Guy on a Buffalo

Welcome new blog followers!

I'm an author currently in the thick of getting my first book published. I blog here about that journey. While I'm working hard on my own books, I feature other books here, too. Since there are so many great authors releasing books, I host as many as I can during their "blog tours". Often, these posts have giveaways for you to enter, so it's fun for everyone. Occasionally, I step away from all things literary and show a video.

Take a break and enjoy: Guy on a Buffalo, Episode 1

It's Not About the Nail

Funny video and a great lesson in male/female characterization.

Street Teams for Caregivers by guest author Linda Brendle

Street Teams for Caregivers 

A guest post by author Linda Brendle

When Keely graciously invited me to be a guest on her blog, I looked around her site to get the lay of the land, so to speak. Her tab labeled “Street Team” immediately caught my eye. The term was unfamiliar to me, but it was the second time in a week I had run across it, so I did some research.

Wikipedia defines a street team as a group of people who are used as a promotional tool, hitting the streets—or the Internet—to promote an event or a product—or a book. Street teams for authors love good books and agree to talk, tweet and post about them. They post teasers, pictures, links, and reviews on social media sites, and sometimes they receive perks like mugs, T-shirts, posters, or discounts on purchasing more books.

While I have received lots of support for my book, I don’t have an organized street team. I began thinking what that team might look like. Many of my supporters are relatives, friends, and fellow authors, but many of them are caregivers. Caregivers are usually pulled in several directions at once as they try to balance a life that is already too full, so I couldn’t imagine they would have time to add book promotion to their to-do lists. From there, I began to wonder what a street team for caregivers would look like.

Team Caregiver would be made up of people who love others, especially caregivers. These people would agree to keep in touch with the caregiver by phone, text, email, cards, and visits. Instead of receiving perks, they might offer them—a small I’m-thinking-of-you gift, a batch of homemade cookies, or a casserole for dinner. Other offerings might be gifts of service like mowing the lawn or helping with housekeeping duties. Most of all, they would offer their time, visiting with the “caree” while the caregiver goes for a walk or to a movie.

A street team can be a great asset to an author, but experience has taught me that a group of loving supporters is vital for a caregiver.

About the Author:

After 15 years as a family caregiver, Linda began writing to encourage, inspire and amuse other caregivers. She loves to travel and since retiring has traveled mostly by motorcycle and RV. She and her husband live in a small East Texas town where she gardens, writes and attends church.

Author Links: Author Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Release Date: July 1st, 2014

from Anaiah Press

Add it on Goodreads

Buy Links: Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Amazon 

Synopsis:

Sometimes reality really bites. Alzheimer’s has wrapped Mom’s brain into knots, vascular dementia has attacked Dad, and, instead of carefree retirees, we have become caregivers. Regardless, dreams die hard, and we somehow stumbled into the purchase of a forty-foot motor home. That’s when all four of us set out on this seven-week trek across sixteen U.S. states. Now, Dad stopped-up the toilet again, Mom wet her last pair of clean jeans, and David just announced that he was hungry. My head is beginning to pound, and I know this isn't going to be the easygoing retirement we’d imagined for ourselves.

Linda Brendle takes you on a roller-coaster ride of emotional and spiritual challenges that many families are facing right now. Co-dependency, mental breakdowns, and finding love after divorce are just a few of the issues weaved into this journey of caregiving. Whether you’re looking for an inspirational story to help teach you how to “let go and let God,” considering becoming the caregiver for one of your own parents, or are just looking for an entertaining travel book, this story is sure to strike a tender nerve.

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Cover Reveal and Pre-order: The Resurrection of Rey Pescador by Alfred Cedeno

I rarely jump in and give my two cents on cover reveals, but this cover rocks my face off! It's beautiful and truly merch-worthy. I'd gladly blow my babysitting money on a Rey Pescador poster, lunchbox and Trapper Keeper folder. Wouldn't you?

The Resurrection of Rey Pescador
by Alfred Cedeno 

Blurb:  

His meteoric rise and fall are legendary, but Rey Pescador's greatest adventure remained a mystery.

Until now.

When David Rosario finally confronts his absurd past, he composes a series of tall tales and love letters that both chronicle Rey Pescador's tenure as the world's most famous man and finally confess his love to the mysterious Rebecca.

David's one-sided feud with Rey, his cousin and best friend, humorously catapults this adventure across continents and worlds.

It shatters genres in its wake.

Believing that even post-modern life is filled with mythical elements and that common robot fights contain deep significance, Rey Pescador seeks an artistic escape from an undying, scientific world. In the process, he becomes America's most beloved anachronism.

From his first public invocation of the muse to his spontaneous bout with an imposing heavy-weight in Madison Square Garden, his performances transcend reality. In the wake of an unexpected decline in popularity, Rey's manager promises fame beyond his imagination.

But at what cost?

Available for Pre-order now: The Resurrection of Rey Pescador 

Release Date: July 8, 2014
Publisher: Winslet Press

My Writing Process

My Writing Process

Thank you, Megan Easley-Walsh, for inviting me to participate in the My Writing Process Blog Project. Let's get to the questions!

What are you working on? 

I’m currently writing Uncharted: Inheritance, the third book in the Uncharted series, which is commercial scifi with a romantic bent. The first book of the series, The Land Uncharted, will be released in the fall of 2014. The second book of the series, Uncharted: Redemption, is complete.

How does your work differ from others of its genre?

My stories are technically commercial science fiction since they are set in an imaginary world ruled by actual science, not myth, but they aren’t the aliens and spaceships kind of scifi. The Uncharted series is different than most scifi in that it has a rural, pre-civil war feel due to the setting and culture. And finding love is a prominent theme in this series.

Why do you write what you do?

I write in general because I must. I’ve gone days without writing, but they weren’t my best days. So many writers say writing is their outlet, and while that’s true for me, it’s an outlet like my windpipe is an outlet—it’s also an inlet and the force behind my voice and life would feel suffocating without it.

I write fiction because my imagination is constantly coming up with ways to make every situation and setting and detail in life more adventurous, and I thrive on taking those what-ifs and weaving them into stories. I love the challenge of writing original stories that not only give the reader a this-could-happen feeling, but also provide an entertaining escape. I love people and relationships and the exquisite torment of new adult life, so I like to let my characters work through the usual coming-of-age struggles but in speculative settings with complications we don’t encounter everyday.

Underneath it all, I write because I want to encourage, entertain, inspire, uplift, and engage the reader.

How does your writing process work?

I’m a mix of plotter and pantster. I can easily outline a novel in one day, but then the ideas for details and scenes and dialogue and mood and characters pop into my head faster than I can write. Not only do I write fiction about 40-50 hours a week, I’m also a working musician, a homeschool mom, and I help my husband with his business, so I have pens and notebooks and sticky notes in every room of the house. When I get to sit at the computer, I compile all those notes into my outline and start the first draft. While writing the story I’ll get more ideas and the story may go in a new and better direction than I first imagined. Sometimes, I’ll wake up at 4AM and my first thought is a plot twist that ends up defining the story.

The first draft is simply me telling myself the story. I try not to get bogged down in research at that point. My first drafts usually end up being 70% of the final word count. Next, I’ll go through the story, do the research, and fill in all the details to bring it to life. After 4-5 more times through the story, I’ll send it to a couple beta readers. When I get their comments back, I’ll revise, edit, tweak, edit some more, and then send it to a few more beta readers. And while that story is out to my betas, I work on something else so that when I revisit it, I can see it more clearly. Then I edit using a stack of editing checklists I’ve compiled from books and blogs on writing and my editors’ notes. Finally, I’ll give it a couple more read-throughs and when I simply cannot stand to look at it one more time, I know it’s ready.

Next up:

Emily Ungar is the author of the upcoming middle grade release Liberty Belle (Anaiah Press). Emily is a graduate of Indiana University, where she majored in journalism. After living in seven different U.S. states by the time she finished college, she now lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband and very curious twin toddlers. When she isn’t chasing after her twin boys, Emily loves to curl up in a chaise lounge with a book in one hand and a lemon cupcake in the other. Emily loves connecting with her readers, so she welcomes you to say hi on her blog at www.emilyungar.com.

Jelsa Mepsey is a young adult author whose debut novel Second Chance will be released soon. A full-time college student by day, she is also a research assistant in a personality lab, a worship leader at church and in her campus ministry, and a mother to her beloved dog Waffles. When she isn’t naming her pens after Bible characters or rock climbing, Jelsa can be found stabbing her work with a red pen or attempting to longboard down dangerous hills.

Be sure to check their blogs June 9, 2014 for their contributions to the My Writing Process Blog Project.

Book Preview: Chain of Mercy by Brenda S. Anderson

Chain of Mercy by Brenda S. Anderson 

Book #1 in the Coming Home Series

Blurb:

They forgave him for the accident that killed their son, but he will never forgive himself. Manhattan businessman Richard Brooks was at the top of the world, drunk with success, wealth, and women. Until one disastrous evening, when his world came crashing down. Richard flees to Minneapolis where he repairs ancient boilers instead of solving corporate problems, and he’s determined to live the solitary life he now deserves. But Executive Sheila Peterson has other plans for the handsome custodian. Richard appears to be the perfect match for the no-strings-attached romance she’s after, but she soon discovers that he’s hiding more than the designer suits in his closet.
 

Genre: Contemporary, strong romantic elements, family drama

Published: April 22, 2014

Published by: Winslet Press

Buy link: Amazon

Photo courtesy of Portraits from the Heart

Author Bio:

Brenda S. Anderson writes gritty, life-affirming fiction that offers hope and reminds the reader they’re not alone. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and is currently President of the ACFW Minnesota chapter, MN-NICE. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, theater, roller coasters, and baseball (Go Twins!), and she loves watching movies with her family. She resides in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area with her husband of 26 years, their three children, and one sassy cat.


Find Brenda online:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

New Release!!! Unraveled by Heidi McCahan

New Release!!

Unraveled by Heidi McCahan

Blurb: Blind-sided by her questionable fiance, Lauren Carter returns to the one place she's been avoiding, the place she used to call home. As she's forced to look into the eyes of her past and even worse, her unraveling future she discovers that running only leaves you out of breath on a dead end street. Will she choose to unveil the secrets that haunt her? Or will she bury them once and for all and embrace a new life so different from the one she once held dear?

Blake Tully, wildly successful and breathtakingly winsome owner of a new rafting business, finds Lauren's unexpected reappearance confusing. As he torments himself with what if's and what should've been's, he can't mistake the feeling that crawls down his spine every time he looks at her. Although she broke his heart once, he longs to give his childhood sweetheart another chance, but can he convince her to stop running away when life gets tough? And can he forgive her when he discovers the reason she's been hiding?

Follow the story of these two shattered hearts as they discover the beauty of grace and forgiveness.

Buy Unraveled: Amazon

Publisher: Winslet Press

Genre: Inspirational Women’s fiction

Author Bio: A Pacific Northwest girl at heart, Heidi was blessed to spend her formative years in Alaska. Her unique upbringing, coupled with Alaska’s breathtaking scenery, fueled her active imagination and loosely inspired her debut novel, Unraveled.

Heidi graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and a Master’s Degree in Athletic Training from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After a brief career as a Certified Athletic Trainer, Heidi married her husband, Steve. They live in North Carolina with their three active little boys.

When Heidi isn’t stepping on Legos, chauffeuring the boys around suburbia or watching one of their many sporting events, she loves to read and write heartwarming romance.

Connect with Heidi:

Website 

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

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Challenge Accepted

Marty, my husband and greatest encourager, has joyfully listened to my stories and ideas for stories for years. In January of last year, we were driving through the pristine back country of Williamson County looking for an estate sale when he up and said, “Here is a challenge for you: I challenge you to write your book.”

Challenge accepted!

I just printed the complete manuscript: 

 

Now it feels real!

THE LAND UNCHARTED is a completed 77,000-word work of Commercial Science Fiction blending utopia, adventure, love, action and the miraculous Gray Leaf Tree. And, good news… it is the first of a three-book series! 

Thank you, Marty!

Your Influence Could Be Epic

Creative-types create because we must. An internal force builds until we spew forth art, stories, songs, et cetera. Though wrought in the individual imagination, the creation is heavily influenced by natural ability, education, practice and the sundry influence to which we have been steadily exposed. Then when polished, edited or digitally mastered, the creation is presented. The artist’s hope is that the work will have influence; the scope of that influence unknown, but envisioned nonetheless. Some godless works garner influence of massive proportion. Some God-glorifying works are never known outside the artist’s inner circle. C’est la vie.

A singer/songwriter once told me that more than a decade after making an album (that sold dozens of copies), a man wrote him saying his car had been broken into and his CD player stolen with that particular CD inside it. The man said he had searched for another copy of this CD because the songs had touched his life and meant so much to him. The singer dug the CD out of a dusty box in storage and mailed it to his fan immediately.

An actress once told me about rearranging her whole life to take a movie part, thinking it would boost her career. After a lot of personal investment, her part was reduced, the scenes later cut, and the movie tanked. But while on set she had been able to help a member of the crew through a life-changing ordeal.

Was the expensively self-produced CD made for one man? Were the actress’s efforts for the benefit of one non-famous person? Am I writing novels for my friends? Quite possibly!

I’m a writer and a musician. Most of my friends are writers and/or musicians. We are all creating something, which we are told we must sell. To sell, we must promote. To energize these efforts, sometimes we must imagine the influence will be epic. The truth is: our sphere of influence will remain within the boundaries God set around our lives before we were born. Take that as neither an excuse to give up your art nor a call to quit your day job, but as a fact to consider when you create. Not a creative type? Look away from your screen and glance at the faces of the people in the room—they are your sphere of influence. No one around at the moment? You have people in your life. You know who they are. Did they just catch the school bus, clock out for the day, sign off chat? That is your sphere of influence. Show them they matter. It will be epic.

Possibilities

Though I have been blogging about my journey as a writer, my primary profession is in music. I currently have huge possibilities in both endeavors. It is exciting and fun and humbling to be considered for a national audience in any medium—still, at present, these are only possibilities.

And so I wait… and wait…

I look forward to the outcome of each possibility. However, knowing a possibility may not turn into an opportunity makes part of me want to remain in life’s waiting room. While I’m waiting, things are still possible.

A long time ago I surrendered my life to Christ and with it I surrendered my talents and desires, my triumphs and tragedies, and the long periods of waiting in between. In return, he has given me his peace—a peace that surpasses human understanding. I trust in the Lord with all my heart, and I do not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways I will acknowledge him, and he will make straight my paths.

The Value of Art

My child routinely brings me drawings and paintings and little things she has made for me. I have a fridge covered in her art. I have shoeboxes stuffed with her drawings and her beaded, painted, pipe cleaner creations. They have no practical use, but their value is immeasurable. Why? Because they are expressions of my child’s love.

When I write or paint or play music, I’m simply imitating my Creator in my childlike way. Of course, there is usually an echoing American voice in the back of my mind wondering if my creation might be the next media phenomenon destined to shake my culture’s collective conscious. (The voice sounds like the male announcer on movie trailers—you know the voice. It’s very convincing.) But my foremost goal is to use a creative outlet to make something for my Father.

When my stories are read by the world, the literati may see a waste of ink and the corporations may see no potential for profit. When I play bass, I may feel small comparing myself to other players in this savant-stuffed music mecca. But if I am truly writing or playing to praise my God, the point is not whether the art I produce has worldly use. The point is whether my creation has eternal value.

My God had all of my days written in His book before I lived one of them. My God knows my thoughts and my habits and every word on my tongue before I speak it. My God knit me together while I was in my mother’s womb. No matter how immensely I may love my child, I can still only love her with a fraction of the love my God has for me. And that lets me know that my creations have value to Him.

Wading to the Breakers

I have completed Book Two in the Uncharted series. From outline to final draft - two months. Amazing, fulfilling, dumbfounding considering I teach homeschool, am rehearsing bass guitar for upcoming performances, help my husband with his business and keep a home. Not so incredible if I admit my writing gets 99.9% of my computer time. I am not currently on Facebook. I don't Tweet. I don't Pin anything.

Here is the catch: if I want my books published I must (so they tell me) get an online presence flourishing. I must blog more, pin, post, tweet and self-promote.

I've been blessed with wonderful, encouraging feedback on my books. If God wants to use my work to bless others, He will make it happen. Social media doesn't make God make things happen and the lack of online presence doesn't keep God from moving in our lives. Yet (just like the paradox of how we who are saved come to faith) I have some responsibility in this matter. If I want my books published, I have to self-promote. That concept freaks me out!

I feel like I am standing on the shore looking out at an ocean and don't want to get wet and I am being told I must wade out to the breakers and let them hit me. Over and over. I have to Tweet and I have to query agents and I have to act (online) like I am someone worth listening to. I have to stand in the breakers and then *hope* one picks me up and carries me and IF it all goes well I will get caught on the crest before I'm swirled into its turbulent kinetic energy and spewed onto the shore, panting and exhausted.

But what if God did give me the gift of writing and what if He did so that I write stories that inspire and uplift and comfort and what if I have to wade out into the breakers to get the stories out there and if I do... what does he promise but that He will be with me! He is my sure foundation, my fortress, my deliverer, my comfort, my peace, my security. He promises to guide me by my right hand and afterward receive me unto glory. Ah - glory! His glory! That is the end I want - His glory.

Fine. I'll Tweet.

Christa Wells - Come Close Now (LIVE at The Basement)

One O'Clock

If a normal lifespan is one day and we are born at Seven A.M. then tomorrow I pass One O'Clock.

It's not a milestone birthday by any conventional means. It's just a numbers game I made up when I was very young. And, for me, tomorrow I am officially beginning the afternoon of my life.

That's fine with me. I am a sinner saved by grace. Since I surrendered my life to Christ every day has been a gift from Him that I do not deserve and I strive to live fully for His glory.

As a new creation I now live without questions and without shame and without regret. I pray God allows me a full lifetime to see my daughter grow up and to help my husband all of his days, but I fully acknowledge that my life is hid with God in Christ and I pray His will be done most of all. Each day has been a gift and will continue to be a gift until the Lord calls me home.

So, when I was young(er) and made up my little numbers game, I thought I was only good at being young and it would be such a pity when I "passed noon". Now I know the truth and I pray I spend the afternoon of my life spreading the Gospel and being spent for Christ.

God Is So Good

A while back at the end of a Sunday worship service the pastor had us sing the song God Is So Good.

You know the song:
"God is so good
God is so good
God is so good
He's so good to me!"

Though it was a beautiful moment of worship and the voices filled the sanctuary, something bothered me. That last line stung my thoughts for several weeks. I started noticing the phrase popping up  everywhere. I even wrote in my journal that it seems that when Believers speak of some good circumstance in their life they give praise to God by ending their story with "God is so good to me!" We even say it around my house... we'll have a little unexpected income followed immediately by a major car repair need and when praising God that the need is already met we exclaim, "God is so good to us!"

Amen! Yes, He is good to me. To us. He never leaves us nor forsakes us! Keep praising Him!

But, what has stuck in my craw since that chorus played is that God is good. Period! If we say 'God is good to me" when we are healthy and have no looming burdens and the kids are behaving and we like our current circumstance, then what is God when we can't get what we want or when we're mistreated or when we're staring down the barrel of a chemo syringe? If God is good when your circumstances are good then the flood gates of doubt are wide open when circumstances are less favorable. I've seen it happen with Christians so many times. Things get tough, they doubt God. It's wicked.

The truth is God is good. It's who He is. And the truth remains regardless of our circumstances or feelings. That is why it is the Truth.

God is so good!

Joyful Blue

I love this date! Every year through the sneezing spring and heat wave summer I dream of October 15th. First frost has destroyed my mortal enemy, Ragweed. The humidity has lifted. The air is clean. I soak it in so deeply that I can get high just breathing. (Apologies to my Fundy friends, but I'm *really* excited today!) I'm going to bask in the windows-down, slow-floating-leaves beauty beneath the joyful blue of October 15th!

When Nine Hundred Isn't Enough

"So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died." Genesis 9:29

I wonder about the first few generations to live on earth. They lived so long - hundreds of years. Imagine!

Mostly, I wonder if on their death beds they looked at their children and with tearful reflection said, "It goes by so fast!"

Drive Fast and Eat Cheese

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." ~ Helen Keller

I have an adventurous spirit. I was an exchange student in high school and spent my senior year ten thousand miles from home. I've hiked, I've rappelled, I've snorkeled. I've jumped out of an airplane at 14,500 feet. Why 14,500 feet? Because the rest of the group jumped at 12,000 feet. I've slept under the open sky in the Australian outback and awoken by a wallaby licking my toes. I've been chased through the New Mexico desert by a rattle snake. While spelunking in Illinois, my face shared the crevasse in a rock with a massive spider. I've been rescued from a drunken crowd by security while onstage playing music on an American college campus, and I've recorded with a former Beatles producer. I've been sprayed in the face with Windex by a Maori in New Zealand, and I've accidentally started a small fire on a plane in Japan. (They're very forgiving.)

My adventures haven't always been about seeking the thrill. And, I'm not always smart. I signed a marriage certificate as a teen because I thought it was the perfect ending to a fairy tale. And it was. The ending.

In the workplace I've had normal jobs, and I've had jobs that got the response "I've never seen a girl doing _____!" Those have been my favorite. Girl bass player, girl pizza guy, etc. It invites adventure. I'm not after danger. I've always been street smart for a white girl from the burbs; my Dad made sure of that. He taught me the dangers that lurk and how to watch out for them. Good thing, because I've never been tough. I've got tattoos and piercings, but that doesn't mean I'm tough - it means I shouldn't allow myself to get bored.

Which brings us to the present... today I looked up "adventure" using the dictionary app on my iPhone. Granted, I'm on day 8 of bronchitis, so I'm not quite myself. But, let's face it - no matter how sweet the sweet parts of motherhood are, it still did to me exactly what I was afraid it would. It made me boring. The overwhelming desire to protect not only this innocent little being I was given, but also her only mother, has my hands planted firmly at ten and two o'clock. The big adventure in my life is laundry. I enjoyed the miracle of pregnancy. I accepted the challenge of infant care with no prior baby knowledge and came out victorious. I navigated the minefield of toddler dangers, and stuck to my guns through the "2's". Now, we have a routine. Stability. Exactly what I've been trying to build. Yet, all I want to do is drive fast and eat cheese.

So, this is my new challenge. I'm older, wiser, more mature, and have good reason to wear a helmet at this point in life, but I'm definitely seeking my next adventure. Stay tuned to see where all this leads...

Heckman Family Reunion

We had an unofficial family reunion yesterday as most of my Dad's family gathered to surprise him with a 60th Birthday Party. He knew something was up during the months of planning and secrecy, but since the only date we could get everyone together was a few weeks after his birthday, I think he was surprised, especially by how many people came.

I'm also experimenting with black and white film (remember film?), so here are a few snap shots of the family:

Left to right: Rachel Keith, Marty Keith, Keely Keith, Ian Myers, Ashley Myers, Kevin Heckman, Sara Heckman (holding baby Colten), Bryan Heckman, Van Heckman, Pam Heckman, Cherine Heckman, Rick Gomez, Rod Heckman, Darla Gomez, Cody Evans, Michelle Heckman (holding baby Jax), Brendan Heckman, Talitha Oettinger, Michael Oettinger (holding baby Lucy).

My parents: Pam & Rod Heckman

My Dad and his siblings: Kevin, Cherine, Rod

Me and my siblings: Keely, Brendan, Darla, Talitha

Thanks to everyone who came - from near and far - to help celebrate my Dad.  He really enjoyed it!

Marty's Amazing Belt Buckle Collection

My life is currently a full, beautiful blast of energy and motion. Still, I must pause to showcase one of the seemingly random collections in my home. May I present... Some of my husband's belt buckles:

This is a unique handmade belt he commissioned last year. It's a replica of the belt worn by the character Bo Duke on the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. Marty actually met John Schneider once and asked him about "the" belt. The buckle currently on the belt is from an antiques store. "The" buckle will be made soon, I'm sure.

Now for some of the buckles: