Orchard of Hope by Ann Gabhart
May 17, 2007
Ann Gabhart
Nothing will be the same after the summer of 1964.Drought has gripped the quiet Kentucky town of Hollyhill, and the town seems as if it is holding its breath–waiting. Jocie Brooke is nervous about starting high school. Her sister Tabitha is experiencing the weariness of waiting for a new baby. Her father David is feeling the timidity of those first steps toward true love. All of these pivotal steps in life are awaiting the Brooke family.Into this cloud of tense anticipation, a black family from Chicago, the Hearndons move here to plant an orchard outside of town. Fresh off the Freedom Train, Myra Hearndon is sensitive to what the color of her skin may mean in a Southern town. Her family will have to contend with more than the dry ground and blazing sun as they try to create their ORCHARD OF HOPE.Jocie finds herself befrending a boy that some townspeople shun. Due to unspoken racial lines in this southern town, the presence of these newcomers sparks a smoldering fire of unrest that will change Hollyhill..and Jocie…forever.In this close-knit community, everything is about to change.
Let this riveting novel take you along to experience unexpected love, new life, and renewed faith amid life’s trials.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Ann H. Gabhart has published a number of adult and young adult novels with several different publishers. The author of The Scent of Lilacs, Ann and her husband live a mile from where she was born in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. She is active in her country church, and her husband sings bass in a southern gospel quartet.
Friday’s post — Stop being perfect already!
When Real Life Turns to Fiction
May 16, 2007
Last week I invited you to a fundraiser/book launch party for Maureen Lang’s book The Oak Leaves.
Here are the details again.
THE OAK LEAVES
By Maureen Lang, Tyndale House Publishers
Talie Ingram’s world is shattered when she discovers a shocking family secret in the 19th century journal of one of her ancestors, Cosima Escott. Only in reading Cosima’s words can Talie make peace with the legacy she’s inherited, and the one she’s passed on to her son.
Where: The Libertyville Civic Center
135 W Church Street
Libertyville, IL 60048
When: Sunday Afternoon
May 20th, 2007
Stop in between 2:30 and 6 pm
Why: To benefit the National Fragile X
Foundation
Coffee, tea and cookies will be served.
The content of this Inspirational novel includes characters with Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic disorder of the brain. Books will be on sale at this event for $13.00 each and all proceeds will go to The National Fragile X Foundation for research and education.
If unable to attend but would like to donate, please send your tax-deductible donation to: The National Fragile X Foundation, PO Box 190488, San Francisco, California 94119-0488
SB: Why did you write The Oak Leaves?
ML: Mostly to bring attention to Fragile X Syndrome and let others share in this life experience. Even though I believe one of the most difficult things in life is to face a serious diagnosis for your child, it was helpful to me to look at how it changed my life — and try to find something good to say about it. At the time of the diagnosis I questioned many things, not the least of which was why a good God would allow this to happen to those He supposedly loves (my husband, my son, my other children, our extended family, myself).
Writing this book helped me to assimilate all the sermons I’ve heard about how God gave us free will in order to teach us to love. Free will brought all kinds of havoc — but without it, we’d all be robots without the faintest idea of what it means to love God or each other. And that would make the world a far different place than one in which we have to face evil and disease.
SB: How much of the novel is true? Did you find a journal and learn that Fragile X had been in your family for generations?
ML: Although Fragile X must have been in my family for at least three generations before it displayed itself in my son, the journal and everything else in The Oak Leaves is pure fiction.
However, like Talie, I had recently found out I was pregnant again when my son was diagnosed. I went through the remainder of my third (and final) pregnancy not knowing whether I would have a healthy baby or another Fragile X child.
SB: What kind of long-term prognosis is typical for a person with Fragile X Syndrome?
ML: Since Fragile X isn’t a degenerative disorder, people with Fragile X have a normal life expectancy — which is both good news and bad. It means at some point they must receive care from someone other than their parents. A typical Fragile X’er with moderate mental impairment will always need some kind of help. My son, being on the low end of the functional spectrum, will always need someone to be responsible for him because he has virtually no language and needs help at every level of personal care. Which is why I tend to be passionate about research!
SB: How does Royboy, the Fragile X child portrayed in The Oak Leaves, compare to your son?
ML: I created Royboy to match my son as closely as possible, because my son is the Fragile X-er I know best. But as portrayed in the book, there are varying degrees of affectedness.
Many Fragile X-ers attain good language skills, can read to a limited degree, and even play some sports. This unfortunately has not been the case for my son. He is considered “low-functioning” on the Fragile X scale.
SB: What lessons did you learn in writing this story? Has it impacted your faith?
ML: I’m thankful that this challenge has deepened my faith. I’ve just finished the sequel The Oak Leaves, and this book addresses some of the things I’ve learned about dealing with a daily challenge — one of the “biggies” being that we’re supposed to strive to be like Christ, and He was a servant. There’s nothing like serving a handicapped child to remind you this is one role God wants us to be in!
SB: How do you hope this book will help others dealing with a serious diagnosis on one of their children?
ML: I hope The Oak Leaves will bring comfort to those who’ve faced a serious diagnosis on a child, to remind them God really does love them despite such an unexpected and serious turn in life. I also hope, for a moment, to take them out of themselves and entertain them by inviting them into another world. That’s why I blended the sad part of Fragile X in with the historical thread. I hope it’s a pleasant diversion.
SB: Obviously it’s demanding to be a wife, mother, and a mom to a special needs child. How do you juggle all that and manage to write, too?
ML: I don’t pretend to be the most organized person in the world, but I’ve learned to prioritize my writing. I write when my boys go off to school, and let other things wait. I tend to do laundry and housecleaning when everyone else is home, treating my writing as my full time job. It helps, although I do get frustrated sometimes because I’d prefer to live a more organized life.
I’m looking forward to this event Sunday. My husband has a softball game during that time period, but I’m hoping to manage a quick drop-in. If you’re in the area, please drop in, too. If you’re not near Chicago, you can still support the National Fragile X Foundation by buying Maureen’s book on their website, www.fragilex.org. The book will not be available there until June.
Tales of Woe from the Scales (Yes, Scales)
May 15, 2007
I bought a new scale this morning. After stepping on it, I’m thinking of taking it back.
For those of you who weren’t here last Tuesday, I’m part of the May Day Weigh Challenge over on Tales from the Scales. So every Tuesday I have to post how I’ve done the past week. For those of you who find that to be too much information, feel free to read other posts.
For those of you who care, I gained a pound this week. I think.
My old scale really did deserve to go into the trash. The glass cover had broken off two or three years ago, taking with it the marker that pointed to the exact pound. I’d drawn a line along the top of the scale so I could see how much I weighed, but that’s even wearing away.
So if I was going to be serious about this getting in shape thing, it really was time for a new scale.
Except that the new scale tells me I weigh 3 pounds more than the other scale.
WHAT??????
If I want to gain 3 to 5 pounds in one day, I can do that at the doctor’s office, thank you, not in my own bathroom! That’s so wrong!
But it seems I have no choice. So I’m trying to get over the evilness of the new scale, count it as my friend (yeah, right), and move forward. Just not forward to the chocolate cupboard.
And I’m actually not frustrated over the one pound weight gain (based on the first scale). I did have a birthday last week and Mother’s Day and received a dark chocolate Dove bar at church so I had a few days of some really good eats. I tried to be careful and not overdo it, did a pretty good job with that, but I’m trying to be realistic — life changes, not deprivation that leads to binges.
And I exercised 3 times last week. Yippee! I still have certain regions of my body that hurt from my Saturday night work out, but that gives me the excuse of claiming that extra pound as muscle since muscle DOES weigh more than fat.
Now I’m off to exercise with a friend. Maybe that’ll aleviate my issues with the scale from the dark side.
Let’s Talk Food!
May 14, 2007
In our house, we love the grill. Most of what we barbecue is beef, like burgers or ribs.But the other day, I saw a marinade that I thought I’d try. It was a McCormick’s Chipotle Pepper pack. Add water and oil and chicken and wah-lah!
I marinated it for about 4 hours, cut up a couple roma tomatoes, a green pepper, an onion, and some of the chicken for kabobs and served it all with sour cream.
Oooooooh, was it good!
There were some extra vegetable pieces so I sauted them and served them with the chicken. Take away the sour cream, and it was a super yummy and healthy meal.
Man, I’m drooling on my laptop. Time to buy more marinade!
Will Do Math for Dessert
May 11, 2007
Last night a friend and I were out walking, and she mentioned a little trick she’s used to teach her kids their letters and numbers.
When dinner is over, they don’t get up from the table. Instead, my friend gets out the flashcards (she doesn’t like the boring flashcards, so she has Barbie flashcards for her daughter), and she quizzes the kids on numbers and letters and things like that. For every card they get right, they get a certain amount of dessert — one Skittle per card or one milisecond of chocolate sauce on the ice cream, etc.
I thought this was a great routine. I know one of her children is not yet in school but is reading a little. So I may have to try this trick with C2 (Child Two) who knows her letters and numbers but can’t identify them by sight. And it gives the kids a motivation for the dessert they’ll probably end up eating anyway.
This is exactly the kind of tips I’m looking for, little routines that make something work fast and work well in your life, whether they have to do with laundry, housework, bills, relationship, education. You name it, I’d like to hear it.
And yes, there’s a prize on the line! A gift card to The Container Store where I could spend about as much time as I can in a bookstore (which is all day).
So email your unique routines to me at sallybradleywrites AT gmail DOT com. I’ll start posting them in June and will announce the winner some time during the month.
8 Random Things
May 10, 2007
Yep, I’ve been tagged. Georgiana and Pam both got me a day apart. I’m probably cheating here, but following are my eight random things about me for both Georgiana and Pam (who might demand satisfaction if I don’t obey orders).
1. I’m a huge baseball fan. My husband (a sportsaholic in his own right) says I’m a bigger fan than him. We’re addicted fans of the White Sox (who can’t hit to save their lives right now).
2. I’ve lived through a tornado and an earthquake. Would be great fodder for a scene in a book someday, but sadly I was too little to remember it.
3. I’ve been to Brazil and fought off the snakes–oh, wait. No fiction here. There were no anacondas. But I did go down one of those ridiculously steep water slides while in Brazil (those slides that are almost vertical and make your stomach get stuck in your esophogaus). And yes, I screamed the whole way down.
4. Man, this is hard. Okay, I almost hung up on my agent the first time he called me. (He doesn’t even know this.) I thought he was a telemarketer and was a milisecond from hanging up when he introduced himself. After that, I was very polite.
5. I love chocolate. Love, love, love chocolate. Particular favorites are hot fudge sundae at Culver’s with double hot fudge (I did say I like chocolate!) and Oberweiss’s Triple Chocolate Shake. Okay, I’m thinking I need to find a recipe with quadruple chocolate in it. Any suggestions?
6. Speaking of chocolate, I have an awesome chocolate chip brownie recipe with chocolate chip cookie dough on top that I’m frequently requested to bring with me when we go to friends’ homes. Not bragging, just saying. After all, I’m following someone else’s recipe! [If you want it, email me -- sallybradleywrites {AT} gmail DOTDOTDOT com. Leave me a tip while you're at it.]
7. I have a screw in my ankle. No “Well, that explains it!” from friends. I do hold power over the comments.
8. Eight of these things? Sheesh. Okay, I really, really, really wanted to marry a guy with a unique last name, something like Wojciechowski or Pierzynski or Ctvrtlik. So of course I marry a Polish guy — who has an English last name from his dad. Oh, well. My friend Maureen says it’s a much better last name for a writer — easier for people to remember.
And speaking of Maureen, make sure you read the post below as well. If you know anyone who has Fragile X syndrome or another genetic disorder, you might want to pass it on to their family.
Whoops, almost forgot. Have to tag eight other people. First, here are the rules.
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Okay, I tag Deborah, Christa, Carolyn, Delia, Robin., CeeCee, Rhonda, and Patricia.
Good gravy, that’s done. I need a nap. You have no idea how tempted I was to tag Georgiana and Pam again!
You’re Invited to a Book Launch Party!
May 10, 2007
On Sunday, May 20th, Maureen Lang is hosting a launch party for her latest release, The Oak Leaves.
The unique thing about this event is that it is also a fundraiser for the National Fragile X Foundation. What is Fragile X? It’s a genetic disorder with varying degrees of functioning levels for the children who are born with it. (Come back next Tuesday to find out more. I’ll have an interview with Maureen then.)
All the proceeds from the sale of the book at the launch party will go to the Foundation. This is a perfect fit for the book since the story deals with this hereditary condition.
If you’re in the Chicago area or feel like hopping in your car, the event will be held at The Libertyville Civic Center, 135 W. Church Street, Libertyville, Illinois, from 2:30 to 6 p.m.
Here’s the back cover copy:
A legacy she never expected. A love that knows no bounds.
Talie Ingram has an ideal life: a successful, devoted husband; a beautiful one-year-old son; and another child on the way. But her world is shattered when she discovers a shocking family secret in the nineteenth century journal of her ancestor Cosima Escott.
Only in reading Cosima’s words can Talie make peace with the legacy she’s inherited and the one she’s passed on to her son.
Ransomed Dreams by Amy Wallace
May 9, 2007
is introducing
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amy Wallace is a member of the CFBA and an avid Blogger. A self-confessed chocoholic, this freelance writer is a graduate of the Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy and serves as the liaison for the training division of the county police department. Amy is a contributing author of God Answers Moms’ Prayers, God Allows U-Turns for Teens, Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Diabetes, and A Cup of Comfort for Expectant Mothers. She lives in Georgia with her husband and three daughters.
Drama. Tragedy. Thriller. Romance. Can these four actually go together? Amy Wallace’s meaty first book of the Defenders of Hope Series, RANSOMED DREAMS, has successfully united these genres.
It is one of those books that after you read a little and put it down, the desire to see what will happen next is so strong that it will occupy your thoughts, compelling you to make the time to finish. But watch out! It is best consumed where no one will hear you cry because, if you have children, it will hit you like a stab in the gut and wrench you with a twist of the knife.
Although the subject at first depresses, the characters are so real and likable that you need to see what will become of them.
This book will NOT bore you.
BACK COVER COPY:
Chained To Yesterday
When tragedy struck and Gracie Lang lost everything, her faith crumbled, and nothing but the drive for justice propelled her forward. But after two years of dead-end searching, the truth Gracie seeks is the very thing her stalker will stop at nothing to hide.
Forgiveness Unlocks the Future
An FBI agent in the Crimes Against Children Unit, Steven Kessler spends his days rescuing other people’s children and nights caring for his son. He’s through with God, embittered by his ex-wife who abandoned them both, and definitely doesn’t expect what’s coming next.
The Past Is the Key
A plot to kidnap a British ambassador’s daughter dangerously intersects Steven and Gracie’s worlds–a collision that demands a decision. But are they willing to pay the high ransom required to redeem dreams and reignite hope?
ENDORSEMENTS:
Steeped in police intrigue and rich characters, Ransomed Dreams entertains, educates, and captivates. Amy Wallace is a fresh, vibrant voice in the Christian market~Mark Mynheir, Homicide Detective and Author of The Void
Ransomed Dreams had me hooked from the start and didn’t let go until the deeply satisfying ending.
~Kristin Billerbeck, Author of What a Girl Wants
- Leave an organizational tip for a chance to win a Container Store gift card.
- Leave a comment for a chance to win Annette Smith’s A Bigger Life or Cyndy Salzmann’s Crime and Clutter.
Tales from the Scales
May 8, 2007
Scary title, I know. But here goes.
I recently came across the blog Tales from the Scales which is today starting the May Day Weight Challenge. For those trying to lose weight/get in shape, it’s a place to have some accountability and motivation, along with tips and the occasional healthy recipe.
So I’m in. I’ve been trying (and mostly failing) to get back into the exercise routine. A friend at church has started a two-day-a-week exercise get-together so that’s helped me. Plus we’re going to be accountable to each other. And now this challenge from TFTS. I’m determined to shed winter weight!
In the past I’ve lost weight through exercise and through dieting, but I’ve never put the two together. My goal this time is not to diet or burn calories for the duration of the challenge (goes into September) but to change lifelong habits to keep myself healthy and fit — for my husband, my kids, and myself.
In fact I don’t need to lose a lot of weight. My goal is 12 pounds. (My dream goal is 17 but I’d be thrilled with 12.) 12 pounds doesn’t sound like a lot, but it means fitting into the clothes I have or getting cut in two by them. I’ll let you guess where I’m at right now.
One thing the blog requires is that, if you have a blog, you post your progress every Tuesday. It’s weigh-in day, so to speak. You don’t have to say how much you weigh, just what you lost or gained. And if you don’t have a blog, you can still participate.
If you’re interested, jump over to Tales from the Scales and join the challenge, whether you’re reading this in May or July! I’ll be there to great you.
I’ll Take Two Springs, Please
May 7, 2007
This year, I get two spring seasons!
Over a month ago, my family went to the Carolinas for vacation. The temperature was in the 80’s, all those colorful spring trees were blooming, and the tulips were everywhere.
Chicago has finally caught up.
We spent some time this weekend at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. If you’re ever in the Chicago area, you NEED to visit. It’s garden after gorgeous garden full of colorful flowers. The walled English garden, the rose garden (which of course was nothing this time of year), the prairie where tall wildflowers and grasses grow over waist high come August. Right now all those colorful spring trees I saw down south are blooming here–the purples, deep reds, pinks, and whites. And tulips of every color.
Can it just be spring all year long?
- Don’t forget to leave a tip! Best tip wins a gift card to the Container Store.
- Leave a comment during the month of May for a chance to win Annette Smith’s A Bigger Life or Cyndy Salzmann’s Crime and Clutter.
Container Store Gift Card Giveaway
May 4, 2007
One of my most favoritest of stores is the Container Store.
And I’m giving away a $25 gift card to the Container Store to whoever sends me the best organizational tip! (If you aren’t so blessed to have a Container Store near you, never fear. The gift card is good online and by phone as well.)
So send me your tips! You have until the end of May to get it in. Remember to send it to sallybradleywrites {AT} gmail DOT com. We’ll run the comments on the blog individually throughout the month of June, and I’ll choose one that I think is the best, whether most creative, most effective. I’ll know it when it hits me.
On your mark, get set, start tipping!
Cementing our Routines
May 4, 2007
Hard to believe I’ve spent every Friday for two months now talking about little routines that make our life smoother and less hectic. (Click here to read the routines we’ve discussed.) I thought it might be a good time to take a breather and see how we’re all doing.
So, how are we all doing?
We’ve talked about our morning and evening routines, the evening one being key to how productive we are the next day. I’m still having trouble with that one. I don’t want to go to bed. I’m such a rebel!
We also talked about short routines we can do when we’ve got a tiny bit of time to kill, fighting spiritual anorexia, and our fifteen-minute after meal clean-up. My two-minute drill is no more now that warm weather is here (finally!), and I’m doing better and better on my after meal clean-up. I’ll catch myself starting something after dinner and tell myself, “Not until you’ve spent 15 minutes cleaning that kitchen!”
Tell me you talk to yourself, too.
So where are you at? Have you made any changes, whether or not you got the idea here?
And for those of you new to this topic, why does silly little stuff like this even matter?
It matters for the people who live with us, whether spouses by choice or children by God’s choice. What are we teaching them about life, responsibility? What kind of environment are we putting them in?
As a writer, I want to rid myself of nasty time-wasting habits right now, before I get that book contract I’ve dreamed of and become a full-time working woman again. I hear so often published authors talk about how they never cook or their husband does all the cleaning and sometimes laundry and cooking, too.
Frankly, I don’t want that for my family. My husband has a life, too. He has a job he feels called to do. I don’t want to ever get to the point where I’m expecting him to take on everything around the house. I want to know how to do things well so that I can handle writing AND family life. I want to learn how to be organized so that the house doesn’t fall apart for those few months when I’ve got a deadline scrawled across the calendar.
It’s critical that I weed out some things in my life now. In fact, I’m going to try to really cement some new habits and routines come summer. Child One will be out of school then, and, with more time in my day without having to take him to and from school, I hope to be able to tackle some things around the house — and teach my children some new responsibilities. Nothing they can’t handle. Nothing that isn’t good for them.
I hope these Fridays so far have been a help to you as much as they’ve been to me. Happy weekend!
- Don’t forget to leave a tip! Sally has finally remembered the prize!
- Leave a comment to win either A Bigger Life by Annette Smith or Crime and Clutter by Cyndy Salzmann.
We Have Winners! And May’s Month of Goodies
May 2, 2007
Those of you who left a comment during April were part of a top-secret drawing last night. All your names went into my little stainless steel bowl (it was clean), and I swished you round and round while you slept (or something) and drew out two names . . .
The winner of Sharon Dunn’s Death of a Garage Sale Newbie is Deborah!
And the winner of the free critique is David Fry!
So congratulations, everyone.
For everyone who didn’t win (I hate losing, too), take heart. After all, May is another month, as Scarlett would have said. Here are the two books I’ll be giving away for sure with a third possibly in the works. Stay tuned for that one.
A Bigger Life by Annette Smith
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.
I have an interview with Annette coming in the near future.
Crime and Clutter by Cyndy Salzmann
A storage unit, a 1963 Volkswagen minibus, and tattered letters…reveal shattering secrets from the ’60s.
It’s been a year since Mary Alice lost her father — the father she never really knew. Now she’s stuck cleaning out his rubbish from a storage unit. Just when she’d rather it all go away from her well-ordered life, her long-held secret is discovered by the feisty Marina, one of the six members of the Friday Afternoon Club.
When these friends make it their mission to help Mary Alice tackle her stash, they arrive at the storage unit, prepared to clean. But what they discover takes them on a riotous ride through the crime and clutter of the sixties, the angst and betrayal of those caught in The Revolution, and the forgiveness that can only come through acceptance of a different kind of Cause.
Includes fun, easy, and tantalizing recipes!
I got to meet the lovely Cyndy Salzmann recently. The interview we planned for last month has been moved to May. I think it’ll be a fun one.
One last bit of business–it’s late and I’m really tired so if there are any typos, it might have just been my forehead momentarily falling onto the keyboarzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
- Don’t forget to leave a tip! Prize for the best tip will be announced soon, as soon as Sally remembers it (seriously).
- Friday — where are our routines now?
Tribulation House by Chris Well
May 2, 2007
is introducing
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Chris Well is a fellow member of the CFBA and founder of its sister organization, FIRST. He is an acclaimed novelist and award–winning magazine editor and has previously written the “laugh–out–loud Christian thrillers” Deliver Us from Evelyn and Forgiving Solomon Long(one of Booklist’s Top 10 Christian Novels of 2005). He has also contributed to 7ball, Infuze, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Chris and his wife live in Tennessee, where he is hard at work on his next novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
IT’S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD—WHICH COULD BE A PROBLEM…
Mark Hogan has it all. The job. The family. A position on the board at church. All he’s missing is a boat. Not just any boat—a 2008 Bayliner 192.
When Reverend Daniel Glory announces that the Rapture is taking place on October 17 at 5:51am, Hogan realizes his boat–buying days are numbered. So he does what any man in his situation would do—he borrows a load of money from the mob.
Not that there’s any risk involved: After all, when the Rapture comes, Hogan will be long gone. The mob will never find him.
But when Jesus fails to come back on schedule, Mark Hogan finds the mob is in no mood to discuss the finer points of end–times theology…
Chris Well’s laugh–out–loud Christian thrillers appeal to the millions of readers who gobble up the rollicking crime fiction of Janet Evanovich and Elmore Leonard. TRIBULATION HOUSE does not disappoint!
SALLY SAYS–too funny! This book sounds great. I’ll have to get my hands on it.