Does Anyone Know What Day is Was/Is?

LOL! After 12 booksignings in 4 1/2 days, Tracie Peterson, Judy Miller, and I weren't sure what day it was. I figure we were doing well because we could sleep in the van, Steve Oats from Bethany House Publishers was driving, God was watching over us, and none of us signed one another's name in a book!

BUT THINKING ABOUT DAYS.....

I was born at a very early age. Couple that with me being in the midst of post-concussion syndrome, and I can’t recall much of anything—let alone upon which day of the week I was born. Since I’m the Saturday Blogger, that old nursery rhyme has been running through my mind…

Monday’s child is fair of face,
*Snort* We can rule out Monday.
Then again, there’s a positive
side to that. I just found out

that the most beautiful flower,

the rose, gets buried alive for

the winter in cold places. Being

a Southern Cal gal, I hadn’t a
clue my favorite flower got

treated that way.

So I’ll gladly stay looking this

way and stay above ground,

thankyouverymuch.

This was among the very last roses by the Mansfield, Ohio Carousel on the book tour Bethany House sent Tracie Peterson, Judy Miller and me on. Thank heaven, we're still above the ground, even if this one is about to eat dirt.

Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
*Laughing like a loon* I definitely wasn't born on Tuesday. In fact, I don't think my calendars have Tuesdays on them. In April, my left ankle got fractured. At the end of June, I broke my left foot. I haven’t worn a matching pair of shoes since April. Hobbling around in a surgical boot or a Velcro-closing medical shoe is sooo not Vogue. The same nitwit who labels pantyhose as "one size fits all" designed medical footwear so it's a one-shoe-fits-either-foot joke.

Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Could this be me?
I’ve had some heartbreak in life.

But at the time this rhyme was

written, folks often misspelled or

used the wrong homonym. If

they meant to spell that “whoa!”

it’s very likely I’m a Wednesday’s

kid because I tend to impulsively

get myself into things.

Thursday’s child has far to go
If this means I get to travel,

sign me up!
OTOH, it probably means

I’m one of God’s more involved

reclamation projects. Yep,
Thursday’s looking like it

just might be my day.

Bridge of Dreams, the longest covered bridge in Ohio

Friday’s child is loving and giving
Wow. Many of my friends must have been born on Friday! Thank you, Jesus!

Merrill DeGroot me & Judy Miller Kathleen Y'Barbo

FRIENDS ARE WONDROUS GIFTS FROM GOD!
my shy critique
Mary Connealy & Julie Lessman Tracie Peterson partner, Deb Boone


Saturday’s child works hard for his living
Hmmm. I am the Saturday Blogger….
But blogging is going to be a blast.

And the child that’s born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.
So those Sunday kids have it all—beauty, brains, health and happiness.

Only the fact of the matter is, the rhyme isn’t any more accurate than a astrological forecast or a prediction from a Chinese fortune cookie. The truth is, God makes each of us incredibly unique. The day we were born, He kissed us and loaned us for a time… and the day we were born again, He sang over us with joy.

In the end, I don’t care that I was born on Thursday. (Mom called and told me. I think she's about the most reliable eye witness I've got.) What matters to me is, I’ve been born into the family of God where we all come together to help and strengthen one another, to love and serve, and to praise and magnify our Savior. It’s All Hallowed Saints Day, so let’s treat one another by adding one more verse to that old nursery rhyme. Make one up and share it with us!
Here’s mine:
But the child that’s born of Salvation’s grace,
Loves all to reflect his Savior’s face.

Blessings to you all!

Cathy

Home, Book Finished and Introduction

Well I'm home for a month. The booktour was loads of fun. Of course anytime I get together with my writing friends--no matter who--no matter where, we inevitably have a great time.

I was with Judy Miller and Cathy Marie Hake this time. Bethany House's extremely talented marketing directeor, Steve Oates, drove us from place to place. We visited Amish County in Ohio and Bill and Gloria Gaither's store in Indiana. We saw Colleen Coble in Wabash, Indiana (here we all are)
and visited a carousel factory in Mansfield, OH, but Judy no doubt will tell you more about that. We ate Amish butter cheese - yum. We had a wonderful baked chicken meal shared with two of the sweetest bookstore (The Gospel Shop) owners Vesta and Small at Der Dutchman in Berlin, Ohio. It was definitely a whirlwind tour. We did 12 signings in 4 1/2 days.

One of the things that really blessed me on the tour, besides the fellowship, was the fall colors. Ohio and Indiana were gorgeous. Another was the kindness of the people we met. I was blessed by so many who shared their stories and told me how much they enjoyed our books. We spoke at most of the occasions and I witnessed God truly touching lives for Him.

I am very happy to announce that I just finished the first book in a Texas triology and I'm working on a Texas booktour for next year - probably late August or early September.

Now for the introduction portion. As I mentioned I enjoyed the booktour with our own Judith Miller and her carousel passion. Now we get to share Cathy Marie Hake with you as well. Cathy is an awesome gal who writes with a great deal of humor in her books. I was priviledged to get to meet her years ago when she first proposed a story to Heartsong Presents and I was working in the acquisition process. I think you're going to enjoy Cathy's way of looking at the world. So without further ado - Cathy! Here are some photos to show you just what fun she can be.






Oh, and I had to share just a fun little thing. Here's Simon - our daughter Jen's cat who lives with us - in his festive Halloween costume.

God Bless!
Tracie

Imagination vs. Reality

Recently I posted this in my status box at Facebook: What's at the top of your "bucket list"? (For those of you wondering, a bucket list is a list of items one hopes to accomplish before leaving the earth behind.) I was amazed at how many of the responses involved travel. I could totally relate--"travel" is near the top of my own personal bucket list.

One of the couples my family met on our recent expedition to Germany, Jim and Kathy, travel pretty much full-time since they're retired. (This gave hubby the idea of selling our house, buying a motor home, and spending the whole year on the road after he retires. I LIKE my house, so I nixed the idea.) Jim also takes wonderful photographs. Below is a picture he shot in the Maybury State Park in Michigan.


Doesn't that look like a great place to have a picnic? When I opened the email and saw this photograph, I got hit with a wave of longing to step into the scene and bask in the glorious fall colors. I could imagine the gentle whisper of wind in the leaves over my head and the crunch of fallen leaves beneath my feet. Fingers of sunlight crept between branches to highlight a path, and suddenly a bird burst into song. A deer peeked from behind some scrubby brush, startling a rabbit which dashed for cover. Yes, I could imagine it all...

As beautiful as this world can be, and as much as I long to see all the parts of it, there's a beauty awaiting Christians that will far outshine any earthly view. I suppose I've been heaven-minded because I attended the funeral last week for a dear saint who graduated to her heavenly reward. Funerals always make me reflect--on the fragility of life, the uncertainty of time here, of using wisely the time I have to further God's kingdom rather than please self... Funerals also make me try to envision what it will be like to step over the threshold of Heaven into God's presence. I can easily imagine a forest scene, but the true majesty of heaven eludes me.

And you know what? That's okay. I don't need to imagine it. Someday I'll get to live it--forever and ever!--and the reality will be so much bigger and better and more beautiful than anything even my extremely active imagination could concoct. I believe that He has prepared a place for me--my true home. As the song says, "This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through..."

I hope to check off that dream on my "bucket list" and see as much of God's creation as possible while I'm still walking this earth, but even more I hope to use my time here in ways that please my Father. My deepest desire is to step through the gates of Glory and hear those longed-for words: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

May God bless you muchly as you journey with Him! ~Kim

The Reprieve is Over!

I’m going to venture a guess that you thought I’d go on book tour and return to write about something other than carousels. But, guess what??? We stopped in Mansfield, Ohio, and we discovered not one, but TWO creators of carousel animals in the area. Actually, I knew about The Carousel Works before the tour, but I didn’t tell you for fear you’d start rubbing your temples and feel a headache coming on when I revealed the news. Unfortunately, The Carousel Works is closed on Saturdays so we didn’t get to visit there. You may have seen a little about The Carousel Works on Extreme Makeover a few weeks ago when they were in Texas with the Marshall family and did a carousel room for the Marshalls’ young daughter. I must admit that I didn’t know about Carousel Magic. It is located in the downtown Mansfield Carousel District. Imagine my excitement when I was told that they gave tours, AND that we had enough time to take a tour before heading to the Cleveland airport for our departure. After lunch in The Twisted Fig—a wonderful tea room with a delightful array of teas, sandwiches, and individual Bundt cakes, we hurried to The Magic Carousel (in the rain) in time for the two o’clock tour. I’m mentioning the rain as an excuse for my appearance in any and all pictures during the book tour. Even though it didn’t rain the entire trip, I figure there has to be some excuse for those bad pictures.

After demonstrating a few of the carving tools, the young man leading the tour asked if anyone would like to try their hand at carving. Guess who volunteered? I decided there was nothing like a little “hands on” experience. You’ll notice the mean curve on that horse’s rump at the right of the picture. (Look real close, or enlarge the picture.) Who would think I could carve with such expertise in such a short time? Since I had researched the technique and importance of the carving tools, it was especially fun to have this opportunity—even if I didn’t really carve that horse’s rump!

This picture shows a group of horses that the employees of Carousel Magic had restored. Notice how plain they look. That’s because you’re looking at the non-romance side of the horse. When the animals were carved and painted, only one side was intricately carved and painted—the side that would be seen by riders. That side came to be known as the “romance side.” For those of you who have read The Carousel Painter, you already knew that, right? If only I could ask for a show of hands right now!!!

After we completed our tour of Carousel Magic, we walked (in the rain) to the Richland Carrousel Park. Now I know it looks like it wasn’t raining, but trust me—it was. Once inside, we had time for one ride on the carousel. I chose one of the ostriches since I hadn’t ridden one before. For me, having a visit to Carousel Magic and Richland Carrousel Park was the perfect ending of the trip.

Throughout the tour, we visited with lots of wonderful readers and bookstore owners who were a genuine blessing. It is always a joy to become acquainted with new people and hear that our writing has played some part in meeting a spiritual need in their lives. What a blessed gift God has entrusted to those of us who write for Him.

May you find joy as you use your gifts for the Lord. ~Judy

Visiting my Alma Mater

I'll be in Searcy, Arkansas this weekend visiting Harding University, my college alma mater. It's Homecoming weekend, and I'm excited to see college friends and walk those once-familiar paths.

I'll be speaking several times and having book signings so it will be a "working" weekend, but also lots of fun. If you're in the area, I'd love see you! Check the Homecoming weekend schedule here.

I made a quick run to WalMart yesterday--well, it wasn't exactly quick, though I did stick to my list--and snapped this picture on my way home...

This snapshot doesn't do the scenery justice. I love fall. It's my favorite time of year. I love the candy corn, the pumpkins, pumpkin pie, yellow and orange mums, the turning of the leaves, caramel apples, caramels wrapped in that thin cellophane that drives Jack nuts, crackling fires in the fireplace...I could go on. But I've got lots of words to write yet today so...off to it!

Wishing I could share my candy corn and caramels (literally, so I'd stop eating them!),

Tammy

Serious Writers

All work and no play makes Robin a dull writer.

Inspired by the Day at the Office folks, five novelists (Robin Lee Hatcher, Angela Hunt, Terri Blackstock, Carolyne Aarsen, and Kristin Billerbeck) decided to make their own "working" video. Since we live too far away to do it in the same room, we aren't always in sync with the lyrics, but our Macs made it easy and we still had lots of fun. It sure beat working on the next round of edits from our publishers.

Hope we made you smile.

~robin

On the Road Again

This week I'm in Ohio and Indiana on a book tour, so I'm not going to have much to say. I forgot to plan ahead for this blog, so please forgive me.

It's been a lot of fun hanging with Judy Miller and Cathy Hake. The book signings have introduced us to some lovely folks and incredible stores.

Wednesday night we were in Bill and Gloria Gaither's store in Indiana, where we enjoyed some awfully good pumpkin spice cookies and wonderful staff and readers.

The fall colors are incredible - much prettier than my part of Montana. We had a cold snap that dropped us down to 2 degrees F the first week in October. That killed off the leaves and left them all a muddy brown, rather than allowing them to turn Aspen gold.

Anyway, we would certainly appreciate your prayers for safe journeys home.
Love to all
Tracie

Sneezing, Watery Eyes, Stuffy Head, Fever...

Nope, that's not a commercial jingle. That's a description of me right now. Hence, I am not going to attempt to wax philosophical or even promise to make any semblance of sense. I'll just share some pictures with you. I'm FINALLY--nearly a month AFTER the trip--getting photographs developed from our time in Germany. So let me share a few of my favorites.

Picturesque window ~ Modlareuth (Little Berlin)

In lieu of large gardens, most houses sported lovely window boxes.

Street scene in Nuremberg...like stepping back in time.

Neuschwanstein Castle ~ Bavaria


Breathtaking view from Hitler's "Eagle Nest" in Bavarian Alps.
Even a crow looks majestic against that backdrop...


Church in Bavarian Alps
Can you imagine worshipping in such a glorious place?
Mountains' majesty, indeed.


Dresden, Germany


Iron bridge joining two centuries-old buildings in Dresden.

Someday I hope to go back and spend a month in that beautiful, historically rich country. But for now, I'm content to look at my photographs and savor the sweet memories of the time with my parents and husband. Although we'd dreamed of going to Germany for years, I don't know that I ever really believed it would happen. It reminds me of the passage in Ephesians (third chapter, verses 20 and 21) that says, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think..., unto him be glory..." God makes dreams come true. Praise His name.

God bless you muchly as you journey with Him! ~Kim

P.S. ~ If you're one of my Facebook friends, you can view an album of 70 Germany photos on my profile page. Feel free to stop by!

A little more fun and history

You can breathe a sigh of relief. No pictures of carousels this week. But I do want to share a couple of other places that were on the convention itinerary. The "extras" were far and few between, but we did manage to squeeze in some non-carousel stops along the way. After numerous rides on the Hershey Amusement Park carousel, we had a tour of Hershey Chocolate World. Though all of the amusement parks we visited were closed for the season, the park managers opened and operated their carousels for those attending the convention. Talk about feeling like a VIP. Sorry, I’m wandering off into carousel-land again, so back to those “other” places we stopped for a visit. Note the picture of the singing cows that serenaded us with a jingle regaling the important role of milk in Hershey’s fine chocolate confections. Nothing like singing cows to make my day!! I’ll admit that I did purchase several bags of Hershey kisses—they lured me in with their new meltaway kisses—and they’re mighty fine.


The following day we toured a portion of Fonthill, the home and museum constructed by Henry C. Mercer in 1910, as well as a tour of his Moravian Tile Works. Fonthill is at the left and the Tile Works is on the right. Fonthill is a six-story concrete castle that Mercer filled with his collection of handmade objects as well as the tiles made in the tile works. You can see the tiles inserted into the cement in this picture taken in the entryway. Because he was both an historian and archaeologist Mercer realized the handmade tools and materials of daily life in America would soon disappear. Wanting to preserve them before they were lost to history, he collected and preserved the items in his huge castle-like home. I spent much more time in the tile works than his home. Though amazing to see, I just couldn’t get into a cozy, homey feeling in that mausoleum-type concrete structure. But if you’re near Doylestown, Pennsylvania, I highly recommend a visit.

When his attempt to revive the native pottery making of Bucks County failed, Mercer turned his attention to hand-crafted tiles instead. He became a leader of the Arts and Crafts movement in the early 20th century. His tiles of the rotunda and halls of the Pennsylvania State Capitol, depict 400 scenes in the Commonwealth's history. His tiles also adorn buildings throughout the United States and the world. Tiles are still produced in the tile works where interns continue to learn and create tiles using Mercer’s methods.

We also had a bus tour of Philadelphia, but because we were slowed in traffic after leaving one of our earlier destinations, the tour was cut short and I didn’t get to visit the Liberty Bell. This ranks right up there with never having seen the Statue of Liberty—a story that my sister and I still laugh about because I continue to harbor a bit of childhood jealousy since she had the opportunity to visit the famed lady when we were young, but I was left at home. That’s another long story, but I’m still waiting for that visit, as well. We did pass the home of Betsy Ross, Independence Hall, and statues of William Penn and Ben Franklin, but I have to admit that the historian in me was sorely disappointed that we didn’t spend more time visiting the historic sights of Philadelphia. Philly is on my list of places I want to truly explore, and one of these days…

May you find joy as you explore the wonders of our nation. ~Judy

His Presence, Part 2

I'm adding an addendum to today's earlier post...

I asked God this morning to show my Dad His glorious presence, to remind Dad of Mom's love for him and of God's abiding presence in his life, and look what we found among the boxes in the garage...

This was written by Mom on the side of a box containing cards and letters that Dad sent to her throughout the years. Who knows when she wrote it, probably in 2007 when they moved from their former home to this one. So precious. And see what the other side said below...

Not sure if you can read it but it reads "Momentoes of Days Past, I love you, Douglas, always will! J.B." My mom's name was June, and Dad always called her "Junebug." ;)

Seeking His Presence

This will be quick because I'm in Atlanta visiting Dad, and we're headed out on some errands then coming back to clean out the garage. Lots of boxes and lots of stuff. We're having a great time together and I'm enjoying sorting through the memories.

I was reading in Exodus last night (sometimes I'm just drawn to that book) and came across something that Moses said that I'm praying for myself today, and for you (33:14).

Moses asked the Lord, "Then show me your glorious presence." When you have a chance, read back through that section. It's powerful and so encouraging. Never forget, God knows your name and your circumstance, and He yearns to hide you in the cleft of the rock and show you His glorious presence.

Here are some quick pics of our family during Dad's recent visit to Nashville when we went out to eat. We so love that man! He's doing well, missing Mom still, as we all are, of course, but he's finding grace and strength in his own cleft in the Rock.

(Click on pics to make them larger)

Blessings friends,

Tammy

those characters in my head

Over 28 years have passed since I began writing my first novel. I have experienced plenty of highs and lows in this business. One of the good parts has been getting to know so many other writers and discovering that I am not the only person who sometimes lives in a fantasy world of her own making. I'm not the only person who hears invisible characters whispering lines of dialogue in her ear.

But as much fun as that sounds (and is), I've also learned that we creative sorts have rather fragile natures. At times we are strong and courageous. If not, we would never send our books out into the world to see what others think of them. But at other times the littlest thing can shake us to the core.

I have a new book out in the world right now (Fit To Be Tied), and I've been a bit nervous. I came to love Cleo so much and want others to love her too. Will they? Will readers take to Cleo and root for Sherwood to win her heart? Have I written a story worthy of these two special characters? (I'm quite sure other writers can relate to those questions. If not, don't tell me. I don't want to learn that I'm the only one.)

Anyway, although I haven't seen any reader reviews showing up on-line as yet, I have received a couple of emails from readers in the last couple of days that made my heart dance and have relieved the anxiety a bit.

"I always read the books before my husband does because I go through them quicker. So he had to hear me keep saying, 'No Cleo! No Cleo!' when I came to the part where she was [Robin here: I'm snipping so as not to give anything away]. Usually I quickly flip to the back pages to find out what happens, but this time I didn't want to ruin the book so I made myself wait until I got to the end to find out. But I gave lots of advice to Cleo while reading it! Your book definitely made the people come alive and kept me captivated."

"[Fit to be Tied] was WONDERFUL! I liked A Vote of Confidence, but this one blew it out of the water... I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. You had my heart going out for Sherwood from page 2. It was fantastic."

I wonder if readers know how much emails like the above mean to writers. I wonder if they know how much we appreciate when they take the time to post a review to CBD and/or Amazon and/or other on-line retailers. Even more, I wonder if they understand how grateful authors are when readers spend their hard-earned dollars to purchase our books new so that our publishers will continue to contract and publish our books.

I hope they do. I hope you do. Without you readers, we novelists would only be able to play with our characters in our heads instead of sharing them with others. As Cleo would say, folks'd think we were as crazy as popcorn on a hot skillet. {{grin}}

~robin

Booksignings in Alabama

The booksignings in Alabama were great fun, and I met so many neat people. I want to definitely offer my thanks to the Athens-Limestone Public Library in Athens, AL and also to the Huntsville Lifeway Christian Bookstore, in Huntsville, AL.

The Athen-Limestone Library speaking event turned out to be great fun. I met such wonderful people, and enjoyed signing books for them.


Here I am with a great little gal named Jade and her mother Amy.



Then we were off to Huntsville the next morning for the Lifeway Fiction Day celebration. We had a great turn out there and I met so many readers who turned out to be loyal fans. Here's a shot of one gal named Tammy.
She assured me that she has read everything I've written.

Another one who said the same was Marge Odom (she's promised me Hawaiian Banana bread and its recipe).





Then I met a dear lady named Rachel and 2 of her 5 daughters - Laura and Lyn and her little granddaughter Abigail.
Laura (shown in the wheelchair) even surprised me with a sketch of one of my book characters (Dianne Chadwick from the Heirs of Montana). Each person was a special blessing.



Then of course there were the Lifeway gals. I call them the Lovely Ladies of Lifeway. They made me feel welcome and special.
What more could an author ask for?

I think my favorite thing was the fellowship. Each of the readers were great to share stories of how the books had changed their life or drawn them closer to God. What a special blessing that was to me. Next week - Ohio and Indiana booktours. See my website (www.traciepeterson.com) for dates and locations. Cathy Marie Hake and Judith Miller will be my companions. Look out Ohio and Indiana this trio can be dangerous!

Tracie

Rain, rain, go away...or not

The weather is really blucky (you know, a cross between bleak and yucky...blucky) in Kansas. I can't quite figure out what happened. We went from summer to winter in one fell swoop. Usually I love fall--breathing in crisp, cool air; admiring the changing colors; donning a fuzzy sweater if I go out in the evening but foregoing the heavy coat... But I gotta admit, the gray skies from morning to night and constant drizzle has made me feel a bit like Eeyore--gloomy.

I don't particularly like to be gloomy. Have you ever noticed that when the mom of the house gets gloomy, everybody else does, too? And I don't like having that effect on my family. So Wednesday when I got up and looked out on yet ANOTHER drizzly, gray, gloomy day, I asked God to send something to cheer me.

For the past several years, I've purchased a flip calendar with a Bible verse for each day. When I flipped the calendar to October 14, this is what I read: "Rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers... (Joel 2:23)" A little smile tugged at my cheek when I thought about each of those drizzly drops speckling the windows and coating the ground being little drops of righteousness. Wonderful thought.

Then I opened my email and found a message from Jim Young, a man who was on the Germany tour with my family in early September. He is quite the photographer, and he's been sharing "pics of the week" with us since we returned. The following pictures are a sampling of the lovely images imbedded in the email:

Pond turned kaleidoscope...

Reflection of Autumn colors

A sugar maple leaf

I caught myself smiling broadly as I scrolled through the eye-catching images of Autumn. And before I knew it, my soul was rejoicing in the loveliness that surrounds us. In my last release, Fields of Grace, Eli tells Lillian, "Sometimes I marvel at the extras God provides. He meets our needs, yes, but so much more. He did not have to make the world a bright, colorful place of beauty. He could have simply provided the things our bodies require to survive. But He also chose to feed our souls."

The beauty of His Word and those photographs, sent at the just the right time, gave my soul a wondrous treat. Oh, yes, God feeds our souls. Right now that drizzly, endless, gray mist of rain is nourishing the soil so next spring will blossom with new life. Right now God is raining down righteousness on His children. So rain, rain, stay awhile, and I will choose to wear a smile.

God bless you muchly as you journey with Him! ~Kim