I got this e-mail a bit late, but CONGRATULATIONS to my blog reader Jennifer Y. who got the position of boatswain!

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.31.2007 Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. If the Shoe Fits by Marilynn Griffith Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends TONIGHT at 11:59 p.m.! Get more info on my contest page ! Help me title my next book! Head on over to this blog post and leave your title ideas! TMI: Bible in 90 days: day 50. Case had his sentencing postponed. His wife says this is a good thing, and other things are happening that might be the miracle that was prophesied for him. I came across this passage from Jeremiah today that seems to apply to him: 7 “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.30.2007 Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. If the Shoe Fits by Marilynn Griffith Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends TOMORROW at 11:59 p.m.! Get more info on my contest page ! Help me title my next book! Head on over to this blog post and leave your title ideas! I used to attend Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto when I was in college and right out of it. PBC was the church of the highly regarded preacher Ray Stedman. I never heard him speak—he had passed away before I started going there—but I heard one of his sermons on tape and it was fascinating. He went through the genealogy in Genesis and showed a hidden message in the verses. Now the transcript is online. Check it out if you have time. It’s totally cool. Adam’s Book by Ray Stedman

Captain’s Log, Supplemental I have a special prayer on my heart today. Father, we come before you and lift up Case to you. Be with him at his sentencing tomorrow. I pray that all that has been prophesied will come to pass--a merciful judge with eyes to see the injustice that’s been done to Case, influencing the judge so that Case will not receive a prison term. Uphold Case in your righteous right hand. Layer your peace and grace on the family. Help them to cling tightly to you. You are the same God who parted the waters of the Red Sea. Uphold justice tomorrow for your righteous one. Thank you. Amen. Help me title my next book! Head on over to this blog post and leave your title ideas! Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. If the Shoe Fits by Marilynn Griffith Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends in TWO DAYS! Get more info on my contest page !

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.26.2007 Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck If the Shoe Fits by Marilynn Griffith Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends January 31st. Get more info on my contest page ! Only Uni That’s the working title of book two in my Sushi Series. I don’t think anyone even knows what uni is. And those who do probably think it’s one of the grossest things ever eaten. ( Uni is a type of sushi. It’s raw sea urchin gonads, and it tastes like garbage. It’s called “roe” but it’s not the sea urchin eggs—it’s the reproductive organs, “a yellowish or orange substance resembling a rather firm custard” ( Wikipedia.com ).) Okay, enough about uni . If you haven’t figured out by now, I’m hopeless at titles. So that’s where you come in! Any ideas for my new title? Since the series is the Sushi Series, the name should reference Asian food. Here’s the story 411: Book Description: This is the s

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck If the Shoe Fits by Marilynn Griffith Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends January 31st. Get more info on my contest page ! Too Stupid to Live: What is it with Too Stupid to Live heroines? I read THREE Regency historical romances, and for two of them, I couldn’t get past chapter two before putting the book down. For the third book, I lasted until about halfway when a perfectly logical heroine suddenly turned loco and ran away for a completely idiotic reason. I know that people don’t always act in a logical manner, but a good writer should be able to convince the reader about the heroine’s motivations even if she embarks on not the most intelligent course of action. Read any TSTL heroines lately?

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Until January 29, there is a FREE iTunes song from Michael Olson. It's called “On the Third Day.” If you don’t have iTunes on your computer, download it free here . Then open up iTunes and do a search for Michael Olson and On the Third Day. You should be able to add the song to your shopping cart and then check out, and you won’t be charged anything. From the iTunes store: "On the Third Day" is taken from Michael Olson's sophomore album, Where Fear and Faith Collide . The track is a watertight pop song ready for mainstream acceptance, with the Christian artist relaying his faith with a tremendous amount of passion and confidence. Learn more about him at his web site http://www.michaelolsonmusic.com/about.php

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. Fatal Image by Lenora Worth What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends January 31st. Get more info on my contest page ! My BIL, Roger, is very active in the Asian American theater community up in Seattle, Washington. He has a site called the Asian American Theater Revue , which is one of the most comprehensive sites on the web about Asian American theater. He’s being a doll and he mentioned me in the latest issue. Please go check out his website and give him some url hit-love. TMI: Knitting: Amazing the topics showing up in my TMI section, eh? I am using circular needles for the first time. I’ve already screwed up three times and had to take it apart. Once was because I forgot to make sure the cast-on wasn’t twisted, so I had this rather interesting mobius thing going, but not good for the capelet I’m trying to make . Writing: I po

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.20.2007 Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. Reclaiming Nick by Susan May Warren Fatal Image by Lenora Worth Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends January 31st. Get more info on my contest page ! Blog Bible Study: Isaiah 7:1 – 8:22 This verse struck me: (God speaking) “Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” Isaiah 7:9b King Ahaz of Judah didn’t believe Isaiah’s prophecy. He either didn’t believe that Isaiah heard God or that God was really speaking. Do I hear God speaking? Do I slow down enough to listen? Maybe the reason I think God isn’t talking is because I’m too busy running around to stop and ask. God can’t make me believe. He can’t make me slow down to listen. He can’t make me stop and ask. I need to do that myself, to make it a priority. “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

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

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.19.2007 Free music! I’ve been on the mailing list for MyFreeMusicFriday.com for a few months and never even thought to post it on my blog until now. Silly me. This is a fabulous site that offers an 24-hour period each week for you to download a selection of free Christian music. Check it out! Today they’ve got Michael W. Smith, Michael Olson, and Ayiesha Woods.

Captain’s Log, Supplemental MaryAnn Diorio featured me in an interview on her blog . She’s so sweet to do that! She asked good questions, too. Writing: I've posted another article on the CAN Marketing blog in my series on blog post content. For you writers who want to use blogging as a marketing tool, check it out. Also, please pray, I’ve got a bit of a sinus headache. :(

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.08.2007 Today,  Lenora Worth  is guest blogging about her latest romantic suspense novel, Fatal Image , book 1 in the Secrets of Stoneley series. From the desk of Bianca Blanchard: Everything I was raised to believe has been a lie! The photo Leo Santiago gave me of our mothers together--dated a week after my mother's death--and my father's evasions set my legal mind racing, so I hired a detective to investigate my mother's long-ago accident. Turns out she's alive! I've been so thankful for Leo, who has been incredibly supportive. He works for my father, so catering to the boss's daughter is part of his job, but the looks this handsome man gives me make me think there's more to our relationship than business. THE SECRETS OF STONELY: Six sisters face murder, mayhem and mystery while unraveling the past. And now, here’s Lenora! Hi. I don't do much blogging, but when Camy calls, who can say no??? People often ask me

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. She’s All That by Kristin Billerbeck Reclaiming Nick by Susan May Warren Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends January 31st. Get more info on my contest page ! Lectio Divina: This was an interesting article in Radiant magazine about how this ancient practice of monks can help us to reconnect with God in our fast-paced life. “Simply defined, lectio divina is a slow, contemplative reading of short passages of Scripture at a time. . . . For monks, lectio divina began with the reading of text on a page, but it led naturally to prayer, meditation and contemplation of God Himself. . . . It’s easy to get stuck in a rut in our Scripture reading or to fall into a legalistic mindset that says time with God doesn’t count unless you’ve followed a certain formula. Lectio divina breathes fresh life into Scripture and opens the door for God to speak to use clearly when our dulled pe

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.17.2007 For years Allison Bottke has been known as the official “God Allows U-Turns” poster girl, but that’s about to change. We’ll soon come to know her as the “Boomer Babe” poster girl—with the launch of a new business brand for baby boomer women and the boomer men who love them. BoomerBabesRock.com is Allison’s newest venture and includes an interactive web site, a monthly Dream-Zine, teleseminars, and a Boomer Blog co-authored by several best selling CBA authors. An author, speaker and entrepreneur with a keen eye for identifying trends in the marketplace, Allison has developed Boomer Babes Rock! to empower and inspire boomer women around the world to achieve the dreams of their heart. Visit Allison’s totally hip boomer babe web-site at www.BoomerBabesRock.com and make sure to check out the equally hip team of boomer bloggers she’s brought together for this unique project. Along with Allison, the Boomer Babes Blog Team consists of Dotsie Bregel, T. Su

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.16.2007 Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. She’s All That by Kristin Billerbeck Reclaiming Nick by Susan May Warren Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends January 31st. Get more info on my contest page ! Another meme: 1. I am a black belt in aikido. No joke! I got it my senior year of high school. There are also TEN levels of black belt in aikido and I only got the first one. 2. I sang in a Christian a cappella group in college called Testimony . I sang soprano and at the peak of my youthfulness (boy those days are long gone), I had a 3 ½ octave range. The Christians I met there were some of the most influential in my life. I fully committed myself to Christ because of them. 3. I used to draw a lot, especially Japanese anime. I don’t as much anymore, but I still enjoy it. I’d probably do it more often if I weren’t enjoying writing so much. 4. I have over 3500 books in my house (I keep an Excel spreadsheet

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. She’s All That by Kristin Billerbeck Reclaiming Nick by Susan May Warren Win books and an iPod Nano! Contest ends January 31st. Get more info on my contest page ! Christian Women Online: I’m a guest columnist at Christian Women Online magazine this week! My testimony is up under “Guest Column: New Beginnings.” It was fun to write for CWO. I enjoy doing their “In Other Words” meme on Tuesdays. Also, many of my online friends are through CWO. TMI: Toilet seats. That’s to warn you that this really is TMI . It’s rather chilly here in Northern California. I actually prefer the cold over the heat—with cold, you can slap on more layers, while when you’re baking, you can’t do much more than go nekkid. The cold temperatures wouldn’t be so bad if our house had proper double-sided windows to help keep out the chill (the previous owner installed substandard windows before we bought

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.15.2007 Today I have the fabulous Susan May Warren, whose new novel, Reclaiming Nick ,  just released! Nick Noble hadn’t planned on being the prodigal son . . . But when his father dies and leaves half of Silver Buckle — the Noble family ranch — to Nick’s former best friend, he must return home to face those he left behind. And to make sure that the Silver Buckle stays in the Noble family. Award-winning journalist Piper Sullivan believes Nick framed her brother for murder, and she’s determined to find justice. But following Nick to the Silver Buckle and posing as a ranch cook proves more challenging than she first anticipated. So does resisting his charming smile. As Nick seeks to overturn his father’s will — and Piper digs for answers — family secrets surface that send Nick’s life into a tailspin. But there’s someone who wants to see the Silver Buckle leave Noble hands, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen, even if it means

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.09.2007 Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. My Thursday book giveaway is A Girl’s Best Friend by Kristin Billerbeck . My Monday book giveaway is Heart of the Amazon by Margaret Daley You can still enter both giveaways. On Monday, I'll draw the winner for the A Girl’s Best Friend and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Win an iPod Nano! Exclusively for my newsletter YahooGroup subscribers, I have a huge contest running until January 31st! Get more info on my contest page ! Pioneer Parenting My friend Mary DeMuth has written a powerful book called Building the Christian Family You Never Had . It’s for parents from hard backgrounds who want to step forward in a positive way with their own families. She has a blog for Pioneer Parents . Here’s the blurb about it: “This blog is dedicated to those of you who don't want to duplicate your childhood home. Here at Pioneer Parenting, you'l

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.08.2007 Today I have the wonderful Margaret Daley guest blogging! Margaret has always encouraged me in my writing, even when she first met me on the Steeple Hill discussion boards and I was just starting out on my first manuscript (the bad book). Margaret's latest romantic suspense novel is  Heart of the Amazon THE JUNGLE SOUGHT TO CLAIM HER. ASSASSINS MEANT TO SILENCE HER. There was no way her brother was dead. Officials claimed the biochemist had been murdered in the Brazilian rainforest, his body fallen prey to the mists of the jungle. But Kate Collier knew Zach and couldn't leave it at that; Zach was all she had left. Tall, dark and mysterious, A. C. Slader had a past that was as turbulent as the Amazon River. Yet he was the only one who could guide her on a journey from which many never returned. A journey that would stretch the limits of their faith in God and each other… And now, here’s Margaret! Heart of the Amazon is a book o

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.07.2007 Leave any prayer requests in the comments and I’ll be praying this week. You don’t have to be Christian to leave a prayer request. If you’d rather not advertise to everyone on the blogosphere, just leave an unspoken prayer request or e-mail me. If I forgot your prayer request, e-mail me. Not to be mean or anything, but if you don't e-mail me or comment to update your prayer request, I'm only going to pray 3 Sundays. Lord, thank you for a new year. I pray for complete healing for Bruce and Doug. Destroy the cancer from their bodies and give them both strength. Cover their families. Thank you for providing for Heather in Denver. Continue to help her to trust you more and walk in that trust. Give Pammer everything she needs to be a good ACFW VP. Please also provide for her family. Please relieve Squirl of her hip pain. I pray there’s no permanent damage. Please also help her with her manuscript. Help Dineen this coming year both spiritually and i

Captain’s Log, Supplemental I considered cheating on my goals for this year, but decided I was being a wimp. So here they are: Here are the goals required by my contract: Book 3 in the series marketing info sheet due March 15th Book 3 manuscript due June 1st Book 1 substantive/line edits due sometime in Jan/Feb Book 1 galleys due sometime after that Book 2 macro edits due sometime in Spring? Book 2 substantive/line edits due, I’m guessing in Summer. Book 3 macro edits due sometime in October, I’m guessing Dang, laid out like that, looks like I’ll be busy. Here are my personal writing goals: Long-term goals: --Complete two manuscripts and a novella by December 31st, 2007 (I have to write the two manuscripts, but I’m trying to push myself and write a third project. I chose a novella since it’s easier than a full novel.) Short-term goals: --Write a short story this year (I keep putting it off because I’m such a perfectionist about it! I think I’ve got to get just the right plot, etc. bef

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.06.2007 Year of 2006 in review: Warning: This is probably of no interest to anybody except me. But since this is MY blog, too bad. Long-term goals: Complete three manuscripts by December 2006. Uh . . . well, I did two manuscripts, that counts for something, right? Okay, okay, so I slacked off... Take my ACFW Mentoring group through my articles based on TECHNIQUES OF THE SELLING WRITER by Dwight V. Swain and critique their first three chapters by September 2006. Completed on time! Short-term goals: Write three short stories this year--be more prolific! Well, I was very anti-prolific Write at least one article each month. I started by Story Sensei blog, so I think that counts as at least as an article a month. Critique one piece each week on Writing.com. Didn’t even do it. This was just wishful thinking. I’m also realizing I need to be more careful about my time, and I’d rather do judging for contests and critiquing for my crit partners and my Story Sensei b

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. My Monday book giveaway is Hell in a Briefcase by Phil Little with Brad Whittington My Thursday book giveaway is A Girl’s Best Friend by Kristin Billerbeck . You can still enter both giveaways. On Monday, I'll draw the winner for the Hell in a Briefcase and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Win an iPod Nano! Exclusively for my newsletter YahooGroup subscribers, I have a huge contest running until January 31st! Get more info on my contest page ! Fear God. My word for the year is “fear” of the Lord. I got this fabulous idea from Marilynn Griffith. She picks a word for the year in January. Last year, I prayed and God laid on my heart that my word was “persevere.” NOT a very comforting word for the year, but it proved apt with some of the stresses I had that year. This year, it’s fear of the Lord. The past few months, I’ve been convicted that I take G

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.05.2007 Tangerine (Shades of Style book 3) by Marilynn Griffith Isn’t that the cutest cover? My friend Mary Griffith’s latest book in the Shades of Style series released this month. I haven’t read it yet, but I’m excited to read Jean’s story after reading > Pink and > Jade . Set in New York City, the Shades of Style series is about four multi-ethnic Christian clothing designers. It’s a series that will appeal to chick lit lovers, but it also has spiritual substance that makes the novels deeper reads. Tangerine is Jean Guerra’s story. Here’s the blurb from the back cover: Her world has seemed black and white for so long. A little bit of color might be just what she needs. Jean Guerra, a designer at Garments of Praise fashion house, doesn't like surprises. These days, though, the unexpected meets her everywhere. Since Jean's return to the church a year ago, her God-encounters occur with increasing frequency, along with thoughts of her husband--

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.03.2007 I’m participating in the “One Thousand Gifts” list from Christian Women Online. Click on the picture to find out more about it. 926. It was nice to sleep in yesterday 927. It was nice having my husband home for the day 928. I had salad for both lunch and dinner 929. I brainstormed more on my new book 930. I got a wonderfully encouraging e-mail from Sharon Hinck 931. I had a good time talking on the phone with Pamela James 932. I’m enjoying listening to The Phantom of the Opera . 933. Those pistachio nuts we got for Christmas are SO GOOD! 934. I love the smell of freshly washed blanket throws that we use in the TV room 935. I snacked on dried apricots. They were really yummy. 936. I once again made that really tender chicken breast, so it’s truly not a fluke of my culinary talents! 937. I’m almost done with my Thousand Gifts! 938. I am loving the book 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. It’s really helping me in this brains

Phil Little with Brad Whittington and their book: HELL IN A BRIEFCASE (A Matt Cooper Novel) ELEVEN BRIEFCASES AND ONE UNLIKELY HERO...CAN MATT COOPER FIND ELEVEN NUCLEAR DEVICES AND HIS FAITH BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES? With violence in the Middle East escalating daily, Americans are glued to their televisions wondering what will happen next. Meanwhile, Matt Cooper, jet-setting star of Phil Little's debut novel Hell in a Briefcase is doing something about it. A private security executive, his adrenaline-junkie days consist of last-minute first-class overseas flights, Hollywood parties with his actress girlfriend, and direct calls from top CIA brass. A chance meeting with Mr. Roberts, “an old broken-down millionaire” and uncommon Christian, sends Cooper on a trip to Israel that will change his life. Matt goes behind the curtain of Middle East terrorism, witnessing firsthand the untold ravages of holy war. The deeper he goes, the closer he gets to a plot involving eleven stolen

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.01.2007 I’m participating in the “One Thousand Gifts” list from Christian Women Online. Click on the picture to find out more about it. 901. Happy New Year! 902. Worship went well at church. My voice was going, but it held out just enough. 903. After service, Captain Caffeine and I got a chance to pester some of the college students who were home for vacation. Poor kids had to stand around and pretend to be interested in us old fogies. 904. I’ve been good lately about not running my space heater as often so I don’t use as much electricity. I haven’t been too cold, either, since I bundle up more, move my feet, and burn a candle, which warms my office really well despite the small size. 905. I gave to Zoe Children’s Homes missionaries the Nakamuras as part of my tithe from my last payment from Z. 906. I also gave to the Agape Home as part of my tithe. 907. I love knowing my Mac is a little safer from Spyware so I can give online with a little more peace of m