Showers of blessing...

One of my very favorite Bible verses is Ephesians 3:20 where it speaks of God's ability to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask. So often we're blessed beyond expectation. And sometimes in very unique ways.

My youngest daughter has an extremely tender heart for animals. For days she had observed a skinny calico cat scrounging in the dumpsters behind her workplace. She finally coaxed the kitty to come to her, and she brought it home. Since we already have three cats--a sufficient number for the household (just ask my hubby!)--our intention was to take her to a vet, make sure she was healthy, and find her a good home.

Well, the vet delivered some surprising news: this calico was going to be a mama...and soon! Her prediction proved true. Three days later, my daughter awakened me in the middle of the night with the announcement that kittens were arriving. By morning, there were SEVEN of them in the box with the mama! To our heartache, two of the little babies didn't live past the first day, but the remaining five are plump and darling.

Frances (the mama cat, named for one of my daughter's favorite residents at the rest home where she works) gets friendlier by the day and is an amazingly attentive mother, especially considering her young age and the neglect she experienced prior to coming here. Seeing evidence of how God endows even the lowliest of creatures with the instinct to love and nurture has been a real blessing to us. (I jokingly told my daughter her crown would get some extra jewels for this good deed: She wanted to rescue A cat, and instead she rescued an entire FAMILY of cats.)

So, if you'd like a kitten, we'd love to bless you with one...or maybe exceedingly abundantly with two! >^..^<

~Kim

Labor Pains

July 30, 2008


This morning I awoke with the thought that’d I’d given birth again. I stopped counting my “book babies” long ago, but the titles are mounting to near one hundred published now. Quite a houseful, huh? Twice Loved, book one of my new Belles of Timber Creek series, published by Avon Inspire is releasing now, and like most new mothers I’m a little anxious. Will my child be healthy? Will it play well with others? Will it be asked back to neighbor’s homes or will it be readily tagged a problem child and sent home ( in book baby cases, that would be the publisher) —all those niggling thoughts that bother a parent.
For some time now I’ve been in a ‘deciding’ mode. Deciding where my real passion lies; writing historical or contemporary novels. I like both, but some stories come easier than others. I suppose as the following days play out and I see my newest “baby” in the publishing world the answer will become clearer. Meanwhile, it’s back to writing a Christmas novella, a subject I never tire of exploring. Next week I’ll tell you a little about the exciting new contest planned for this “child."

Lori Copeland

Each Step Changes the View

I love to walk. I can walk alone, with my husband, with friends,
 with Jack (our little silky terrier, pictured here). Once I get into a routine of walking (which I'm finally back into again after a hiatus due to lack of discipline--hey, let's call things for what they are), I'm amazed at how my body now craves the exercise.

Last night I returned from a writers retreat in Couer d'Alene, Idaho. It's a weekend event I attend every summer. A group of writers gathers at a friend's home to plot each other's next books, and we have such a blast! But one of my favorite times while there is walking the hills of Couer d'Alene. Talk about gorgeous scenery! The wind rustles through the soaring lodge pole pine and Tamarack (sounds like a waterfall), and we catch glimpses of wild life--deer, turkeys, chipmunks, squirrels, osprey. 

On one of the walks this past weekend, we came upon a hill. A really BIG hill. We trudged up, feeling the burn in the back of our legs, huffing and puffing as conversation quickly fell away. Once we reached the top, the road leveled out and we walked on for a while, talking and laughing again. Then we turned around and headed back down, commenting on how much we loved going downhill versus up. ;)

Sometimes, there are moments when God reaches through the routine of life and reminds you of important truths. This was that time for me. He reminded me that every step changes the view. 

No matter where I am in my walk with Him, there's something there, in that part of my journey, that He wants me to see. To learn from. To appreciate. There's a reason I'm there at that particular moment in my life. Whether I'm trudging uphill, feeling the burn, or whether I'm "coasting" downhill, enjoying the fruits of my labors. And I sure don't want to miss whatever nuggets He has for me along the way.

He also impressed upon me how important it is for me to set aside the time to listen for His voice. To hear him amid the noise of life. I'm a "driven" personality. I rarely pause during the day. I tend to cram every waking moment with something and then still feel, when bedtime comes, as though I haven't done everything I should. 

But I was convicted this weekend to s l o w d o w n.  Easier said than done, I realize, and this is going to have to happen over time, but I'm committed to making this change in my life. To getting back into a routine of placing aside time each day to listen for His voice. To appreciate this one life He's given me. For however much longer I'm here.

~Tamera

a love of history

Hello from Idaho. I'm so delighted to be here with my friends and fellow historical authors. I'm sure we're going to have lots of fun, and I'm looking forward to reading their posts as much as anyone else might be.

I have been a history buff since high school. Probably even before that, but it was my wonderful 10th grade American history teacher who made me realize how much I loved learning about other times and other places. It doesn't much matter what historical time period or setting. Put it before me, and I'll want to know more. Along with history, my best subject in school was English. I also have the heart of an entertainer/storyteller and was involved in theater work for a number of years. It probably came as a surprise to no one who knew me when I discovered my passion for writing fiction. Mix that with my love of history and the fact that I'm a romantic, shake together, and you get an historical romance author.

I wrote 27 historical romances before I wrote my first contemporary women's fiction, and while I love to write stories about women of this day and age, I am always coming up with more ideas for stories in the past, most of them set in the West in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I greatly admire the people who forged new lives in places like Wyoming and Montana and Idaho. Ordinary people with extraordinary courage.

My latest historical obsession (no, I have no intention of writing a book about this) has been with the Tudors. This spring/summer, I have read Philippa Gregory's The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, and The Virgin's Lover. I've netflixed (don't you love how that word has become a verb, just like "googled" before it) everything about Henry VIII, his wives, and his offspring, both movies and documentaries. I've read page upon page on the Internet and in my World Book Encyclopedia (electronic version). A few months ago, the only wife of Henry VIII I could have named was Anne Boleyn. Now I can name them all and tell you at least a little about each. Fascinating stuff. I had no idea so many people were murdered during Henry's reign. Nor had I realized the impact that his desire to be rid of Kathryn of Aragon had upon the sanctity of marriage in the ages to come.

The hardest part about this love of history is learning not to include in the book I'm writing everything I discover while doing research. All of these wonderful gems and tidbits going to waste, rattling around in this head of mine. Maybe I'll be able to share some of them with readers of this blog.

Robin

Welcome

The authors of Writes of Passage will begin posting to this blog at the end of July 2008. If you have arrived at Writes of Passage before our debut, please feel free to visit our individual websites, then plan to return to this blog at the end of the month. We look forward to visiting with you.