Scribbles and Scrambles - Unearthed Treasures

Remodeling Update:

My closet is done except for the hardware. My bedroom is done except for my closet.

I've been packing stuff so that I can move it to it's new home.

When I say stuff, I mean just that.

Why do I keep items I don't use?

Visualize three years of dust layered upon a black leather purse and an emerald green leather bag.

I've kept them: a) because they are leather. b) because something in my life might change and I may downsize my purse needs so my junk might fit into the sweet black tiny purse, or I'll buy the perfect outfit needing an emerald green leather bag.

I think not.

I scraped off the layer of fur and shoved them in a "going to Goodwill" sack so maybe they'll be of more use to someone than filtering fuzz from my airspace.

I cringe when I calculate how many dollars in junk I've donated to Goodwill in the past three or four months. Suppose this tells me a bargain isn't a bargain unless I need it? Or that need and want are miles apart in meaning?

I did unearth a treasure. A piece of antique lace that I found in my previous house. But why was it tucked away and hidden? No one can value the beauty of the treasure when it's buried away, especially when it's buried with things of no value.

Spiritual application? I think so.

Here's hoping you clean out some junk and find some treasure today.

Serials and Scenarios - Generation NeXt Parenting

Tricia Goyer not only writes fiction, she has a new parenting book fresh off the presses.

Here's my review.



"Generation NeXt" turned out to be an intriguing read for me. I am on the line between Boomers and GenXers. Different sources have placed me in each camp, so if I'm a GenXer, I'm an old one.

My review will be from the perspective of an old GenXer with a teenager and young adult children. At times, as I read "Generation NeXt" I felt exactly that, old, but then I'd turn a few pages and identify with exactly what Tricia had penned.

Had I read this book when my children were younger, I think I would have gained insight leading to freedom from some guilt baggage I lugged around for far too many years.

Tricia's "Generation NeXt Parenting" is an encouraging pat on the back with plenty of spiritual and practical challenges tossed in. She doesn't take traditional problems and toss out advice on how to handle it as much as she covers the holistic issues of parenting and Christlikeness.

If you are looking for another parenting book that has an index and multiple tips on how to handle potty training, you won't find much in "Generation NeXt." However, if you desire to dig to underlying motivations on your part and your children's behaviors, there is help offered here. Of course, a lot of the advice is what we who call ourselves "Christian" know because it's preached from the pulpit, radio and other books. But it bears repeating until we "get" it. Tricia gives practical ideas for how to get on track or back on track spiritually so that you can be the parent God calls you to be.

I learned far more from "Generation NeXt" than I thought I would. Tricia peppers her thoughts with those from other struggling parents and facts regarding the unique building blocks GenXer's have been given.

I thought of several friends who have younger children who could benefit from this book and intend to get a copy to them.

Here's the Amazon link to Tricia's book with access to other reviews etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Generation-NeXt-Parenting-Parents-Getting/dp/1590527488/sr=8-1/qid=1169223681/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-4281468-8740742?ie=UTF8&s=books

Happy Weekend, one and all.

I look forward to giving a remodeling update soon. My hands are currently curled into little claws from clutching paintbrushes, hammers and screwdrivers. But my oh my, does my hubby do nice work.

Serials and Scenarios - Tricia Goyer - Spills It! Pt 1

A peek inside the mind of Tricia Goyer.... Next month part 2....



Pick one…..
Pink iguana, purple cow, periwinkle giraffe. Which one and why? Can be negative or positive.

Periwinkle giraffe . . . I like the way it rolls off my tongue!"



Where would you most like to travel ex. moon, north pole, deep seas, deserted island, the holy land or back to a place from your childhood, somewhere else? – Why?

I would love to go to Hawaii with my husband and relax on the beach. Sigh.



Favorite book setting. Why?

I was going to say anything World War II . . . but I also love anything European. Both is best.



What period of history intrigues you the most?

World War II, including the decade before and after. I have four published novels about this time period. Next month, my first book in The Spanish Civil War releases. It takes place just prior to WWII and it part of three book series.

This was a time of heroes rising to a challenge, and it inspires me to see what ordinary people can accomplish when rising to a call!



Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.

Ohhh . . . I love the beginning of Sound of Music. It's as if God swoops down and notices a women dancing in the mountains and forgetting all the world's cares.. I often think of that scene . . . be reminded that God swoops down to look upon me with joy.



Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.

Bible, coffee, sister Lesley, and peanut butter . . . it goes with everything--bread, apples, spoons.



What would you do today if you knew you had only a week to live?

Open my house to all my extended family and talk, laugh, and soak in their smiles.


If you missed the links to Arms of Deliverance and Tricia's website - here they are. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802415563

You can read chapter 1 on Tricia's blog: http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/

Back tomorrow with a review of Tricia's Generation NeXt Parenting.

Serials and Scenarios - Arms of Deliverance

Tomorrow I'll have a few words from Tricia to share with you. And on Friday I'll share my thoughts on her non-fiction Generation NeXt Parenting. Tricia is multi-faceted. In the meantime, check out the details of her latest fiction. (Do read her first chapter, available on her website.)

Arms of Deliverance - the info : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802415563


Arms of Deliverance -- the first chapter -- go to Tricia's blog:
http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/

Arms of Deliverance -- the review.


I'm impressed.

Not only has Tricia Goyer crafted a fine novel with an intriguing series of story lines, she didn't bore me to tears with the technical scenes in the plane.

I can't imagine how many hours of research she invested to write this story. She writes from the point of view of a high ranking Nazi officer, two women reporters driven by different desires, and a young Jewish girl who is given her freedom because she passes for Aryan, yet finds herself in another sort of prison.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to know the characters as well I prefer to know them, but this is just a technical and personal issue. The plot makes up for any lingering sadness over incomplete bonding with the characters.

The later chapters are very plot driven, and I wanted Tricia to slow down, but again, I tend to dig in to meaty characters.

I was pleased with the final chapter in the book. Deep and rich, it sewed all the loose ends in place leaving me hopeful and satisfied.

I'll be reading more of Tricia's books.

Serials and Scenarios - Book Reviews Inside Out or My Views on Reviews

I’ve dipped my toes into the lake of book reviews and am now ankle deep. Let me share some thoughts.

For starters, there are some excellent writers putting out some excellent books. I’ve said this before, but if you haven’t tried Christian fiction for several years, you may want to do some investigating. If you are concerned about finances, see what’s available at your public library. Many libraries have a budget for new books and will buy requested books, or they will do an inner library loan and borrow it from another library. Most authors would love to have you request their book(s) at the library.

I always try to slant my reviews on a positive note but some of the books I’ve read I wouldn’t have finished because they just weren’t my cup of tea. Amazon lets me rate a book 1-5, with 5 being the best. I’ve read many 4.5’s but only give them 4 because 5, to me is as close to perfect as it gets. I would probably not review a 2 on Amazon because I would struggle with finding redeeming things to say.

My taste differs considerably from many of you. Powerful writing, the kind that paints pictures and draws me to a wistful state makes me weak in the knees. Humor is huge for me, if I laugh, I can overlook other smaller issues, and clever or twisted humor is the very best (go figure). Pain also grabs my heart, as does suspense when it forces my heart into my throat. I like to learn but not with long pages of technical or historical facts but with the characters by experiencing what they encounter.

In general, sweet romance novels make me gag. But if it’s twisty, funny or edgy I can fall in love with romance. Sci-fi is not on the top of the list of books I like to read. Comic-book style writing, where the action is so non-stop that I never get to know the character or care that an assassin approaches, leaves me cold. Christian platitudes tossed in, or use of dialogue to explain things to the reader by using characters who wouldn’t have that conversation in real life bugs me. Anything that becomes author intrusion like a repeated pet phrase, or telling, or passive writing pulls me out of the story.

Peace Like a River sucked me in and drove me to the next word, thought, phrase and page. It didn’t let go of my heart until the story finished and I released a satisfied sigh. I compare other books to that reading experience. If I put a book down with wistfulness at the ending of a poignant read, the book is a 4+ working toward a 5. If the story is good, but I find myself distracted by mechanics I’m going to give it a 3+ working toward a 4.

High points are awarded for quirk. With a healthy dose of humor I will overlook several author mechanical issues or negatives because the novel becomes so fun to read.

Now you know a little bit more about the way my mind works. Scared?

Serials and Scenarios - Authors Inside Out - Expounded

Now that I’ve bothered several authors for interviews I see a pattern.

You, my dear readers, may give me a hearty “Duh!” but has that ever stopped me from being transparent, real or ditzy? I think not.

What I've discovered is that the voice of the author seems to come through loud, clear and unique in the little exercise of answering my random questions.

I find this cool on several levels.

Level one - a sentence isn't just a noun and verb combo in the hands of a writer. Give a writer a sentence or three nouns to include and expand into a paragraph and you are going to get everything from artistic prose that sums life up in a nutshell and leaves behind wisps of longing, to a sci-fi blend of weirdness that might leave your hair standing on end, and/or a hearty guffaw.

Level two - you get a feel for what kind of prose you'll read if you pick up the book written by said author. With Ray Blackston we got a whole lot of quirk, an area in which he excels. In the next few weeks I'll introduce Robert Liparulo and his paragraph. Whew. Light on the quirk, heavy on the "Oh my!"

Level three - the authors are unique individuals with specific gifts and talents with information that they communicate on such an intimate level that some people are going to get them, love them and devour their books. Others are going to suppress yawns and move on and connect elsewhere. This excites me because it's a reminder that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that we are one-of-a-kind.

Level four - authors are humans. Most aren't arrogant and unapproachable, just the opposite. They want to hear that their words (which cost them sweat and maybe even some tears) touched other people's lives.

Level five - each of the authors I've "spoken" to are very, very nice. And I think the common denominator might just be Jesus. I love getting to know other believers. It's so good for us to mingle.

Tomorrow, I think I'll talk about book reviews in general. I'll see what falls out when I shake my head, hopefully it will manage to be coherent.

Have a Happy Monday

Serials and Scenarios - A Peek Into the Mind of Ray Blackston

Here you go, guys. I know you've been waiting for this. Ray came through, big-time. A peek inside the mind that created "A Pagan's Nightmare."

As per usual - Red = Q's, Blue = A's.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule, Ray.

What would you write if there were no rules or barriers? (epic novels about characters in the Bible, poetry, greeting cards, plays, movies, instruction manuals, etc.)

Ah, great question. I would love to try my hand at screenplays, possibly an adaptation of either my latest novel, A Pagan’s Nightmare, or my first, Flabbergasted, which is a comic look at singleness in the South.



What makes you feel alive?

Falling in love, hiking in the Outback, having a personal relationship with God, and using my creativity to entertain people are the first four that come to mind. Oh, and a well-struck golf shot.
I’m getting hooked on the sport.




How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?

All of the above. The teary kind are the probably the most vivid and memorable, the truthful kind more character-building, and the humorous kind the most likely to be included in my novels.




What period of history intrigues you the most?

The period when Jesus walked the earth ranks highest—being there to witness God in the flesh, not to mention all those miracles, would have intrigued me to the nth degree. (I was going to say the early 1900’s, but the cheesy dialogue in Titanic ruined it for me.)



Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.
In a movie:

Most any line from Forrest Gump!




Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.

Rand McNally Road Atlas, 80’s Hits, Chris, and dark chocolate.



Pick one…Pink iguana, purple cow, periwinkle giraffe. Which one and why?

Purple cow—ever since childhood I’ve craved a cold glass of grape-flavored milk.




Favorite book setting. Why?

Probably the last eighty pages of Flabbergasted, when Jay and Allie are down in the Ecuadorian jungle and working in the orphanage. That rainforest setting, coupled with the budding romance, has a kind of resonance for me.



Which compliment related to your writing has meant the most and why?

Ya know, sometimes reviewers just “get it,” and they write blurbs that really help
an author’s confidence. This was the case in 2003, when Flabbergasted released. Two of these blurbs stand out, so I’ll include both here:


“Blackston’s imaginative first novel is sometimes brutally honest but always refreshingly funny.”
— Library Journal in naming Flabbergasted to its Best Fiction List for 2003

“If you only read one novel this summer, let this be it!”
— Crossings Book Club, which featured Flabbergasted as a main selection



What criticism has cut the deepest and why?

Ya know, sometimes reviewers just don’t get it, and one of them told a lie about my third novel (third book in the Flabbergasted trilogy) which is titled Lost in Rooville. I’m fine with honest critique, but to bend the truth to make a point does not sit well with me. Especially when the reviewer is supposedly a Christian.



What would you do today if you knew you had only a week to live?

Hug my family, kiss my girlfriend, and write my “one week memoir,” tentatively titled Moonwalking on Streets of Gold.



A man and woman sit at a table in an upscale restaurant. They each have a cell phone to their ear. What are you overhearing?

All night she had avoided eye contact with her boyfriend. She reached for the appetizer -- which were coconut-glazed shrimp--but hesitated. She eyed the shrimp with suspicion. “Honey,” she said, with a bat of her lashes, “were these shrimp grown in a shrimp farm, or were did they die a tortuous death in some fisherman’s net?”

He gulped three of the morsels and shrugged. “Who cares? And since when do you sympathize about the particulars of a shrimp’s life?”

Summoning courage, she wiped her mouth and blurted, “Since I met Jacques, the French environmentalist.”

And with that she stood and bolted out of the restaurant.