Treasured reading spots . . .

Google reading nooks and you'll get two million plus links to lovely, quiet spots where you can while away some time and travel to another world within the pages of a book.

The photo shows one of my favorite reading spots. By early afternoon, trees shade that Adirondack chair and I'm cozy among the birds, bees, squirrels, and occasional garter snake while my imagination takes flight.

I was at writer's group lately, and the speaker had short assignments for us to do. One question was to finish this sentence, "I elementary school, I liked _______."

Of course the first response to come to mind was reading. And then I recalled a spot where I spent many hours reading during my childhood. It was the staircase of my parents little Cape Cod house. There were six of us living there, and hardly anyplace quiet enough or private enough for uninterrupted ready. The "cozy" home had an eat-in kitchen, living room, (ONE!) bathroom and some bedrooms.

I figured out the place where I'd least be disturbed, other than having someone pass by occasionally, was the staircase. I have fond memories of sitting on a step, leaning against the wall and reading and reading and reading.

What about you? Where did you steal off to read when you were a child?

Rejection -- Schmejection!

I'm sharing this post from my archives. Sometimes it's good to ponder this message again and again.

Rejection is an ugly word, especially to a writer. But we need to keep it in perspective. To help you put rejection into perspective, I’d like to discuss my shoes.

I have a pair of lovely leather shoes. I really like my shoes. They are stylish, look good with many types of clothing, and are comfortable to wear for many hours. I love, love, love my shoes.

A few months ago, I noticed my shoes were beginning to look worn out and were no longer attractive to wear with dress pants. I thought about purchasing another pair of shoes, and then I had the bright idea to bring them to a shoe repairman. The repairman put new heels on my shoes, polished the leather, and blackened the soles. After some effort and work, my leather shoes are spiffed up and look as good as new.

Now, if I offered my shoes to someone and they don’t love them like I do, should I be heartbroken? Does their rejection of my shoes make me less of a person? Does it make my shoes less attractive? Does it make me less worthy?

Think about it, I bet my shoes wouldn’t fit just anyone. They wouldn’t be right for a number of people with different tastes and different needs. But that doesn’t make my shoes less valuable or less worthy.

That’s the way I look at rejection. My manuscript (shoes) is polished and ready to go out into the world. But perhaps the agent/editor (consumer) needs a different size or is looking for a different style. It’s easy to look at the situation from this perspective and see that it’s not always personal when your manuscript (shoes) is rejected!


Rejection is an ugly word, especially to a writer. But we need to keep it in perspective. If we’ve been gifted/called to write, then we should keep writing and polishing our manuscript in obedience to our Lord. Perhaps the work we put into our manuscripts will never yield the results we desire, but if we work in obedience, I believe it will always yield the results the Lord has intended for us. Perhaps our work will lead us in a direction we never expected. I don’t believe the time and effort spent polishing our manuscripts will ever be rendered wasted. We are a work in progress, and only God knows where that will lead.

Another take on the Digital vs. Paper debate

A French TV ad continues the digital vs. paper debate in a cute and clever way!

Celebrating with my friend!

It's a happy day for my friend Beth Vogt. Her sophomore novel, Catch a Falling Star, releases today!


I was honored to read Catch a Falling Star and offer my endorsement. (Yes, it's so cool that you can open my friend's book and see my review!) I love Beth's writing style!

Here's what I had to say about this delightful novel:
 "Catch a Falling Star, Beth Vogt's sophomore novel, delights with an intriguing cast of characters, a page-turning plot, unexpected twists, and sharp writing. I loved this tender story framed in second chances and heartfelt dreams that proves fairy-tale lives come in all shapes and sizes." 

I'm so happy for Beth. She's a generous woman and a fine writer. Treat yourself, and buy this book today.

I'm happy to spread the good news about my friends' books. It makes me think of Romans 12:15 because I'm that kind of gal.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."

Vote for your favorite or worst book cover

The annual cover contest is going on at Cover Cafe right now.

The contest showcases the best and worst in romance book covers released in 2012.

I love looking at covers, don't you? Take a hop over to their site and vote, it's fun!

But let me warn you -- the "worst" covers are so bad you'll want to wash your eyes out after viewing them. Blech. What were those people thinking?