Captain's Log, Supplemental It is sooooooo hot here in San Jose, and we don’t have air conditioning. (Collective “Awww” of pity for poor Camy) On a positive note, it’s too hot for my dog to get into too much trouble. A couple weekends ago (before it got so hot), Captain Caffeine and I got rid of my old desk, a heavy wooden one (which I can’t complain about because it was free) and we got a door at Home Depot to lay on cinderblocks for my desk. Ta da! We wrapped the cinderblocks in black plastic trash bags so they wouldn’t rain gravel on my carpet (that’s the black pillars at each corner). You’ll notice that my monitor, keyboard, and trackball are elevated on cardboard boxes so that I can stand and type (it’s better for my back), but my ergonomic chair is rolled to the side so I can sit if I want to (the keyboard and monitor are easy to move down from the boxes. I also have a rolling caddy with drawers for my stuff, and my file cabinet is on the far right, out of the picture. I love...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.31.2007 The FIRST Blog Alliance is featuring the first chapter of my book! (Okay, well, it’s supposed to be posted on September 1st, but it got posted a little early.) You can also download a .pdf file here . Also, my September blog tour for Sushi for One starts tomorrow! Sports-crazy Lex Sakai isn’t too worried about “winning” the unofficial family title “Oldest Single Female Cousin” when her cousin Mariko marries in a few months. Her control-freak grandma is easy to ignore, until Grandma issues an ultimatum—if Lex can’t find a date for Mariko’s wedding, her ruthless Grandma will cut off funding to the girls’ volleyball team that Lex coaches. Lex isn’t about to look desperate by dating every player in the dugout. She comes up with a stringent list of requirements from her Ephesians Bible study in her search for The Perfect Man. She always wins in volleyball—if she ups her game, she’s sure to succeed. Then her brother introduces her to non-Christian, no...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.29.2007 I'm on deadline to finish my new series proposal (can't say much about it yet) so I'm a little light on the blogging. But forgive a fond mommy who wants to show off her darling doggie!

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.28.2007 I finally finished this afghan for my dad. It’s the Cascading Leaves throw made with Lion Brand Jiffy in grass green. Mine doesn’t look as nice as the picture on the pattern. :( But it’s for my dad, who won’t notice or care.

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.27.2007 Today I have an interview with Brandilyn Collins about her novel, Coral Moon ! The figure remained still as stone. Leslie couldn’t even detect a breath. Spider fingers teased the back of her neck. Leslies feet rooted to the pavement. She dropped her gaze to the driveway, seeking what? Spatters of blood? Footprints? She saw nothing. Honed through her recent coverage of crime scene evidence, the testimony at last months trial, the reporter in Leslie spewed warnings: Notice everything, touch nothing … Leslie Williams hurries out to her car on a typical workday morning and discovers a dead body inside. Why was the corpse left for her to find? And what is the meaning of the message pinned to its chest? In Coral Moon , the senseless murder of a beloved Kanner Lake citizen spirals the small Idaho town into a terrifying glimpse of spiritual forces beyond our world. What appears true seems impossible. Or is it? And now, here’s me and B...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.23.2007 Today I have an interview with Mark Mynheir about his novel, The Void (Truth Chasers series book 3) . Someone’s trying to play God… and he’s turning Palm Bay into hell. Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agent Robbie Sanchez devotes her life to crime prevention, and it shows: She has no personal life and doesn’t know the meaning of a day off. After all, someone has to be around to clean up the mess crime leaves behind. So when Officer Brad Worthington is brutally murdered, Agent Sanchez is called to the scene along with Brad’s best friend, Detective Eric Casey. The two turn to Lifetex, the genetics lab near the scene, hoping their elaborate security system might have captured the crime outside. But what’s going on inside the lab is far worse: a renegade scientist is cloning humans! As Robbie and Eric pursue clues–and a growing attraction–they are caught in a deadly battle as the clones begin to act on their own volition…but this ba...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2007 Pammer tagged me! The Rules: (you knew there had to be some) 1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts. 2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. 3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts. 4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. 5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog. MIE (pronounced mee-yay) It’s Japanese. M-Memory. As in, I have a very bad one. If I’ve met you but I forgot your name, don’t be offended. It’s not you. It’s the colander that my brain turned into. I-Infectious. Seriously, I am always sick. If I haven’t caught something my husband brought home from work, then I’ve caught something from ...

Captain's Log, Supplemental Just back from my writer’s retreat in Minnesota, I’ve started to reevaluate my time. I’m realizing that I need to make more of an effort to protect my creativity (since I now make my living off of it) and allow myself to relax. One thing I realized in Minnesota is how much I love the sound of running water. My friend Sharon Hinck likes the sound of the ocean (or in her case, Lake Superior), but I think because I grew up in Hawaii, it doesn’t do anything for me. But streams are wonderful. Waterfalls and rushing rivers are okay, but I like streams the best. Water gurgling over rocks. So, I thought—why not utilize that in my workspace? We’d received a tabletop water fountain as a wedding gift and never even opened the box. Why not use it now? Here is my new tranquility corner! What do you think? What do you do for your tranquility? Or is it more along the lines of, "Relax? What's that? I think the last time was in '89 ..."

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.21.2007 Karen at Mommy of Three told me about this new program. Shelly at This Eclectic Life has started the Share a Square Project. She invites crocheters and knitters to make squares that will be made up into afghans for children with cancer. The program is just way cool. Originally, the pattern was for crocheted squares, but here’s a knitting pattern by Marcia at Tumbled Words. This is a great way for knitters to give their time for a worthy cause, but it’s also a great way to get rid of some of the extra yarn in your stash.

Captain's Log, Supplemental I was at the Oregon Christian Writers Conference from July 30th through August 2nd, but then I also spent time with my friend Donna Fleisher, seeing the Oregon coast. I posted pictures here.

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.20.2007 Today I have an interview with Sandra Glahn  about her two new books from her Coffee Cup Bible study series, Premium Roast with Ruth and Cappuccino with Colossians ! All the Coffee Cup Bible Studies books contain Monday-through-Friday Bible study questions, along with devotional thoughts for lighter reading on the weekends. Designed for group or individual study. Premium Roast with Ruth A “nobody” kind of girl, Ruth is born in the wrong place—Moab. She marries an Israelite at the wrong time—when his nation is experiencing a famine. And she ends up in the wrong circumstances—her husband dies leaving her childless with no Social Security or unemployment insurance. Yet miraculously, this humble widow ends up as the right person in the right place at the right time. After accompanying her bitter, thankless mother-in-law to far-away Bethlehem, Ruth marries a much older man—a relative of her deceased husband. Why? So her mother-in-law can ...

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.19.2007 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 ONE Sunday. I’m trying something new with my Sunday Prayer. I’m really bad about doing it on Sunday , so I’ll be updating it during the week. Dear Lord, I pray for complete healing for Doug, Bruce, and Tony. Please be with Christa during this unexpected move, and please provide the right house for them, that will fit their needs. For myself, I pray for more humility so I can serve You better. Amen.

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.17.2007 I finished my Monkey socks a while ago, but just now got around to posting the pics! The pictures look a bit more bluish than they are in real life--I used the Cape Cod colorway in Memories from Knitpicks.com.

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.16.2007 Today I have author Elizabeth White with me talking about her newest novel, Off the Record ! Judge Laurel Kincade has it all—brains, beauty, and an aristocratic Old South family to back her up. A political rising star, she’s ready to announce her candidacy for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Journalist Cole McGaughan has ambitions too. Working as a religion writer for the New York Daily Journal, he longs to become a political reporter. Then his old friend Matt Hogan, a private investigator, calls with a tip. The lovely young judge may be hiding a secret that could derail her campaign. Would Cole like to be the one to break the story? Cole sees a clear road to his goal, but there’s a problem. Laurel’s history is entangled with his own, and he must decide if the story that could make his career is worth the price he’d have to pay. Can Cole and Laurel find forgiveness and turn their hidden past into a hopeful future—and somehow ke...

Captain's Log, Supplemental Okay, I'm still at the library and Captain Caffeine sent me these pics since I wasn't home when they arrived: MY AUTHOR COPIES ARRIVED! Wow, that's just so cool. And I'm so glad Captain Caffeine sent me pics!

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.13.2007 Today I have a fun interview with author Tosca Lee  talking about her novel, Demon: a Memoir ! One night changes everything. Recently divorced and mired in a meaningless existence, Clay drifts from his drab apartment to his equally lusterless job as an editor for a small Boston press--until the night Lucian finds him and speaks the simple words: "I'm going to tell you my story... and you're going to write it down and publish it." What begins as a mystery soon spirals into chaotic obsession as Clay struggles to piece together Lucian's dark tale of love, ambition, and grace...only to discover that the demon's story has become his own. And then only one thing matters: learning how the story ends. And now, here’s me and Tosca! What inspired you to write Demon ? Through the 90s, I was into online, collaborative storytelling. By “into,” I mean totally addicted. My group and I loved writing up stories for ne...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.10.2007 My dad sent me more pictures of their new miniature poodle, Kuro (which means “black” in Japanese). He’s so darn cute I had to post them. They’re here on my Scrapbook blog .

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.09.2007 Today I have an interview with author Erynn Mangum  about her novel, Miss Match ! Lauren Holbrook has decided to add a side career to her regular job as a photographer: matchmaking for the romantically challenged. After successfully hitching her sister and her new husband, Lauren decides to sets out to strike sparks between her carefree singles' pastor, Nick, and her neurotic, obsessive compulsive coworker, Ruby. However, Lauren finds that certain combinations of people results in explosions, rather than sparks, and her foolproof plan begins to unravel. As Lauren is faced with disaster after romantic disaster, will she rethink her matchmaking role as well as her vow to her father to remain single forever? And now, here’s me and Erynn! Tell us how you came up with the idea for Miss Match. I was at a friend's wedding. He was my singles' pastor, and she was our former youth secretary. They were one of those couples everyone ...

Captain's Log, Supplemental Do any of you belong to the ACFW Book Club? For the month of October, they'll be featuring Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and they're voting right now. While most of the books are true Sci-Fi/Fantasy, one is not targeted at your typical SFF reader-- The Restorer by Sharon Hinck. I wrote a review here , and it's a book specifically for women readers, dealing with women's issues. I mean, how can you go wrong with a soccer mom heroine? Here's a blurb: Susan Mitchell needed a change--any kind of change. Nearly twenty years of marriage to her college sweetheart, Mark, had given her two teenagers and two grade-schoolers, along with miles of unmatched socks, sticky countertops, and the ever-growing hum of sheer bedlam. When had she become so . . . insignificant? Hadn't God once had a plan for her? Well, at least Mark had a plan: for an attic hideaway free of iPods and science projects and cookie crumbs. But before Susan can finish her first journal en...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.08.2007 Now that the final round scores are in, we are able to announce the titles of the finaling manuscripts for the ACFW 2007 Genesis contest! The winners will be announced at the 2007 ACFW conference in September. Contemporary Romance (includes romantic comedy) Jennifer Lynn Cary, On The Court Audra Harders, Rough Ride Catherine Hershberger, The Nun and the Narc Roxanne Sherwood, A Perfect Love Jennifer Hudson Taylor, By His Plan Historical Romance Linda Fulkerson, Wings of the Dawn Audra Harders, Precious Possessions Pam Hillman, Eyes of the Heart and Stealing Jake's Heart Jennifer Hudson Taylor, Promised Blessings Romantic Suspense Sally Bradley, Shelf Life Marci J. Burke, Shadow of Doubt Dineen Miller, Manna Reign Dani Pettrey, Artifact Suzan Robertson, The Circle Game Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Allegory Sally A. Apokedak, The Kisses of an Enemy Valerie Comer, Marks of Repentance Rebecca Grabill, Out of Darkness Shannon McNear, The Gift of the Stranger C...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.07.2007 Crystal tagged me with this way fun meme! Here are the meme rules: *Link to the name of the person that tagged you *Include state and country you live in *List top 5 favorite local restaurants *Tag 5 other people and let them know they've been tagged Here in northern California, I’m really blessed because there are lots of great restaurants. And since I’m all about food, it’s pretty close to paradise. In no particular order: 1) Frankie, Johnnie, and Luigi Too! is an Italian restaurant with the best pizza on the planet. They do everything else well, too. This is one of the restaurants that my dad insists on eating at when he and my mom visit from Hawaii, because the linguini with clams in garlic cream sauce is THAT GOOD. 2) Krung Thai restaurant has the best duck in red curry out of all the Thai restaurants I’ve eaten at. They have a really extensive menu so that Captain Caffeine can order something without coconut milk for himself, and we hav...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.06.2007 Today, I’m featuring my friend Mary DeMuth  talking about her latest non-fiction book, Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture ! What is postmodernism? Is it good or bad? Does it have anything to do with being an effective, godly parent? With sensitivity, grace, and a passion to help families experience authentic, life–changing relationships with God, Mary DeMuth describes the new way people are processing truth. She reveals effective ways for parents to communicate with today’s kids: by developing relationships, by learning along with their kids, by creating a safe haven for kids to explore their worlds, and more. Parents will discover how to... * communicate the gospel effectively to their own children, who may process truth in a new way * equip their children (and themselves!) to relate successfully with others and avoid isolating themselves from those who need Christ * lead their families even when they don’t have all the an...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.02.2007 Today I have an interview with Boomer Babe Allison Bottke  talking her latest novel, One Little Secret . In a land of glitz and glamour, Ursula Rhoades isn’t fazed in the least by the constant parade of Prada and Tiffany’s or the high-profile celebrity sightings. A beautiful home, a loving family, and fulfilling volunteer opportunities leave this fashionable and loving Bel-Air housewife completely content, even if she did have to give up her dreams. Nikolai Prevelakis, or Nik Prevel to his fans, is the hottest young music star in the country. But it isn’t enough. Handsome, famous, and living the life of a rock star, Nik isn’t content. When his path crosses Ursula’s, he sees the opportunity he’s been waiting for. But what seems like a harmless little secret changes their lives forever—and becomes one big secret everyone’s trying to figure out! And now, here’s me and Allison! How did you come up with the story idea for One Little...