Posts Tagged ‘Brenda Anderson’

Posted on May 16, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

A Simple Life

I frequently watch HGTV’s House Hunters International. It’s a terrific way to see the world on a budget. One thing I’ve noticed is that many of the prospective home buyers have one thing in common: they’re searching for a simpler life.

Personally, I think they could look in their own backyard. As much as I would love to travel around the world or live in exotic places, I’ve learned that enjoying a simple life is more about choice than location. While some people thrive on keeping overloaded schedules, nothing stresses me more.

Over time I’ve developed a handful of skills that help keep the stressors to a minimum.

Prioritize Who/What’s Important – My faith and family should always come first. When my schedule gets so crowded that there’s little room for either, then I know it’s time to cut back. When I start many things but finish few, then projects have to go. I’d rather take on a few projects and do them well rather than take on many and do them poorly. Think about what you would rather sacrifice: your faith and family or the project?

Keep A List – I begin every day with a To-Do list and prioritize the items on the list. (I’m even writing this blog off a list.) It’s a visual way to see not only what needs to be done, but what’s been accomplished. When I don’t make a list, even if I’ve been busy the entire day, I’ll feel like I’ve wasted my time.

Prepare by Pre-Planning – My oldest son graduates from high school one year from now. Already I’m planning his graduation party. Throughout the year I’ll purchase what I need for his party, and store it in a large Rubbermaid container. When his party day arrives, I’ll be ready. Also, I’m also spreading the cost over months so it’s much gentler on my checkbook.

Learn to Say NO – It’s hard to say No, especially when someone asks you to help with a project you know is worthwhile. But, if you can give only scraps of time to that project, who are you benefiting? If you’re stealing time away from your priorities, who are you benefiting? When asked to help with something, don’t give  a quick, un-thought-out yes. Pray about it. Look at your schedule–will this new project fit in so you can give your all? If the answer is No, then don’t be afraid to say No out loud. In the end you’ll be thankful, as will the person who asked you for help.

Take a Vacation – I just spent a week in Branson, Missouri with my daughter. We didn’t over-schedule the week, but rather chose a couple activities we wanted to do. We kept busy, but we also took much time to relax. On the way home, I even had breakfast with three other Inkspys! That couldn’t have happened if I’d over-scheduled. If traveling is out of the budget, become a tourist in your home area. I love discovering what Minnesota has to offer!

So, no, I won’t be moving overseas to find the simpler life. I’ve found it right here at home.

Posted on May 2, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

An Eclectic Writing Survival Kit

Over the past week and a half we’ve talked about so many necessities when it comes to putting together our writing survival kits: scripture, chocolate, duct tape, silence, cheerleaders, flexibility, and so many more. It’s a wonder there’s anything left to add!

Oh, but I know of three perfect items to throw in that I could not do without. One is easy on my pocketbook, the second is good for God’s creation, and the third is vital for my mental health.

We all know that writers don’t make much money (if any), so I’m always eager to find ways to spread my pennies out. Perhaps my favorite tool is my monochrome laserprinter. You can typically find a laser printer for under $100 if you watch ads (see example from HP), but what makes this cost-effective is its stingy toner-use. I typically get 1600 pages out of a single toner cartridge (which runs around $70). Compare that to the 190 pages (if you’re lucky) you get out of color ink cartridges. With all the pages I print off, I’m saving oodles of dollars.

And speaking of printing pages, I’m saving there too. Some husbands bring their wives diamonds–mine gifts me with reams of one-side-used paper otherwise destined for the recycle bin. And I really am thrilled about it! It shows how much he supports my writing career. That’s better than diamonds any day!

He also supports me in a completely different way, one that insures my mental health. Once a year, usually in January, February, or March, I go on a solo writing retreat for three to four days. That’s three complete days of uninterrupted silence for me to focus completely on writing. Talk about pure heaven. As a side benefit, when I get home my family appreciates me all the more!

Hmm, speaking of family, I need to add a fourth item to that survival kit, no doubt the most important item. Without my family’s solid support and appreciation, I wouldn’t be writing. You can take away my printers, paper, and solo retreat, and I’ll still be a writer, but take away my family support, and I may have quit long ago.

With them I do more than survive–I win!

 

 

Posted on April 18, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

D.E.A.R. Day Dilemma

Dear Drop Everything And Read Day,

You have placed me in quite the dilemma. As you know, I love to read, and dropping everything to pick up a book is never a difficult task.

But …

The question is, on this very special day What should I read? Oh my, the plethora of good books out there puts me in quite the quandry.

First of all there are new books out by our very own Inkspirational Messages authors! (Congratulations Lorna & Shannon!!) So, do I read Lorna Seilstad’s fun new release, The Ride of Her Life? (For amusement park fanatics like me, note that sweet roller coaster.)

The only man pragmatic Lilly Hart needs in her life is a six year old. Widowed two years ago, Lilly leaves the shelter of her intrusive in-laws’ home to stand on her own and provide for her young son by working for the summer as a cook at Lake Manawa. However, her in-laws find that life utterly unsuitable for their grandson, and when a row ensues, a handsome stranger–who designs roller coasters, of all things–intercedes on her behalf. Still, Lilly is not about to get involved with any man, especially this cocky (though charismatic) gentleman. Little does she know she is about to begin the ride of her life.

Or do I pick up Shannon Vannatter’s heart-stopping release, Rodeo Hero? (Seriously, who can resist a cowboy?)

Kendra Maddox is a new Christian trying to live her new beliefs. Stetson Wright is a youth director/rodeo clown who believes true love waits. Can they overcome her promiscuous past and claim a future together?

And then there are the three books I just picked up from my local library. DiAnn Mills’ (one of The Best romantic suspense authors out there) The Chase sounds riveting.

To the FBI it’s a cold case. To Kariss Walker it’s a hot idea that could either reshape or ruin her writing career. And it’s a burning mission to revisit an event she can never forget. Five years ago, an unidentified little girl was found starved to death in the woods behind a Houston apartment complex. A TV news anchor at the time, Kariss reported on the terrifying case. Today, as a New York Times bestselling author, Kariss intends to turn the unsolved mystery into a suspense novel. Enlisting the help of FBI Special Agent Tigo Harris, Kariss succeeds in getting the case reopened. But the search for the dead girl’s missing mother yields a discovery that plunges the the partners into a witch’s brew of danger. The old crime lives on in more ways than either of them could ever imagine. Will Kariss’s pursuit of her dream as a writer carry a deadly price tag?

Tom Pawlik’s Beckon will likely make me sleep with one eye open.

Some things weren’t meant to be discovered. Three people are each drawn to the small town of Beckon, Wyoming. A young anthropologist researches a Native American legend and makes a terrifying discovery. An ex-cop investigating her cousin’s disappearance finds herself in grave peril. And an aging businessman is lured by the promise of a miracle. One by one they discover the town’s ghastly secret. The only question is . . . will any of them make it out alive?

And if I feel like reading a tear-jerker, Legacy Road by Graham Garrison will encourage me to keep tissues handy.

Journalist Wes Watkins is on a roll. His career is taking off, he’s going back to school, and he’s about to propose to the love of his life, Emmy Stewart. When his stagey proposal flops, Wes’s world tilts. Emmy, a National Guard medic, is about to be deployed to Afghanistan. Wes’s mentor, Paul Gavin, persuades Wes to involve his estranged father, Ron, in a class Wes is taking on the Civil War; Ron, who had abandoned his family in favor of alcohol, has Civil War–era letters from a family ancestor. Wes naturally distrusts his father; Emmy has a secret in her past. When Wes finally reads a cache of letters Ron sent him as the younger man was growing up, other secrets emerge.

So many good books!

Oh, D.E.A.R. Day, how do I choose?

Well, I guess there’s only one good answer: Make every day Drop Everything and Read day! I’m in. How about you?

Sincerely,

Voracious Reader

Brenda Anderson

 

 

Posted on April 4, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

Jehovah-Shalom, The Lord is Peace

I struggle with my weight.

No big surprise there, obviously. It’s not like I can hide this weight war from anyone, it’s right out in the open for the world to see. I don’t need to wear a scarlet O for overweight.

It’s easy to let defeat distress me, and it often drives me to my knees. It’s all so unfair. Why can my in-laws stack their plates sky high when my plate shows plenty of white space? Why won’t God remove this battle? How do I find peace when my body is broadcasting my sin to the world?

For the past couple of weeks our church has encouraged everyone to fast in some way, be it giving up Facebook, shopping, or, of course, food. We’re to sacrifice, and empty ourselves in order to make room for God in our lives and to draw closer to him.

I decided to fast from specific foods and found a devotional to help me through: Made to Crave, Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst. Roughly midway through the book the author included a letter from a friend of hers that finally made this battle make sense:

He knew even before I was born that I could easily allow food to be an idol in my life, that I would go to food, instead of to Him, to fulfill my needs. And in His great wisdom, He created my body so that it would experience the consequences of such a choice, so that I would continually be drawn back into His arms.

Upon reading this, peace overwhelmed me. It finally got through my thick skull that if I didn’t have this “thorn in the flesh” I wouldn’t “need” God. He allows these thorns, these trials, in order to draw us closer to him. And for that I will rejoice!

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12: 7 – 10

No matter what you fight against, be it food, alcohol, over-spending, busyness … remember your weakness isn’t a curse but rather God’s way of bringing us back to him.

Now, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I thank God for the struggle, because even in the midst of the battle, the Lord is peace.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1: 2 – 4

Posted on March 21, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

In Search of Scintillating Covers

Brendianna Jones Anderson here, writing from the wilds of Minnesota where I’ve run from ginormous rolling snowballs and have dug my way out of dangerous garter snake pits all while searching for the elusive scintillating book cover.

Okay, okay, a bit dramatic, I know, but isn’t drama what we want when searching for books? Aren’t we looking for the cover that hints of escape and adventure? Something that removes us from our little universe and gives us a greater sense of the world around us?

I have been on a search for the book cover that catches my eye, the one that compels me to pick up that book and check out the description. The greatest difficulty in this process was turning off my bias meter (the one that immediately discounts genres I don’t typically read) so I could scan shelves for covers that grabbed my attention.

This search has taken me down several paths, but two were the most fruitful.

I scanned the latest Christianbook.com spring fiction catalog solely looking for what provoked a second glance regardless of genre. Several jumped out at me, but these three really tell a story with their cover:

GONE TO GROUND by Brandilyn Collins.

First off, I LOVE the color. The vibrant red is definitely gaze-grabbing. But then I looked closer and saw that drip of blood hanging from a petal. Gives me goosebumps! There’s no doubt I will pick up this book and read the back cover.

Amaryllis, Mississippi, resembles the flower for which it’s named—bright with southern hospitality. But poison lurks in its center. A serial killer is responsible for five unsolved murders. And now the blood of a sixth stains the town. Three terrified women are sure they know who the perpetrator is—but they all suspect a different man. Who’s right?

THROUGH RUSHING WATER by Catherine Richmond. This entire cover hints of mystery: a foggy lake, the woman gazing off into the distance … I want to know her story. What is she looking at? Regrets? Hardships? I have to find out!

Elegant and educated, Sophia Makinoff is sure that 1876 is the year she’ll wed congressman Rexford Montgomery. But he proposes to her roommate instead! Humiliated, Sophia signs on with a foreign missions society to go to China—but ends up with the Dakota Territory Indians. Can she find a purpose in God’s plan?

THE TELLING by Mike Duran. Another cover that gives me the chills. The shadowed mountains, scraggy dessert, the lettering, the raven. Right away I think of Edgar Allan Poe and, as a Poe fan, I’m going to pick this book up and look deeper.

Zeph Walker had abandoned his prophetic gifts—until detectives ask him to explain his own murder. During the bizarre investigation, Zeph discovers that early miners in Death Valley accidentally unearthed a sacred site where spiritual and physical forces converge. Can Zeph overcome his own despair in time to seal the ninth gate of hell—before evil finds him?

I couldn’t leave my hunt for the perfect cover to an internet search so I headed to my local Christian bookstore and took along my book-loving and very astute daughter. Together we scanned the fiction racks for covers that stood out. We picked out several that warranted a second look, but we had one problem: the majority of books showed only their spine. That sent us on a new trajectory.

Looking beyond the author’s name, we sought attention-grabbing spines. Several intrigued us including Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy, Ten Plagues by Mary Nealy, Book of Days by Jim Rubart, and Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry. (I should have brought my camera to the store because I discovered it’s very difficult finding pics of book spines on the web.)

Chris Fabry’s ALMOST HEAVEN jumped out at me because of the mandolin pictured on the side. That was an immediate attention grabber for this music lover. Don’t you love how the mandolin wraps around to the front? The foggy mountains in the background indicate story setting. Just from the spine, I know I’ll give this book a closer look.

Billy Allman is a “hillbilly genius.” Folks in town say he was born with a second helping of brains and a gift for playing the mandolin—and was cut short on social skills. But there are two things they don’t know—he’s troubled by a brutal secret, and an angel is determined to set things right!

As for why those particular spines stood out, color was top on our list. We both gravitated toward bright colors. Shadowing was also important as it hinted at mystery. The title, font, and color indicated genre. A small picture depicting the story was a great  help. The spines that were merely a title on a colored background were easy to ignore. If you look at the spines of our own Lorna Seilstad and Shannon Vannatter‘s books, you’ll see their spines tell a story too.

I love spines that hint at drama. What about you? When you go to a bookstore, what on a spine captures your attention? The lettering? Color? Shadowing? Title? Author? What will compel you to pull that book from the shelves to look a the cover?

For me, it’s a combination of all of the above.

This is Brendianna Jones Anderson signing off after a successful spine-tingling search for scintillating covers.

 

Posted on March 7, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

White-Out Wednesday!

Editing.

The bane of a writer’s existence. The mere word makes you cringe, doesn’t it? Oh, the time it will take for you to make that masterpiece gleam … The thought of going back through your manuscript, polishing every chapter, paragraph, sentence, and word is enough to convince any writer that there must be an easier profession out there; perhaps we could become rocket scientists instead.

But, you needn’t cringe any longer. You needn’t fear staring down those redundant words or misspelled homonyms. Help is on the way. Yes, today is declared White-Out* Wednesday.

For one day, and one day only, all your literary faux pas will be erased. Heads will no longer hop, and body parts will stop floating! Timelines won’t wander and was-es will be exiled.

Are you excited yet?

There’s more! Your prose will sing beautiful melodies and your descriptions will paint glorious pictures. Characters will have the depth of the Grand Canyon and plots will be as predictable as Minnesota weather.

And let’s not forget, that opening line will be more memorable than anything by Dickens, and every chapter will end in a hook sharper than my kitty’s claws.

Just think, on this day, foot-in-mouth disease will be eradicated! Hurray! I am so susceptible to that disease!

Give me a Hallelujah!

<sigh>

Oh, the pleasures of having all our mistakes erased …

That got me thinking about life. How many things have I done that I’d like edited out of my life? How many mistakes or poor choices have I made? It’s easy to look at my personal biography and want to white it all out.

But I don’t have to. It’s already been done for me–for us. Jesus took all our mistakes to the grave with Him and, when He rose again, He left every sin behind, thus brushing a wide stroke of white over our biography.

Now that’s worthy of a Hallelujah!

The best thing is, we don’t have to wait for a white-out Wednesday. Through Jesus, every day is White-Out Day!

Posted on February 22, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

2012 Movie Anticipation

I love going to movies with my family, and we have movie going down to a science. First, we locate which theater is offering the best price at the time we want to go. Rarely do we pay more than $5.00 per person. To make it easier to share popcorn, we bring along our own bowls. (Note: we always purchase the free-refill popcorn size which will get refilled at least twice. Yes, our family does enjoy popcorn, buttered popcorn of course.)

The movies we like to watch generally won’t be up for Oscars, unless you count special effects, but we go to movies to escape for two or so hours, to have fun. This year, we have our sights set on four must-see movies, ones our family of five will likely view together. As you can see by our list below, we tend to enjoy adventures and journeys. We like to watch movies with valiant heroes who battle evil villains.

The Avengers releases in theaters on May 4th. I guarantee we’ll be there as a family. Likely, at the midnight showing. Now, initially, I had no intention of becoming a Marvel movies’ fan. I went to Iron Man just because the rest of the family wanted to go. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then, last year my husband won four pre-screen passes for Thor, so of course I went, rolling my eyes at the thought. But, I loved it so much that when my daughter returned from college, the evening before Thor opened nationwide, the two of us  hurried to the midnight showing. (Ladies, if you haven’t watched Thor yet, I encourage you to do so. As you can see in the picture above, Chris Hemsworth looks mighty fine in his Viking duds.)

Speaking of Chris Hemsworth, you’ll also find him starring in Snow White and the Huntsman, a dark retelling of the Snow White fairy tale. This movie releases on June 1st. Chances are we’ll be at the midnight showing for that movie as well.

Later that month, on June 22, Pixar is releasing its newest movie, Brave. If Pixar’s involved, I know I’ll love the movie. I marvel at everything they come out with, from Toy Story to my personal favorite, The Incredibles. (How can you not love that mom from The Incredibles?) While the tone of Brave sounds a bit darker than other Pixar efforts, I’ve no doubt this one will be a winner. Hmm, I think we might have to catch a midnight showing of this movie too.

And finally, a movie I know my fellow Inkspers can’t wait for is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. If director Peter Jackson’s efforts equal that of The Lord of the Rings movies, this will be a movie to experience, not merely entertain. The Hobbit is coming out just in time for Christmas on December 14. Guess what, we’ll be watching this one at midnight as well.

Oh, I know, there are many more Movies Releasing in 2012 that sound interesting– Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds, Men in Black 3, The Dark Knight Rises, well you get the idea–but the four listed above are can’t miss movies for our family. The best part is, we’ll all go together.

What movies are you looking forward to seeing this year? Do you have a routine you follow? Any money-saving tips?

Posted on February 8, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

File Not Found

“Let me tell you what my husband did now!” Your eyes flash with anger as you figuratively yank open your file drawer labeled “Wrongs.” That drawer is deep and crammed with accusations that you’re eager to whip out any time something doesn’t go your way. Even your computer file titled “Wrongs” is overflowing.

So, how does it feel to vent? Pretty good, right? Well, maybe at first, but then you look back down and see that your file drawer is bigger yet, and your computer’s about to crash. You realize your heart isn’t one bit lighter. The only purpose the “Wrongs” file serves is taking up space. It fills your heart with hate, leaving little room for love. Adding files to that drawer doesn’t give you release, rather the drawer becomes a custodian of bitterness.

The Bible is replete with stories of people who deserved to file away records of wrongs. Look at Joseph in Genesis. It wasn’t his fault he was his father’s favorite son, that he was given the gift of interpreting dreams, yet his brothers sold him into slavery. While in Egypt, Potiphar’s wife came onto Joseph, and he refused. She proceeded to have him thrown in prison. Joseph had plenty of reasons to be bitter, yet he greeted his brothers with love.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Genesis 50:20

Or consider Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-32) The father gave his son his complete inheritance, only to have the son squander it on an immoral lifestyle. Yet, when the son returned home, the father didn’t berate the son for being foolish, rather he gifted him with a party.

But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.

Luke 15:32

Neither Joseph, nor the prodigal son’s father recorded their family members’ wrongs, rather they forgave them and greeted them with love.

In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), when Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”, Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.“

That sounds a little difficult to swallow, doesn’t it? It’s hard enough to forgive someone seven times for a wrong done against you, but seventy-times seven? I’m inclined to start keeping track after two or three times, much less wait till 490 or infinity.

Yet, Jesus keeps forgiving us. He’s seen all our wrongs, but He doesn’t have a file drawer stacked full of accusations against us. Instead, He left them at the cross.

When he opens our “Wrongs” drawer, it’s empty. When He searches our computer, an error message comes up, “File not found.”

My prayer is that I can follow Jesus’ example and purge my “Wrongs” files as well and learn to love as He does.

Posted on January 25, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

Chatting with Sharon Hinck

When I first began writing, I joined a local group, the Minnesota Christian Writers Guild (MCWG). About that same time, local author and fellow MCWG member, Sharon Hinck, was releasing her debut novel, The Secret Life of Becky Miller. I immediately found Sharon to be very approachable and I periodically e-mailed her questions regarding writing. She ALWAYS e-mailed me back, and that was before she knew who I was.

Since that time, I’ve gotten to know Sharon and find her to be one of the most genuine people I’ve met. She inspires me with her heart for God, and she’s become a mentor, offering  advice, and critique with encouragement and gentleness. I’m so excited to have Sharon visit with us today at Inkspirational Messages!

Since Sharon’s debut release in 2006, she’s published six additional novels in a variety of genres–fantasy, contemporary, mom lit–and she writes them all well. In October of 2011, she re-released THE RESTORER through Marcher Lord Press as an expanded edition. Here’s a little snippet about The Restorer-Expanded Edition:

Susan Mitchell thought she was an ordinary homemaker. She was wrong. When she’s pulled through a portal into another world, she finds a nation grappling for its soul and waiting for a promised Restorer to save their people.

She has always longed to do something important for God, but can she fill this role?

While she struggles to adapt to a foreign culture, she tackles an enemy that is poisoning the minds of the people, uncovers a corrupt ruling Council, and learns that God can use even her floundering attempts at service in surprising ways.

This new expanded edition of The Restorer includes an in-depth devotion guide for readers who want to dig into the spiritual themes of the book, bonus scenes providing glimpses of the story through a variety of characters, and fun extras including links to songs and recipes.

Sharon, I read The Restorer when it initially came out, along with the two other books in the Sword of Lyric Series (The Restorer’s Son and The Restorer’s Journey), and loved them all. I’m looking forward to reading the expanded edition. I’m curious, what was it like developing new material for this new edition?

I loved these stories and characters so much that it was a treat to revisit the world beyond the attic. It was fun playing with scenes from new angles and exploring other character voices. The interactive devotion guide was rewarding to write, because it helped me dig deeply into the Biblical themes that inspired elements of the books.

How did you decide which bonus elements to add?

It was important to me that people would feel that it was worth the investment to own The Restorer-Expanded Edition, even if they had a copy of the original edition. I drew from all the mail I’ve gotten from readers about these books and created the things that I felt would do the most to enhance their experience of The Restorer.

Since many readers share that the spiritual themes had a big impact on them, I created the devotion guide to show the foundation of those themes – and also to give more glimpses into the way that Susan Mitchell is loosely inspired by Deborah in the book of Judges. The Bible study and journaling and prayers allow readers to go on their own spiritual adventure as they are reading the novel.

I also had fun creating new scenes from the perspective of minor characters. Since the book is in Susan’s first person point of view, it was fun giving other characters like Wade, Tara, Kieran, Nolan, and Tristan a voice. My publisher had suggested including “deleted scenes,” but anything that had been deleted from the original manuscript when the book was first published needed to be deleted. So writing fresh material from a new slant seemed like the way to go. I hope it’s as fun for readers as bonus material on a DVD is for me.

We also tried something innovative in using QR codes so that people with smart phones can hover over the symbol and go to a page to heart the music of a song in the story, or read a recipe for a meal that is described in the book.

Now, I’m even more eager to re-read it! Sounds like more than a novel, but rather what I’d call an interactive experience. What do you hope people experience in The Restorer-Expanded Edition?

God can use ordinary people in unexpected ways. I truly believe that many women live lives of quiet heroism – whether their battleground is caring for aging parents, raising a child with a disability, fighting a long-term illness, volunteering at their church, or supporting a friend through difficulty. My hope is that Susan’s adventure in an alternate world breathes inspiration into anyone feeling that the road has been difficult in his or her world.

Love it–I believe Susan’s character does accomplish that goal.

What are you working on now? And what do you see in your future?

I just turned in all the bonus material for The Restorer’s Journey-Expanded Edition (due out in October 2012), and have begun working on new material for a fourth book that I’d love to complete, Lord willing.

I for one, am rooting for the fourth book. The characters you created became like family that I want to revisit.

On another subject, if you hadn’t become a writer, what would you want to be?

Great question.

I would have loved to dance with the New York City Ballet company, but alas, that was not to be.

Another secret vocational dream would be to be a midwife. I always thought it would be awesome.

Instead, I’ve found ways to be a “midwife” in the birthing process of books for other authors – by doing some free-lance editing and mentoring.

I love your analogy of authors being midwives. I’ve met many writers who would fit that role and they’ve had a great influence on me. Who has influenced you most in your writing career?

I’ve always appreciated the authors of the books I devoured as a young reader. They have truly been mentors and influences without ever knowing the impact they had in my life, and I’m so grateful to each writer who poured their heart into stories. In recent years, I’ve been privileged to get to know several contemporary Christian authors as friends, and am so inspired by their example of sacrifice, faith, service, and humility.

Thanks again, Sharon, for stopping by Inkspirational Messages today, and thank you for being an inspiring influence in so many writers’ lives. Bless you!

~*~*~

Sharon Hinck writes “stories for the hero in all of us,” about ordinary people experiencing God’s grace in unexpected ways. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include contemporary fiction such as The Secret Life of Becky Miller or Stepping into Sunlight and the groundbreaking Sword of Lyric fantasy series which includes The Restorer–Expanded Edition. She’s been a Christy finalist and has won three Carol awards.

Sharon’s undergrad degree is in education, and she earned an M.A. in Communication. When she isn’t wrestling with words, Sharon enjoys speaking to conferences, retreats, and church groups. She loves interacting with visitors at her website and blog: sharonhinck.com.

You can find Sharon’s books at:

www.sharonhinck.com

http://sharonswriting.blogspot.com/

To order The Restorer-Expanded Edition: http://www.marcherlordpress.com/books/the_restorer_se.html

Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005VM4XL4?tag=sharonhcom-20&creative=384345&linkCode=kin

 

Posted on January 11, 2012 - by Brenda Anderson

Audience of One

Back in 2005, after typing The End on a manuscript for the very first time, I handed that newly birthed (yet very wrinkled) baby out to a few select friends/acquaintances, one of those being my pastor. It was vital that my theology stood on a firm foundation.

Pastor Steve has since become an invaluable supporter/encourager for this writing journey. A few years back, after receiving some discouraging news, he sent me a note that offered advice I’ve never forgotten: I write for an audience of One.

It was the most freeing advice I’ve ever received. I can write the books I choose; I can tell the stories I want to tell! Right?

Well …

Notice how that above statement is all about me, about what I can do, and not what God wants for me.

And He wants the best.

Sometimes, oftentimes even, that means going through periods of discouragement. That means listening to the advice of others. It means learning the craft and bringing our absolute best before Him. He doesn’t want our leftovers, our half efforts. He wants our best.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men … Colossians 3:23

As Lorna Seilstad said in her post on January 2nd, it’s not about me. If I’m to write for His audience, I need to listen for His voice, and I need to recognize His voice over the cacophony around me. Recognition comes from spending time with Him, reading and studying the Bible, worshiping, praying. Listening. Until the words typed on the page don’t come from my selfishness, but they’re breathed from a relationship with God.

When I sit at the computer in the morning, have I spent time with God first? Have I asked Him to guide my words for the day? Have I listened for His answer?

If not, then who exactly am I writing for?