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What I'm writing in YEAR OF THE DOG

I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
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Mary and Martha

Captain’s Log, Supplemental

Blog book giveaway:
My Monday book giveaway is Thanks for the Mammogram! AND Reconstructing Natalie, both by Laura Jensen Walker.
My Thursday book giveaway is Hot Flashes and Cold Cream by Diann Hunt.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on the blog posts above. On Monday, I'll draw the winners for the Laura Jensen Walker books and post the title for another book I'm giving away.

Pick my title! I’m still holding a poll for the title of my book! Go to this blog post to cast your vote!

Devos: I just got Joanna Weaver’s Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. I’ve heard a lot of great things about this book, and I’ve also met Joanna, who is a wonderful person. I’m really looking forward to reading this.

I admit, I root for Martha. (In fact, I wrote a short story based on the story of Lazarus’s death here.)

I understand how busy-ness can take away from important spiritual things like devotional time, but I have to say that frankly, most of the time I don’t feel like an intensely spiritual person.

I loved doing the Bible in 90 Days at the beginning of this year, but I’m not one to relish time spent studying the Greek and doing the Inductive Bible Study method. It’s interesting, but not my fav pastime.

As you notice, I don’t write little devotional posts on my blog, because while I enjoy reading others’ introspective or spiritual posts, it’s not the way MY brain is going.

Instead, I like telling stories or whining (although I have to cut down on that, I know) or just being weird in general. Seriousness on my blog is infrequent, but hopefully important when I do get in the mood.

I don’t know if I need to be more spiritual or not. Hopefully this book will help me understand myself and what God wants from me.

What do you guys think?
What are some of your favorite Bible study books or devotional books?

TMI:

Writing: I just read this great article by Angela Hoy, who runs Writers Weekly, a free weekly e-zine for freelance writers. I specifically mentioned it in my weekly post on the CAN Marketing blog today, but you can read it here:

Malicious Reviews on Amazon by Angela Hoy

Need to keep plugging away on revisions. Please continue to pray for me!

Diet: Did exercise yesterday! I’ve been sleeping well, too. Had popcorn. Lots of fiber, right? We’ll just ignore the oodles of carbs.
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Comments

Miriam Pauline said…
I've heard great things about that book. I'll be interested to hear your take. lol that you cheer for Martha. I aspire to have more Martha in my life--but not just busyness, purposeful busyness. I can easily lose myself in the introspective and miss out on doing the work as well.
Thu Oct 12, 03:49:00 AM 2006
Anonymous said…
I would like to enter the Book Drawing.
Thanks and Have a Blessed Day
Rebecca
griggsrj@yahoo.com
Thu Oct 12, 05:16:00 AM 2006
Keisha said…
I have been trying to get a copy of Reconstructing Natalie for the last two weeks, but my bookstore is taking their own sweet time. I would love to be in the drawing.

keishawilliams_coe@mac.com
Thu Oct 12, 07:49:00 AM 2006
Anonymous said…
Hi,

I loved the Mary and Martha study. This study brought a new maturity to my faith. Hope you are well and that you were able to get your revisions done. I prayed! Be blessed!
Thu Oct 12, 04:44:00 PM 2006
Ruth said…
Hiya Camy,
I just had to say that I could really relate to your comments about not always or really feeling like an intensely spiritual person. Personally, my feeling like that sometimes seem to come and go in waves, if that makes sense. I know people who just watch Christian TV every chance they get, are constantly reading study and devotional books, etc., and always seem to be operating on a different level -- which is fine for them. But I just can't always relate to where they're at, if that makes sense. Just my two cent's worth.
Sun Oct 15, 05:24:00 PM 2006
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