What are you reading?

Writers are readers. It's a fact.

I've always been a voracious reader even when I was a child. It was my coping mechanism. When life got too much, I would disappear into a good story.

One of the reasons I want to become an author is to write stories that give people hope. Maybe they will pick up something I have written when events have disrupted the flow of their lives.

I want words of truth woven into a good story to be a way the reader can be encouraged when the book is finished and it's time to step back into the real world.

Do you have some favorite authors?

Recently, I read Carrie Watts' book, Crisis of Faith. It was written for young adults but I think everyone can get a message of hope out of it.

Another recent treasure I found is the phenomenally popular, Theo of Golden, by first-time author, Allen Levi. It was a page-turner that was definitely hard for me to put down. I think one of the things I loved most about the book was the individual stories of every person Theo took the time to discover. 

It makes me wonder ... what are the stories of everyone I come across ... and how can I find out?

Do you reach for a good story when something disrupts the way you want things to be?

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This is Day 12 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I'm also linking this post with the writers at the Five Minute Friday community. Their prompt this week is "disrupt" and I think a good story is the way to fight against disruption when it comes - as it always will.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Sweet Tea & Friends, Five Minute Friday

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy

Gentle Humor

Do you like stories with gentle humor? I do! I always think using humor gets the point across in the best possible way.

In my work as a fiction author, I'm endeavoring to make my characters relatable. Two of my characters, the mother, Sharon, and the daughter, Morgan, have a long history of verbal abuse. Now that they are both believers in Christ, they are learning to communicate in love. Here is a scene where I tried to incorporate a little everyday humor as Morgan counsels Sharon on confidence:

As we pulled up to the curb in front of the diner, Mom said, "What does a confident demeanor look like?"

"It's all in the mind," I explained. "Just think, "I'm Morgan, a confident and powerful woman. I will be polite; but I am busy; so I don't have time for idle chat." Once you have that mindset in plce, your demeanor will look exactly like that."

"Okay, but I think I will say, 'I am Sharon' instead of Morgan," Mom said with a grin.

Rolling my eyes, I got out of the car, muttering under my breath, "Everyone's a comedian."

"I heard that," Mom said sweetly as she joined me on the sidewalk.

We assumed the position, linked arms, and strolled confidently into Herb's Diner.

Do you feel the world sees you as a confident person? 

As for me, if I know what I'm doing, I feel I look confident; but if I don't, I revert to my natural state of shyness!

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This is Day 11 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Sweet Tea & Friends

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy

It's contagious!

Do you ever find yourself smiling back because someone smiled at you first?

Today, after a busy morning, I stopped at the drive-thru at a local BBQ place. When I gave my order through the speaker, the voice on the other side just sounded so perky.

When I got to the window to pay and pick up my food, I could tell by the voice that this was the person who had taken my order. She was wearing a huge grin and said, "Hey, I love your shirt."

"Why, thank you!" I found myself grinning right back at her. 

Smiles are contagious. (Also, I always love any compliments on my clothes!)

Seriously, it is hard to be a grump when someone is smiling right at you.

In my novel, the mother, Sharon, has spent a lot of time being a grump because she is bitter.

But she had a true friend, Jamie, who was gentle and loving. Morgan, Sharon's daughter, explains for us what would happen when Jamie came over: 

"The bright spot in the week was when mom's friend, Jamie, would come over and play pinochle with mom on Saturday nights. There'd be pizza, Pepsi and laughter going on. I wouldn't understand the jokes, but just to hear laughter made me giggle, too."

"It was a strange experience to see mom change into a smiling laughing human being. If only she'd act that way when it was just the two of us."

See, even a grump melts when there is laughter. It's contagious!

(Don't worry ... Sharon does get her joy back, eventually.)

Who can you encourage today with a smile or some giggles?

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This is Day 10 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily (except on Sundays!) to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Let's Have Coffee

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy

Praising the Beauty Maker

Do you love noticing the beauty God has created?

In my fiction work-in-progress, much is made of Grandma Rose's rose garden. Conversations are held here as my characters either sit in the swing hanging from the big maple tree, or perhaps they sit on Rose's inviting bench found at a flea market and heaped with pillows in the shade of Bobby's beautiful blue eyes. There's always citronella candles glowing, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves, and glasses of sweet tea to sip as they share their day. 

Beauty is one way God speaks to us. If He cares so much to create a world of beauty for us to live in, to spark wonder in our lives, doesn't that tell you of His goodness? 

In fact, He made us with five senses in order to fully experience beauty. Sight to delight in all the color; touch to feel the texture of grasses and velvety flowers; taste to experience the tang of citrus, the juicyness of watermelons, the crunch of apples; ears to hear the rustle of leaves and the loving tones of loved ones; and noses to smell the delightful fragrances of roses or bread baking. Who but a good God could come up with such a rich way for us to live in the world?

What do you think is the most beautiful thing God made?

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This is Day 9 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Let's Have Coffee

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy

Sunset

 

When Morgan, one of the main characters in my novel, was 27 years old, her mother, Sharon, took her on a picnic to the lake for the very first time. 

They were having a wonderful time when suddenly Morgan  thought about her childhood and how sad it was her mother never took her anywhere. She questioned Sharon about her reasons for becoming a recluse.

Soon an argument happened, and both Sharon and Morgan took off in opposite directions to cool down.

After stomping off angrily into a little clearing containing a bench, she plopped down. The atmosphere was so calming with birds cheeping and a breeze rustling the leaves of the bushes and trees. She found herself listening to the Holy Spirit as He dropped thoughts into her brain for her to consider. By the time He was done speaking to her, she had been gone an hour in real-time, but she had also walked awhile in her mother's shoes.

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I based this scene on one of my favorite places to go when I want to hear God's voice, Arrowhead Lake. Being outdoors in the middle of God's creation seems to be conducive for hearing God and thinking thoughts that never occur to you at home!

The picture above was taken just as dusk was beginning to arrive. Because I live over an hour away, and my husband and I try to avoid driving in the dark, this is as close to sunset as I have ever seen it.

The next picture shows how sunset looks at home. Sometimes God shows out and swirls orange and purple up there, too!

The point is, God's creativity in nature helps convince you He has answers for all the areas of life. Anyone who can dream up all this beauty and the way the world works is way smarter than me. I want to listen to Him and see what He has to say.

Do you hear God better outdoors?

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This is Day 8 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Let's Have Coffee

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy

The Writing Room

When we became empty nesters, we turned one of the bedrooms into an office. This is where I stady and prepare my bible study lessons. I work from home at my part-time church job here. This is also the "birthing room," if you will, of my book.

Mondays are my writing days. I consider it a good day when I can spend all day at the keyboard actually writing.

Sometimes, life presses in and it doesn't happen. I'm always sad when other chores squeeze out the writing. But I walk away with a pledge to myself, "Next Monday, I'll try again."

Do you have a place where you create, read or study?

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This is Day 7 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at InstaEncouragements Link-Up

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

How I Shifted to Writing Fiction

Dear Readers, my blog recently celebrated its eighteenth blogiversary and my one millionth reader. (I know one million is not a lot for 18 years, but it's still exciting that a lot of people at least read some of my words over the years) 

I started blogging with the idea of relating family stories to preserve for my kids and grandkids.

As time went on, I really enjoyed blogging about insights I had received regarding the Word of God. I began to believe some day I would write either a devotional or perhaps a bible study.

One day, I saw on Facebook that a former creative writing teacher who had visited our church was offering a free Writer's Club online. She would give prompts, and then we would write a story on the prompt and turn it it. We would meet once a week to go over what we had written and she would teach us a nugget about the craft of writing.

I am always up for a challenge, so I dove in and became a member of the club. I absolutely loved it! I was such fun and quickly became the highlight of my week.

I learned there was a reason God had given me such an imagination.

In fact, one story I had written for one of her prompts would not leave my brain. I kept thinking of more to add to the story until I realized, "Hey, this character has a story that needs to be told."

And that is how I made the shift from blogger to fiction writer.

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This post was written in response to the prompt, "shift," provided by the Five Minute Friday writing community.

It was also written as Day 6 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Five Minute Friday

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy.