AUTUMN DELIGHT

November so far has been perfect fall weather and I relish walking through my neighborhood each afternoon admiring the canvas of God’s handiwork. His painting was so vivid that I decided to take my camera along on my walk yesterday. I took lots of shots and thought that I would post one.

As usual, I’m energized and observe the deep orange, brilliant reds, and burnished gold from the oaks, sweetgum, and maples on either side of the boulevard. I think God speaks to my heart through what I see reminding me of his goodness, and the fact that he remains faithful beyond what we humans can begin to conceive or even comprehend.

He does this in many ways, but one that’s so evident to anyone with a pair of eyes, is by ushering in fall with all its brilliancy on time without fail. The cerulean sky is cloudless and bright as I look up knowing that beyond this atmosphere is the 3rd heaven in all its splendor where He sits at the right hand of the Father. I contemplate my loved ones who’ve passed from this life, awaiting the time that they will return to this earth to reign with him right where Kind David ruled in Israel and my soul is comforted. Now, I ask you how cool is that? God said Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool, from where He observes "the poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word". (Isaiah 66:1-2). He’s not saying that we should be scared of him, but rather that we take His Word seriously and be humbled at His sovereignty.

There are 3 heavens. One is the atmosphere where the birds, the wind and clouds are. The 2nd heaven is the celestial heaven where the sun, moon and our solar system hangs. The 3rd heaven is where God dwells. He has placed eternity in our hearts and nothing else will entirely satisfy us while we have our temporary existence here.

I’m reminded that my hope is in Heaven and not Washington. Have you considered this?

THE FLOWER OF GRASS

Already a fan of Jim Robinson’s music and his autobiography, Prodigal Song: Memoir, I knew that I would like his fiction work as well. The Flower of Grass is poignantly written in beautiful literary style in every sense of the word. It’s a story of love, loss, faith and ultimately learning to face our fears. The characters are vibrant and real, exposing the true core of their being to light, with superb imagery and detail. The story is thought provoking, showing us the internal depth of relationships from several points of view. Jim’s prose has a unique gift of conveying emotions and evoking sympathy on a level of deep personal reflection and pain with the healing power of redemption. Jim told me that his title came from I Peter 1:24, "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away..."This book is not to be missed. It will touch your heart. To learn more about Jim's books and music, check out his website. http://www.prodigalsong.com/ and
http://www.jameserobinson.com/

WHERE THE HEART LEADS

Finally! The long awaited sequel to Waiting for Summer’s Return. In Where the Heart Leads, Thomas Ollenburger has just graduated from college as a journalist after living in Boston. He returns to his hometown of Hillsboro, KS for which he intends to be only a brief visit since he left his heart with beautiful Daphne in Boston. He struggles to tell his father that he intends to go back to Boston for a job at the newspaper when he learns that his father had to sell their homestead and mill. His father insists on finding Thomas a temporary job in roofing until he decides what he wants to do with his degree, never once thinking that Thomas may not want to stay in Kansas.

Thomas discovers that Belinda has grown into a lovely young lady while he was away and he begins to have doubts about the future that he has planned with Daphne—for more than one reason. He is torn between his familiar Kansas home life and the exciting life of journalism and politics of the big city of Boston.

Kim Sawyer’s books always take you right to the heart of the matter where true character is born. Throw in believable characters and several surprising plot twists, and you having the making of a great character driven story. True to her style, Gentle Stories of Hope, Sawyer shows us the struggle with following our heart’s desires and seeking God’s will for the future. I really enjoyed this sequel!

THE GOOD GUYS VS THE BAD

This weekend another good western comes to the big screen. I love westerns. This one stars Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris and Renee Zellweger and was written by best selling author Robert B. Parker. The story unfolds in 1882 in the mining town of Appaloosa where the Townsfolk need help stopping a renegade rancher and his buddies from terrorizing them.
The producer stays as authenic as possible with the clothing, gunfights and the town for this era.
Of course there is a shoot-out and sometimes the lines blur between the good guys and the bad guys.

Looks good to me. If you want to check out the trailer, here's the website:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL_8-g-B82k

NEW COVER

My publisher has decided to change the cover of my book, No Place For A Lady. While I loved the first one, this one is equally as beautiful. They wanted the herione to look more like a Southern Belle. Same background, just a different face.

I've recently completed book two in the series and have started on the third book. I'm having so much fun with this! I have two wonderful editors that are a big part of my journey--not to mention my crit buds.

I love all things West and since I don't live there, I may as well be writing about it. There is something about that era in time that tugs on my heart to learn about those pastimes, whether from a western movie or good book.

In my next blog, I will tell you about a new movie coming out that I can't wait to see.

Who said the Western is dead???

No Place For A Lady

Just taking a quick moment here to post the cover of my first book. I'm so thrilled with it! The look on the herione's face mirrors her saucy attitude. Revell did a beautiful job. The book doesn't come out until January, 2009.

Speaking of which, I'm on deadline for book two at the moment, The Jewel of His Heart. No time for being chatty, so I must return to that world for now.

I hope you like the cover...

LEAVING NOVEMBER

This book is great summer reading. If you take it with you on vacation or to the pool you’ll not be able to put it down. In Leaving November, we visit the community of Clayburn again from the book Remember to Forget. The author pulled me in from the first page with Vienne’s return to Clayburn after she failed her bar exam for the second time, then stays to help her mother after a stroke. Vienne turns her mother’s café into a coffee shop just across the street from the art gallery owned by Jack, who she had a crush on in her high school years. She plans to only stay in Clayburn until her mother’s health returns, but finds herself falling hard for Jack. But there is just one problem-- he has a past of his own to deal with. Alcohol. One that Vienne swore to herself she would never allow into her life because of her father’s history. Crafted in such a way that we are able to see and understand Jack’s addiction, gave me great insight on how one struggles to overcome alcoholism.

This is a wonderful story of triumph over personal life issues that affect our relationships and at the very core of our lives. It’s a story of trust, love and forgiveness, which brings hope to each new day. This book is not to be missed!

HEART OF THE WEST SERIES

Finally, it’s official! I have the signed contract for my book and received my advance to prove it! I’m so happy to announce a dream come true for me. My contract is with Revell Books of Baker Publishing for a three book series!! Yes! I said 3 books! Yippee for me!!

The series title is Heart of the West. Book one, No Place for a Lady, should come out in January 2009. Can a southern girl tame the heart of a rugged cowboy? You’ll have to pick up a copy to find out. I’m currently working on the second book, The Jewel of His Heart and my third book is entitled Kickin’ Up the Dust!

A great big thanks goes to my wonderful agent, Tamela Hancock Murray for finding the right publisher for me. I’m working with a wonderful marketing team from Revell and a great editor, Andrea Doering, who only makes what I’ve written even better.

I’m still waiting on the status of my option for a movie that I have with StarzMedia for book one. Exciting times ahead for me and of course, lots of writing and editing, so I’m zooming right along since I have a September 1st deadline for book 2. When I receive the cover art for book one, I’ll post a copy of it on my blog.

Stay tuned for further developments for Heart of the West while I bask in the glow of the true meaning of the term ‘author’—‘writer’….Hey! that's me! :)

REVIEW OF MY HEART REMEMBERS

Kim has done an outstanding job with this book. I believe it to be her best novel so far. The cover is stunning and I was itching to pick it up and read it. It's an unforgettable story of orphans that are placed on the orphan trains to Missouri after a tragic tenement fire. I learned a slice of history that I wasn't aware of with this book. The three children separated as they are placed in different homes, will tug at your heartstrings with a yearning to see them reunited. It's a well crafted book with conflicts and twists that will keep you turning the pages. Above all, it traces the paths of the three children into adulthood through their struggles to survive to find each other, along with a continued presence of God that gives them hope and strength to continue. With tenderness and turmoil, the story of the three Irish immigrants in the Mid-West, will touch your heart and make you cheer with what man meant for evil, God meant it for good. I highly recommend this book!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Kiss me, I’m Irish. Yes, I’m part Irish, English and Cherokee, but on this day if you are a little or a lot, it doesn’t matter if you want to celebrate. My maiden name was O’Neal, so I'm all Irish today. St. Patrick used the shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity and placed the Irish symbol of the sun onto the Celtic Christian cross. You can see it on my bible in the picture. He was a missionary to Ireland where most of the Irish worshiped nature based pagan Gods. He shared the “good news” of Christ and converted many to Christianity.

My father was buried on this day, 36 years ago. Unfortunately, I was not there for the funeral, for reasons that I won't go into here. I did see him about 6 weeks before he died, and it was a very tough visit with a small toddler on my skinny hip (at the time, okay, lol!)

One good thing that came out of this visit was that he and I knelt one evening in his bedroom, and he prayed to receive Christ as his savior. This still brings fresh tears to my eyes now. I don’t credit myself for this. I was merely the instrument God chose to use. I feel like that was the purpose of my visit, because I knew that I would not be able to come back. At the time I was okay with that. But after a few years, I came to realize that I did not get closure—if there can be any—because I wasn’t able to be there, to grieve with my family or to say a final goodbye.

Now 36 years later, I still wish I could have been there because I needed my family’s support in loosing a father that I loved so much, even though for the most part he was an absentee father.

Today, as I have my coffee, I set an extra cup for my father as a tribute to his memory. He gave me my first taste of coffee, while sitting on the back porch steps in his undershirt after work. He would pour me a sip in the saucer, and I would eagerly devour it before mama would catch us! Pretty much the same way that I have done with my own granddaughter. My father was a kind, gentle soul. He never raised his voice that I can remember. He called me Baby, never Brenda. I can understand why my mother loved him. He was handsome and sweet.

Enough of all this blarney…So here’s to you, John Samuel O’Neal…I miss you still...

THE STORY

With Easter a few weeks away, I wanted to let you know about a wonderful event that our church choir is doing at the Cobb Energy for Performing Arts Centre on March 20th and 21st at 7:30 P.M. Our special guest is Charles Billingsley. It will be a spectacular Multi-Media Musical Easter Experience! You don't want to miss this. We are not doing a play this year. To find out more and where to buy your tickets, log on to www.jfbc.org. The tickets are $5, $8, and $10. The performing arts centre is new and beautiful and I'm very excited about this. Be prepared to enjoy the meaning of Easter, praise and worship like you've never heard! :)