Cara C. Putman's Blog, page 106

Doing the Work of Weeding

Our yard suffered with us spending last summer in Germany. Neighbors did an AMAZING job keeping the front yard alive during a drought, but the backyard became infested with weeds. Weeds like I’ve never seen.

That means this summer, I’ve spent pockets of time outside yanking weeds out by as much root as I can. Monday night we had a great rain, so Tuesday I was outside pulling a small mountain of dandelions and other, unnamed weeds. (The pile is really more impressive than the photo shows)

It was a hot process. My back began to ache. I even got a little sweaty — amazing considering it wasn’t quite seventy degrees outside. And for every weed I pulled, ten waited. I’d make a little progress and then look around and wonder what I’d accomplished.

It made me think about faith. I have pockets of sin. Areas of character that blemish an otherwise green field. If I leave the sin in place, it grows, the roots go deeper, and it pushes out the Christ-like areas in my life. If I ignore them, before long my life is covered in sin.

But when I’m willing to do the work, God comes alongside me. His Spirit gives me the strength and courage to keep pulling just one more weed. Life may be a process of pulling one more weed, but I believe it will reveal more of Christ each time.

So let’s look for those times when conditions are ripe. The grounds wet, the tools are at hand, and let’s dig deeper into Christ so we can yank out the roots of sin and self. Anyone want to join me?

What do we do when life changes…unexpectedly?

[image error]Thursday I started orientation at Purdue for the Weekend MBA program. Talk about a curveball or plot twist that I didn’t anticipate even five weeks ago. It’s a change that I started looking into toward the end of June, and by July 5th it was beginning to look like it might happen, but it wasn’t until we got back from North Carolina that I realized “Hey, I’m really going back to school.”

Do you ever have those times in life when you can see God’s invisible hand? It seems counter intuitive, doesn’t it? How can you see something that is unseen? I’m sure most of the actors in this little drama would never imagine they were being used by Him.

Yet as I kept praying and evaluating, it became clear He was directing this step. How? First, Eric and I were in agreement when it came down to whether I should join the program. Let’s face it: our life is crazy, busy, erratic, and only getting more so. But the more I explored and prayed, it became crystal clear to both of us that this was the right time and the right place. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to move one step beyond or behind God. So for Eric and I to be in agreement on this type of life change and committment was critical to me.

Second, He’d replanted the idea that maybe I should start considering a MBA again in my mind. Years ago, right out of undergrad when I was trying to decide what to do for grad school, a MBA competed with a law degree until I learned I’d have to wait and take the GRE or GMAT. I’d already done well on the LSAT and I really wanted to go the law school direction. About five years ago when it became clear I would teach more than one class in the graduate management programs at Purdue, I looked at it, but the timing and price just didn’t make sense. By May of this year, my teaching load was increasing enough that the idea began to tickle that maybe I should explore it again, but life was too busy to do more than think about it.

Third, my mentor at Purdue suggested I consider it. Then he worked to open some doors to make it possible. He followed up with others and me even as his life is taking him many different directions. And the Weekend MBA folks made it clear there was a place for me and they’d do what they could to make it possible.

Now I’ve live through the first weekend of classes, around 35 more weekends to go. I loved it. I’m exhausted, but the challenge of being in the classroom and learning with others is invigorating.

So many times in my life, this process has happened. Step by step God engages me with a thought and then opens the doors even when I’m not sure how it will all work. This process is an act of obedience for me. I have a couple loose ideas about how I could use a MBA…I have the sense I’ll know for sure in about ten years.

How have you seen God work in your life? Does He use a similar process or a different one?

Recipe for Romance Fun

In my Rainbow’s End novellas, Love’s Prize, I have the hero popping over to the heroine’s condo for many meals. The hero Colton Ryan, heroine Reagan Graham and her brother Scott spend the summer participating in a geo-caching competition. One thing Reagan doesn’t know about the hero is that Colton loves to cook. So he steals every opportunity he can to turn her condo into his culinary headquarters…after all cooking for one is no fun.

One of his favorite recipes is omelets. Who doesn’t love a good omelet when they’re going to spend the day hiking around the Ozarks. Here’s his recipe:

Throw in the Kitchen Sink Omelets

Start with a couple eggs and a tablespoon of water. Beat until well combined. Pour into a lightly greased skillet – he likes to use butter.

Top the eggs with grated cheese, sliced ham or turkey, chop up mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers and add to the mix. Basically look through your kitchen and pull out anything that’s edible and orphaned.

Flip with a flair that’s sure to impress the girl. Fold over and slide onto her plate. Save the jalapeños unless it’s just the boys….she might thank you with a kiss.

Behind the Scenes: A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island

I often start my books by thinking about a setting that I think readers will enjoy escaping to through the pages of a book. A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island was no exception.

I didn’t grow up aware of Mackinac Island. I wasn’t even sure what I was getting into the first time we drove the ten hours from Lafayette, Indiana, to the tip of Michigan’s mitten. I knew is it took a long time to reach this tiny dot on the map. It didn’t take me long to learn the island had worked hard to preserve a feel of days long ago. It took even less time to fall in love with this retreat. We’ve stayed at the Grand, in B & Bs and in Mackinaw City. Each time, I couldn’t wait to reach the island and explore its roads, shops, and Fort. It was only natural that it became the perfect place to set a contemporary romance. 

 The island is a little over 8 miles in diameter. Bike shops dot the town from the docks to the area near the B & Bs. Each visit, we rent bikes. The trips stay the same, the number of bikes grow.  In the beginning it was two adult bikes with a burley cart. In July, we had three adult bikes, a burley cart, and a tandem attached to my bike. What doesn’t change is the way I relax as we circle the island, listening to the waves. Or the way I push to complete the loop in an hour so we don’t have to pay more for rental. Maybe next time we’ll take our own bikes and our time. Another thing Mackinac Island is known for is its fudge.  As I evaluated what elements to add to the story, fudge had to be part of it. The island has many fudge shops. Yummy!  One problem came as I incorporated fudge into my story…a key event in the mystery occurs there. My Facebook friends helped me come up with the perfect name for my fudge shop: I’m Not Sharing. And once you’ve walked into a shop, smelled the sweet scents and tasted a free sample, you’ll agree…the fudge is too good to share!

A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island:  Join attorney Alanna Stone as she returns home despite her determination to never set foot on Mackinac Island again. Once again in close proximity to Jonathan Covington, her first love, she vows to protect her privacy and her heart from the man who still makes her pulse race. But when her  worst fears are realized and history repeats itself—landing her in the midst of a murder investigation—Jonathan may be her only hope. Will they be able to lay aside the past and let God heal their hearts, or will reconciliation come too late?  Read the first chapter here.

Transformationally Loving God

Some big changes are coming in my life. Good changes. God changes. But with change, there’s always a sense of seeking God. What does He have for me in this new season? How does He want to use me? How does He want me to grow and mature?

One thing that is crystallizing in my heart and soul is that I don’t want to lose a passionate love for Jesus in the busy-i-ness that is coming. Life is already hurried and frantic. I keep waiting for its pace to ease…and it doesn’t.

Instead one more major thing is getting added on while other smaller things accumulate, too. I’m shifting a few things off…while others can’t be shifted… they can only be managed.

Does anybody else live there? Please assure me I’m not alone.

This do-it-all momma is weary…and that’s why the gift of God’s peace and assurance I’m right where He wants me is a comfort and a balm. My heart’s cry is to live in the center of His will. Yet a growing siren-song of my heart is to love Him completely, absolutely, transformationally…yes, even radically. To have His love so transform my heart and life that I radiate Him. That people look at me, yet don’t see me. They are drawn to His light and love in my heart.

Join me on this journey? Can we explore what that looks like in coming weeks?

A Fresh Round of Reviews: More Great Fiction! & Giveaway

Fantastic Classic Mystery with a British Accent

The first Drew Farthering book has me longing for the next…immediately. I am a huge fan of classic black & white murder mysteries like the Thin Man series of movies. Rules of Murder made me think of those, only with the British accent of a Maisie Dobbs mystery. I ADORED it. And I don’t state that lightly.

Drew Farthering is a British playboy in search of a purpose. The purpose flops in his lap as two people are murdered at his country estate on one night. As he investigates he gets help from his sidekick Nick and an American gal who has come to visit her uncle, his stepfather. There’s corporate espionage, murder, mayhem, and an attempt to break all ten of the rules for not solving a murder. I loved the romance — the interplay between Drew and Madeline was wonderful if occasionally over the top as the last murder unfolds.

This book gets five solid stars from me. Bring on the next Drew Farthering mystery. The sooner the better!

 Charming Southern Romance of Finding Yourself

First off, can I admit I adore this cover? I want this gal’s dress… Okay, back to Undeniably Yours!

Meg Cole is in desperate need of some peace. She’s been thrust into a role as an oil heiress that she doesn’t want. If her father hadn’t died unexpectedly, she could have continued to live her life as an art museum administrator. Instead, she’s suddenly expected to run an oil empire she doesn’t care about. But one man, Bo Porter, is a source of calm in a sea of turmoil. Only problem is she gave him six months to shut down the thoroughbred racehorse farm her father owned. Throw in unexpected house guests, a search for someone she doens’t want to find, and a hunt to find herself, and this story is as richly layered as it is charming. At its essence, it is all about being willing to listen to God and become the person He wants us to be. If that includes a man who is the peaceful eddy in your whitewater life, then all the better.

This romance has layers of mystery, but it takes a strong third seat to the romance and spiritual thread. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the characters. The romance was ideal, the attraction zinged. And I can’t wait to read more Becky Wade books now.

Historical Romance with a Twist of Steampunk Fun

Millie’s Treasure is the second in Kathleen Y’Barbo’s Secret Lives of Will Tucker series.  She calls it historical with a twist of steampunk, and that steampunk element comes through in this sotry because the hero Kyle Russell is an inventor as well as a Pinkerton agent. His inventions and workroom are wonders I’d love to see.

Millie Cope is a heroine I wanted to scoop up and protect. She’s learned that the best way to get along with a difficult father is to disappear into the background and say as little as possible. The problem is she is brilliant and wants so much to escape and become the person she could be that she’s willing to mary Sir William Trueck. Kyle has been tasked with uncovering a rumored Confederate treasure and arrives in Memphis on his way to test an invention. The two meet by chance and he is enchanted. Millie begins to realize she is settling and plots a way out, all the while searching for a family treasure that has disappeared.

I read the early parts of this book as the author wrote them and couldn’t wait to dive into the finished book. I wasn’t disappointed. I loved the interplay between Millie and Kyle. She befuddles him and challenges him as he shows her more is possible. When their minds tackle a problem, they are unstoppable. And through the story, there are strong overlays of faith, though it does not overrun the romance. I can’t say that I’ve ever read a book with Steampunk layers to it, but I thoroughly enjoyed slipping into what could have been possible, even as the historian in me kept thinking not possible. This book is perfect for those who enjoy a well-crafted historical romance with threads of more.

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3 Tips for Creating Quirky Characters

I don’t know about you, but characters often make or break a story for me.  As a writer, I try to remember what makes some characters and their stories more compelling for me than others.  Here are a few tips I try to keep in mind as I write based on the characters that I love to read about again and again.

1)   Give your characters a few quirks.

 Quirks are those things that we all have – whether we acknowledge them – that make us unique. It might be a penchant for constantly getting into trouble ala Anne of Green Gables, the girl who made lots of mistakes but tried to only make the same ones once. Or it might be a foilable like fighting the need to control EVERYTHING in our lives.

2)   Put those characters into a situation that will force them to do the one thing they promised to never do.

In A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island, the heroine Alanna Stone has promised never to return to her home on Mackinac Island. Yet the opening pages of the book find her on her way there. She doesn’t want to go…at all…but for family…something that matters so much to her…at least on the outside…now she’s returning. Yet as the book progresses, she’s confronted with the reality that something she said mattered to her really didn’t.  Haven’t we all been there. All vowed that something mattered deeply, but the reality of our lives said differently. And it’s in the confronting those things that our characters (and we) are changed. We can relate to that journey…and if the journey is properly crafted, the reader will follow the character through all levels of difficulty to see if she will succeed.

3)   Give each character virtue and vice.

So often we think the villain should wear an entirely black hat and the hero an all white hat. Yet that isn’t reality. Even the most hardened criminal has a grandmother he would drop anything to serve. Or the hero has a blind spot to an area that is less than heroic in his life.

While I’d like to think I lead a blameless life, I know that isn’t truth. Most readers are the same. Give us a balance of virtue and vice. Let us watch each character struggle with the realities of who they really are in contrast to who they want to be. Somewhere in there you will create a character that we want to watch grow and thrive.

I can think of books that weren’t necessarily works of art or compelling, but I read them because I came to care deeply for the characters. That’s what I want to create for my readers. How about you? What makes a character compelling or unique? Someone you want to read about?

Whispers of Hope for Those Worn Ragged by Life

“What a beautiful book !  So readable, the pages practically turned themselves.  Ragged Hope is filled with stories; written for those who are weary, worn and wounded.  It offers each of us exactly that—hope that God can do a mighty work even with those of us who carry the ugliest of scars.” — Debbie Macomber, #1 NYT bestselling author

Cynthia Ruchti is a writing friend of mine, and I know her to live a life laced with grace and hope. She’s also a woman who exudes Christ. Her fiction is great (You Must Read When the Morning Glory Blooms), but I’m not the best non-fiction reader. I honestly signed up for the blog tour because I wanted to support her. I should have known I’d be swept into this book that looks at life crises and how to respond, both as the person experiencing the crisis and as a friend who wants to help but doesn’t know how.

Ragged Hope is filled with short vignettes — 26 stories of the way life disappoints, doesn’t live up to expectations — and ways people have found hope in those terrible turns of destiny. Each story is written with an emotion and immediacy that took me deep into its folds. Then each ends with questions to reflect on and best of all suggestions for how to minister to those we may know walking each jagged, ragged journey. As someone who often wants to help, but frequently isn’t sure how to do so meaningfully, this was worth the book on its own.

This is a book that will whisper hope to the broken. It will restore hope to the bruised. It will renew hope in those who long to sip its refreshing waters.

 

Where do we find hope when it’s clouded by the ashes of other people’s choices?

What do you do when your life is affected by someone else’s choices? Where is God when you are doing everything right yet, because of someone else, everything is wrong? This insightful and hope-giving guide will comfort, support, and encourage you through whatever situation you must face.

Cynthia Ruchti, who has walked this road herself and has spoken to hundreds of people through her radio show, assures readers that God is ever present and offers unwavering love. There is hope, grace, and a future in every situation—even (and especially) those we did not cause but now live. Vetted by professional counselors and caregivers, this is the one guide you need to thrive no matter what you are facing.

Purchase a copy here.

CYNTHIA RUCHTI

Cynthia Ruchti has more than three decades of radio broadcast experience with “Heartbeat of the Home” radio and currently serves as Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers. Find Cynthia on the Web at www.cynthiaruchti.com.

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Ragged Hope by Cynthia Ruchti | $200 Visa Cash Card “Hope” Giveaway, Facebook Party and Blog Tour

Fun book for tween girls

Book Three in the Adventures of Lily Lapp series. Co-written with Mary Kinsinger.

Lily Lapp’s family has settled into their new home in Pennsylvania, but life still holds big changes and big steps for Lily. Good changes, like once again living close to her beloved cousin and best friend, Hannah. Bad changes, like a mean girl who plays tricks on her. And no change at all where Lily would most want one–Aaron Yoder sits near her in school and relentlessly teases her. Surprises are in store for Lily as she learns, with Mama and Papa’s help, to manage the ups and downs of growing up Amish.

The third of four charming novels that chronicle the gentle way of the Amish through the eyes of a young girl, A Big Year for Lily gives children ages 8-12 a fascinating glimpse into the life of the Amish–and lots of fun and laughter along the way. It combines Mary Ann Kinsinger’s real-life stories of growing up Amish and the bestselling writing of Amish fiction and nonfiction author Suzanne Woods Fisher. With charming line drawings in each book, this series captures the hearts of readers young and old.

Purchase a copy here.

Learn more about the series, play games and download the coloring sheets at the Lily website.

{MORE ABOUT SUZANNE WOODS FISHER}

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Inn at Eagle Hill series, Lancaster County Secrets series, and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including “Amish Peace.” She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children’s series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. For more information, please visit suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher. Get Amish proverbs delivered right to your mobile device! Download the Free App! http://bit.ly/10Tygyi

Find out more about Suzanne at http://suzannewoodsfisher.com/.

Suzanne is celebrating the release of the latest Lily Lapp release with a giveaway extravaganza! 

One winner will receive:

An iPad Adventure Pack (includes a fun stand and an art kit)

Twelve winners will receive:

Special prizes specially picked by Lily (something new each day)! Suzanne will announce the winners on July 29 on her blog!

Rosemary Cottage Deserves it’s spot on the USAToday Bestseller’s List

Colleen Coble’s latest book Rosemary Cottage has launched out of the stores, landing her on the USAToday bestseller’s list for the first time! As someone who has read her books since the Rock Harbor series, I am thrilled to see her succeed. And this story is a fun one — one my daughter and I equally enjoyed.

Set on Hope Beach, a fictional location along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I was drawn back into the setting with the characters I came to enjoy in Tidewater Inn. This book is a multi-layered mystery with a wonderful blend of romance. Amy Lange has returned to Rosemary Cottage to mourn the death of her brother. Curtis Ireland still isn’t over the death of his sister. The two connect over Curtis’ niece Raine. They determine to get to the bottom of what happened and twists keep pitting them against each other even as they are drawn together.

This book kept me guessing even as I anticipated some of the twists. My daughter was absolutely convinced I could never anticipate everything that would happen. She was right — though I did unwind more of it than she did! I love a book that keeps me guessing. I enjoy books with a satisfying romance. Put the two together, and I am a very happy reader. This book is perfect for those who love romantic mysteries.

Best-selling author Colleen Coble’s novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

Amy came to Rosemary Cottage to grieve, to heal, maybe even find love. But there’s a deadly undertow of secrets around Hope Island….

The charming Rosemary Cottage on the beach offers Amy Lange respite she needs to mourn her brother, Ben. She’s even thinking of moving her midwife practice to the Outer Banks community. It’s always been a refuge for her and her family. She also wants to investigate Ben’s disappearance at sea. Everyone blames a surfing accident, but Amy has reason to wonder.

Coast Guard officer Curtis Ireland has lost a sibling too. His sister, Gina, was run down by a boat, leaving him to raise her infant daughter. If anyone knew who little Raine’s father was, Curtis could lose his beloved niece. Yet he can’t help being drawn to Hope Beach’s new midwife, Amy. He even agrees to help her investigate what happened to both Ben and Gina.

Can two grieving people with secrets find healing on beautiful Hope Island? Or will their quest for truth set them at odds with each other…and with those who will go to any length to keep hidden things hidden?

Purchase a copy here.

Learn more at Colleen’s website.