Archive for May, 2010

Posted on May 31, 2010 - by Kim

She Don’t Take No Sass

Let me tell you a little secret about most of us Alabama girls. We don’t take no sass. From nobody. Oh sure, we can be so sweet sugar won’t melt in our mouths, but when it comes right down to it, we can give as good as we get.

Perhaps that’s why I like the heroine that uses a little vinegar mixed with her honey to catch her man. The one who refuses to let anyone see her cry. And when she finally does break down, it’s usually in the arms of the hero who she has seen as her nemesis up to that point. You know right then and there she trusts him with her heart and has surrendered it willingly.

Of course, my all time favorite take no prisoners heroine isn’t old enough to be interested in men…except maybe to beat the tar out of ‘em on the play ground.  I’m talking about one Miss Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, the heroine of To Kill A Mockingbird. Part tomboy, part little girl trying to find her place in a family of men, Scout Finch may only be six, but she has a backbone made of pure steel that only becomes stronger when it’s tested by the fires of racism and pure evil in the form of Robert E. Lee Ewell.

But the brassy ladies on my list of favorite heroines aren’t limited to too young for romance girls or to those women born south of the Mason-Dixon line. No indeed. I’m also partial to one Sarah Wheaton from Maine – which is about as far north of Alabama as you can go before crossing into Canada. And while the book only hints at her spit and vinegar spirit, the 1991 television movie shows it in all its glory. Not only does she travel alone from Maine in answer to an ad placed by widower, Jacob Witting, but she stands her ground with the man. And in 1910, that isn’t the easiest thing to do.

Sarah Wheaton also embodies the other part of the take no sass heroine that I adore – she doesn’t expect to fall in love. And when she does, she’s absolutely blindsided. That makes a story all the more delectable for me.

That’s probably why I like CC Babcock from the 1990s sitcom The Nanny. Even though she spends five seasons fawning over her business partner Maxwell Sheffield, the viewer just knows she never really expects to fall in love. Then, when she does – and with Niles the butler, no less – her whole world is tilted off its axis. Boy was that fun to watch!

Yet all of the characters I’ve mentioned also have a soft side. A maternal instinct that, when the right man comes along, will blossom into something so much more than some mealy-mouthed cry at the drop of a hat female could ever imagine.

So, there you have it. This take no sass Alabama girl loves a heroine with the same spitfire mentality. What about you? What bold, brassy, witchy woman with a yet to be revealed softer side do you find hard to forget? Inquiring minds want to know.

Posted on May 27, 2010 - by Lorna Seilstad

Making a Difference

If you asked a group of middle school girls who their heroines were, you’d probably get a collection of answers mostly involving those in the limelight. But can you really compare Lady Gaga to Amelia Earhart? Miley Cyrus to Carrie Chapman Catt?

What those young women need to hear are the stories of women who’ve made a difference in the world –real-life heroines who battled the odds and changed things for the better. Even our fiction stories often need this larger than life quality and can inspire women to reach beyond themselves.

One of my best friends is one of those real-life heroines. In the last 16 years, Sandra has had over 20 teenage foster children in her home. They’ve come from all kinds of situations, but when they get to her house, they are home—often for the first time in their lives. She treats them with respect, teaches them what unconditional love is, and gives them a family. They are her kids and she will fight for them, pray for them, and give them every opportunity she can to have some of the childhood they missed. Many have now gone on to have kids of their own who call my 43-year-old friend “grandma.”

Seven years ago, Sandra discovered she was pregnant. She had four biological children living at home at the time, one of whom suffered brain injury at birth and was in a wheelchair, and four foster children. She was sent for an ultrasound and the technician said, “Look! There they are.”

“They?”

Sandra said she looked toward heaven and said, “What do You think You’re doing? Am I not doing my part already?”

I told her it was because she was doing such a good job as a mother and God needed some more good kids to balance out the bad ones out there.

Sandra is one woman who has made a difference in countless lives. Like Sandra Bullock’s character in Blind Side, she is firm, but has a heart of butter. She’d fight to the death for one of her kids or “kill” them herself for messing up in a big way.

Real-life heroes surround us all. Sometimes they make their way into our books. My second book in the Lake Manawa series features some women who took a stand on the cause of women’s suffrage. One of those women was Amelia Bloomer. She lived here in Council Bluffs and is best known for her wearing of “bloomers.” Actually, she initiated a reform of women’s dress and wore a sort of Turkish pant that was gathered at the ankle. It didn’t catch on very well at the time, but it started things moving. Today, as I sit in my capris, I couldn’t be happier that Amelia stepped out and made a difference.

The link below tells of some modern heroic women in the UK. I thought you might find their stories inspiring.

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/fabulous/features/644269/The-Real-Life-Heroines-Women-of-the-year-Katie-Piper-Acid-burn.html

 Do you know some real-life heroines who’ve made a difference? What about those in books or movies? Tell us about them. I’d love to hear your stories.

Posted on May 26, 2010 - by Dawn Ford

The Underdog

I wasn’t very old when I found out life wasn’t fair. It was one of the first lessons my mother taught me and repeated as I grew up. She did her best to warn me about life and I now tell my boys the same thing. Life. Isn’t. Fair. But somewhere deep inside me demands equal fairness for everyone. I believe there ought to be a law.

Since there is no such law, and it would be prone to opinion and interpretation, I found one way to compensate is to root for the underdog. Pile odds against someone needing a fair shake and I’m there beside them, rooting them on. Often the heroines I have loved have been this underdog figure who is likable and strong, but life has just been against them.

Judy Miller has given me great tips on books to read. Not long ago she recommended Tracey Bateman’s Thirsty. The main character, Nina, is a recovering alcoholic who has lost her business and her marriage due to her drinking. Her teenage daughter, Megan, is furious to have to spend time with her mother after she comes out of rehab. Nina must move home where she grew up to begin her life over, a place where there are more demons than she can shake a stick at. One of those demons is a flesh and blood type, which is where the speculative element comes into play.

Our heroine, Nina, is memorable to me because she has made mistakes in life and no one expects her to come out on top. You understand why her husband, Hunter, divorced her. You can see why her daughter despises her. You even empathize with Nina as she hates herself for her own behaviors. But we root for her because she loves her kids, loves her ex-husband, and wants to do better. We want her to defeat her problems and win back her life.

Judy also recommended Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games. A YA Speculative Science Fiction book, it is well written and has you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. The underdog heroine, Katniss Everdeen, takes her younger sister Prim’s place as a competitor in a savage life or death game, called the Hunger Games.

Set in a fictional time in a post-apocalyptic future, the heroine has all odds set against her. We root for her because as a young girl she is forced to starve or find a way to support her family with illegal hunting and gathering. When faced with the choice, she is immediately willing to die for her sister in the Games. And instead of being bitter, she shows compassion and mercy when it could get her killed. You want her to come out the victor and get the guy, her partner in the Games Peeta Mellark, who loves her and saved her more than once. Or maybe go back home to Gale Hawthorne, her hunting partner and best friend.    

All things are not fair in life, but that’s the great part about writing. We can level the playing ground, if only in our own made up world.

Posted on May 25, 2010 - by Shannon Vannatter

The Soft Spot

Confession: I haven’t been reading lately. With one more deadline a week away, baseball practice/games, and life, I haven’t had time.

       So, I’ll blog about the heroines I like to write. Strength with a soft spot makes a heroine worth rooting for in my book.

       Here are a few heroines I’ve been writing lately. Some will be on a bookshelf near you soon, some maybe in the future. 

*    The heroine who slaps her cheating, ex-fiance when he gets too close, but can’t drive by a stray dog without taking it home.

*    The heroine determined to leave her home town to escape her estranged, dysfunctional family—until she learns about her paralyzed nephew caught up in a custody battle.

*    The unsaved, promiscuous heroine determined to let someone else raise her son to protect him from her bad reputation and the stigma of his alcoholic father.

*    The heroine who leaves the husband she loves because he suggests she abort the baby she wants.

*    The heroine who longs for marriage and children, but resolves to remain single and spare her future family possible mental illness.

The queen willing to stand up to her husband for the sake of her people. Okay, I have been reading one book, the Bible. And though I’m not reading Esther right now, strength with a soft spot certainly describes her.

Though I have numerous soft spots: kids, dogs, cats, rabbits, I’m not so much a fighter. I’m a smoother. I want everyone to get along and everything to be fine. I hate conflict and try to smooth everything over, but usually make it worse with my efforts. Are you an Esther, a smoother, or does the first sign of trouble make you run?

Posted on May 23, 2010 - by Lorna Seilstad

Heroines Who Deserve to Win

     Giddy or gutsy? Proud or pouty? Winsome or weak-willed?

     When it comes to romance, the star of the page is inevitably the heroine. Whether she’s a damsel in distress, a take charge lady, or a problem solving grandma, a book’s heroine has to leap off the page and directly into our hearts.  But why do some heroines stick out in our minds more than others?

      In the next two weeks, here at Inkspirational Messages we want to discuss what make a heroine endearing to the reader. Why do we cheer for her? And what does she need to make her come to life on the page? Along with that, we want to bring up some of the heroines that starred in our favorite books or in our recent reads.

     Since I’m the first Inkster to write on this topic, I am not going to hog all the good qualities. Instead, I want to focus on the one quality I like to bring into my own characters—strength.  I’m not talking about the heroine with Wonder Woman powers or ninja kicking abilities. I’m talking about a female character who knows who she is, what she wants, and is willing to go for it. She isn’t perfect, but she has an inner strength that allows her  to stand on her own.

     Recently, I finished Mary Connealy’s  The Husband Tree (Barbour). Oh my goodness, her Belle Tanner  literally jumped off the page!  Not only was Bell a unique and fascinating woman, she was incredibly strong and capable. You believe in her and rooted for her from the beginning.  Here’s the beginning of chapter one:

     Belle Tanner pitched dirt right on Anthony’s handsome, worthless face.

     It was spitefulness that made her enjoy doing that. But she was sorely afraid Anthony Santoni’s square jaw and curly dark hair had tricked her into agreeing to marry him.
Which made her as big an idiot as Anthony.

     Now he was dead and she was left to dig the grave. Why, oh why didn’t she just skip marrying him and save herself all this shoveling?

     She probably should have wrapped him in a blanket, but blankets were hard to come by in Montana. . .unlike husbands.

     She labored on with her filling, not bothering to look down again at the man who had shared her cabin and her bed for the last two years. She only hoped when she finished she didn’t forget where she’d buried Anthony’s no-account hide. She regretted not marking William’s and Gerald’s graves now for fear she’d dig in the same spot and uncover their bones. As she recalled, she’d planted William on the side nearest the house, thinking it had a nice view down the hill over their property. She wasn’t so sure about Gerald, but she’d most likely picked right, because she’d dug the hole and hadn’t hit bones. Unless critters had dug Gerald up and dragged him away.

     Belle had to admit she didn’t dig one inch deeper than was absolutely necessary.

     Can’t you feel Belle’s grit? Her strength? She’d survived three husbands now and buried them herself –but not an inch deeper than necessary, of course.  In the book, we learn she manages her ranch better than any man and plans to drive her cattle to market, with our without a man’s help. This fortitude and inner strength made me want her to not only survive, but have it all in the end.

     Strong heroines are nothing new. Think Scarlett O’Hara, Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett, or Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. 

     Naturally, movies and television have their strong female characters as well. So with that, it’s your turn.  Which heroines in movies and television have admirably displayed the quality of strength? And do you think assertiveness and a show of strength makes a female character less attractive and less feminine?

Posted on May 20, 2010 - by Kav

Plain Paths and Strong Hearts

Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead a plain path…  Psalm 27:11

 I still remember the first time I was allowed to go to the store all by myself.  I was seven years old and feeling incredibly grown up as I walked the three blocks to the local five and dime.  In the absence of a purse, my mother had knotted my allowance into a corner of her handkerchief and tucked it securely into my jacket pocket.    

 Once inside the store I was overwhelmed by the selection of treasures to choose from. I must have wandered up and down the aisles a dozen times perusing the shelves for that special something to mark my debut shopping ‘spree’.  And then I found it among a pile of forgotten pictures at the back of the store – a picture of the Savior, his arms extending out towards me.  I thought it was the most wonderful thing I’d ever seen and I snatched it up triumphantly and, heart pounding in excitement, I marched to the cashier. Her smile held kindness though she seemed reluctant to ring up my purchase.

 “Are you sure you want to buy this picture?”

 Overcome with shyness, I nodded mutely.

 “Did you look at everything else in the store?  The dolls…the toys?”  She continued to list other childish enticements. When I shook my head and pointed to the picture I had placed on the counter, she finally rang it through. “Do you know who this is?” she asked as she wrapped the frame in tissue paper.

 This time I found the courage to reply.  “The Savior,” I whispered,

 “Well. You’re half right, honey.  He’s your Savior.  You remember that now.”

 That simple little exchange was the beginning of that ‘plain path’ spoken of in psalms.

 Deliver me not over until the will of my enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.” Psalm 27:12

 I floated home on a feeling of euphoria basking in my first experience with the warmth of the Spirit.  I was ecstatic and anxious to show my purchase to my mother, stunned when she wrenched it from my grasp and cracked it in two on the edge of the kitchen counter!  Without a word she tossed the frame into the garbage and shredded the picture into confetti-size pieces.  It was years before I could understand – and forgive – such harsh action. 

 But the image of that picture and the words of the cashier remained with me.  He was my Savior, He died for me. Lives for me.

 I had fainted , unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Psalm 27:13

As an immigrant family, we struggled. My mother lived with her own demons and anything religious set her off.  My father worked long hours and my sister and I were latchkey children.  I consoled myself with frequent trips to the library and lost myself in the pages of books.  At night I retrieved the Gideon bible I had been given at school from beneath my mattress and lost myself in the stories of Jesus.  When I said my prayers I closed my eyes and pictured those outstretched arms of my Savior.

 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”  Psalm 27:14

 So when I’m caught up in the storms of life this psalm always comes to mind.  The path I took might not seem plain to some, but I can see the hand of the Lord in my journey and I try to wait on Him…though not always patiently! But it gets easier and easier to see the ‘goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’  Especially since I have discovered inspirational fiction and embarked on this writing journey.

Posted on May 20, 2010 - by Regina

STORM PLANNING

 “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him YOUR plans.”

That little Yiddish quote stuck with me the first time I heard it on television. It’s so true. I read an article that mentioned a story that made it into newspapers in Britain in 2000. The article predicted that by 2010, there would be no such thing as snow. Hmm. Tell that to the kids who are still in school–making up snow days.

I have a feeling God chuckled when that story made it into print ten years ago.

We can try our best to predict what may come in life, and we might be able to do so to a certain extent, but guess what? God’s the one in control.

What about the rich man Jesus taught about, in a parable, in Luke 12? He thought he had it made. I can just hear the conversation in his head: “Great crop this year, and the possibilities are endless!”

16″The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’  18″Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘  

20″But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  

21″This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (New International Version)

This can be brought home in so many ways. Illness, job-loss, betrayal. All these things may have indicators, but most of the time they strike without warning.

So how can we prepare for the unexpected?

Certainly not by making predictions that can ultimately make us look foolish. Jesus continued the theme of the parable with instructions for his disciples, and for us:

²²Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁶Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?(NIV)

But wait, there’s more. He doesn’t want us to worry, but He DOES want us to be prepared. Later in the chapter, you’ll find this:

³⁵“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning. (NIV)

We may not have lamp wicks and oil to deal with, but what Jesus is saying is to be watchful. Trust God, obey Him, and do your best.

So how do we weather life’s storms? We tie ourselves to God and to fellow believers just like the group of children trying to make it home from school in a blizzard in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter, one of my personal favorites. As long as they were connected, they were safer than simply wandering around, blinded and confused by the snow and wind. We go forward armed with what we know, and trusting God for the rest.

Or as my best friend always says, “When you don’t know what to do, just do the next right thing.”

Posted on May 19, 2010 - by Brenda Anderson

Go Ahead and Feel

Spring.

A time of renewal, when a kaleidoscope of colors and a cornucopia of scents pervade our senses. And best of all, mosquitoes haven’t invaded yet. It’s a beautiful time.

At least for some.

For others, spring ushers in storms. Some that birth tornadoes, while other storms only appear angry with their sky-illumining lightening, house-rattling thunder, and branch-bending wind.

Sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it? Some people’s lives are like living in tornado-alley, where every day brings more devastation: death, job loss, severed relationships. While other people experience life-storms that pass through and leave sore feelings and minor aches. But regardless of the measure of your storm, it is still a storm, and it will hurt.

So, go ahead and feel.

My daughter and I recently watched a popular TV show together. It had a story line about a woman who had been maimed by fire. A friend of that woman took the Pollyanna approach—play the glad game—and kept telling her friend to see the sunny side. Finally, a doctor told the patient the truth, that life was going to be painful from now on, physically and emotionally. People would stare. She would look in the mirror and lament. That was the reality. The doctor said, go ahead and feel.

And with that genuine feeling, healing began.

In the Psalms, King David doesn’t plaster on a counterfeit smile for the world. He continually pours out his emotions with tear-filled bluntness and no sugar-coating:  “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow, they fail because of all my foes.” Psalm 6:6-7

So, why do we think we’re not supposed to feel? Why do we think our pain isn’t worth experiencing? Why do we need to cover it up by playing the glad game when in actuality, we feel miserable?

As writers, we’re consistently told to develop a thick skin, to learn from rejection and move on. That’s perfectly wonderful advice. Yes, we should learn from mistakes and press on, but what about taking a moment to grieve? Someone’s just told us our “baby” is ugly. Personally, I’m not in the mood to hear cheer. At that point, I don’t want to know how to make it better. I’m not seeking a quick fix. Isn’t it okay to lament for a day?

Absolutely. It’s okay to turn off the refrains of “The sun’ll come out tomorrow.” Oh, that saying is true. The sun will come out, and the Psalmist even agrees in Psalm 30:5b, “…weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” But, when you are clutching the tattered remains of a storm, do you really want to hear about tomorrow’s sun?

Does God want to see that phony happy face, or does He want to hear your hurts? A read through the Psalms will quickly answer that.

But, also, know that in the midst of life’s storms, God is there. He longs to hear truth from your crying heart. Don’t be afraid to feel it. And when you do, you’ve taken the first step toward healing.

Amy Grant has a poignant new song out entitled, Better Than A Hallelujah. Take a moment and listen. Chances are, no matter what storm you’re traveling through now, her words will resonate.

Posted on May 18, 2010 - by JerriLynn

The Blessing of Lexi

Blessings.  I have so many of them and I’m so amazingly grateful for each and everyone one. In this blog post, I was going to write about a few of those blessings, but I hope you’ll forgive me for focusing instead, on a single blessing–Ms. Lexi Stelter.

Lexi is a friend of my daughter’s.  She and my daughter were completely inseparable until we had to move back to Nashville.  The day we left, Lexi couldn’t even face Jennifer (my daughter), so she stayed away.  My daughter was hurt, but also understood that sometimes it’s easier to not have to say goodbye.  As I write this, we’re all faced with the possibility of saying goodbye to Lexi forever.

On Sunday, Lexi was caught in a storm drain/ditch behind the apartment complex that Jennifer I used to live in, and after being underwater for more than 10 minutes, she was rescued (thanks to the smart thinking of another friend, Haley).  Lexi was revived, and she’s in a coma, in critical condition.

An entire community has pulled together to pray for Lexi, because she is an amazing blessing.  She’s not a Super-Kid with fabulous grades or heart-stopping talents.  She’s just a beautiful young woman who happens to touch the heart of everyone she comes across.

Lexi is full of smiles and love for the people around her.  She’s always a happy, even joyful person who sees the fun in life first.  She’s bouncy and energetic and full of life.  And she trusts and loves Jesus in a way that only a young person can trust and love Jesus.

So, Lexi honey, know that YOU are a blessing…no, a shower of blessings.  And so many people love you.  If it’s time for you to return to Jesus, then go, but watch over us, will you?  And remind us every now and then that happiness, excitement, joy, and love exist in every little corner of life.

Posted on May 17, 2010 - by Kim

Tornado Drill

When I was in school, tornado drills were as much a part of the curriculum as algebra and English.  On bright, sun-filled days, the bell would sound in the middle of class. Then with prompting from the teacher we’d grab a textbook from our desks, form an orderly line – or as orderly as elementary school kids get when the routine gets broken – and file into the hallway. We’d huddle against the wall, books held over heads, until the all clear sounded. That, along with filmstrips and movies in science class were meant to teach us how to weather the severe weather that occasionally sweeps across the foothills of the Appalachians. And while I’ve been lucky enough never to experience the destruction of the powerful side of Mother Nature, I’ve learned vicariously from those who have.

Just like in nature, life has its own devastating storms. Disasters that rattle souls. Make you question not only your belief in God, but His very existence. Devastations that take years to reconstruct, if reconstruction is even possible. Once again, I’ve been very blessed not to encounter such storms in my life. Oh, I’ve felt the winds and experienced a little of the bruising hail, but I’ve escaped the devastation. But thanks to more of that vicarious learning, I hope I’ve been equipped with what I’ll need to survive if those storms do arrive.

One such lesson occurred just a few weeks ago. A very close friend and colleague of mine lost her twenty-one month old grandson in a tragic accident. One of those ‘it only happens on TV, never so someone I know’ tragedies. And while people on the outside placed blame, she showed the wisdom of Naomi. The daughter-in-law she could have vilified and accused, she accepted and supported. When the time came to face the public, her daughter-in-law asked for her to walk in front of her. Shield her from the accusatory stares and scorns. Instead, my friend said no. She wouldn’t shield and protect. But she would stand beside her daughter-in-law. They would get through this. Together.

I’ve learned such a profound lesson of faith from my friend’s actions. She wouldn’t protect her daughter-in-law from the storm, but she’d walk with her through it. How like God that is. He doesn’t always play rescuer, plucking us from the midst of the whirlwind. But He is always in the whirlwind with us – ready to support, even push us through to the calm side. So, like with the tornado drill, because I’ve learned this lesson vicariously, when the soul rending lightening and knee trembling thunder swoops into my life, I can draw strength from what I’ve learned. I can find comfort in knowing that while I may not be rescued from the storm, I will not be alone inside it.