A very long time ago in Rome, Italy. Two young women experimenting with our cameras in our hotel room. The trip of a lifetime for me.
Father, thank you for protecting me throughout those exciting months spent traveling. You've always gone before me even when I had yet to meet your Son. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
My Dear Friends,
IF you would like to receive an email newsletter from me about me and my writing, my novels, novels in general, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, this is it. Your opportunity to respond by simply leaving a comment here, on Facebook, or on X. Message me or not. Your choice.
You will not be bombarded with emails. This is a once-a-month shot. You're not required to reply to it or anything else. Just let me know if you'd like to receive one. I guarantee it will not be lengthy or time consuming or make any demands of you. All I will need to send it to you is your email address and you can choose to give me that privately on X via Direct Message or on Facebook Message. That's it. Last call!
Father, thank you for all of the wonderful people I've "met" through these social gathering places. It's been a truly wonderful experience to get to know people from all over our great country. For each one of them, I pray a blessing over their lives, that their relationship with you would grow stronger and more meaningful as they press on in this lifetime. Give them joy and help them to see the beauty you've left for us to experience. May each one feel your presence and comfort, grace, and mercy daily. Thank you for each one. In the Name above all names, the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Going way back to this beautiful lady and her captivating voice . . . Ella!
Father, thank you for all the voices you've given your singers. May each one know from whom their gifts have come. Thank you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Musings indeed . . .
I'm fairly sure the same people who thought/designed/made child-size height for toilets as regulation size (at least in Washington state) are the same people who designed the waste of space 6' widths for the new regulation-size sidewalks as well as making the sticky side of envelopes to leave the corners without adhesive thus making it easier for the whole flap to become unstuck or partially/fully opened before being delivered. Pretty sure they run in the same crowd.
. . .
"We found that the brain works completely differently when you are using your hand to draw or write, as opposed to using the keyboard." Audrey van der Meer, researcher.
I found this fascinating because when I really get stuck creatively, I resort to notebook and pen. If I'm that stumped, I'll print the last few pages of where I stopped writing. Then I start from that spot and handwrite until I'm ready to stop creating for a while. It does work for me.
. . .
Please, if you're uncomfortable driving at over 50 mph, do NOT drive on the freeways. PLEASE. And learn to merge WITH traffic. You don't have the right of way or the right to go any speed you want.
Okay. That's enough of Monday musings. I'm done now.
Father, things get crazy down here, but you know that. Help me to do and say the right things in spite of them. Thank you for your grace and mercy my entire life. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
Proverbs 31:28-29 (NIV)
She was the best mom a girl could have. She loved me deeply, was so much fun and by her actions taught me how to take care of a family. I cannot remember her ever complaining even though she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was in high school. Dad was very protective of her but didn't infringe upon her natural independence. I could go on and on about her, but suffice it to say the Lord gave me the best possible mother for this girl, and I loved her beyond words. She passed away at the tender age of 62 from cancer and, honestly, Mother's Day kind of lost its meaning for me when she was gone.
Have a wonderful Mother's Day with Jesus, Mom. I love you!
I can never thank you enough for my mom, Lord. You made her extra special. Give her a real hug for me, Jesus. Please. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
He's a young widower who has been given the ability to instantly "see" into the lives of some people he meets or encounters. When he stops to eat at the truck stop where he usually grabs a meal after traveling over the mountains in his semi during the early morning hours for the deliveries he will need to make, a new waitress greets him. What he "sees" in his mind's eye almost makes him flinch as he tries to control his expression from the shock when she brings him coffee with cream.
Her story is a sad one, and he will do everything he can to make a positive impact in her life. He's devoted to Jesus. She has no faith in anything.
What's the plan?
Father, thank you so much for this story. Only you could've given it to me. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The Girl in the Sand by LT Vargus and Tim McBain is Book 3 in A Violet Darger Thriller Series.
From LT Vargus' own words after reading Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, she wrote that she wanted "to spend the rest of my life writing creepy stuff." The Girl in the Sand definitely reaches that goal.
The world hasn't heard from serial killer Leonard Stump since he escaped from a Carson City courthouse some 20 years ago. That is until a brief letter was delivered to FBI Agent/Profiler Violet Darger at the end of Killing Season. When law enforcement and fire trucks respond to a burned car in the desert not terribly far from the Las Vegas Strip, two bound females are found in the trunk. Special Agent Loshak has summoned Darger to come immediately. When she realizes he's come to Las Vegas for a different reason than he told her, she's furious with him and questions his trust in their partnership. He's able to gradually smooth it over by admitting his past vulnerabilities with this particular case. They both agree it has to be him (Stump) because it's exactly how he's done his killings in the past. However, convincing the Sheriff's Assistant Corby of Stump's resurgence proves to be difficult. Until another burning car is found but this time things are different.
What it takes to make Loshak's and Darger's assertions stick is a morbid scene which explains why no one has heard from the killer for so long.
When a female escort is reported missing by a friend, things start falling into place. A plan is put forward that unexpectedly puts Darger and another escort in terrible danger.
A cunning, philosophical, and determined planner, Leonard Stump has the voice of the devil when reciting, justifying, and expounding his reasoning to his latest captive. Mixing a tiny tendril of truth with all of his deceptions, his monologues sound quite convincing – at least to himself.
If you want a truly creepy thriller with a determined, violent killer, a strong victim, a vulnerable FBI Agent unwilling to give up, then The Girl in the Sand is the read for you. Again, plenty of profanity.
Father, please continue to bless these authors and minister in their lives. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Oh yeah. One of the good ones from the Guess Who (1969). Part of the greatest music era . . .
Father, only you reach people, but yet you give them such gifts and talents they often ignore. May each one know the source of all those wonderful gifts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
On Friday's post, we mentioned novel genres and non-fiction possibilities for the readers of Christian literature. Endless choices.
Authors who write Christian Fiction face the inevitable marketing challenges for their work. May I just say especially in the genre I write?
Being an author of love stories, heavy on the romance, I need to stipulate and establish who my true audience is. Then I need to make them aware of my work. That "sounds" rather simple and definitely obvious. Obvious, yes. Simple? Not for me. I don't want to send people a bunch of emails about my novels, mentioning others' work in the genre, my favorite novels/authors/genres/etc. I. Don't. Want. To. Do. It. I do that here on this old blog. I do it on Facebook and X.
Book Types: mine: "Raw Romantic Redemptive" "Love stories with a passion" "Love stories, heavy on the romance"
Do you want to read about characters you can relate to or can recognize as real? Do you want to see the world portrayed realistically without judgment? Do you want to get an unmistakable redemption message within the story, presented organically? Do you want to see Christianity in honestly imperfect people?
My one murder mystery Race gives a clear portrait of horse racing and the diverse personalities of those who live it. The Famous One tells the life story of a lonely kid who grows up in a dysfunctional home but is "discovered" and gets thrust into a life of fame. Seeing . . . shows what happens when a young widower who has intimate visions of people he meets is directed to offer his home as a refuge for an abused waitress. You can meet an architectural designer and film reviewer in Sweet Release, an accountant who accidentally kills a man in Destination, a construction worker who falls for a woman who wants love and commitment before sex in the story . . . in a love song, the account of a bitter and divorced, otherwise successful, man who meets a lovely woman and falls hard even though their lifestyles have been polar opposites in Breath of Life, and my latest Then . . . you: He's a recluse. She's seeking refuge.
None of the above novels give graphic sexual descriptions, but sexual attraction is clear and evident. None of the novels above give graphic vulgar language, but that language is implied in certain situations. I do not label my Christian fiction as "clean," but I certainly don't classify it as "dirty." It is not. Redemption is clear and in every one of the stories. The people in the stories are not perfect, Christian and otherwise. So. That's my book type. If it's yours too, try one.
So much for marketing, eh?
Father, only you. That's it. Only YOU. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
