The Games We Played

by Patricia Bradley

I'm working on my second book in the Memphis Cold Case series and my heroine, Kelsey, discovered a croquet set in a shed from her childhood home. So of course, the hero--Brad--challenges her to a game. 

I don't know about you, but it's been umpteen years since I played a game of croquet. But YouTube to the rescue!

And before long Brad and Kelsey were engaging in a hotly contested game of croquet. 

So what happened to croquet? And some of the other games we played? 

Like Hopscotch. 

 

And Jump Rope?

Or Kick the can, for that matter. 

I asked a couple of kids at church about Kick the Can. They looked at me like I'd lost my mind and asked, "Why would you kick a can?"

I started to explain that it was a game I played outside when I was their age, but I gave up when they rolled their eyes. Then, it dawned on me. Kids don't play outside unless it's organized sports. And that got me to thinking about other games, sayings, and not only games but things that we used, like a dial phone. Here's a list:

• Sandlot baseball  - a ragtag group of neighborhood kids choose sides and find a vacant lot and play baseball.
• Cowboys and Indians (I was always an Indian) And in the same vein, sheriffs and bank robbers. I bet I ran a thousand miles every summer, riding my stick horse...or just pretending my legs were horses. Whoever was the robber went in the house and got one of their daddy's handkerchiefs to fold in a triangle and tie around their face.
• Rolling down the window. Kid's nowadays have automatic windows rather than the crank ones I grew up with.
• Double Dutch..
• Riding in a car without a seatbelt. I remember stretching out in the floorboard or on the backseat  or standing in the middle on the hump in the floorboard. I even remember standing up in the back of a pickup as it breezed down the road. Maybe somethings are better now...or at least safer.
• Watching the radio. Just like it was a television, only there was no picture.
• Leaving the house after breakfast and coming home at noon just long enough to wolf down a sandwich and then go back outside until my mom yelled it was time for supper. And then going back outside to play kick-the-can or tag or hide-n-seek or catch lightening bugs.
• Dialing a phone...or being on a party line. I can remember on Sunday afternoon listening in while some of the old ladies talked. I bet they were all of thirty years old. So how about you?

 Can you add to the list of things kids don't do anymore? Or we don't do, for that matter?

Book Recommendations, Oh, My!

Book recommendation time!

Elizabeth Goddard here.

Wow, I've read so many great books lately, which ones do I recommend? I'd love to recommend them all.

I'm on a romantic suspense kick right now, which makes perfect sense, since that's what I write. But I read widely- -historical, fantasy, and yeah, even science fiction at times. One of my favorite series of all time is a science fiction series by Kathy Tyers--Firebird Trilogy. In fact, telling you about it right now makes me want to read it again, so I'll just go ahead and recommend that to you. See, it's science fiction for the Christian market.

Firebird, the first book was published with Bantam Books in 1987, then rereleased with Bethany House. The books in the series are good, clean reads with a strong spiritual, allegorical thread. Firebird, Fusion Fire, and Crown of Fire. Then later in 2011 and 2012 she finished the series with Wind and Shadow (which I had the amazing privilege of endorsing!)  and Daystar.  If you're not a science fiction reader, per se, let me reassure you that this romance series is one of the absolute best. I absolutely LOVED the romance, and of those readers to whom I've recommended this series, quite a few of them have reread the series, just as I have. It's that good.

Now as to my recent reads, I'm seriously loving the first book in Susan May Warren's Montana Fire series, Where's There's Smoke. This is a whole new series and closely linked to her Montana Fire series releasing in the fall. If you love romance, action and adventure, then this is a series for you. Since that's what I write too, no wonder I'm loving these stories!

From the Back Cover:

She’s a smokejumper afraid of fire…

Kate Burns is a legendary smoke jumper, known for her courage and willingness to risk everything to get the job done. Only she has a secret, one she won’t admit to anyone.

He can’t forget the love they once shared…

Supervisor Jed Ransom commands the Jude County Smoke Jumpers with a reputation as a calm, level-headed leader. Kate is the only one who’s ever gotten under his skin. 

They must face the flames together…

A raging wildfire in the mountains of Montana brings Kate and Jed together to train up a new team of jumpers. Suddenly, they must face the past they’ve been running from and the secrets that keep them apart. When an arsonist goes after their team, Kate and Jed must face their deepest fears—and learn to rely on each other as they fight a blaze that could destroy them all.

In this first book of the Montana Fire: Summer of Fire trilogy, Kate and Jed are about to discover that where there’s smoke, there just might be a chance to start again.

Now, onto my next recommendation. 

Another great series you don't want to miss is Susan Sleeman's Agents Under Fire series. Now this girl can write FBI. She knows her law enforcement procedures better than anyone I know, and exactly how to increase the tension in a romantic suspense.

Here's the blurb from the first book.

A nightmare come true . . .

Years ago, a fifteen-year-old girl was abducted by a monster. Although she managed to escape, her tormenter was never caught. So the girl was given a new home, a new name . . . and the determination to save other foster kids from suffering similar horrors.

FBI Agent Becca Lange is in the middle of a credit card fraud investigation when she's faced with her worst nightmare: a serial killer, van Gogh--given the name because he removed his victims' ears--has resurfaced. Back in the nineties, van Gogh tortured, then killed several young foster girls. Becca was almost one of them.

Over the years, Becca's been keeping her own investigation going. So when the police come to her for help, she's more than ready to do what it takes to put van Gogh behind bars--even if it means working with Connor Warren, the easy-going cop whose attentions she's been avoiding. Connor is too charming, too good-looking, too . . . tempting. He makes Becca want things she can never have. And might never have . . .

Because van Gogh isn't finished with Becca yet. He's been searching for her all these years. And now that he's found her, he's got a plan to keep her . . . forever.

The third book, Web of Secrets, just released this May so you have some catching up to do if you haven't read these!

I hope these recommendations will keep you busy. So many books, so little time. . . .
 

Blessings,

Elizabeth Goddard.
 

Encouragement by Cheryl Wyatt

Hello everyone! Sorry this is late going up today. I just got home from traveling and my internet connection was glitchy. Today I wanted to not only encourage you, but talk about encouragement in general. I've had a few people tell me that I'm gifted in encouragement, or that something I've said profoundly encouraged them during a difficult season. That meant so much to me, it humbled me and it also surprised me. After all, I'm very shy and it takes enormous courage and effort for me to even speak up and say anything around others. I'm a little better one on one, but I always feel self-conscious when I speak. Then I usually end up talking too much simply because I'm nervous.

Can anyone relate? Or do you feel comfortable conversing with others? 

One reason I'm thankful that God may have gifted me with encouragement is because I'm a writer. I can write far better than I can speak, and so my writing, even fiction, gives me an outlet to encourage others. Who doesn't want or need to be encouraged? I certainly do. Especially when the words seem to come straight from the heart of God and touch on things I'm going through in my life that the person wouldn't necessarily know without God giving them insight. This makes me feel like God is hugging me through the words of others.

We all have gifts from God. Do you know yours? If so, what are they? How well do your gifts complement each other? For example, compassion and encouragement go well together, as do wisdom and encouragement and mercy and encouragement.

Life is hard sometimes and circumstances, hurts or disappointments can bring us down. Our hearts desperately need to hear something positive, something uplifting, something encouraging.

What are your gifts in this area? Everyone is capable of speaking kind words to another. What gift or gifts do you have, or what gifts have people said you have, that pair well with encouragement? 

Has there been a time when words from a friend or family member helped you significantly in some way? Who in your life has been your greatest source of encouragement? What did they say to lift your spirits or help you soar? 

I hope you'll share a little of yourself today. Bless you all for being a part of our blog. That in and of itself is encouraging to us. Your presence is a blessing and we appreciate your time and friendship!

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

Good news! Readers are now the gate-keepers to good books!

The writing industry is changing. And in my opinion, for the better! I am the author of more than 17 historical romances. I started my career back in 2005 when I received my first contract with a traditional publisher for a Christian Pirate trilogy, and it’s been a wild ride ever since--a fun ride!  But, much like a roller coaster, it was a ride I felt I really had no control over. There were highs. There were lows. There were scares and disappointments. And lots of books to write with tight deadlines!  What many readers don't understand is that it is publishers and the industry in general that dictate the content of those books.Yup. A writer will submit multiple proposals for novels, but it is the publisher who decides which story line they like, if any. More often than not, they reject each one and send the writer back to the drawing board. Or sometimes, they even tell the writer what type of story they want.. .i.e. time period, general plot, etc.  Rarely does a publisher accept the story the writer really wants to write!

The reason? Publishers are businesses and businesses must make a profit and hence, they must make hard decisions about what type of books they think will make them that profit. I don’t always agree with their decisions, nor with the decisions of most publishers and agents in the industry, but I do understand their trepidation to try something new.  Especially in this tough economy. The problem with this fear is that publishers tend to play it safe and only publish books by authors who are selling well or books in genres that are selling well. They rarely step outside the box and publish something new and interesting, which leaves the reading consumer with so few choices. Most readers don’t understand that when they go to the book store and browse the shelves, they are only seeing a tiny percentage of all the great books that are out there. (I’m talking about books that are both published and not published).  Even if a book gets published, it isn’t guaranteed a spot in a book store because stores only purchase best-sellers from best-selling authors. Take it from someone who knows this firsthand. Then of course, the great books that never got published don’t stand a chance.

With no insult intended, I liken agents, publishers, and book stores to three trolls guarding the bridge that leads to a successful career as an author.  They are doing their job by only allowing certain authors to pass and keeping the rest back. But in the process, they are also holding back from the reader a host of fantastic books.   It took years for me to finally realize this. I was new to the business, naïve, and extremely thankful to have a contract. So, when my publisher told me I couldn’t write about this or that, and they wanted stories set in this time period, but not in that time period, I complied because I so desperately wanted to have my writing published. But somewhere along the way after 14 books, I got burned out. I lost my love of writing, my spirit of creativity, and sometimes even my desire to continue.

I thought I had some really cool and unique ideas, but no one seemed interested.  Some of them my agent wouldn’t even send to publishers. The rest, my publisher rejected. They wanted prairie and Amish stories, they told me, not pirates or mermaids or Vikings or time travel!

Then the E-book craze began. The world of the Kindle and Nook and Ipad, and all of a sudden these online companies made a way for authors to upload and sell their own work! And I found myself getting excited. Finally I could write what I wanted to write, what I was passionate about, what inspired me.  Finally I could read books that interested me, in time periods that interested me. This was such great news for both Readers and Authors!  Now, readers have a much wider variety of books to choose from online stores. 

The only problem?  Readers must become much wiser consumers. Since agents and publishers quickly discarded poorly written books from even entering the publishing arena, without them, many amateur writers are throwing junk out on the market. So the reader must become the troll for their own specific tastes and requirements.

The good news?  There are tons of great writers putting their masterpieces out there in a multitude of genres, time periods, voices, and interest.  This is also good news for an author like me because now I can write the story I want to write. I have just written and published my fourth independent novel, Charity's Cross, a clean adventurous pirate story filled with love and romance. I hope you’ll check it out. (Over 150 5 Star Reviews!)

Buy from Amazon

In the meantime, it’s a new world for both writers and readers. An adventurous world, and in my opinion, a far better one!  Thoughts?


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Summer break?

Hi Everyone, Danica Favorite here, and we are on summer break! But right now, it doesn't feel like much of a break. My eldest daughter is taking summer school, and my youngest is involved with so many activities that it feels like I'm running more than I did while they were in school. I talked to hubby tonight when he was on his way home from work, and I tried asking him if he'd take the little one to gymnastics, and he says, "I guess. But I haven't had an evening home all week." Boy, do I know that problem. It was my week too! So I went ahead and took her, since he's taking her to tomorrow night's thing, and I can stay home. Are you exhausted yet?

Even now, as I type this post (LATE), I'm feeling the overwhelm of having a busy summer. I knew I had to post on Thursday, but it didn't dawn on me until just a little bit ago that today was Wednesday, not Thursday! I blame this confusion on the fact that my little one used to have gymnastics on Wednesday, but she just moved up to a higher level, which is now on Thursday. So I was doing all the things I thought I should do today to get ready for Thursday, and realized I was a day late. Ugh.

Which is why, as I look at my already filling up summer calendar, I'm adding one more thing to my schedule- REST! Part of the problem with the busy lives we lead is that we fill up every bit of space with something to do. So I like to deliberately block off time to do absolutely nothing! Or at least, in those blocked off times, to be able to do fun things, like read books, or take a walk, or anything other than race from activity to activity.

How do you put breaks in your schedule so it doesn't get overloaded?

Great deal on a summer reading Romance bundle!!

Greetings, everyone! 
Is it hot enough yet?  Here in Northern California, we got into the triple digits last week. Ugh.. too hot for this old gal.  I stayed in the AC and read! There's nothing better than grabbing some iced tea and losing myself in another time and place with a romance that makes me smile and a story that inspires my soul. 

Which is why I want to let you know about a great summer reading bundle, which is being offered at a great price, but only for a limited time!

There are FIVE FULL Length novels in this E-Bundle for the extremely low price of  $3.99!!  That's less than the price of a single book.  Honestly, even if you enjoyed only one or two of the books, it would be worth the price. However, I'm positive you will LOVE all the books. (Not only because mine is included. LOL)  But because I've read two of the others and loved them, and because I know the other authors and they are great. 

Order now from AMAZON

What sets this bundle apart is the deep romance and great spiritual messages in each book. I know you're going to love all the stories. Think of the many hours of summer enjoyment you'll have for only 3.99!! 

Here's more about the bundle and the stories 

Lose yourself, heart and soul, in five of the best romantic stories on the inspirational market. Spanning the 1600’s to present day, these novels will not only make your heart beat a little faster, but they will inspire you, uplift your spirit, and draw you closer to the One who will never leave you. Written by five best-selling, award-winning authors, this limited-time collection will take you on a journey you won’t soon forget and will leave you with a smile on your lips, joy in your spirit, and a song in your heart.

Love’s Every Whisper by Naomi Rawlings (best-selling author)
Lake Superior, 1883. Victoria Donnelly has finally found a way to redeem herself in the eyes of her family, but it requires returning to the small town of Eagle Harbor, where forgotten feelings for a man she can never have lie buried. Can she face her childhood sweetheart again without destroying both their hearts?

A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman (award-winning author)
Boston, 1895. One Woman. Two Men. One stirs her pulse, the other her faith. But who will win her heart? Marceline Murphy, a gentle beauty with a well-founded aversion to rogues, catches the eye of two of Boston’s most notorious. Patrick O’Connor and Sam O’Rourke are best friends with a bond like brothers … until they meet one woman neither can have.

The Reckoning by MaryLu Tyndall (award-winning and best-selling author)
When Morgan Shaw hid on a tall ship replica in present-day San Diego, her intent was to avoid the guy who had just dumped her, not wake up aboard a real pirate ship 300 years in the past. Now, she must face her cancer without treatment, avoid falling in love with a notorious pirate, and try to get home before she changes the course of history forever.

Running on Empty by Ruth Logan Herne (multi-published, best-selling author)
Present day, New York State. Chief of Police Joe McIntyre takes his position seriously. A lead-by-example Christian, he's put to the test when his ex-wife appears with another man's child after eight years of silence. Anger and pride challenge his small-town-hero existence, driving him out of his comfort zone. Faced with choices he made eight years before, can he tackle the present to ease Anne's future so she's no longer "Running on Empty"?

Kept by Sally Bradley (award-winning author)
Present day, Chicago. Can a woman with a messy past find love with a good man? A contemporary Christian classic along the lines of Redeeming Love, Kept won the won the 2014 Grace Award and the 2014 Christian Manifesto Lime Award, both for romantic fiction.

Happy Reading everyone and stay cool!!


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40 Scriptures on Faith (Downloadable)

Hello all! I hope everyone had a meaningful and reflective Memorial Day weekend. For today's post, I wanted to give you a downloadable meme that contains 40 scriptures about faith.

I hope you are encouraged to look these up when you need a boost, some encouragement, when you're doubting or facing something hard. Sometimes we try to walk in our own goodness and strength, which can be hard. God wants us to look to him for everything, including faith.

What's your favorite scripture on faith? Do you know one I haven't included here? Please share!

Just right click on the meme and your computer should give you the option to download the meme. Feel free to share it with friends, or print it out and keep it on your fridge, or in your computer to have a handy go-to reference when you need a boost of faith.

Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Cheryl Wyatt