Odds and ends

Captain’s Log, Stardate 02.04.2006

Book giveaway: My Monday book giveaway (HOW SWEET THE SOUND) is here.
My Thursday book giveaway (HIDDEN MOTIVES) is here.
You can still enter both of them. Just post a comment on those blog posts.
Next week Monday, I'll draw the winner for HOW SWEET THE SOUND and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

Youth Group: Well, it’s almost Stardate 02.05.2006 here on the West Coast. I went to church youth group tonight. My boyz Eric, Chris and Tim led music—they did a good job. It’s so great to see them serving. It was also a welcome change for me to not lead music and just enjoy the worship experience with God.

Genesis: The ACFW Genesis contest is getting busy now that the deadline is looming. I hope we’ll get more entries soon. I’m really hopeful that the Sci-Fi and the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller categories get enough entries to stand alone.

Bible in 90 Days: Day 27. I’m continually amazed and heartened by how God forgives. His promises stand in ways human promises never can. He was always willing and ready to forgive His people, so I know that He is always willing and ready to forgive me, too. God, give me strength to serve You.

Writing: It finally occurred to me last night that the reason I was having problems with the scene outline was because I hadn’t fully fleshed out my secondary characters. Well, duh! So today I’ve spent some time with 45 MASTER CHARACTERS and GETTING INTO CHARACTER.

Diet: I did okay yesterday at about 1600 calories, but TODAY I am Miss Piggy. I think I’m at 2100. I have no self-control, it’s pathetic. I’m also “munchy” because it’s that time of the month. I also find I crave a lot of salt, which makes sense.

I need to up my aerobic exercise time to at least 30 minutes every day. That 5-10 minutes at PT isn’t enough, and combined with the weight training—I upped my weights on all my machines, BTW—I’m gaining pounds but not losing fat, I think. Good thing I have that exercise bike. I actually think I’m going to get on it tonight. I feel so fat.

Comments

Unknown said…

I hope the Genesis has a great showing!

Sun Feb 05, 03:51:00 PM 2006

Paula said…

You've got a lot of balls in the air, my friend. I wouldn't worry about the Genesis. I'll bet you get a rush all of the sudden right around the deadline. You know how writers are. I'm thinking about entering. Still praying and wringing my hands a bit, LOL.

Sun Feb 05, 04:54:00 PM 2006

I sold to Steeple Hill!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Remember that romantic suspense proposal I blogged about earlier? Well, it just sold to Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line! I am so jazzed! I am beyond jazzed! The story’s working title is Sinister Spa The story's title is Deadly Intent and here’s a blurb (but it’s probably not what will appear on the back of the book): Massage therapist Naomi Grant could use a massage herself. With her father at home recovering from a stroke, Naomi is put in charge of the family’s elite day spa in Sonoma county. The new responsibilities sit awkwardly on her shoulders, and things only get worse when handsome Dr. Devon Knightley breezes into the spa, demanding to see one of the female clients. And the woman is found dead in Naomi’s massage room. Suddenly, Naomi is a suspect and her family’s spa is shut down. How could God let this awful thing happen? Devon only needed to see his ex-wife about a family necklace she still hadn’t returned, but when she dies and...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

I got my cover!

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins Tangerine by Marilynn Griffith I GOT MY COVER!!!! What do you guys think?

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Excerpt - A HUNDRED YEARS OF HAPPINESS by Nicole Seitz

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.05.2009 Update: Sorry, this giveaway is closed. A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz A beautiful young woman. An American soldier. A war-torn country. Nearly forty years of silence. Now, two daughters search for the truth they hope will set them free and the elusive peace their parents have never found. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, a young mother named Katherine Ann is struggling to help her tempestuous father, by plunging into a world of secrets he never talks about. A fry cook named Lisa is trying desperately to reach her grieving Vietnamese mother, who has never fully adjusted to life in the States. And somewhere far away, a lost soul named Ernest is drifting, treading water, searching for what he lost on a long-ago mountain. They're all longing for connection. For the war that touched them to finally end. For their hundred years of happiness at long last to begin. From the beloved author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass...

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