 I've been reading the Bible every year for a long time now. I honestly can't remember when I finally sat down and made it a true habit. I tried a couple times in college, but we all know how busy college is. That worked about as well as writing a book around writing papers and essays.
That being said, sometime in the last twenty-two years, I made sure it became a priority. I discovered on the days when it I didn't get around to it, I often didn't have as much peace. But I also discovered another issue. As I was reading through, I tended to let my mind wander because I had read it so many times that it was familiar.
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You all know I love a good fairy-tale retelling. But what about those fairy tales that aren't our favorites? What about the ones we didn't love when we were growing up? Do you think they deserve to be retold too? Well, guest author Amy Walsh is here today to tell us about her newest fairy-tale retelling, and how her opinion of it changed through the years.  As a child, I had very strong opinions about Goldilocks...
She was rude. She was careless. She absolutely deserved to be chased out of that house by three very angry bears. End of discussion. As an adult, I find myself asking inconvenient questions. Like why a girl was wandering alone in the woods. Or why a house full of warm food, empty chairs, and silence felt safer than wherever she came from. Or why the story never bothered to ask what she was searching for. Fairy tales have a funny way of doing that. They wait patiently until we’re grown enough to reread them—and then they reveal they were never as simple as we thought. Can you keep a secret? It can be a good thing. But sometimes, it's not. Our guest author today, Sarah Hamaker, is chatting about all things secrets along with her newest book. See what you think.  How are you with keeping secrets? Some of us keep them very well while others of us are terrible at not spilling the beans. Secrets can be deadly in more ways than one. When thinking about writing this blog, I decided to delve a little deeper into what the word means and how it has been used over the ages.
The word “secret” originated in late Middle English from the Old French. The Latin roots centered around being separate and set apart. Miriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines secret as “kept from knowledge or view (hidden), marked by the habit of discretion (closemouthed), working with hidden aims or methods (secret agent), not acknowledged (secret bride) or conducted in secret (secret meeting).  I can't tell you how many times I've read Anne of Green Gables. (My daughter has also now read it multiple times.) I started reading it when I was a young girl and have reread it many times (crying a bit each time). And yes, I've read the rest of the series at least twice more. It's such a beautiful story, full of fun and mischief and life lessons and the goodness of humanity.
But when I read it this month for my book club, I noticed it hit a bit different. You see, at the beginning of the book, Anne is eleven. And, right now, I am living with an eleven-year-old girl. Have you ever considered how the Christian faith is perceived by cultures other than your own? Dr. Ruth Wong, our guest author today, talks about how she weaves those perceptions into her latest story.  God’s son—one claim, two cultures
Every one of my books touches upon the Christian faith. That thread continues in my latest book, Fire Between Two Skies (special $2.99 promo at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2YZZ8LG; watch the teaser video at https://youtu.be/UE9egV5VlUs). Set against the fiery upheaval of the Taiping movement, the story explores a question that has long gripped me: how can the same claim—“I am the Son of God”—ignite such different responses in different cultures?  Every year, I love to set my goal on Goodreads. I keep it around the same each year because I usually hit within about ten of the year before. Well, this year I set it at 120. And Goodreads actually told me I ended at 107. Definitely the least amount I've read in several years.
But you know what? I'm okay with that. Because I also edited eight books. And wrote two books and a novella. And released a book and a novella collection. And was a mom. And a wife. And preschool teacher and tax preparer and Bible school teacher and several other things. So it's okay that reading slowed down a little because life was FULL. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to an author who claims I'm the one who taught her to write romance. I've had the pleasure of being content editor on both of her novellas, and with a new one releasing soon, we're chatting about that and other aspects of her writing today. Make sure you read all the way to the end because she's offering a *giveaway*.  Ellen, congratulations on your new book. I know this is your second novella. Which do you prefer? Novels or novellas, and why?
I love writing both, but I’d have to pick a novel over a novella because you have more words available to weave your plot. Mysteries and suspense are my favorite things to write but I like stretching myself into romance and historical genres occasionally. I think getting out of your comfort zone is a good way to grow as a writer. One of the greatest gifts of writing a novella in a collection was the collaboration between myself and the other writers. It’s been a blessing to work with these talented writers. Their creativity sparks my creativity, and we encourage each other to do our best work.  With a new year starting, there always comes expectations. I expect my first goal will be to pack away all the Christmas decorations again. But there's more than that. I'll start a new Bible reading program. This year, I'm doing a chronological reading. My parents gifted me a new bible that has maps and notes all through it and I'm looking forward to diving back in. Each year, I try to do a different version so that it has a bit of a new feeling to it and I don't simply skim words I've read a hundred times.
Also this year, I'd love to lose a few pounds and tighten my core back up a bit. It's so hard working several jobs that require sitting. I get in the habit of sitting and not moving around enough. But I know it would not only make me feel better, but also probably help with some anxiety I've been fighting. And lift my mood too. |
This is a place for me to tell you about what I'm writing, talk about the process or where some of my ideas came from, or even have other authors come in and talk about their books.
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