You look tired

So here's the scenario.

You are at a social gathering. You're part of the Party Planning Committee (Yes, I am a devotee of The Office). The event is going well and you didn't have to work any magic to make it that way. The details fell into place and you don't even feel minimally stressed.

You are making the rounds, trying to say hello to the people who came, or at least as many of them as you can. Like I said, you are not stressed. If you don't get to everyone, well, that's life.

You are wearing a dress you like. It feels nice. It hasn't wrinkled despite the minutiae of the day and the in-and-out of the car to get to the event. It's a pretty good hair day, too.

You make your way to Person in Powder Blue Slacks to say hello. Person is happy to see you make your way over because Person really likes you. You really like the Person. You've been friends for ages. You pull up a chair and smile. Time for a little how-goes-it chat.

Person smiles, too, And then Person leans in and offers you a consolatory nod. And then Person says it.

"You look tired."

Holy cow. Now what? I mean, really. Now what? What on earth are you supposed to say? Someone you like has just told you you look tired when you happen to be quite pleased and energetic. Just imagine your options with me.

You can say, "I do?" and they will proceed, I assume, to assure you how terrible you look.

You can say, "Oh. Well, I actually feel pretty darn good." But this will make them feel bad. And you like this person. You don't want them to feel bad. One person feeling bad (you) is enough. Besides where can the conversation go from there? Person might say: "Really? This is how you look when you feel pretty good?"

You can say, "Oh, yeah. It's been a really busy day. You know. A lot to get done." Which is a lie. It has been a busy day but you feel fine. You had some things to get done, but hey! You got them done and you are feeling pretty good about yourself.

You can say, "So do you." Which may also be a lie. It could also be true, but you know how it sounds to have it said of you, so do you really want to go there?

I just don't see a simple way to deal with this one. I don't. If you are told you look tired when you're not tired, what are you honestly supposed to say?

"Can I get you another cup of punch?"

I submit that perhaps this statement should be relegated to that list of observations you never say; that list that begins with the question, "So when is your baby due?"

Yes?

No place like home

I send you off into the weekend with news of a brand new book by my writing friend, Leanna Ellis. Leanna has a wonderful comedic style that is also tender, and I just love this cover and the play on words. Here's the scoop:

Wizard of Oz meets Cinderella

When Dottie Meyers loses her ‘no place like home’ during a Kansas tornado, she wakes up to find a pair of ruby slippers left by her father who abandoned his family thirty years ago. With her sister hot on her trail to find the treasured ruby slippers, Dottie travels a yellow brick road with three friends to find her father. No wizard can solve her problems. Only the love of a heavenly father can heal her wounds and give her the desires of her heart. There’s no place like … the heart for God’s healing touch.

Here’s what reviewer Nora St. Laurent had to say: “Dorothy, or Dottie as she's known to friends and family, has chosen a life of security. She's kept the farm in the family as Momma would have wanted, and retired young to work in the dirt as she's always loved doing. Younger sister Abby craved fame and the spotlight, and she made her way to Hollywood. When she returns suddenly to the family farm, Dottie's suspicions are up. Both sisters must agree to sell, and Dottie isn't leaving Kansas......until the tornado hits.No, don't worry. No flying monkeys, wicked witches or yellow brick road in this one. At least, not like you'd suspect! But along the way, Dottie does find what her heart has longed for all along: family, a Father, and a life filled with meaning and joy. And she also learns, while there's no place like home, home is where you make it.Lots of nods to the classic motion picture "The Wizard of Oz" in this unique telling of the story, including the ruby slippers. Or, in this case, Ruby's Slippers--Dottie's momma. But I'll leave you to discover all about those. This story is fun, light-hearted at moments and drawing tears at others. . ."

I read Leanna's Lookin' Back, Texas, for endorsement and enjoyed getting to know Leanna and her witty style. Winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award, Leanna Ellis writes what she calls quirky women's fiction. When she’s not busy writing, taxiing her kids to and from dance and fencing, or taking the dogs in and out, then she’s contemplating some new weird plot.

You can read an excerpt from the book on her website: http://leannaellis.com/.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Future pages

Not so long ago, I prognosticated that while the digital age is redefining how we communicate, educate, and pontificate, the almighty discrete unit will not replace books. Books made of paper. Books printed with ink onto paper. Some forms of media will be anatomically redefined but not books. There will always be books.

I still believe it.

Perhaps they will be relics. But they will exist. Perhaps they will be called reproductions, and to acquire them you will have to head to a different kind of store, like those places that sell items from the Franklin Mint. And they will be accorded a place in our houses with other treasures of the past, like Himmel figurines and replica Civil War firearms.

Perhaps it won't happen in my lifetime -I kind of hope it doesn't. But I see what Amazon can do with the Kindle and Sony with its Reader and I can see the writing on the digital wall. Not sure I like it. And I actually hope I am wrong about all this.

I read an article today in the Wall Street Journal that set me to nervous twitching about the fate of beloved books. It is both amazing and scary what is in store. Consider that the electronic reader is a device that you carry around with you wherever you go and which is like a bookstore unto itself offering you millions of titles with a click of a finger, and is part of living, active community of other electronic readers . . . Listen . . .

"Think of it as a permanent, global book club. As you read, you will know that at any given moment, a conversation is available about the paragraph or even sentence you are reading. Nobody will read alone anymore. Reading books will go from being a fundamentally private activity -- a direct exchange between author and reader -- to a community event, with every isolated paragraph the launching pad for a conversation with strangers around the world."

I think I am scared. In my younger days I was scared of a lot of things (like roller coasters, carousel horses and the Michelin Man) so I am no stranger to fear. I confess I learned to like roller coasters and carousel horses (in moderation) and I am at peace with a man made of white tires with a perpetual smile on his face, but the fear still lingers. Still it lingers. Consider this:

"Individual paragraphs will be accompanied by descriptive tags to orient potential searchers; chapter titles will be tested to determine how well they rank. Just as Web sites try to adjust their content to move as high as possible on the Google search results, so will authors and publishers try to adjust their books to move up the list."

Now this flat out irks me. I am already longing for a book with silent pages and a cuppa and a quiet, lonely place where I can be transported, anonymously, to another time and place. And it hasn't even happened yet. Makes me tremble. Not sure if it is the thrill of The Matterhorn at Disneyland or the doom of an abyss.

Yes, the article is a bit lengthy, but you should know what kind of world awaits you. Read and digest. Then tell me your thoughts . . .

While it’s true we ought not to judge a book by its cover, I can certainly affirm that we still pick up a book based on its cover. We may even buy it for its cover. The cover evokes a response. Pick me up! Pick me up!
And I have to say, I love the cover of my friend Beth White’s new book, Tour de Force. I like covers that combine a bit of the human element (not the whole body or even the whole face) an intriguing color palette, a font that communicates story, and a title that draws me, introduces hints of conflict with its very word choice.

Everything about this cover fits the bill for me, include the elegant toe shoes paired with the opposing word “force.” Here’s what the book is about.

A Passion for Dance ~
Gilly Kincade is a rising star on the New York ballet scene. Dancing is her life's passion, second only to her love for Jesus, and she believes her faith sets her apart--but hasn't held her back. Chosen for a plum role in a new ballet choreographed for her, it seems the sky's the limit. Then she meets Jacob Ferrar . . .

A Passion for God~
Jacob Ferrar has left behind the glittering temptations of stardom in New York ballet. He has established a reputation as a brilliant, innovative artistic director of a regional dance company in Alabama, with a vision for choreography that glorifies God and encourages the audience. In fact, he's certain nothing could make him go back . . .

When Jacob offers Gilly the lead in his original Easter ballet, she begins to reevaluate what she's willing to sacrifice for dance. And he sees exciting potential of shining light on the world's dark stage. But their brilliant first performance is destroyed by a terrible accident, and Gilly and Jacob find themselves facing an uncertain future. Together, they dance the fine line between personal vision and God's will, listening for the beat of the Father's heart.

Here’s Beth in her own words:

Q: Beth, what inspired you to write a novel about ballet dancers?
A: Gillian Kincade was a character in last year’s Off the Record. As the off-beat teenage sister of Judge Laurel Kincade, Gilly took on such a distinct personality (as characters often do) that she demanded a story of her own. Readers have written to ask if she follows through with her crush on musical heartthrob Tucker McGaughan…To be blunt, no. Too easy. But rest assured, Tucker makes his appearance in Tour de Force.

Q: So were you ever a dancer yourself?
A: If you could see the bruises on my knees just from trying to make it across the Wendy’s parking lot, you wouldn’t ask that question. But since you did…I once took tap, jazz and rudimentary ballet as a child. I learned just enough to pick up elements of the dance language. Everything I know about professional ballet has come from interviewing and observing real dancers, notably the exquisite Kathryn Morgan of New York City Ballet and Kathy Thibodeaux of Ballet Magnificat! in Jackson, Mississippi.

Q: What spiritual take-away is involved in a story about dancers?
A: I was interested in exploring challenges to Christian artists in general. The Scripture I kept coming back to is Luke 12:48: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Debates have gone one for decades (probably centuries, for all I know) regarding Christian art. For example, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, the story goes, discussed whether the world needs more “Christian writers” or “writers who are Christian.” The only way I knew how to tackle the subject was to create characters who must face those questions, take a stand, and either live for God—or not.

It’s my belief that flawed people are more interesting than perfect ones. They’re also more real. Though Gilly and Jacob aren’t “real” in the obvious sense, they do struggle to cope with universal issues. How much overt “witnessing” should a Christian performer or teacher do? What’s the line of grace between acceptance (“tolerance”) of the lifestyle choices of non-believing friends and sticking up for morality and truth? How should we respond when God seems to pull the rug out from under our dreams and desires? Are Christians allowed to feel disappointed? My job as a novelist is not to preach the answers to those questions, but to draw pictures of possibilities and to point readers back to God’s Word—the only place to find answers. If I

succeed in making readers think and pray, then I’m happy.

Q: This book has a subtitle, “A Love Story.” Is there significance to that?
A: Well, I’ve always considered myself a romance writer, but this one is truly focused on the development of relationships—not just between the hero and heroine. Tour de Force explores friendship, family love, and God’s love. It was a very satisfying book to write. I hope readers will like it.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone. On Monday, my thoughts on The Zookeeper's Wife. . .

Death of Good Mail

There was a time in the not so distant past when one of the highlights of the day was walking out to the mailbox, reaching inside and pulling out all kinds of fun stuff. Letters and cards from friends and family, cool catalogs, more letters and cards, unexpected missives from long-lost acquaintances, and more letters and cards.

Now there's nothing in there but the most boring of bills, shiny ad campaigns that go straight into the recycling bin, and credit card offers by the dozens. The mailbox is now a mere receptacle for the useless and mundane. Hardly anything fun is found there anymore.

It's found on our computers instead. Birthday greetings come via cyberspace. Long last friends find us on Facebook. Staying in touch with someone means emailing them. The Inbox is the new Mailbox. That thing at the end of my driveway, which used to be the bearer of glad tidings, holiday wishes, and glossy catalogs, is now the receptacle where the truly boring bills go (those you don't even want to pay online), promotional pieces that hold as much attraction as a cup of hot chocolate on the Fourth of July, and of course the ceaseless offers to bury me in new credit cards.

The thing is, I am okay with that. I love trees. I hate overflowing landfills. Paperless commerce has its value. But I am not okay with is what I'm left with: truly useless stacks of paper that move from my boring mailbox to the recycling bin in a matter of minutes. Going to the mailbox is now a chore. It is the act of moving trash from one bin to another. And that is not fun.

I still catch myself still getting a wee bit excited when I reach my hand in: Maybe today will be different. Or I will watch my husband walking up the driveway with The Mail in his hands, and I will wonder: Is he holding something fun in his hands? But every time, (okay, maybe nine times out of ten) he plops the detritus on the kitchen table, winks at me, and sez, "Here's the mail!"

There is no alternative, of course. I know this. I know we will not go backwards. I just need to let go of the illusion - once and for all - that the mailbox is a place where fun things are found. The mailbox is no longer Santa Claus sitting on a two-by-four.

It's the end of an era, and I need to remember it fondly and release the happy mailbox into the archives of things the Internet (which I am fully aware I am using to write all this) has swallowed and digested.

The thing at the end of my driveway is not the place to go to look for affirmation. Best accept it. And check my Facebook account more often . . .

Late September 2007, I was sitting in a hotel room filled with novelists eating chocolate. We were at the American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference. It was Friday night. Chocolate night. My dear friend Sara Mills was showing me her proposal, beautifully crafted, for a mystery series she would be pitching to an editor the following day. I was excited for her. She was excited. We were high on chocolate. It was such a fun evening. I said an extra prayer for her that night as I lay in my bed waiting for the chocolate to metabolize so I could fall asleep. I wanted her to get good news.

The cool thing is, she did. A year later she and I were standing in another hotel, in another city, at the ACFW annual conference. Her book, Miss Fortune, was right next to mine in the conference bookstore. Meissner and Mills. Again, we were giddy. No chocolate this time. We were just happy at the wonderful turn of events.

On Tuesday, just a few days ago, Sara's husband, just 40 years old, died following a sudden heart attack. Even as I write it, it is hard to believe it is true. Sara is not only a good friend, a beautiful soul, and a fabulous writer, she is also mom to three young kids. It is surreal, this situation. I hardly know how to wrap my brain around it.

Sara's second book in her mystery series, Miss Match, just released in March. A new release is an exciting time for an author, but it is also an exhausting time. There is so much to do. Sara's writing buddies can't take away her ache, solve all her dilemmas, or her comfort her children, but we can help her promote her new book.

With that in mind, I offer you the following interview which appeared on novelist Cara Putman's writing blog a few days ago. Sara is a fan of film noir, mysteries, the 1940s, and the classic elegance from that time period. I am honored to share this with you. . .

Miss Fortune and Miss Match are delightful books set in NYC in 1947. Tell us how you got the idea for Allie and these books:

Sara: I got the idea for Miss Fortune in the middle of the night, when all good ideas come to me: One sleepless night I was watching The Maltese Falcon and I started to wonder how different the story would be if Sam Spade had been a woman. She'd never have fallen for Miss Wunderly's charms and lies. She'd have been smart and tough and she would have solved the case in half the time it took Sam because she wouldn't spend all of her time smoking cigarettes and calling her secretary Precious. The thought of a hard-boiled female detective got my mind whirling.I paused the movie and sat in my darkened living room thinking about how much fun a female Sam Spade could be. Intrigued but not yet ready to dash to my computer, I changed disks and put on Casablanca (my all time favorite movie ever). The sweeping love story, a tale full of hard choices and sacrifice was what finally made the whole idea click in my mind. If I could just combine the P.I. detective story of the Maltese Falcon with the love story from Casablanca, and make Sam Spade more of a Samantha, I could have the best of all worlds.

These books are so good, I wish I'd written them. How did you set the stage to capture that gritty PI feel without being dark?

Sara: I find that a lot of PI stories are gritty and dark, focusing on the worst of the humanity, and while I wanted the Allie Fortune mysteries to be exciting and tension-filled I didn’t want them to be stark and hopeless. One of the things I tried to do to counteract the darkness was to give Allie a multi-layered life. She has cases, relationships, friends and family, all of which I hope combine to make the stories textured, rich and full of life.

Allie is a character I'd love to have coffee with.

What did she teach you while you wrote these books?

Sara: Allie was a great character to write. One of the things I learned from her was that human relationships (man/woman, mother/daughter, friends) are complicated and full of unspoken rules and expectations. Allie is a rule-breaker at heart and it complicates her life on a regular basis. One of the storylines I loved most is Allie’s relationship with her mother and how it grows and changes and how it’s shaped her. Another dimension of Allie’s character that really taught me a lot was her willingness to do whatever was needed to help those she loves. There is no price on that kind of friendship and it’s a characteristic I’d like to see more of in myself. Okay, I admit it, I’ve got a bit of a friend-crush on Allie.
LOL.

One last question: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would that be and who would you take with you?

Sara: If I could go anywhere right now I’d head to Monterey, California (I’m writing a book set there right now) and I’d plant myself on the beach with a notebook, writing my story as the waves crashed. Sounds like my idea of heaven on earth. There’s something about the wind-shaped Cypress trees and the crash of the surf in Monterey that calls to me. I don’t know why, it just is.

About Sara's books:

Miss Fortune, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #1

Moody Publishers

In 1947 Allie Fortune is the only female private investigator in New York City, but she's kept awake at night by a mystery of her own: her fianci disappeared in the war and no one knows if he's still alive. Until Allie finds out, she will have no peace. When there's a knock on her office door at four in the morning, Allie suspects trouble as usual, and Mary Gordon is no exception. Mary claims someone is following her, that her apartment has been ransacked, and that she's been shot at, but she has no idea why any of this is happening. Allie takes the case, and in the process discovers an international mystery that puts her own life in danger.
Meanwhile, the FBI is working the case as well, and she is partnered up with an attractive, single agent who would be perfect for her under other circumstances-if only she knew whether her fianci was still alive.

Miss Match, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #2

Moody Publishers

FBI agent Jack O'Connor receives a letter from Maggie, a woman he used to love, saying she's in trouble in Berlin. The FBI refuses to get involved, so Jack asks Allie Fortune to help him investigate. Allie and Jack pose as a missionary couple who want to bring orphans back to the United States. A child finds important documents that everyone in the city - Soviets and allies alike - want for themselves. Maggie refuses to tell Jack what the documents are, saying if things go wrong, they are better off not knowing. Through the course of the search, Allie's past is brought back to her, half a world away from home.

Until a happier time, Sara, rest in the Shadow of the Almighty. . .

Sooz

Today I am showcasing two new books by wonderfully talented writing friends, Christy winner Tamera Alexander, who writes romantic historicals, and Marlo Schalesky, a fellow Random House author and a 2009 Christy finalist.

Tamera Alexander's latest release is Beyond This Moment, a Timber Ridge Reflections novel. Here's a quick peek:

Lives are made up of tiny steps. Some are chosen for us; some we choose.
All hold the power to change who we become—but only if we let them.
When Dr. Molly Whitcomb, Professor of Romance Languages, steps off the train in Colorado Territory, she makes a choice—one that goes against everything she stands for. Yet it’s the only choice that offers her a chance to regain a fraction of all she’s lost.

Sheriff James McPherson’s instincts about people rarely miss the mark. He senses Professor Whitcomb is hiding something. He just doesn’t know what. When James learns Molly’s secret, his own reputation is undermined. But when Molly Whitcomb’s reinvented life begins to unravel, it threatens his job, the stability of Timber Ridge, and what he always knew to be true about himself.

What others are saying about Beyond This Moment:
"Pull up a comfy armchair! The main and secondary characters in Beyond This Moment instantly become people to care about, and the plot twists will keep you turning pages long into the night. The themes of racial tolerance and second chances are as timely today as they were back in the early days of Colorado's history." -Romantic Times, 4 1/2 star review

To learn more about Tammy, or to see her beautiful website, or to enter a contest for a free book, click right here.

And new from my fellow WaterBrook author and Christy-nominated friend, Marlo Schalesky: If Tomorrow Never Comes:

Childhood sweethearts Kinna and Jimmy Henley had simple dreams—marriage, children, a house by the sea…everything they needed for happily ever after. What they didn’t plan on was years of infertility, stealing those dreams, crushing their hopes. Now, all that’s left is the memory of young love, and the desperate need for a child to erase the pain. Until…

Kinna rescues an elderly woman from the sea, and the threads of the past, present, and future weave together to reveal the wonder of one final hope. One final chance to follow not their dreams, but God’s. Can they embrace the redemptive power of love before it’s too late? Or will their love be washed away like the castles they once built upon the sand? The past whispers to the present. And the future shivers. What if tomorrow never comes?

Marlo Schalesky is the award winning author of seven books, including her latest novel, If Tomorrow Never Comes, which combines a love story with a surprise ending twist to create a new type of novel that she hopes will impact readers at their deepest levels. Marlo’s other books include Beyond the Night (just nominated for a Christy Award – yay!), Veil of Fire (winner of the 2008 ACFW Book of the Year, historical category), and Empty Womb, Aching Heart- Hope and Help for Those Struggling with Infertility.

Marlo is also a California native, a small business owner, and a graduate of Stanford University (with a B.S. in Chemistry!). In addition, she has earned her Masters in Theology, with an emphasis in Biblical Studies, from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Marlo lives with her husband and five young children in a log home in Central California. When she’s not changing diapers, doing laundry, or writing books, Marlo loves sipping Starbucks white mochas, reading the New Testament in Greek, and talking about finding the deep places of God in the disappointments of life.

Susan: How did you come up with the concept for If Tomorrow Never Comes?

Marlo: "If Tomorrow Never Comes began with a single image that popped powerfully into my mind – an old man, walking along a foggy beach at dawn, bending to pick up an old locket from the sand. The rest of the story grew from there. The funny thing is, when you read the book, you’ll find that Kinna finds the locket, not an old man. But originally the image of the locket in the sand was so intriguing to me that I kept thinking about it until a story began to develop."

Susan: How closely is If Tomorrow Never Comes based on your personal experience?

Marlo: "In If Tomorrow Never Comes, the main characters are struggling with the fall-out from infertility. I’ve spent most of my adult life – 15 years – dealing with infertility and miscarriage. I’ve had some successes along the way, and whole lot of failure, disappointment and pain.
So, as far as plot-line goes - what happens to the characters and how they’re changed and challenged through the book - that is uniquely Kinna & Jimmy’s story. But the emotions, the fears, the questions they face are things I drew from my own experience.

The longing for a baby that seems like it will never be fulfilled. I’ve been there. Month after month of trying and failing. Turning into year after year. I’ve been there. Frustration. Doubt. Wondering how God could possibly love me in the midst of this. Been there. Having to pry my white-knuckled fingers off my own hopes and dreams. Been there. Choosing to love anyway. Choosing to believe anyway. Choosing to trust God anyway. Been there.

It seems that just about every deep and meaningful thing I’ve learned about God, I can point to my journey through infertility and say, “Yeah, infertility taught me that.” It taught me that I’m not the god of my life. God is. It taught me there are things I cannot control, cannot achieve, no matter how hard I try. And sometimes we must choose to live the life God has given us, with love and hope, even when it’s not the life we dreamed.

Because infertility taught me that God calls us not to the pursuit of our dreams, but to love. “Love one another,” Jesus says. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” God taught me that through the journey of my own infertility. My hope is that If Tomorrow Never Comes will reveal the same truths to others as well."

See you on Friday when I will lament the loss of interesting mail. . .

The many splendored thing

About a year ago, I read the first review for The Shape of Mercy, many weeks before it actually hit bookstore shelves. It was from Publishers Weekly and I was breathless with amazement that the book earned a starred review. I am still looking for my socks.

One of the descriptors the reviewer used was "achingly romantic." My book was described as achingly romantic. I found that intriguing and remarkable. I never set out to write anything anyone would describe as romantic, let alone achingly so. It was a pleasant surprise.

Romantic love is mysterious and powerful. It brings out our loveliest strengths and lowliest weaknesses. It is the basis and reward for countless stories, and it's kind of cool to be numbered among those who have crafted a love story.

It is hard for me to muster the air for horn-tooting, but I am thrilled that The Shape of Mercy has been nominated for a Rita Award by the Romance Writers of America. I am named in a non-inspirational category, which is amazing in itself to me and I am wowed beyond words. The category is "Novel With Strong Romantic Elements," and I share the field with the notable Nora Roberts. You can read the full list right here. The winner will be announced in July.

I've often said in interviews and such that The Shape of Mercy isn't a story about the Salem Witch Trials, it's a story about the power of love.

Love is romantic. It is deep. It is complicated. It is is simple. It is strong.

It tells a story. So there you go.

Stay tuned. July will be here before you know it. . .