Thoughtful Thursdays
Musings on faith, family, & fiction
Though a novelist by trade, one of the trademarks of my books is the spiritual depth and exploration I includes as my characters work through what it really means to walk out their faith. Faith, in fact, is one of the things I like to ponder most. In these once-a-week articles, I gets thoughtful at the crossroads of faith, family, and fiction.
Thoughtful About . . . Finding Your Place
With the ACFW Conference in Denver only a week away (woo hoo!), my thoughts have inevitably turned to the dual hope/fear of finding that perfect editor (or not) for the book I'll be pitching.Up until two days ago, I didn't even know what I would pitch. I have a few...
Thoughtful About . . . Rewrites
Many, many moons ago I started writing a book. Well, it started as a short story, which pivoted around the crucifixion. As I went through college, I kept bringing it out over holidays and summer breaks, writing, writing, writing. I had a hard time writing it when...
Thoughtful About . . . New Things
This has been a landmark week. For a family whose method of budgeting is usually "Don't spend any money!" we've gone on a spending spree. A necessary one, granted. But still.A goodly little while ago, our fridge started leaking. Leaking rusty water, that is. My...
Thoughtful About . . . Angels
When I was very little (as in, from 2 to 4 1/2 years old) my family lived in a split-foyer house. There are things I remember about this house--my room. The kitchen with the breakfast bar separating it from the dining room.The stairs.Why, you ask, do I remember the...
Thoughtful . . . About Romance
It's a topic I've written about before. Romance in novels--what we expect from them, what we expect from life because of them. There are some people who have been adversely affected by them, drawn astray or given unrealistic expectations. There are others who had...
Thoughtful . . . On the Moon
My daughter has this thing. Instead of, you know, looking to see where I am, she'll call out, "Mommy! Where are you?" Now, usually I'm about two feet away, just behind her. So I'm obligated to give a silly answer, right? I mean, I can't just say, "Right here." That's...
Thoughtful . . . About What to Write
As I near the end of a manuscript (which I'm doing now), my mind starts moving ahead to the next project. With me, there are always other projects waiting. If someone were to look in my My Docs folder, they may just shake their head. In addition to the three dozen or...
Thoughtful . . . About Optimism
I confess. I'm an optimist. Not just a fleeting optimist, mind you, an eternal one. As the hero in my Work In Progress just said to the heroine, "You go way beyond optimist. You don’t just see the glass half full–even when it’s empty, you say, ‘Yay! Now I get to fill...