Tag Archive | faith

Author Confessions: Imagination and Creativity are Reflections of God’s Character

Apr29
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Author Confessions: Imagination and Creativity are Reflections of God’s Character

It would be lovely if I could claim that my stories are masterful works of art. I’d like to think they are good, and I’ve applied as much excellence as I have within me to write them. Awards and accolades (and money) would be lovely validation but in a deep field of other authors who are also doing their best to labor to write well, it’s hard to rise to the top of the heap in any way at all.

Creativity is a gift from God. He after all is the ultimate Creator of everything and any faults in them are not accrued to Him, but to our sin nature. I won’t go into the theology of sin but whether you have read Genesis or not, I doubt anyone can state that humans are innately good or perfect in any way. Even the physical world, including our bodies, are prone to the effects of sin including diseases and malfunctions.

I am a creative person. Now I would argue everyone can be creative in some way, shape, or form as we express that part of God’s character in our own lives. We paint houses, plant flowers, perhaps have a favorite color and it’s hard for anyone with vision to deny the beauty of sunrises or sunsets. My husband didn’t think of himself as creative, but he likes to fabricate things and fix things using the materials he has. It’s a challenge and he enjoys the process of trying something new to see if it can be done. That’s creativity. Maybe it isn’t as pretty, but even function can be a worthwhile aim. He has painted classic cars so there is that creativity for the purpose of beauty as well.

I mentioned that creativity is an attribute of God but it’s not one that we often think about. Without creativity we wouldn’t have innovation or try new things. There would be no music, no books, no art, no masterful gardens to walk through and enjoy. Buildings would be bland but functional, or would they? Even functionality requires creativity, doesn’t it?

Creativity is central to life and as an author who also enjoys other creative endeavors, I fully recognize that I cannot do any of it on my own. The imagination that helps me write stories is a gift from God and I have to believe my writing is an act of worship. When I go back and reread stories, I’m often amazed, not at how great I am, but at how God used my fingers on a keyboard to craft and weave through the stories all the threads that are there. They form a beautiful tapestry on the page. That’s not something I can do. Not without Him guiding me.

I also mentioned imagination. We daydream. We make up little songs. We converse with words that we somehow select and put together to tell others our life stories. Another gift from God. How did God possibly imagine us before He created us? Then He made every one of us so unique even to our fingerprints? Our DNA? There was no template for anything that exists on this planet without the imagination and perfect execution of that by our Creator God.

Obviously there are creations out there that do not glorify the Creator. God gives us these aspects of His character and holds us responsible for how we use them. Someone who writes erotica is misusing a powerful gift and will be responsible for how those words impact someone else. The same could be said for many aspects of life. Imagination is holy when subjected to the One who gave that to us. Then it can do amazing things.

Stop today and think about how creative life really is. How God has enabled you to express creativity. Whether you read a book, listen to music, watch a movie or television show, or even play a game. Stop for a moment in wonder and thank God for giving us such a marvelous gift because imagination and creativity are reflections of God’s character.

Author Confessions: Imperfect Parallels to God’s Omniscience

Apr22
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Author Confessions: Imperfect Parallels to God’s Omniscience

Omniscience is a big word. God is King of kings and LORD of lords and ruler over all. He is in control of everything in the universe from the division of every cell to the weather changes. He, as royalty and the Creator and Sustainer of all life. He truly does know everything: past, present, and future and that in many ways should terrify us all.

In college I had a philosophy professor who was an atheist and delighted in tearing down any Christian who spoke up in class. In a class on Ancient Greek Philosophy, studying Plato, he singled me out in front of the class when I stated I believed in an omniscient God and free-will. Now I was young in my faith and had never really deeply contemplated the tension of these two beliefs. He then told me that I needed to debate another student who was an atheist to prove the existence of God.

I could sense the entire class gasping and holding their breath. Another Christian in class who would challenge the teacher would be so roundly chastised he would skip the next class.

I responded calmly. “I will not do this.”

“Why not?” he demanded.

“For one, it has no connection to what we are learning in this class. Two: No one else has to do this assignment. And three: I don’t need to prove God’s existence. He can do that on His own.”

Everyone was tense. He surprisingly backed down but did make me write my final paper on the topic of free will vs. omniscience for which he gave me an F and stated that he had a “personal problem” with my paper. I appealed and wrote it again after the course was finished and got a D. I had an A going in that class. He told me there was no way I could ever get an A on that paper. After that I reported his bias and misbehavior to the head of his department. I learned later he was denied tenure.

This man wanted me to solve, in ten pages or less, something that theologians have been fighting over for centuries. Whether you are a Calvinist or Wesleyan, I think that our attempts to put human paradigms over Scripture are going to be innately flawed and God will likely l laugh at us all and say: “You missed the whole point.” Studying and researching it is good but stay humble. There are godly people on both sides of this debate.

However free-will and omniscience work I have no clue, so if you thought I was going to solve this here, I’m sorry to disappoint you.

As an author I get a glimpse of this in my writing. I know the type of ending my characters will have: Happy. As I write their story without a plan it unfolds before me. Sometimes my characters surprise me. I doubt anything I do surprises God. The thing is, I always get my characters where I want them to be regardless of the surprises they throw in my way.

God writes stories through me, and He knows all the details. He also understands all the real-life plot twists, decisions, feelings, traumas, and healing that I endure on my journey through the story He is writing in my life. I need to trust Him as the Author. Worship Him. Obey Him. I will get where He wants me to be, and He will use me (and others He places in my path) for His purposes along the way.

Yes, this is simplistic, but sometimes we make the Christian life too complicated. Good theology should always lead to doxology: worship and obedience to our King and Creator. Surprisingly enough, even my sins are known by Him before I commit them and yet, He forgives me when I confess them and turn from them. The free gift of God’s grace doesn’t make much sense in a logical way either. There is a reason it is called faith. The fact that He predestined me to be His child doesn’t make sense either. I made a choice, a willful choice, led by the Holy Spirit, but God knew before I ever did that, the life I would live and the path it would take. My mind is blown by these concepts. How about you?

He knows my end as well. My dreams and fears. My hopes and disappointments. None of that escapes our holy, righteous, all-powerful God! There is comfort in that as well as deep awe when I stop to think of it.

That same God equipped me and called me to write stories that reflect aspects of His glorious character and the truths of Scripture. Not all my stories are deeply evangelical, but the truth is there in between the pages. It is also up to His Holy Spirit to use those words in the hearts and minds of the reader (or listener) if there will be any lasting impact from my labors.

This is why it is not a job to write – but a calling. God called me and led me to this work so I trust Him for the results, although I’m doing all I can with what I know to spread the word about my stories so others can be blessed and encouraged. And I hope my imperfect parallels to God’s omniscience gave you a little glimpse of how mighty He truly is.

God’s Omniscience

Marley’s Remarks: Recipes and Redemption (Book Review)

Apr5
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Marley’s Remarks: Recipes and Redemption (Book Review)

Hi, I’m Marley, a nine-year-old Teddy Bear (Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu) that was recently adopted by Susan. She’s keeping me busy with trying to teach the younger member of the pack how to be a dog, but then  she conscripted me to write this review as well. Apparently, it is the job of at least one of the dogs in the pack to do this, but since most of the time I get to sleep under her desk in a comfy bed while she works, I suppose I can oblige her. Maybe, at some point Oliver will be old enough to share the duties. We’ll see.

Karen Malley’s second installment of her Chester County Couples romances is out! What a sweet thing to finally get to read Erin’s story in Recipes and Redemption. Erin was a secondary character in the first book Moonlight and Mystery. You can find the series prequel, Lilacs and Love Letters at her blog and read it for free!!!

Erin is a widow with a young son and now has her brother’s girlfriend, Beth, as her roommate. She’s started a catering business in her home with the help of Beth. Having loved and lost in the recent past she has no dreams of ever finding love a second time around.

Rusty is a friend of her brother. Funny and loyal, he is a fan of her cooking and willing to be there whenever she has a need. But he longs for much more with the lovely widow. He rises to the occasion to rescue her when she turns to him more than once for help.

With yummy food, danger, a near-death experience, unexpected surprises from Erin’s past, difficult choices and a crisis of faith, Karen Malley weaves a tale that will keep you reading and wondering just how, if ever, will the sweet widow realize the man she really loves has been there all along?

Now, I’m only a dog and new at this book review business, but because mom snuggled me while reading it and the responsibility for this review, I will say that it’s a good book worthy of snuggle time with a dog because no dog wants a book that the reader will put down quickly and disrupt snuggles. So, I’ll give it four paw prints… because that’s all the feet I have available. Go get this book and do the author a big favor: if you enjoy it, write a review on Amazon!

 

Author Confessions: Humor is Hard to Write

Apr1
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Author Confessions: Humor is hard to write.

As a reader, I’ve enjoyed reading books that have humor. Humor can lighten a dark spot in a story or can make the characters more likeable. Watching a comedian though is far more interesting than reading their act, or listening to them. There is a physicality to humor that can be expressed in the twitch of an eyebrow or a smirk, or even the struggle the comedian has to keep from laughing themselves.

The unexpected can lead to humor. So can quirky characters. Personally, I’m not that funny but unintentionally, yes. But how does that translate to the page? Most of the time it doesn’t.

I attended a few workshops at ComedySportz in Milwaukee, Wisconsin many moons ago. I worked for a while as a hostess and the ticket booth and at that time we were encouraged to be weird and wacky if we desired. Of course, some customers bring it out better than others but they are coming there for improvisational comedy so there was a freedom to not so much tell jokes, but to try to get a smile on someone’s face. Again, this is all in person’s facial expressions, or the clothing I wore as well as tone of voice and words all mingled to get a laugh.

I was never good enough to be a mainstage player. We did workshop shows and I performed well. It was fun to be playing games that facilitated silliness and to do it with other people also trying to be funny. Not every bit was hysterical but we sure had a good time. In the classes we learned games and how to let go of the strict proper control we’ve learned to relax and let the funny come naturally—and work as a team. The biggest lesson when playing the games? Mistakes are funny. That’s why the best players, when they fail, fail big and it entertains everyone.

When I stumble upon a book with humor, I enjoy more, maybe because they are harder to find and difficult to write. When I wrote my first novel, Pesto & Potholes, I did put a silly character in there. She was very dear to me and the reality is there are people in the world like her and it showed the depth of character of my female protagonist in the way she treated this sweet woman named Edith. She was spunky and mentally ill and I towed a fine line between finding the funny and not making fun of those who struggle with such illness. I think I did it well and she as a character brought comedic relief to some emotionally heavier parts of the story. Most people loved Edith. One person commented that they didn’t understand her. Not every humorous moment will strike everyone the same way. I’m OK with that.

I’ve had an editor that has encouraged me to have more of those lighthearted, sillier moments in some of my stories and I’ve worked at that but none of my books would be described as romantic comedies. I’ve found few authors writing those as well although as an editor it is what I would love to edit the most because of the joy of the story.

I want to grow in my ability to write humor but to be honest, my own mind can be a dark place. Oh, I’ve been silly quite often and my husband especially encourages goofiness and draws it out of me because he delights in being goofy and trying to bring a smile to someone’s day. And every day he does that for me. I’m not as uninhibited.

I wrote a Christmas novella this year that deals with heavy topics but has a dash of silliness and wit to it. More than previous books. When I read it again before submitting it I found myself smiling most of the way though for the pure joy of those lighthearted moments in the story. Maybe I’ll be able to grow in that area as an author. I have another story I want to work on and I think when I start it there may be far more humor, though subtle, than some of my previous works. We’ll see.

Wit is not easy to write, but does involve a certain pacing to dialogue to make it work right. We’ll see if readers enjoy those moments as well in my upcoming Christmas novella.

Writing humor is challenging and probably why so many people don’t do it. There’s a desire to not minimize the emotional pains by adding a touch of humor to a story, but they can both exist with a deft pen (or typewriter). Here’s hoping I can grow in this area as a writer as. If I succeed, I hope my readers will appreciate the effort because humor is hard to write.

Do you enjoy humor in fiction or am I the only one?

Author Confessions: I Write Because Murdering People is Wrong

Mar25
Reading Time: 4 minutes

I Write Because Murdering People is Wrong

There is something cathartic about writing. I journal but when I write a story I get to retell an incident that might or might not have happened in real life to me or someone else… and without picking up a gun or plotting the perfect murder, I can see justice done. So, really, writing is keeping me out of jail.

Not that I’ve ever really had the desire to murder anyone. Punch them, sure. See them suffer harm or even natural consequences for the things they’ve done, absolutely.

As a Christian I’m supposed to forgive and I’ve walked long enough with Christ now to realize that it is the only way to freedom for me to  have any joy in my life and to be able to hear His voice. I’m not saying what people have done wrong to me was acceptable. Absolutely not. I’m not saying they still don’t deserve punishment. They do.

Just not at my hands.

“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution; In due time their foot will slip. For the day of their disaster is near, And the impending things are hurrying to them.” (Deuteronomy 32:35 NASB). The Psalms are filled with David’s confidence that God will vindicate him and give him victory over his (and God’s) enemies. 

Sometimes when people have wronged me it’s not really about me at all–it’s about Christ who they see in me. As image bearers of the King of kings and Lord of lords and heirs to His kingdom, we don’t have to fight all those battles. Sometimes we just need to wait and trust that God sees and understands our pain and will fight for us. We may never fully understand how or when and we don’t get to dictate the terms of that recompense, but we can trust that God will see it done at some point.

Some people call that karma. Nope. It’s just God being the Righteous Judge of the universe He created.

Now, having said all that, in some ways as an author I get to be the god over the story He’s allowing me and helping me to write. And yes, He does allow me that satisfaction of seeing justice done to bad dudes. Murdering fictional people in a story isn’t wrong because I’m not specifically thinking about murdering a real person when I do it. Honestly, when I see justice done I’m not substituting a real human villian in my mind for the character on the page. Still, it is satisfying to see my characters get some semblence of justice.

Someday, those who have wronged me will get theirs too. Not at the hands of my pen because that would be slander, but at the hands of God who is far more fearsome and whose holiness would destroy me if it weren’t for the gift of salvation I’ve received through His Son, Jesus.

See, I’m not perfect either, and my sins are forgiven. Even if I did something truly heinous, God would most likely allow natural consquences to follow even though He forgives me when I come to Him and confess.

Which means those who have wronged me or those I love, could also repent of their sins as well. True repentance would mean taking ownership of the sin and going to make things right with the individual sinned against. Even then there might not be reconciliation but there could at least be peace. Not every act of forgiveness is a carte blanche to trust that person, at least not right away. Not all people are safe and worthy of access to us.

Having stated all that and my utmost confidence in God as Judge, it can still be hard to let go of the control and desire to hurt someone who has hurt me or someone I care deeply about. Sometimes the urge to defend someone else is even stronger. I have no right to hold on to someone else’s offenses. I was not personally offended and it is not my responsibility to defend or protect the injured person. Pray for, comfort, encourage them to seek a resolution, absolutely, but for me to go to the offender and complain would be triangulation and wrong as well as highly dysfunctional.

Many of us just want the control. There is power behind anger and being offended. We feel self-righteous and “better-than” the person who offended us. Matthew 18:15-17 says: “Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that on the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, he is to be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” These words are wise in letting us get help when we can’t find peace on our own, but even then that third person who isn’t involved is supposed to promote peace, not go in as a sledge-hammer against the person who did the hurt. I’ve had to do this process many times and I wish I could say it all turned out great. It didn’t. Having those steps though helps me set the offense aside and move forward, leaving the other person in the hands of God.

Wow, this post became very complicated. It’s really not. I write so I don’t murder anyone because murder is wrong. Or slander. Or punch their lights out. Or tell the whole world what a horrible, verbally abuseive narcissistic jerk they are. (OK, maybe that was a little too specific?). In many ways our sinful world filled with  hurt, injury, injustice, abuses of all kinds, makes for a rich well to draw from when writing stories. Years later,  parlaying some of those tragedies, whether my own or someone else’s, provides a bit of a relief valve while I wait for God to take care of the real-life nasty people.

I’m grateful that even though I might unintentionally hurt someone else, God gives His grace to me. So I will forgive those who have done wrong and leave it in God’s capable hands. Mine are too busy typing anyway.

 

 

Author Confessions: Life is Stranger Than Fiction

Feb12
Reading Time: 3 minutes

As an author, I’ve had editors challenge me on things I’ve written in my books. “That can’t happen.” Or “That’s not realistic” they will write.

Funny thing is that often I’ve watched movies or television programs and my husband and I will comment, “That’s not real life.” Or “It could never happen like that.” One movie I watched the main character had a physical brawl with people and then within a few hours was running around and saving the entire spaceship. Unrealistic but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The magic was that you forgot the short space of time in which all those things happened which would make it physically impossible for a human to do all he did.

I’m trained as a psychotherapist. When I’ve written scenes with a counselor I’ve had editors say, “No one would talk like that.” Um, well, I would and there are not specific rules on just how a therapist or patient interact. The therapist listens and offers challenge, encouragement, and possibly resources or information to help the patient. Mostly the individual needs to heard and understood. They are often chagrined when I inform them that of my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology.

The reality is that if I were to give a character all the things that happened to me in quick succession, the reader wouldn’t buy it. Life is truly stranger than fiction. And stories that move too quickly with too many crisis moments in them exhaust the reader.

Imagine how that feels to live it though. Reality is many of us go through moments in life when we are being hit from every side and it can feel so overwhelming. Sometimes reading a character going through difficulties and emerging triumphant in the end can be the boost we need to persevere through our own real-life struggles. That’s why fiction can be such a powerful escape, and coping mechanism. And really good fiction might even show us a little about ourselves we didn’t realize before and help us face our challenges differently.

I’ve been hit with many minor crisis’ recently and they’ve threatened to throw me off my game. A good book can provide respite from that maybe while I’m riding my exercise bike to relieve stress and get healthier. Nothing wrong with reading a wonderful story while I do that.

The reality of fiction is that we all tend to enjoy it—for my husband and I watching old television series and finding things that wouldn’t truly be legal, like breaking and entering a home to gather evidence of a crime, we can still enjoy the escape and it becomes fun to find the flaws. I hope that when you read a great book you don’t make it a game to find the flaws and can relax and enjoy the story unfolding as you read. At least that would be my prayer with the books I write.

And maybe, even though my characters might face circumstances that you would deem unrealistic, you’ll find that the underlying messages of the stories will resonate with you and leave you better for having read the book.

Think of Scripture with the wonderful history that unfolds and even stories  told within it. Who would expect a fish to swallow a man whole and spit him out three days later? Or the sun to stop? Or a donkey to talk? God is in the business of doing things that defy expectations or reality, so I think it’s okay for an author to ask a reader to accept some of those as well.

What do you think? Do you find life stranger than fiction at times?

Author Confessions: Margins Aren’t Just for Books

Feb5
Reading Time: 5 minutes

When you open the page of a book you see some white space all around the area where words are. Those are margins. When authors submit a book we request a one inch margin all around the pages and double-spaced. They are far easier to read and edit. If the margins are small, it creates stress in the mind of the reader.

In 1995, I stumbled upon the writings of Dr. Richard A Swenson who wrote Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Taking that concept of margins on a page, he applies it to the way we write, and live, our daily lives. Packing our days to the gills as it were, can cause physical stress and illness.

I’ve had a tendency to be a work-a-holic, even when I was a stay-at-home mom. My one escape? Reading. Books became my space in the challenges of raising kids. Eventually, that turned into writing. One day, I was writing and really enjoying the moment and all of a sudden looked up and saw it was 3:00 p.m. My kids’ school ended at a 3!  I called the school to tell them I would be late, got my little girl. I drove us to school which was in town at least fifteen minutes away.

When I showed up my middle Hobbit said, “Where were you?”

I sheepishly admitted: “I was writing.”

His response was brilliant. “Maybe you should set an alarm.”

After that I did. I never missed a pickup.

My kids are all grown now and life has taken many twists and turns since I started writing all those years ago, but I still strive to have margin. Making time to do everything we “should” do is tough. Keeping a budget, paying bills, work out, medical appointments, friendships, church, spending time with God (that should be first), getting enough sleep, maybe a hobby, date night, laundry… are all important. Are you exhausted yet?

I’ve intentionally tried to live a slower-paced life. I am a homemaker first. We also have an LLC that requires attention. I am a writer and editor but I can’t easily work a 40-hour-week with all my responsibilities.

I like a plan and I don’t especially like change. It’s easier when I initiate it. Life doesn’t give us warnings though. God sometimes lets life happen and we are forced to roll with the punches.

I realized last year I had been experiencing increasing heel pain. Having gone through that before with my other foot, I wasn’t smart enough to make an appointment earlier to get that taken care of. My husband learned he would need a major surgery, so I pushed to get this done. Healing doesn’t always go according to schedule,

Then my Youngest Hobbit decided she’d like to move back home till she heads off to college in the fall. Add a friend as well. That meant in addition to everything else on my plate we had to set up rules and expectations (they pay rent and need to attend church in person every week), but I also had clean out two rooms and part of the basement where they would have a place to hang out and watch television without being forced to be with us older folks. Having them here is a total delight and worth the hard work it took on my part to make it happen. I did have them do some of the heavy lifting. Still, it cut into my margins–and my work.

A few days ago, we learned my husband’s surgery got moved up due to him needing another operation six weeks later. The next morning, I learned my physical therapy needed to be extended. Cue the stress as I try to figure out how to handle all his appointments, keep seeing a physical therapist for my own foot pain, exercise, and doing my stretches daily, keep feeding us, keeping the house clean, oh, and maybe get some marketing and writing done? Add to that staying on top of all his medical appointments before and after surgery as he’ll need me to keep him on track so he can heal well. I just wanted to cry.

And I did.

I do well at getting to bed at a reasonable hour, a habit I cultivated long before I had kids. I’m still making my work-outs a priority as well as my quiet times. I’m making an intentional effort at staying connected to friends. I try to shut down from my work by 4 pm so I can prepare a meal for our family and the rest of the night is usually spent relaxing which is when I try to embroider, unless we decide to play some games, all of which are great ways to relax.

I still get stressed and overwhelmed and need to remind myself of one major truth I learned from Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth in her book, Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free.  This one was so important that I keep coming back to it. The lie: There are not enough hours in the day to get my work done. Truth: If that’s the case then maybe I’m not doing the work God has given me to do.

Ouch.

We put money in savings and I have space on my walls for more memories, but time is a much more valuable asset we can never retrieve once it’s gone. I’ve always tried to beat deadlines– again that provides margin. I leave for events early–another margin.

There are days when emotions make it difficult to accomplish anything creative, but I’m learning that I can rest on those days. That’s not being lazy. My body and my emotions tell me I need margin. I don’t need to function at 100% all the time. Even a fine-tuned engine doesn’t do well running 24/7, what makes me think I can do that?

Life is hard, even for writers. I long to do more writing. I have projects I’m eager to work on, but right now, I need to prioritize and do the best I can and give myself grace. Ultimately, I listen to God as He guides me into what I need to do next. The rest will wait. There are projects I’d like to do around the house, and they will wait. Somehow things get done eventually, and that’s a miracle in and of itself. Definitely not because I’m great at this.

So why did I write this? Because, I’m guessing that many of you struggle with the chaos that sometimes visits and upends our lives. If we have a healthy margin we have room to bleed into without sacrificing our health and well-being. Yes, it might be difficult. It might be emotionally challenging, but if we have space to bleed into and other things can be set aside, we’ll come out the other end in a much better place as God uses the challenges to refine us more and more into the image of His Son.

What you have you learned in the pages of your life that help you keep a healthy margin? Or is this something you need to work on? I’d love to hear your perspective.

Author Confessions: Pride vs Humility

Jan22
Reading Time: 3 minutes

I’ve been working at book marketing. I hired a virtual assistant company a few months ago and learned a lot from the two wonderful people I worked with. I still have some help but due to trying to be fiscally responsible, I have taken on more of the work with all I’ve learned. I’m incredibly indebted to Tyler and Bonnie. I’ve learned so much but more than that I made some friends who also love the Lord. We pray for and encourage each other as well as deal with the tasks. What a blessing on so many levels.

Most authors hate marketing. At least I do. I don’t like promoting ME. It’s a tough world with so many voices everywhere but I need to help people find my books. The best advertising is word-of-mouth but nowdays so many people only read things on their phone. And with all the information coming at all of use all the time when we go online, who has time to think, “Yeah, I’ll give that author a try.” We’d rather spend $5 – $7 on a new drink at Starbucks than spend the money on an ebook, or perhaps a paperback – which might equal the cost two or three drinks but will take much longer for you to enjoy and can be read over and over or shared. And it’s calorie free. Much like caffiene, a good book can keep you up at night as well.

As I sit at my cluttered desk trying to get marketing stuff organized to feel like I’m on top of it all, I was going over some reviews for some of my first few books. I’ve not looked at reviews much in the past few years because I don’t want to think “I’m all that and a bag of chips,” or to be hurt or disappointed that a reader didn’t perhaps “get” the book or appreciate the effort that was put into it. It takes a lot of effort by many people including me, to publish a book.

I found myself working on sorting through this information and weeping. I did this very task last week with some other books, but for some reason, today, tears started to fall.

I don’t believe that Susan M. Baganz is the greatest author ever. Shocker, right? There are so many other better authors out there and I’m still learning with every book I write.

Early on in my writing I had someone criticize me for promoting my writing on Facebook. However, it’s what I am required to do by my publisher. That individual said I was being prideful. Ouch. There was a lot of other painful words in that verbally abusive conversation that I can shove aside, but that one criticism haunts me.

Sure, I love the stories I write. But here’s the weird thing, at least for me. If there is anything good that shows up on the page that impacts someone, that’s all God. I’m a fallible vessel. If there is any failure, that’s all on me.  I write and pray and it is an act  of worship but I’m not perfect by any means. So when I read reviews and a reader tells me how much they loved the story or how it ministered to them in a particular way, I’m humbled that God allowed me to write those words. What an honor to be used by Him doing something that is hard work with little reward–but hopefully has an eternal impact.

Yes, I write fiction, but even Jesus told stories to get a point a cross. There’s a field of psychology that uses metaphor to help get beneath the defenses of people. That’s the power of story. If God wills it, the words that I labored over will reach someone where they need it most and for every reader it might be a completely different reaction.

So today, I’m humbled and honored. To those of you who read my books and write reviews, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to share your thoughts with me and the world. I hope and pray God will use all my efforts–at writing, editing, and marketing–to expand the reach of those words He so graciously gave.

If per chance you have read and enjoyed one of my novels or novellas, and haven’t written a review, would you please do so? It really helps readers to find the books. And tell someone about a book you enjoyed. Mine or someone else’s. Writer’s rarely make much money, but knowing our work is appreciated and shared goes a long way, maybe not to paying the bills, but at least in letting us know the work we do matters.

 

 

 

Quirks

Jan15
Reading Time: 3 minutes

The other night, my husband and I were reading through a devotional Bible and it asked a question about putting up with the idiosyncracies of your spouse. We chuckled. When he saw one photo of me in my bio in an online dating sight before we’d met in person, he thought I was wacky.

I joke it was truth in advertising. 

I’m weird. I embrace that. Normal, typical are not words that define me or my life. 

During our wedding the pastor who had known me for many years mentioned that I was quirky and Ben would have to deal with that.

My man, for all his past business successes, is a goofball. He loves to joke around and make people smile. He makes me laugh every day. Sometimes the jokes are corny. “If you want better jokes, you have to pay better,” is his response. The silliness that emerges from him often amazes us both and continues to give us each joy in our days even when circumstances are difficult.

Both of us has past trauma from previous relationships. It’s not uncommon for my husband to ask, “Why do you treat me so well?” He’s not used to being affirmed, welcomed home warmly, and encouraged in his many endeavors, and to be listened to as he explains his plans. Much of that I don’t fully comprehend but I do try. Sometimes, rarely, I even come up with suggestions that help propel him forward. Score one for the wife! 

My response to him is this: “If I ever get annoyed with you I step back and remember, this is who God made you to be. If I have a problem with that, the issue is me, not you.” Quirks and all I need to embrace who he is completely. Now, when he crosses a line I tell him. When he does something he thinks is playful and it hurts me, or offends me, I let him know. He may not have actually even done anything wrong, but due to my own past wounds sometimes I can get triggered. Ah the side-effects of abuse. 

The great thing is, when I do this, he changes his behavior. There are certain words we don’t use in our home because they cause hurt. They are not necessarily bad words in and of themselves. There are things he’s done that have unintentionally hurt me and I’ve let him know and he respects that. 

He has also let me know when I unintentionally let him down, that there was a need I didn’t perceive and failed to meet. Sometimes he comes home and is busy in the garage with a project. Instead of coming out to check on him I’ll just wait for him to come inside for dinner. He’d like me to check in on him. I’m somewhat lazy at times and don’t want to put on shoes or a coat (we live in Wisconsin and it is now winter) to be heading out there. Now, I try to pop in more. I always figured I might be bothering him or getting in the way of a project. But that’s a holdover from my own past. He’s never snapped at me for coming into the garage to see what he’s doing. He’s always been happy to see me and usually to explain what he’s working on. He may be an adult and retired, but he still likes an ataboy now and then. 

Don’t we all? 

When I feel like I’ve not lived up to some invisible standard in my mind, he affirms how much he admires the work I do even though it is often with a computer or words on a page. He works with his hands and gets dirty. He’s always creating something with metal that is functional and usually from scraps, which  becomes something usable and valuable. He was surprised one day when I told him I was amazed at how creative he is! He never thought of himself as creative. It may not be decorative but he solves problems and isn’t afraid of the hard work to get to the end result. That perseverance is impressive to me. He threatens to get a go-pro to video him working on projects. I think it would be great, but I already have way too much to do to be adding editing his videos for him! He’s not terribly tech-saavy. 

So what are your quirks? How do you handle the quirks of others? Can you embrace them as part of their uniqueness? It’s not always easy and sometimes the yuck from our own past gets in the way of being able to celebrate that part of someone, but it can help us understand, accept, and even love them better when we do. 

 

Chosing a One Word

Dec18
Reading Time: 6 minutes

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. Instead I stumbled upon the idea of one word which I first heard of in 2012 and decided to give it a try. My first word was for 2013 and was SHINE. Ah, don’t we all want to shine? That year I became an editor and started helping other authors on their journey to shining.

I’ve had ten more words since then and in 2014 I started adding Scripture. I eventually started making either Facebook headers or other images to help me as they would be there on my computer every time I sat down to work. I’m sharing some of them here so if they are helpful you could use them as well.

2014 was DIGNITY. My Scripture for that ws Proverbs 31:25, “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.” I’ll admit that was struggling with the effects of some verbal abuse and I think I thought this would help. It did. Words can hurt but my value and dignity are in Christ and in that I could wait on God for a better future.

2015 my word was TRUST. Psalm 143:8 says: “Let me hear of Thy lovingkindess in the morning; for I trust in Thee; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to Thee I lift up my soul. I was taking steps to deepen my trust in God to lead me–and He has always been faithful to do that, even though I struggled to see that at times. My first full-length novel, Pesto & Potholes was released that year as well as my first novella, Fragile Blessings.

In 2016 my word was FEARLESS. I could have chosen brave or courage I suppose but fearless was the word I landed on. My verse was Isaiah 35:4, “Say to those with an anxious heart, ‘Take courage and fear not. Behold, your God wil come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, but He will save you.'” More books released that year and there were challenges in my personal life that I needed to wait on God to resolve.

HOPE was my word for 2017. I actually had four Scriptures! God speaks a lot about hope in His word! Psalm 9:18, “For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.” Psalm 39:7, “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee.” Psalm 71:5 says, “For Thou art my hope; O Lord God, Thou art my confidence from my youth.” And then in the New Testament, Romans 5:5. “…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” In the midst of difficulties a wise mentor had told me, “You need hope. Cling to hope.” So I did. With the decisions God led me to and through that year, I had hope and peace beyond what I would have ever anticipated. Again, He proved Himself faithful.

In 2018 my word was HEALING. While 2017 had been a challenging year, I was free of the anxiety and fears of the past and standing in confidence in God’s work. 2018 would be a year of healing from the wounds left behind. I wish I could state I was fully healed but trauma takes time and I’m grateful God is so gentle as He continues to walk me through that. The Bible verses I clung to were Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenherted, and binds up their wounds.” Jeremiah 33:6 states, “Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.” God allowed six of my stories to be published that year! That was a record for me! I also had rotator cuff surgery, my first major health issue since becoming a single mom of three Hobbits. And then in the midst of all that, He graciously brought me what I did not deserve, a husband for Christmas!

2019’s word was INTENTION. I didn’t understand it at the time, but years of trauma make it challenging for the brain to move into a healthy life. Life was good! Why couldn’t I focus and get the work done that I needed to do? Psalm 57:2, “I will cry to God Most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me.” Psalm 138:8, “The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Thy hands.” God was definitely at work helping me understand how to help myself through this healing process while still getting my writing and editing done!

In 2020 my word was SAVOR. God had done so much for me and I wanted to reflect and enjoy those moments instead of rushing on to the next thing. Psalm 34:8 states, “O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” After years of hardship, I had some time to heal, be loved and cared for, and savor what God done. Covid-19 helped make that even more possible when the world seemed to shut down. The image is one I took from when my hubby and I went paragliding in Key West in 2019. Amazing and a first time for us both.

In 2021 my word was CONTENTMENT. 1 Timothy 6:6 says, “But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.” Philippians 4:11b affirms this when Paul writes: “…I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” While similar to savor this was more finding the quiet joy in everydayness of life.

My word for 2022 was EMPOWERED. I had so much work to do. Several of my own books needed to be edited, there was more writing to be done, as well as edit for other authors, and although I only released two Christmas novellas, it was a busy year. I couldn’t do it without God’s help, especially juggling several projects at once. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” Timothy 1:9 says, “… who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace whic hwas granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”

This past year, 2023, my word has been DELIGHT. Micah 7:18d-19a states, “Because He delights in unchanging love, He will again have compassion on us.” Psalm 94:18 says, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comfort delights my soul.” Then this popular one from Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I wanted to grow in my delight in God and also to more fully recognize that as my heavenly Father, He delights in me as well. I find myself smiling a lot more as I’m reading Scripture or studying it. God has been good to me – even though I did fall and break my upper arm forcing us to cancel a trip to the Virgin Islands. We did go to Florida where we got to spend hours listening to a young man’s pain and hurt and answering his questions and sharing with him the hope of Christ.

I’m still praying and listening to the Holy Spirit for my one word for 2024. Only God knows what the next year holds for me and my family so I am waiting on Him to give me that word to focus on. I journal, I brainstorm (sometimes with friends who also do this). It’s amazing to me how God will take one word, and HIS word to help keep me moving forward in faith on this journey He has placed before me. It was good this year to go back and review the previous years to again give credit to the ONE who has given me HIS WORD to cling to.

Have you ever done the “one word” thing? What was your word for 2023 and how did you see God use that in your life? Do you have a word yet for 2024? If not, I hope that these will help you as you seek God for that.