anyone else do that? Clean things they wouldn’t normally clean when they feel stressed?)

That’s usually when I throw my hands up in the air and whisper a humble prayer. Okay. I got it. I’m not in control. To be perfectly honest, it’s also in this moment that I acknowledge it’s a good thing I’m not the ruler of the universe.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” -Isaiah 55:8 (ESV)