Songdove Books Newsletter: New Year's Edition
Happy New Year!!!
It is now time for my post-Christmas/New Year's thoughts.
The week between Christmas and New Year's is typically a time of reflection for me. This is the time when, at some point during this week, two things will happen: I'll hit a low point, the body's physical let down after a hyped-up month of activity, and within a day or two, the contemplative reflection will start. While December was a busy month in more ways than just the book front, I don't know how this week will go. I've deliberately been attempting a slower pace this winter due to personal health issues affecting my adrenal/endocryn system and all it's myriad of offshoots throughout the body. So I'm not sure if the usual yearly low will hit this year or not.
Yearly reflections typically consist of looking over how the past year went, with it's highs and lows, it's successes and failures, and looking forward to the New Year. As I look into the New Year, sometimes I can see what's coming down the pipe, other times the horizon is hidden by a fog preventing me from seeing more than a couple weeks into the future. Last year around this time, I saw as far as my two teenagers graduating High School. This year, so far as I can tell, I can't see much past the book launch in February. In January, my oldest teenager will have his 20th birthday. That's a bit of a shocker to be honest. . .
The book launch is going to see me crawl out of three comfort zones/outlooks on life. The first is my incredible dislike for public speaking. That night I'll be doing book readings at three different intervals AND participating in the door prizes and Grand Prize! The second is my general inattentiveness to anything happening in the fashion world. Suddenly I have a fashion consultant on board who will be working with me to ensure that models on the runway display clothing styles appropriate to the message of my book! The third is going out of my way to visit craft fairs this Fall in order to set up a bazaar for the book launch! Me, who normally has no real interest in anything crafty, talking to crafters, admiring their work, and inviting them to sell their wares at my event! I suppose you could say I've been crawling out of that "comfort zone" for the past two months already.
Writing books can do some pretty strange things to authors, I tell you! I don't know what's ahead for sustainable income. Anyone reading this newsletter is invited to pray over that front. I don't know what the coming year entails with my health. My source of my natural health regimen may not be able to continue providing it much longer, another item for your prayer list. I also don't know what's happening this year for my grown children as they begin to find their way in the world.
The one thing I do know about the coming year, whether I can see what's coming down the pipe or not, is that my God goes before me. He's already there and knows what will happen on my way to every destination I will come to. All He asks is that I trust Him and rest in that trust. This is a lesson that I go through periodically. I confess to my reader that I am going through it again. Each time the lesson is slightly different, with a different focus. Some trust lessons have been financial, others have been relational, and this year, it appears to be a bit of both coupled with my health. Inspite of the concerns I face, the coming year gives me a sense of anticipation. I'm not sure what I'm anticipating, but there's something out there in 2014 that has me looking forward. . . to whatever it is. . . So as long as I keep my eyes on the face of my Unseen Lover, Jesus Christ, and remind myself to rest as I trust Him for my needs, 2014 will be a good year.
What is God showing you as you look out over the vista of a new year?
Here at Songdove Books, life has been a bit on the busy side this December. We've given away three early Christmas gifts in the Google Play Winter Giveaway, with a belated Christmas gift coming up on Sunday, the 29th. Then we have four more drawings before the launch of my next book, "Dressed for Eternity" which debuts February 8th! If you haven't gotten your Google acct email address into the Rafflecopter form yet, you can do it at this link here: We have 12 entries heading into Sunday's draw for this week.
Progress on the book, "Dressed for Eternity" has gone very well. It is very close to being publish-ready. Boxing Day was spent preparing it for ebook status. This book will launch in paperback, PDF, epub, and mobi formats! Pricing is still being worked out. More should be known on that front by the time January's newsletter comes out.
If you live in the Okanagan area, this book will be released on February 8th with a Book Launch Bazaar and Fashion Show! Vendors will feature various items and concepts discussed in the book. Models will strut the runway featuring modest clothing styles in casual, formal, and wedding/bridal categories. There will be book readings, and door prizes. There will even be a mystery Grand Prize! You won't want to miss it. There is some discussion already about doing something similar online for those who don't live in the Okanagan. A couple of the existing vendors are interested, so we'll see how it goes.
I wanted to thank everyone who joined me this past year for the online daily sessions from "Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey". It was amazing as the year progressed, how I'd be going through something, and God would have just the session I needed show up that very day! God's timing for things seriously continues to amaze me. Did this happen for any of you this past year? I'd love to hear your stories.
The series is currently on sale at 10% off over at Createspace.com. Here are each volume's links, and the coupon code: 2MU73RQR.
Createspace.com:
https://www.createspace.com/3672131 Volume One
https://www.createspace.com/3933868 Volume Two
https://www.createspace.com/3958072 Volume Three
https://www.createspace.com/3958097 Volume Four
https://www.createspace.com/3958124 Volume Five
https://www.createspace.com/3960362 Volume Six
https://www.createspace.com/3964570 Leader's Guide
This sale ends January 26th, to coincide with the end of the Google Play Winter Giveaway.
While Christmas may be over, with New Year's Eve just around the corner, another major celebration is rising on the horizon for parents and youth pastors everywhere! I'm referring to High School Graduation! If you are a parent of a graduating teenager, or know a parent of a graduating teenager, or perhaps you know youth pastors of Senior Highs, send them over to Createspace (https://www.createspace.com/4249405 ) this month to use the above coupon code to buy their grad gifts early! Every parent wants to be sure their graduating teenager enters life on the best footing possible. This book contains practical tidbits of advice from a Mother to her teenager, along with verses from Scripture. In addition, there are sample calendars for things like chores, daily devotions, etc. The section on food has a sample grocery list, and the financial section contains a sample budget sheet. It normally sells for a whopping $10 as it is, which I'm told is a steal for a book of this size. But the coupon will make it even more affordable.
Quite a bit of news again this time!
But then, that's what newsletters are for, aren't they? To share all the latest news? Hope you enjoyed this edition of Songdove Book's Newsletter. I pray that 2014 will be a year of blessing, of the Lord's favour on your life, and that you will be able to look back on it saying, "That was the BEST year ever!"
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http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/sign-up-for-songdove-books-newsletter/
PS: For some reason FB isn't letting me choose the position of my images this time round. Hence why they are all full size.
