The Container Store Gift Card Contest Is . . .
May 31, 2007
. . . over. But I’ve not yet picked a winner.
Thank you to everyone who sent me tips. I have scads to go through and sort.
And I want to clear something up, just in case there was a bit of confusion. I replied to most of you to say thanks for sending me the tip. Every tip I received will run on the blog, and I’ll do my bestest to let you know ahead of time what day your tip will run.
So stay tuned! The winner will be announced at some time in June. How’s that for vague?
Teresa Slack’s Evidence of Grace
May 30, 2007
Today we’re talking with Teresa Slack who’s latest book Evidence of Grace is releasing in June.
SB: Teresa, tell us what your latest book is about.
TS: Evidence of Grace is the third book in the Jenna’s Creek Novels Series. I don’t want to give too much away for readers just starting books one and two. Suffice it to say, new evidence surfaces in the murder of Sally Blake. The guilty party may be hiding more secrets about that night or may not have acted alone in the murder. Christy Blackwood has vowed never to speak to her mother again after finding out the secrets of her past. But now Christy is home and hiding some secrets of her own.
SB: What were some of the challenges in writing the book?
TS: Evidence of Grace is probably the hardest book to write so far in my career. I had so many story lines going on at one time, I had to make sure I gave each one ample billing. I also wanted to make sure the reader cared strongly about each story line. It was a challenging book to write, but also a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. Of course, I always say that after a book is finished. While I’m writing it, it’s a pain and I wonder why I ever started it in the first place.
SB: Have you ever started writing a book you haven’t been able to finish?
TS: Not since I started writing full time. You put too much of yourself into a project to walk away from it when it gets tough. No one would do that in any other line of work. If you did, you would lose all your clients.
SB: How many more books do you see in the Jenna’s Creek Series?
TS: At least five. I think that’s a nice round number. But it all depends on how well the folks of Jenna’s Creek, Ohio, deal with me intruding on their lives every so often.
SB: What are the challenges in writing a series and a stand-alone book?
TS: The challenge in a series is keeping each new installment fresh and interesting. I have to be careful too, about giving too much back story. I don’t want to lose readers who haven’t read the previous books, but I can’t bore readers who’ve been with me since the beginning. A stand-alone book is fun because I can write the story and then walk away. That’s also the downfall. I don’t know how many people told me they are anxious to read the sequel to A Tender Reed.
SB: Are you planning a sequel to that book?
TS: No, that story is finished. But I’m flattered that readers were reluctant to let the story go. I’m happy the characters had such a hold on them.
SB: Are there any more series in your writing future?
TS: I am currently working on a short romance that will be paired in a book with a romance by award-winning novelist Molly Noble Bull.
SB: What’s the most exciting thing that’s happened to you since you became a published author?
TS: The greatest thing has been meeting with readers. I’ve done a lot of traveling to get the word out about the books, and everyone has been great. It’s wonderful to hear that the books are having a positive impact in people’s lives. That’s the most gratifying thing for a writer.
SB: On Fridays here, we talk about routines that help us organize our lives. Do you have any routines that help you in your writing?
TS: I’m dedicated about getting up at 6:15 every morning. I start my day with prayer and an exercise routine. If I don’t, it seems like the whole day gets frittered away with very little to show for it.
SB: What would you do if you weren’t writing?
TS: That’s a question I don’t really have an answer for since I truly feel called to write and blessed that I’m able to pursue it full time. I am naturally good with small children, so I suppose I would enjoy teaching at an early grade level. Or maybe I could become a nuclear physicist! I wonder if you need any special training for that.
SB: Do you have any words of encouragement for peole who dream of writing for publication?
TS: Everywhere I go, someone asks me the formula for getting published. It’s like losing weight. I’m sorry to say there isn’t a twelve-step program to success. We all know what to do; it’s just having the discipline to stick with it. Dedicate yourself to sitting in the chair and writing your story. Then polish and make it absolutely perfect. That includes typos and coffee stains. No editor want to see a messy manuscript on her desk. Last but not least, don’t give up I am living proof that an unagented, first-time novelist can find a traditional publisher. It isn’t easy or fast. But it is possible. Just keep writing.
You can read Teresa’s blog Joy in the Journey or visit her webpage.
Scale for Sale
May 29, 2007
No, it’s not what you think (even though I did gain a bit).
I despise my new scale because the pound lines are too close together for me to see what exact pound I’m on. When I weigh myself, the best I can tell is that I’m somewhere in a four pound range, and I don’t like that. Seeing if I’ve lost a pound (or half a pound — I’ll take anything!) motivates me to keep going and ignore the chocolate chip cookies I baked last night. (Someone tell me why I baked cookies at 8 o’clock last night?)
So I’m seriously thinking about splurging and getting one of those digital scales, although I did have one years ago that was never accurate. Really. When you lose and then gain twenty or so pounds in the space of ten seconds, you know the problem isn’t you!
Any brands I should check out? Let me know what you love about your scale, if that’s humanly possible.
Interview with Annette Smith
May 29, 2007
One of the books I’m giving away this month is Annette Smith’s latest novel A Bigger Life. Here’s the back cover copy.
Joel Carpenter’s life was never supposed to turn out this way. But after making a careless choice four years ago, his marriage was permanently shattered. Living in a small town deep in the heart of Texas, he now finds himself estranged from his ex-wife, Kari, and sharing custody of their son.
Just when Joel thinks the worst is behind him, he realizes he is facing his greatest challenge yet. And in the midst of deep tragedy, Joel is learning that forgiveness is way more important than freedom. Hopefully it’s not too late.
SB: Is A Bigger Life the first in a series?
AS: A Crooked Path is my next novel and it’s due to release in September or October. Like A Bigger Life, this book is set in Eden Plain, Texas. However, it has a totally different set of characters and a completely new theme. A Crooked Path is the story of Manny, a Mexican laborer. It deals with racism and class issues and how they affect relationships.
SB: Sounds good, Annette. How did you come up with your main character Joel in A Bigger Life? What did you do to get the male voice right?
AS: Two years ago, at my young daughter’s urging that I do something about my hair, I made an appointment with her new stylist. Almost as soon as I sat down in his chair, Paul began to tell me his story. He was the father of a three-year-old son, a child whose mother had been killed in a hit and run only two months before. As Paul told me poignant bits and pieces of his story, I was blown away by his voice and his honesty. He was broken, yet devoid of self pity, surviving with the help of friends, many of whom were single dads.
Leaving the salon that day, I could not get Paul’s voice out of my head. When I arrived home, I began to write A Bigger Life. Since that day, Paul and I have become friends. While in no way a factual account of his life — this is a work of fiction — his voice and his spirit are on every page.
As for writing in the male voice, I seem to have an especially sensitive ear for the subtle nuances of how people talk. I love to eavesdrop on people’s conversations in public places. Strangers tend to tell me their stories. I’d much rather listen than talk. When I was writing A Bigger Life, I would picture my friend Paul saying the things my character, Joel, was saying. That helped to keep the male voice accurate. I also had a couple of male readers who caught things that didn’t ring true.
SB: It sure worked!
It was eye-opening seeing the dads’ viewpoints as fathers who only had their kids on weekends, etc., and one of the dads, who was quite broken up that he wouldn’t be able to raise his own daughter, really moved me. What made you want to take on this aspect of the story?
AS: Again, getting to know Paul and listening to him interact with his friends opened up a new world to me. Here’s the deal. I’m a mainstream, white bread, church-going, middle-aged woman. I grew up in an intact family. I’ve been married to my college sweetheart for 28 years. My two children are university graduates enjoying stable marriages. The world of single parenthood, especially young, single fatherhood, was not one I knew. However, as I grew to know and love Paul, I developed a deep level of respects as well as a certain level of understanding for men in this situation. Their world fascinates me. At the same time, it breaks my heart. I believe it is my love and compassion for my character, Joel, that makes this book so real.
SB: When you’re not living with your characters, you’re a hospice nurse, a wife, and a mom. What do you like to do when you need a breather from it all?
AS: Music, nature, and the company of good friends does it for me. Music calms and energizes. My tastes are quite eclectic but the good stuff always elevates my mood. So does nature. I live in a gorgeous part of Texas. Even a few quiet minutes spent sitting on my front porch looking at the trees and listening to the birds fills my soul. I have an assortment of wonderful friends. There are few things I enjoy more than sharing a long lunch or an afternoon of conversation with one of them.
SB: I’m relaxed just thinking about it.
On Fridays here, we focus on taking segments of our life and finding ways to create routines for them that make our work easier. What’s the best tip you have that’s helped some area of your life?
AS: For me, the key is the process of learning to be true to myself. It’s so easy to get caught up in meeting others’ expectations. My best tip is to live with intention. My goal is to continuously decide what is important to me and my family and arrange my life in ways that promote those things. I try to value people more than things. Always. My desire is to live life fully, but I try to keep a wee bit of margin in the area of time, energy, and money. I am at my worst when I am too too rushed, or too broke.
SB: Good advice, Annette. Anything you’d like to add?
AS: Thanks so very much for the opportunity to chat. Been fun!
Mary DeMuth, another author we’ve interviewed here, says “A Bigger Life is a touching look at authentic people grappling with complicated choices and painful circumstances. If you enjoy modern Southern drama with well-drawn characters and a beckoning plot, pick up this book.”
Well said, Mary. You can visit Annette’s web site and blog at www.annettesmithbooks.com.
Stop the Presses!
May 28, 2007
Really. I mean it. Enough already, okay? Stop printing so many books. I can’t keep up!
(Unless you’re an editor interested in publishing my book. We’ll make an exception.)
Deborah tagged me last week regarding books read, books I’m going to read, etc. The picture is the stack of books I have that I have yet to read. Some I’m reading for review or contests, some for fun, and one for June’s bookclub. But the book stack is getting bigger each week it seems, and as much as I never thought I’d say it, no more books, puhlease! At least, not until I get through these.
So here are the questions.
What are the next five books on your to-be-read list?
- As I Have Loved You — Nikki Arana (I forgot to add that one to the stack!)
- The Potluck Club — Trouble’s Brewing– Linda Evans Shepherd/Eva Marie Everson
- In the Shade of the Jacaranda — Nikki Arana (didn’t realize I had two by her)
- A Portrait of Marguerite – Kate Lloyd
- Watching the Tree Limbs – Mary DeMuth
What are the last four books you read?
- Fame — Karen Kingsbury (this was for May’s book club; I’d already read it once)
- When the Heart Cries – Cindy Woodsmall
- Snitch — Rene Gutteridge
- Split Ends – Kristen Billerbeck
What are the last three books you borrowed?
- Homestead from my friend Judy
- Like Dandelion Dust from my friend Julie (boy, I need to get that one back to her!)
- Duty and Desire from my library (man, they want that one back, too)
What are the last two non-fiction books you read?
- The Bible
- Does Little House on the Prairie count? I just read that to my daughter.
What’s the one book you wish everyone would read?
Other than mine?
I really love Francine Rivers’ A Voice in the Wind. It’s so rich, so similar to modern America, so full of lessons, and yet so fascinating and gripping. Maybe some day I’ll be fortunate enough to write half as well as Francine does!
And that’s it. I’m supposed to tag 5 others, but if you’re reading this (and you know if you are — and so does God), I tag you to let me know either on your blog or just in the comments section.
I’ve toyed a few times with showing you a picture of my To Be Read List, but I don’t have it printed out. Let’s just say it’s four Excel pages, single spaced, 10 point font.
See what I mean? Stop the presses!
Glass Road 4-Book Giveaway — And the Winner Is . . .
May 25, 2007
For those of you who showed up to see my summer schedule, I apologize. The Glass Road book giveaway has taken up today’s post so we’ll postpone that until next Friday.
But we do have a winner. My husband took a moment from his video game playing to pull a name from the “hat,” and he pulled out . . . Kerri!
So, congrats, Kerri. You win all four books — Fair Game, Veil of Fire, Gone with the Groom, and Bygones. I’ll send your snail mail on to Glass Road, and they will mail the books to you.
I hope you all enjoyed hearing about the books. Just more to add to the To Be Read list, isn’t it?
Speaking of To Be Read lists, I got tagged about that. Come back Monday for something I never thought I’d say.
Thanks for playing, everyone! Remember to leave a comment through the end of May for a shot at Crime and Clutter or A Bigger Life.
Snitch Reviewed
May 25, 2007
I was going to add this to the end of the CFBA post, but the formatting there was weird and wouldn’t let me.
I just finished reading Snitch, and I loved it! Rene Gutteridge just has a way with comedy. The book was full of one-liners and smart-aleck comments that had me laughing out loud. I’d read the first book in the series, Scoop, but Snitch tops it. If you need a relaxing, funny read any time soon, Snitch is it.
I love the tagline for this series — Old School meets New School meets Homeschool — and that defines the book and series so well. There’s not one person who is the star but a whole ensemble cast of zany, unique people. The series is somewhat centered around the homeschooled Hazard family and one of those children in their adult jobs. Hence the series title The Occupational Hazards. Clever, huh?
And there’s one character who’s really old school about his job, a younger one who bucks the old way of doing things, and then a Hazard family member who represents the home school. And for those of you who homeschool and wonder if that’s made fun of here, it’s not. The Hazards are a unique family, but what makes them different from everyone else is their honesty and simple faith in God, something we should all emulate.
Snitch is about a group of undercover cops. If you’ve ever wanted to go undercover (and even if you didn’t, like me!), this book takes you there. And it’s a pretty comical ride as this, um, unique group of people work to bring down an auto-theft ring. The plot and the crime kept twisting and turning, and I kept flying through the pages to see how everything would come together.
And now that I’m done, I’m kinda sad. Rene, please send Jesse on another undercover assignment soon, okay? I could always use more laughs.
Snitch (The Occupational Hazards Series) by Rene Gutteridge
May 25, 2007
(The Occupational Hazards)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rene Gutteridge is the author of several novels, including Ghost Writer (Bethany House Publishers) The Boo Series (WaterBrook Press) and the Storm Series, (Tyndale House Publishers. She will release three novels in 2006: Storm Surge (Tyndale) My Life as a Doormat (WestBow Press, Women of Faith)Occupational Hazards Book #1: Scoop (WaterBrook Press).
She has also been published over thirty times as a playwright, best known for her Christian comedy sketches. She studied screenwriting under a Mass Communications degree, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Oklahoma City University, and earned the “Excellence in Mass Communication” award. She served as the full-time Director of Drama for First United Methodist Church for five years before leaving to stay home and write. She enjoys instructing at writer’s conferences and in college classrooms. She lives with her husband, Sean, a musician, and their children in Oklahoma City.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Old School meets New School meets Homeschool
Just shy of retirement and a well-earned pension, Las Vegas Police Department Sergeant Ron Yeager’s definition of “active duty” involves shifting his bad leg into a more comfortable position. But when he’s requested from his mind-numbing desk job to head an undercover auto theft task force, the former narcotics officer determines to prove he’s still got the right stuff.
That is…until he meets his unlikely team of officers.
As Yeager soon finds out, not all the crazies are on the street. An undercover rookie, the audaciously honest Mackenzie “Mack” Hazard sends Yeager’s blood pressure skyrocketing by wearing her faith like an ever-present badge. Then there’s Jesse Lunden, a maverick undercover officer who refuses to learn anything from an old guy with a cane. Can this tangle of egos and eccentrics be trained into a lean, mean, crime-fighting machine…even while they are being drawn into something much bigger and more dangerous than anyone imagined?
In her trademark style, Rene Gutteridge blends zany, original characters, sincere faith, and surprising plot twists into one hilariously addictive read.
“Snitch is an engaging crime novel, balanced between sheer whimsy and genuine human drama.”
….CHRIS WELL, author of Tribulation House
“A wonderful, fully developed ensemble cast makes Snitch an entertaining, engaging read. Rene’s flair for a comedic, well-turned phrase shines here. Snitch is worth snatching.”
Glass Road 4-Book Giveaway — Fair Game
May 24, 2007
We’re continuing with Glass Road week. Glass Road is a publicity firm that focuses solely on Christian fiction, and this week I get to help them publicize four of their authors’ recent releases.
You could win all four titles. Here’s how.
Leave a comment on today’s post, and on Friday I will pick a name and announce the winner of the 4-book package. Also, if you blog, spread the word on your blog and link back here. E-mail me [sallybradleywrites AT gmail DOT com] your blog post doing that, and I’ll enter your name twice in the drawing. Let’s spread the word about these new releases!
Today’s post is Fair Game by Carol Cox.
Dinah Mayhew couldn’t foresee the mystery and danger that would soon enter her life when she became a file clerk for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Neither could Seth Howell, the man whose eyes reflect a romantic interest mirrored in Dinah’s heart.
But the arrival of Dinah’s cousin could be the frost on their romantic bloom.
Cousin Gladys is on the prowl for love and she’s looking in all the wrong places. Upon her sudden, inexplicable disappearance, Dinah and Seth begin searching for answers, only to find themselves trapped in a maze of secrecy and deception. Will they live to expose the truth or find themselves facing the point of no return?
Praise for Carol Cox and A Ticket to Tomorrow, book one in the series:
“Carol Cox is one of my very favorite authors . . . a wonderful blend of historical suspense and romance . . . and a setting so vivid I could breath in the scent of Lake Michigan. Ms. Cox owns the genre!” — Colleen Coble, best-selling author of Alaska Twilight
” . . . a book you don’t want to miss . . . vibrant, memorable characters and a poignant message of forgiveness. Well done!” — Judith Miller, author of First Dawn and Morning Sky
Carol Cox is a native of Arizona whose time is devoted to being a pastor’s wife, mom to her grown son, and a home-school teacher to her young daughter. She also serves as church pianist and youth worker. She is involved in her local historical society and plans to write more historical inspirational romance in which her goals are to encourage Christian readers with entertaining and uplifting stories and to pique the interest of non-Christians who might read her novels.
Sally Says: Can I just add that I’m stinkin’ eager to read this series? First of all, it’s set in Chitown, my favoritest city in the world! So cool. Course the time frame is a over a hundred years ago, but I love the history of Chicago — it’s fascinating.
Also, I don’t think Chicago’s hosted anything this big since the 1893 World’s Fair. And now we’re the U.S. choice for the 2016 Olympics. So I’m curious to read this and see if this fair might be part of the reason we haven’t hosted any international events in several generations and if maybe we shouldn’t do it again. Just kidding! (Sort of.)
- Tomorrow — and the winner is . . .
Glass Road 4-Book Giveaway — Veil of Fire
May 23, 2007
We’re continuing with Glass Road week. Glass Road is a publicity firm that focuses solely on Christian fiction, and this week I get to help them publicize four of their authors’ recent releases.
You could win all four titles. Here’s how.
Leave a comment on today’s post, and on Friday I will pick a name and announce the winner of the 4-book package. Also, if you blog, feel free to spread the word on your blog and link back here. E-mail me [sallybradleywrites AT gmail DOT com] your blog post doing that, and I’ll enter your name twice in the drawing. Let’s spread the word about these new releases!
Today’s post is Veil of Fire by Marlo Schalesky.
Hinckley, Minnesota is going up in flames and a mysterious “being” sets up camp at the edge of town in Marlo Schalesky’s Veil of Fire. Coping with the loss of loved ones and belongings is hard enough, but Hinckley citizens are also encountering a monster. Or is it a ghost? Something didn’t burn up in the fire and Hinckley folks aren’t quite sure if that’s a good thing or bad.
Marlo Schalesky uses the facts from the worst firestorm in Minnesota history — the fire of 1894 — as the backdrop for Veil of Fire. Her lyrical prose is woven deftly into the harsh reality of a fire that consumed 400 square miles and killed 418 people in just four hours. Hinckley of today still isn’t sure what or who the monster was that the fire left behind. Perhaps, though, Schalesky’s story can solve that mystery once and for all.
Schalesky is the author of four books and a regular columnist for Power for Living. She has been published in Focus on the Family, Decision, Moody Magazine, Today’s Christian Woman, Discipleship Journal, and others. In addition, she was named 2001 Writer of the Year at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference.
Fiction book clubs and reader groups may contact Schalesky and schedule a time and date to interact via Internet or conference call. Downloadable reader’s guides are available at www.cookministries.com, and a separate “Bring an Author to Your Book Club” internet page is available at www.cookministries.com/readthis.
- Tomorrow, Fair Game by Carol Cox
Update on the Lifespan of Our New Scale
May 22, 2007
I’m down two pounds.
I guess the scale can stay another week.
Glass Road 4-Book Giveaway–Bygones
May 22, 2007
Today we’re continuing with Glass Road week. Glass Road is a publicity firm that focuses solely on Christian fiction, and this week I get to help them publicize four of their authors’ recent releases.
You could win all four titles. Here’s how.
Leave a comment on today’s post, and on Friday I will pick a name and announce the winner of the 4-book package. Also, if you blog, feel free to spread the word on your blog and link back here. E-mail me [sallybradleywrites AT gmail DOT com] your blog post doing that, and I’ll enter your name twice in the drawing. Let’s spread the word about these new releases!
Today’s post is Bygones by Kim Vogel Sawyer.
After being shunned by her parents for marrying someone outside the Mennonite community, widow Marie Koeppler left her childhood home and never looked back. It was too painful. Now, nearly twenty-five years later, she’s stunned to see her former beau walk through the doors of the truck stop where she waitresses. He brings unexpected news.
Marie’s aunt has died, and to everyone’s surprise, she’s left her house, belongings, and cafe to Beth, Marie’s daughter. But there’s one catch. To receive her inheritance, Beth must come and live within the Mennonite community for a period of no less than three months. Beth determines to live there so she can pay her mother back for all the sacrifices Marie made for her growing up.
Marie returns with Beth to help her adapt to the Mennonite lifestyle and finds more than her lost beau waiting for her. It isn’t long before she finds herself wanting to remain. Beth, however, finds herself living under a shadow of suspicion when homes are broken into and antiques are stolen. Loyal to he daughter, yet missing the simplistic lifestyle, Marie is once again faced with a heart-wrenching decision.
Kim Vogel Sawyer has written two novellas for Heartsong Presents and the popular novel Waiting for Summers Return. She writes gentle stories of hope, offering her readers encouragement. Bygones is the first book of the Sommerfeld Trilogy.
- Tomorrow, Veil of Fire by Marlo Schalesky
Glass Road 4-Book Giveaway–Gone with the Groom
May 21, 2007
This week is Glass Road PR week. Glass Road is a publicity firm that focuses solely on Christian fiction, and this week I get to help them publicize four of their authors’ recent releases.
You could win all four titles.
Here’s how.
Between Monday and Thursday, I’ll be posting information about the books. Leave a comment on any four of the posts, and on Friday I will pick a name and announce the winner of the 4-book package. Also, if you blog, feel free to spread the word on your blog and link back here. E-mail me [sallybradleywrites AT gmail DOT com] your blog post doing that, and I’ll enter your name twice in the drawing. Let’s spread the word about these new releases!
Today’s book is Gone with the Groom by Janice Thompson.
The best laid plans of brides and men go awry when Annie Peterson’s future son-in-law Scott disappears. Have pre-wedding jitters caused Brandi’s fiance to take flight, or are more sinister forces at work? Annie puts her super-sleuth powers to work, feverishly racing against the wedding day clock to find her daughter’s missing fiance.
Has Scott been silenced by the big pharmaceutical company for which he works? Perhaps his disappearance is the handiwork of Otis, Scott’s sneaky dad. But then again it could be the shady wedding photographer or even a sideshow of the political campaign of Scott’s mother.
Will Annie solve the mystery and recover the missing groom in time for the couple to say their wedding vows? Find out in Gone with the Groom.
Author Janice A. Thompson lives in the Houston area. In 2004, her oldest daughters both received proposals within weeks of each other. The weddings came off without a hitch! Janice has since coordinated weddings for friends and is thrilled to incorporate many of her adventures into her novels.
- Tomorrow, Kim Vogel Sawyer’s Bygones.
Defiant Heart by Tracey Bateman
May 20, 2007
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tracey Bateman lives in Missouri with her husband and four children. Their rural home provides a wonderful atmosphere for a writer’simagination to grow and produce characters, plots, and settings.
In 1994, with three children to raise, she and her husband agreed that she should go to college and earn a degree. In a freshman English class, her love for writing was rekindled, and she wrote a short story that she later turned into a book.
Her college career was cut short with the news of their fourth baby’s impending arrival, but the seeds of hope for a writing career had already taken root. Over the next several years she wrote, exchanged ideas with critique partners, studied the craft of writing, and eventually all the hard work paid off.
She currently has over twenty-five books published in a variety of genres. Tracey Bateman believes completely that God has big plans for his Kids and that all things are possible to anyone who will put their hope and trust in God!
Will Fannie be able to keep her family…and her heart, safe and find a new life on the frontier?Book One of the Westward Hearts series, orphans Fannie Caldwell and her two young siblings have spent the last three years as indentured servants under a cruel master. Desperately wanting a better life for her brother and sister, Fannie devises a plan to secretly join a wagon train heading west.Her plan immediately runs into trouble when the handsome yet bullheaded wagon master Blake Tanner refuses to allow an unmarried woman on the train.
But Fannie’s determined…she’ll escape and go west with or without help!
As life on the trail tests everyone’s endurance and faith, Fannie soon realizes the perils of being a single woman on the frontier. Witnessing Fannie fending off one scare after another, Blake slowly recognizes how much he cares for this alluring young woman.
Will Blake sacrifice his own dreams and guide Fannie to safety?
Or will Fannie’s stubborn independence keep her from finding true love?
Stop Being Perfect Already!
May 18, 2007
I confess. I am a perfectionist.
I do not admit this with feigned humility or follow it by polishing my knuckles against my shirt. Being a perfectionist is not all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it can be downright debilitating.
I’m sure there are perfectionists who actually do things perfect, but I’m not one of them and frankly I don’t know any perfectionists who are perfect. Typically a perfectionist is someone who WANTS everything to be done perfect — but can’t meet their own desires or standards.
See what I mean? Frustrating.
This aspect shows up in our lives in many ways. In college, it showed up as the research paper that freaked me out. Since I didn’t have a clue where to begin, I postponed it until the last possible second.
As a stay-at-home with two small children, it’s manifested itself in frustration that my house DARE get dirty and since it’s going to be a mess no matter how hard I clean, why even bother? There it is, that all or nothing attitude.
For the past year I’ve been telling myself to stop it!
Really, I’ve been on a mission to retrain the way I think. We’ve been told growing up that you have to do things right, that doing things halfway is still all wrong. That’s somewhat true — and somewhat not.
What’s better — a house that’s halfway dusted or a house that isn’t dusted at all? A laundry basket partway folded and put away or neglected all together?
Hm.
I came across this concept in a book that’s helped me get organized, in fact the book I referred to way back in that first Routine Queen post. The book is Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley who is better known as (don’t laugh) Flylady.
Before you roll your eyes and say forget it, think back to all the tricks and techniques and routines we’ve been talking about. If any of them have worked for you, then you’ve been doing a bit of Flylady yourself.
And Flylady is the one who showed me that those of us who aren’t Born Organized (BO) aren’t necessarily lazy but are perfectionists who are easily distracted or haven’t a clue where to begin.
Boy, that’s me all over the place.
I look at the cluttered living room and think, I have to clean this whole thing? Why bother when it’ll just get trashed in a day? I stand in my walk-in closet, items ready to pop from the shelves and think, Where do I begin?
Sound familiar?
It’s that perfectionist in us. What if we retrained ourselves to stop thinking, How will I get this all done, and start thinking, I can do part of this in the next 15 minutes or half hour.
Thinking that second way creates interesting results in your home. You do less housework while your house gets cleaner. Really. You know exactly where things are when you need them. Shocking. And your regular chores like laundry and cleaning the kitchen become less time-consuming because you’re keeping up with them.
No kidding.
My goal this summer is to Flylady my house, to go through each room, to organize, throw stuff out, sell it on E-Bay (cha-ching), and cement my routines to the point where I no longer see dirt.
You heard me. No. More. Dirt.
It’s possible. I was close last summer before my routines went bye-bye. And it happened because I let go of my perfectionism.
Instead of staring in frustration at a dirty frig, I picked one day a week to spend 5 minutes cleaning out my frig.
Instead of letting bills and paper and clutter pile up, I spent 15 minutes tops and honestly usually less putting away things that had piled up.
Instead of waking up to a messy kitchen, I spent less than 15 minutes before bed cleaning up any last items in my kitchen and getting my sink to shine.
If you want to make a change in your house, if you’re tired of people popping in when your house is at its worst, go get Sink Reflections.
Now.
Even if you’ve done the e-mails and they haven’t worked for you. They didn’t work for me, either. But the book is a different story. It makes you personalize and own the system. It’s an investment you’ll never regret. I sure don’t.
My goal between today and next Friday is to get my summer routines down on paper. If I do, I’ll share them with you and show you how a few routines and minutes a day will make a drastic difference that everyone in your house will notice!
But if I only get half of my summer routines down, that’s okay, too. I can finish the rest later.