To Nurture & Inspire
Here are a half dozen of my favourite places to hang out online …
Compel Training for Christian writers and speakers
The Creative Penn for writers
PicMonkey and Pixabay for creating memes, headers, and graphics of all descriptions
Toby Mac’s YouTube Channel for encouragement, motivation, and a reason to chair dance
And, of course, there’s Facebook, but if you know me at all, that goes without saying. (grin)
I know I’ve shared this song before, but it seems appropriate since my hubby and I had a mini vacation Sunday and Monday at Niagara-on-the-Lake to celebrate our 34th anniversary. Sometimes you need to take the time to just breathe.
Each week I love spending time with Rhonda Rhea and a number of other wonderful ladies on Facebook, chatting about Rhonda’s books. Right now we’re learning how to “espresso our faith.” You’re welcome to join us for Faith-Pump Fridays even if you don’t have the book.
Online chats. Audiobooks. Podcasts. Physical books. These have all motivated me this past week.
I’m also motivated by participating in challenges such as A Round of Words in 80 Days. ROWers share their writing, editing, and other goals and encourage one another to keep moving forward. Continue reading “Motivation Found”
Oh, I have lots of motivation … on paper. Just take a look at my newest To Do List titled “Do It Already.” But I’ve been weary. In fact, I spent much of Friday sleeping. The heat maybe? (For all of you who live near the equator and are productive … KUDOS! I have no idea how you do it.)
I did get a fair amount done, including crossing some things off my Procrastination List (YAY!), and I got hooked on online teaching and audiobooks.
Although I don’t care for horror, Stephen King’s book On Writing is as one of the best on the subject, so say many industry professionals. I listened to the 7+-hour reading by King himself. He has a unique perspective on many areas of the craft of writing and I learned some new things. Plus, he shares much of his own story, and being relationship-driven, this drew me in. (If you’ve heard Stephen King give an interview, you won’t be surprised that the book includes some “language.”)
Have you listened to any good books lately?
Unanswered questions … I have many. Even so, I choose to focus on what is beautiful.
I hope you enjoy Dan Bremnes, “Beautiful.”
In lieu of a ROW80 check-in this week, I offer this encouragement …
My heart goes out to those who are hurting as a result of the devastating events that were in the news this past week.
I can’t help but think of Matthew 9:35-36, which says, “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (emphasis mine)
Personally, I had no reason to be in a funk for part of the week, but I was. But so many had overwhelming reasons to throw up their hands and declare, “I give up.”
We desperately need the Good Shepherd. And when the evil threatens to immobilize us, we must keep walkin’.
This past week I chose a new profile picture. (Thanks to Belinda Burston for snapping this shot of Brenda J. Wood and me at Write Canada.) I also chose a new tagline, “To Nurture & Inspire.” I’m excited about the prospects.
And here we are on Day 1 of Round 3 of A Round of Words in 80 Days.
How does my new tagline apply to this new round?
To all the dads who pop by for a visit today …
These are the goals I set at the beginning of Round 2 of A Round of Words in 80 Days. I’ve revamped them (as always happens) … and I’m okay with that.
~ share a verse or brief passage with readers each Sunday (I have often done so.)
Sandra Orchard’s best book to date. Seriously!
How do you write a lighthearted yet engaging and surprising mystery? I don’t know the answer, but Sandra does. Kudos!
Art theft. Murder. Blackmail. The mob. Authentic characters. Family dinners. And just a hint of romance. You’ll find it all within the pages of A Fool & His Monet.
Award-winning author Susan May Warren calls it “laugh out loud funny” and mystery author Lorena McCourtney advises readers to “be ready for a mind-spinning adventure.” I second both of these observations. Continue reading “A Fool & His Monet”
It is my privilege to be a member of author Cathy West’s street team. I am currently reading—and loving—her newest novel, The Things We Knew. Cathy graciously agreed to visit with us today.
Thanks so much for coming by, Cathy. First off, what inspired you to write The Things We Knew?
CW: I love big family dramas and knew that was something I wanted to do. I don’t know now how the exact story came about; the first version was written about five years ago! Generally, I end up writing the type of story I like to read.
This story is set in Nantucket. Why did you choose this location?
CW: Living on an island myself, I thought I would enjoy using that kind of setting for a book. Turns out the setting ended up playing an even bigger part than I’d imagined, as the weather, the state of the house, everything sort of fell into place to contribute to the overall strength of the story. I also liked that Nantucket is fairly small. So it was easy to research without actually having been there.
