My Top 10 for 2009

It's the end of the year, or nearly so, and people have started to reflect on what they have accomplished. They write those letters to their friends and relatives to stick inside Christmas cards ~ explaining all that has happened over the past year... They wonder what the new year will bring. This has been a tough time for many, so hopes and dreams may center on jobs and making it financially. I know many who struggle with health issues.

Those of us who read and write for the bulk of our time often reflect upon the books in our lives. Which ones touched us the most? Which were utter disappointments? What are we really looking forward to be released in the coming year? I've already seen some people post their list of favorites. Who am I to break with tradition? In alphabetical order, here are the books I most enjoyed reading this past year (notice that some were published in previous years, I just read them this year):

1. Tamera Alexander's Fountain Creek Chronicles Series
2. Christina Berry's A Familiar Stranger
3. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander
4. Shannon Hale's Austenland
5. Julie Lessman's Daughters of Boston series
6. Jane Orcutt's All the Tea in China
7. Catherine Palmer's The Bachelor's Bargain
8. Golden Keyes Parson's Darkness to Light Series
9. Tracie Peterson's Brides of Gallatin County Series
10. Laurie Viera Rigler's Confession of a Jane Austen Addict

You can find reviews for most of these books on my blog. I just want to thank the authors for making it so difficult to pick only ten that I cheated (just a little) and picked quite a few series instead of just single books. I also want to thank you for coming by here, reading and taking a moment to comment. I know how busy everyone is.

How about you? Do you have a top ten list for 2009 yet? Or do you just have a few favorite books you'd like to share? I'm always up for suggestions on another good book. :o)

The Brides of Gallatin County

Titles: A Promise to Believe In, A Love to Last Forever, & A Dream to Call My Own
Author: Tracie Peterson

The first thing you notice about these books are their covers. All of them are works of art, pure and simple. They are gorgeous. I think a lot about the characters are reflected in them as well, at least the way they start off their particular story. The first book centers primarily on Gwen. She feels cursed and lets that isolate her and almost drive her away from everyone she loves. She's even tempted to leave her sisters in an effort to protect them. All because someone told her she was, and then when bad things happened, she imagined herself the cause. Her trust in God and belief that He was in control was threatened by a fortune teller and her circumstances. So often we lose sight of what we know to be true because of what is going on around us. I thought the way the author dealt with this situation was so honest and it's one of the things many Christians struggle with.

The second book focuses more on Beth. I thought it was kind of ironic because Beth is shown as one who devours romance novels and longs for the adventure she finds in the pages of her books. Sometimes she even envies the leading ladies their witty comebacks and ability to woo all the handsome young men. She then find herself caught between two men who want to court her. One she's known for years. He's trustworthy, helpful, handsome and wants to stay put ~ which is so important to her, but she doesn't know where he stands with God. The other is a fine-looking stranger who claims a relationship to God, but he's just passing through, loves to travel and won't be spending much time with her at all. He also has no qualms about kissing her despite her objections. How will she know who to choose?

The third book is centered on Lacy. Of the three girls, Lacy is the tomboy. I think that may be why shes facing us on the cover while the other two look down. All three harbor guilt about the past, but Lacy believes she can do no right and has always let her family down. After her father died, that guilt turned to anger. She has made it her personal mission to find his murderer, no matter the cost to her personal safety. Lacy can't forgive herself, so unlike her sisters she cannot move on from his death and even consider that it might be an accident. This also causes problems between her and the local deputy, who seems to always find fault with everything she does.

I loved this series. Unlike most books that start a story centered on one set of characters, finish their story and then move on to the next with the same setting and maybe a "walk on" by the characters from the old book, this one followed all of the main characters (with a few additions along the way) through all three books. You watch the Lacy's storyline progress from the first book until the very end. It doesn't just barely touch on her until the last book. I think it was a brilliant move by the author and really endeared you to the characters. I truly enjoyed learning more about the maturing love of Gwen & Beth in their marriages, and I thought Lacy's story was so much better for all the build-up getting to it. Her romance with her beau was out of this world intense. She also learned one of the most important lessons of all of them. For all her bluffing, she didn't love or forgive herself. She couldn't really love anyone else until she learned to do that.

In the middle of their personal struggles, there is plenty of action inherent to the setting. Cold Montana winters cause problems, a criminal element makes things not just unpleasant but dangerous for them, and then the railroad deciding where to come through will change their existence one way or the other. Lots of secondary characters make their own personal journeys and how everyone reacts to surprises is very human and realistic. These are not perfect caricatures of people. The people of Gallatin County lived and breathed thanks to Tracie Peterson.

I need to thank Lori at Some of My Favorite Things for Book Two, A Love to Last Forever. I won it on her blog. I bought the other two so I could have the whole series. If you haven't read these, I think they would make a great Christmas gift to yourself or another book lover.

What's the best series you've read lately?

Darkness to Light

In The Shadow of the Sun King and A Prisoner of Versailles are both written by Golden Keyes Parsons and occur during the period of time when it was dangerous to be a Protestant in France. The Edict of Nantes was supposed to protect them, but more and more the Dragoons are given free reign to destroy, pillage and kill. Children are rounded up and taken to good, Catholic schools to be educated in the proper faith.

The Clavell family is Huguenot and refuses to change their faith despite the growing danger. They believe their distance, lineage and ties to the court will continue to protect them until the dragoons show up at their estate, looking for their sons and burning their books. The royal court is beautiful and deadly. Madeleine Calvell knows this all too well. She grew up there, and had a special friendship with the king. Can that relationship save her family now or will her past with the king be their undoing?

It doesn't take much time on my blog to know I love this time period and these books were so delicious I devoured them. :o) lol The setting was magnificent, and none of the people were one dimensional. I almost expected the villain in this tale to be wholly black and cardboard because of the religious persecution going on ~ but people are just more complicated than that. The author obviously not only researched the history of the time period, but is a faithful student of human nature as well.

I bought both books at the same time and read them straight through. The romance and the adventure stories in this series are so wonderful that I suggest the same thing for other readers. I wouldn't want anyone biting fingernails while waiting for the next book to arrive. {wink} Or am I the only one who does that? lol

There is no cliffhanger at the end of the first book, just loose ends and a desire for more of the story and... well I won't give that part away. lol

These are a couple of the books I enjoyed in my feast. I apologize for my famine from posting new blogs. I've been trying to catch up on my writing, housework, and I haven't been sleeping well, which means I'm oversleeping/napping in the morning and have less time to do everything.

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Let me ask you this ~ When you read a book, how much attention do you pay to who publishes it? Is it as important as the author/cover?

Love Finds You in Holiday Florida

Title: Love Finds You in Holiday Florida
Author: Sandra D. Bricker
ISBN: 978-1-935416-25-8


From the back cover:

Cassie Constantine has no plans to stay in Florida. She's just here long enough to sell the house she shared with her late husband, and then she'll hightail it back to her gracious Boston brownstone. But Cassie gets more than she bargained for with house renovations and wacky neighbors who manage to sidetrack her mission at every turn. Then there's Richard Dillon, the stuffed shirt she's paired with on the dance floor, who seems involved in a mystery... and who makes her heart beat faster than the rhythm of the quickstep. But the biggest surprise of all? The has-it-all-together Cassie finds herself in the midst of a personal overhaul. Will she let loose long enough to find new love in Holiday?

My take:

I got more than I bargained for with this book. I read the reviews and they were all good and talked about how funny the book was. I expected a good, lighthearted read. Don't get me wrong, it is funny... it is well-written. It is also so... thought-provoking. Maybe it's because I've recently started a new journey in my life (with writing) and I can relate to that. Cassie is going through a period in her life where she evaluates who she really is ~ from her perspective and how others see her as well.

This journey she takes sets us up for some of the funny and touching moments in the book. The best part about the book (in my opinion) is that I believed not only in Cassie as a person but in the choice she had to make. It's the same choice we all have. Do we listen to that voice and step out in faith ~ willing to go wherever He leads us and willing to be who we are created to be (and that includes growth and change ~ ouch) ~ or do we stay where we feel safe and comfortable?

That's not to say the book is at all preachy. You won't read that in these pages. I think Sandra did an excellent job and I really enjoyed the book. It is also an excellent one to read for Christmas. Although the cover doesn't scream "Merry Christmas," the book is set during the holidays. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I need to mention that I won this book in a contest Renee hosted on her blog Black 'n Gold Girl's Book Spot. This review was not done for compensation (or request) by the author, publisher or anyone else. I also did not promise anyone to write a positive review.

Feast or Famine?

“How’s it coming, Mom?”

“Not too bad actually. It’s going a lot faster than it was a couple weeks ago.”

“I know, you told me. Are you done yet?” I turned to look at him.“I mean how many chapters have you finished?”

I think he was trying to encourage me. :o) It got better as the conversation went on, but it made me think of this concept of feast or famine ~ and the way I look at writing, authors and books in general.

Do you like to watch dancing or figure skating? I do. The grace and beauty they exhibit is amazing. When done well, it looks effortless and pulls you in to this whole different world. I think the same goes for writing. A proficient author doesn’t draw attention to themselves or their methods ~ they disappear into the story.

If you listen to people talk about writing, it doesn’t take long before you start hearing contradictions and extreme statements. Sometimes it’s about one aspect of writing. I used one about editing: my love/hate relationship. Sometimes people will talk about the process of getting published and sometimes it’s about writing in general. Feelings about this particular craft are very strong. Most of the time things aren’t going "okay". Either words are flowing and ideas are gelling really well or you're stuck and can’t seem to make a certain scene/idea/character work.

I think the passion comes from a number of reasons. One is that so much of yourself gets poured into a novel. Then after you have worked long (sometimes several years) on a novel and managed to get it published, you have to watch as the public rates how well you did. How many jobs have that fringe benefit? It can be soul-wrenching. I skipped over the whole path before you get published. That's when you have to face the scrutiny and rejection from publishers. It's not hard to understand how it can wound deeply.

It’s also difficult to do (herding cats and then bathing them is easier). Just like those figure skaters make it look easy but few of us would be able to get on the ice and do anywhere close to what they do, good writing isn't simple either. I haven’t listened to a writer yet who talks about just spitting out book after book with no effort or stress. Most have points where the computer screen seems to mock them, the characters refuse to bend to their will, and the story just seems as if it will never be written. Many want to and some do quit ~ at least for a time. The problem is there is a passion deep inside a writer; a yearning to share the stories inside them. Denying that drive inside you is about as easy as refusing to breathe.

I still have a hard time looking at myself as an author. I’m a reader who writes. :o) Later in that conversation with my son he told me I looked like an author. His idea of an author fit a college student pretty well, but I wasn’t going to argue. At that moment I felt like an author. I’ve been writing (or editing) good amounts every day and new ideas for the book are coming to me pretty consistently. I hope it doesn’t stop.

I think the times of famine, the moments where I struggled, argued with myself and couldn’t seem to move forward… Those were all part of preparing me (and the manuscript) for this time of feast. This blog is named Butterfly Blessings. I love butterflies and consider them a symbol of the new life we have in Christ. I home school and we raised monarchs as part of a science project when the boys were younger. One of the butterflies didn’t come out of the chrysalis with the others. It partially opened, and wiggled, so we knew the butterfly was alive. After a day or two with no change, we carefully opened the chrysalis. It didn’t help. That butterfly’s wings never opened. They stayed shriveled up and it couldn’t fly away. Whether it injured itself when it fell, or something else, we messed up the natural process. It needed the work of opening the chrysalis itself in order to be successful.

My struggle with this manuscript has taught me many things about myself, my friends, writing, and God. I look at the book I’m writing now and know it’s not the same thing I started out with all those months ago. The times of famine were a part of that. I can’t honestly say I would look forward to them again, but if I need it to grow into a better writer, then I’ll be grateful for what they produce in me.

Oh, my feast has been in other areas too. I’ve been so busy with school, writing, home and a cold bug that I haven’t as much lately. This past week I made up for it. I read: Love Finds You in Holiday Florida by Sandra Bricker, In the Shadow of the Sun King & A Prisoner of Versailles by Golden Keyes Parson, and Abomination by Colleen Coble. I have about 8 pages left of Characters, Emotions & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress and I just started The Shack by WM. Paul Young. I look forward to sharing about at least some of those books with you.

May your feasts be long and enjoyable ~

Blessings,

Standing Stones

It's that time again. Since it is, many blogs will be filled with people sharing what they're thankful for. I can't claim to be witty or original. I believe there is a good reason we do this. In Joshua Chapter four, God asked the people to gather stones and set them in place. That way when their children came along and asked why the stones were there ~ they could tell them the story of how God had led them across the Jordon on dry ground.

God knows we forget. We don't always remember how good He has been to us ~ sometimes because our current circumstances may not be what we would like. We need "standing stones" to remind us of what He has done in our lives, what He has promised, and what we are thankful for. Holidays like Thanksgiving can help with that ~ especially if you build special moments into it.

My family is so bad at it - but we do have this Blessing Box. We took a small to medium sized box, cut a small hole in the top, and covered it with pictures of everything we considered a blessing. It features family members, pets, friends, the American flag, a Bible or two, a picture of a church, animals, plants, a picture of earth, our favorite foods, doctors... the list goes on... We covered the whole thing with contact paper and all year long we slip in small notes with the date, our name and what we considered a blessing. After we finish eating our Thanksgiving meal, we take turns passing the box around and reach in in and randomly pick out and read from what is inside. It usually ends up with several of us crying as we realize we have blessed others in our family without knowing it. Plus - we remember in this hectic season, how very blessed we have been.

This has been a difficult year for our family. My husband was laid off and when he did find a new job it was for a very deep pay cut. My health hasn't been that great either. Yet, I can see so many good things that have happened too. Doors have opened for me to write - which I was too afraid to do ever before. I have been able to cut my meds down and lose weight. I met so many wonderful people online in my writer's group and the blogging community who have helped me grow as a writer and person. That doesn't even scratch the surface of my blessing list.

I don't know where you are this Thanksgiving and what your joys and struggles might be. I encourage you to find a way to establish your own "standing stones" to help you remember the blessings and not just the trials. I also want to thank you for being part of how God has blessed me this past year.

P.S. Don't forget the Christmas Giveaway post ~ I announce the winners on the 30th, so your last chance to enter is the 29th.

My Love\Hate Relationship with Revisions

I hate doing revisions. It's true. You know why? I wrote my entire manuscript from start to finish in about two and a half months. I have been revising it for... six months? Maybe more than that. I've lost track. Let me be very clear on this ~ I don't despise editing because I think it's not needed or a waste of my time. On the contrary, I'm a perfectionist and I keep seeing more and more that needs to be fixed and feel as if I will never be finished fixing it. It's like doing laundry one load a day for a family of sixteen. You just know you'll never catch up and you sense yourself falling behind a little more each day.

I feel like that sometimes with my relationship to God too. Will I ever be good enough? I seem to constantly fail and falter when I want to be good, pure and strong. Other people don't always understand what a struggle it is to remain positive when you're in pain nearly every minute of the day. I've had lectures on how if only I had enough faith, if only I would pray longer, harder, in the right way... God would heal me.

It hurts when people say that to me. I don't think they realize how it hurts or how many times I've prayed to be healed ~ how much time I spent on my knees begging for Him to take away the fibro (and other things that harass me) only to be encouraged to continue on because my problems pale in comparison with those facing cancer and heart disease. I know I can handle this burden with His help.

Revisions won't kill me either. As a matter of fact, I've been so inspired the last couple days. I'd been mired and muddled in my thinking and wasn't making any progress. Suddenly a clear vision of what I needed to do with the book came to me (I also got another idea for a whole different manuscript). I've been working steadily on my revisions since then. I get ideas about the book and characters all the time now. Maybe I had to run into a brick wall to open up the floodgate of ideas, I don't know. I just wish it happened sooner. :o)

I also want to share something else. I may not jump up and down with joy about doing revisions myself, but I can't wait to get back my manuscript from my editor with her edits - or comments from my critique partner. Those are the highlights of my day. I love to get them because I know they are going to help make the story better if I take their suggestions. It is so nice to have someone else look at it from another point of view. They see things I miss because I picture the story in my head and assume everyone else can as well. I may get frustrated at myself for making the same mistakes over and over again, but that doesn't stop me from wanting their fixes.

So I enjoy their edits. The importance of good editing has been discussed a lot lately on various blogs and writing groups. I agree wholeheartedly. I don't know what kind of book I'd have without my editor and critique partner. I also had readers give me comments as well. I think that kind of feedback is invaluable.

The big deal lately is self and vanity publishing. I think the business of publishing is changing. So many small, independent houses are opening up... lots of writers are turning to self publishing when their books don't fit the guidelines of the traditional publishers... All I can say is authors who are considering self or vanity publishing should contemplate what is being offered very carefully and weigh that against whether or not they are willing to pay extra for competent and complete editorial assistance because I think it's so necessary for a good book.