Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

All I Ever Wanted

Captain’s Log, Stardate 05.19.2006

Blog book giveaway:
My Monday book giveaway is BLIND DATES CAN BE MURDER by Mindy Starns Clark.
My Thursday book giveaway is ONCE UPON A CHOCOLATE KISS by Cheryl Wolverton.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Monday, I'll draw the winner for BLIND DATES CAN BE MURDER and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

MaggieB: I discovered Margaret Becker by accident when I was in high school.

Those were the days before Barnes & Noble or Borders, before Amazon.com or Christianbook.com. I don’t even think there was a Tower Records, or if there was, it was too far out of the way for my parents to drive me there, because—yeah—they had the car keys.

A closet-sized Christian gift store opened up in Ala Moana Shopping Center, and we were passing it so we stopped. I had gotten into Amy Grant and wanted to see if there was anything new.

Some cool-looking (remember, this is the 80’s) chick with moussed hair had this neato cassette tape (!) called “The Reckoning” and I thought that sounded hip. So I bought it. And since my only other options at that store were the Winans, Steven Curtis Chapman, and some moustached guy with really big hair, Margaret was a girl I could relate to.

“The Reckoning” was cool. But then “Simple House” came out two albums after that, and there were a couple songs that changed my life. That sounds melodramatic, but you have to remember I was the only Christian in my home, and I wasn’t even that great a Christian because I didn’t understand the whole “submit” thing.

The song below is what made me start to understand that a life with Christ should be complete abandonment. A foreign concept for a teenager with no Christian friends her age.

This song is like the album title—a simple house, a foundation built on simple, strong lines that would withstand time and trials.

All I Ever Wanted
Margaret Becker

From where I lay
I can see the sun
Rising through the trees
Before I face
This morning rush
I get down on my knees

I lift my eyes
And thank You for
This life you've granted me
I pray that every day I live
Your heart will be pleased

I pray for hands that hold You
Higher than anything else
And a heart that loves You
More than life itself
This is all I've ever wanted
This is all I want to be
All I've ever wanted
Is to love You
Faithfully

From where I stand
I can see the dreams
That you have fulfilled
Such kindness I did not deserve
But You gave it still

What do I have
That You did not give
There's nothing that I can see
So all I have to give to You
Is what You've given me

I pray for hands that hold you
Higher than anything else
And this heart to love You
More than life itself
This is all I've ever wanted
This is all I want to be
All I've ever wanted
Is to love You
Faithfully

I know I don't have the power
To love You like I should
But every day with everything I have
I wish I could
I'm standing here now
These words I pray
I wanna love You better
Whatever it takes

I pray for hands that hold you
Higher than anything else
And this heart to love You
More than life itself
This is all I've ever wanted
This is all I want to be
All I've ever wanted
Is to love You
Faithfully

Camy here: Aren't those lyrics just awesome? They're especially powerful now, years later, with my contract with Z. But before He even fulfilled these dreams for me, this song was my prayer. This was--and still is--where I want my heart to always be.

TMI:

Writing:
Today, I got my Marketing Information Form from Zondervan. It asks all kinds of questions about the story for the Z Marketing and Art departments to start work on my book. How cool is that? It’s due June 1st.

Comments

Ruth said…
I didn't know if you're aware -- Margaret Becker's just written a book entitled Coming Up for Air which was just released by NavPress.
That is so cool to read about how God used MB and her music to impact your life!!
Congrats on getting the marketing "ball" rolling on your book -- how exciting!! :)
Sheryl said…
Camy,
I love MaggieB too! The song you listed is one of my favorites as well. I also love "Who Am I" & "Come Quickly Lord" from The Reckoning.

Isn't it truly amazing the power of words and music to move us and change our lives?

Sheryl
Anonymous said…
Things are moving fast for you, Camy and I'm glad. Things are always slow for me though I haven't been blogging quite as much in the last two weeks. My arms and back continue to be very sensitive to writing and overall stress. I e-mailaed someone who is in sort of remission from FMS and she wrote me what the doctor prescribed for her. I'm going to talk to my doctor about it. He seems amenable to trying something else. Unfortunately, stress is one of the biggest factors in FMS and I can see no end in sight for me on that front. Even just living behind this beauty salon gives me sensory overload in noise and odors that make me want to hide or scream. These are my best hours right now: nobody else moving, talking or whatever in the place. No music: I haven't put any on myself since the first week I moved in here. And at the moment there's not much traffic on the road either. This is the time my mind is the clearest it gets. The fridge is make a strange noise but otherwise it's bliss and almost 4:45 a.m. I guess I'd better head for bed and try to get what sleep I can before 8:30 tomorrow morning. We have Victoria Day on Monday so it's a day off but that doesn't do me a bit of good. The salon is usually closed that day anyway. It also used to be closed on Tuesday, but the new manager decided to open it on Tuesdays as well. I can really feel the extra stress level. It's hard on the teeth and all the muscles as well.

I shouldn't gripe but it's hard when you don't know where to get some peace and quiet. A lot of people don't even understand that need for total quiet. Please continue praying that some avenue might open up to relieve this stress.

Yes music can be so soothing and meaningful. I've never heard of this singer. At first I thought she was just a poet. This song is very striking. I wish I could hear it.

I see the next blog is 'Gladiolas' one of my favorite flowers with carnations, snowdrops and crocuses. They don't remind me of an exactly stellar time but of a nice relative. I'd broken my arm in 1962 in Berlin and my great-uncle, a very good painter, often came to the hospital I was in and brought me Gladioli to cheer me up. They certainly did that.

ghpltw - Go help people; light the way.
I love Maggie B! One of her albums kept me sane a few years ago. it was the "Falling Forward" CD. Specifically the song "Clay and Water"

So cool on the marketing form!! I'm so excited for you, Camy!!!
Anonymous said…
You selected my favorite Margaret Becker song for this blog. I listen to it every day. She's coming to Tulsa, Oklahoma in October -- we are excited!!

Popular Posts

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And

Camille's Writing Progress

Join my newsletter to get regular updates in your inbox!

One-Skein Pyrenees Scarf knitting pattern

I got into using antique patterns when I was making the scarf my hero wears in my Regency romance, The Spinster’s Christmas . I wanted to do another pattern which I think was in use in the Regency period, the Pyrenees Knit Scarf on pages 36-38 of The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work, volume 1, by Jane Gaugain, published in 1840. She is thought to be the first person to use knitting abbreviations, at least in a published book, although they are not the same abbreviations used today (our modern abbreviations were standardized by Weldon’s Practical Needlework in 1906). Since the book is out of copyright, you can download a free PDF copy of the book at Archive.org. I found this to be a fascinating look at knitting around the time of Jane Austen’s later years. Although the book was published in 1840, many of the patterns were in use and passed down by word of mouth many years before that, so it’s possible these are

Keriah's Narrow Crescent Scarf

In my series Lady Wynwood’s Spies, my character Keriah is more emotional than her friend Phoebe, and so when writing about her in Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 6: Martyr , naturally I described her scarf as having more lively colors than the greens and blues that Phoebe favors. I didn’t really have a particular yarn colorway in mind when I wrote the scene, but when looking through my stash to knit her scarf, I found the Carnival colorway in Knit Picks Chroma Twist Fingering, and it was absolutely perfect for her. Chroma Twist Fingering is discontinued, but you could knit this in Chroma Fingering or any other color-transitional yarn. In the Regency era, a tri-color 3-ply yarn like Chroma Twist Fingering would probably not have been sold in shops, but it also may not have been completely unheard of. It is made by simply dying the wool rather than the finished yarn, and then the dyed wool would be split into 3 parts and each part spun into a single ply, before all three plies

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Grace Livingston Hill romances free on Google Books

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci

Ashlyn's Yoga Bag knitting pattern w/ @KnitPicks Dishie

Jaycee Weaver is one of the twelve authors who participated with me in the Christian Contemporary Romance anthology, Save the Date . Jaycee’s novella in the anthology is titled Braver With You . In celebration, I wrote a knitting pattern for the yoga mat bag used by Jaycee’s heroine, Ashlyn. Update 2022: The Save the Date anthology is now out of print, but Jaycee’s novella is available individually on Kindle! (In case you missed it, here are the links for my interview with Jaycee part 1 and part 2 , and an excerpt of one of Jaycee’s other books, Whatever Comes Our Way .) This yoga mat bag for Jaycee Weaver’s heroine, Ashlyn, is both pretty and practical. I made the base of the bag a little large, so that it will fit a variety of lengths of mat, and my husband (who does yoga every week) says that a larger base helps protect his mat a little better when he has to walk or bike with it to his yoga class. My husband’s mat was extra-thick so it was a slightly snugger fit than my o

Interview with Sandi Glahn

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.28.2006 I met Sandra Glahn at ICRS in July and was immediately fascinated by her Coffee Cup Bible Study series. I mean, coffee and Bible study! What’s not to like? Sandi has four awesome Bible study books: JAVA WITH THE JUDGES , SOLOMON LATTE , MOCHA ON THE MOUNT , and ESPRESSO WITH ESTHER . And now, here's my interview with Sandi! What is the theme of the Coffee Cup Bible Studies? How did you come up with it? Who did you write these studies for? I call them Bible Studies for Women on the Go because I wrote them "for smart girls with full schedules." I taught Women's Bible Study at my church on and off for about ten years, and I designed my own, based on what I needed/wanted in a Bible study. It needed... ...to go deep--not Bible study lite--but without getting too complex or cerebral. ...to be physically small enough to throw in a purse or diaper bag. ...to contain the complete Bible text bein