Okay, I was going to write all about my acting opportunity. But instead I've been having an amazing spiritual conversation with a friend on Facebook. So I'm going to just have to put the acting incident on hold for a day or two.
It's a tough decision, talk about Jesus and encourage and be encouraged or share the details of my fabulous experience. Jesus wins this wrestling match. But you will get the details of my thespian adventure. I promise.
Sweet Iowa clouds taken while driving. Not recommended.
Just a few miles later I spied a car full of nuns. Not kidding. No picture. I was afraid the photo would be of screaming nuns and I'd hate to mess with their dignity.
My bizarre friend and I at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. We were told to hold a small sign with the letters ACFW so people could find us easily. We took it to the next level. Boredom set in and we decided we needed to mix it up a bit. Six people were kind enough to tell us that the sign was upside down. Heh, Heh, Heh.
The moon was spectacular. This is as good as it got on "film." Even after Michelle and I ran across the road, risking our very lives, to get it in our sights.
I'm traveling again. Minnesota is becoming my home away from home. While I'm waiting on a few interviews to come in this week, I still need to post something. So even though my brain is crunchy, I found the following food for thought. Proverbs 27:19
As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.
As promised: My review of In the Shadow of Lions. ( A little late, but....)
In the Shadow of Lions is a story as dictated by a guardian angel to a present day woman who needs to hear it.
Two women without freedom face a reign, battles for power, threats of death and superstition. Beliefs collide to bring an alternative and gripping tale of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Historical fans and those who devour great storytelling should find much to like. If martyrdom and torture themes bother you, look before you leap. I found the novel to be a little challenging as I tried to piece together who was who and how they all intersected. But once I got it, the story rocked and rolled.
Ginger Garrettdropped in to answer theDregs questions. I'm still reading the book and will buzz back through with a review tomorrow. In the meantime, you can go here to check out the first chapter. And by all means click on the book cover or here to find out more about Ginger and In the Shadow of Lions.
Did she pose for her book cover? Is it just me or do she and Anne Boleyn look alike? And I suppose since I used morsel like her not so nice friends I should consider myself one of them, I will, until I hear from her lawyer. Thanks, Ginger.
Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?
Snoopy. I’d love to be Snoopy. He’s so good-looking, calm and cool. And he flies doghouses, oops, I mean airplanes.
Some out there in writing land have strange rituals. Share yours.
If I get stuck, I have to do my nails. Maybe because I am staring at them blankly, sitting on the keyboard! I also take a break every 45 minutes. I set the timer for 10 minutes and clean like a dervish. It freshens me up and the house!
If you could change something in any novel, what would you change about it and why?
Once a book is finished, I have a true phobia about every opening it again. I get sick to my stomach at the thought. I can’t answer that question because I never open them again. And hopefully never will have to.
Pick one…..Pink iguana, purple cow, periwinkle giraffe. Which one and why? Can be negative or positive.
We own a bearded dragon named Goliath, and he rocks. So I’d choose an iguana, although they are nowhere as much fun as dragons. Cows eat grass all day and still end up overweight, which I can identify with, and giraffes have such long necks that they probably can’t find turtlenecks sweaters that fit. And a feather boa would just get lost in the visual.
Cows are too much like me, and giraffes are too hard to dress. A pink iguana it would have to be.
Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.
Not all who wander are lost—Tolkien.
What period of history intrigues you the most?
The rise of the Black Death, 1348. The second book in the series, Chronicles of the Scribe, (chroniclesofthescribe.com) is about this.
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.)
There are no rules or barriers. You have to live in your own imaginary world to write. And I don’t let rules inside my pretend world.
What makes you feel alive?
Running. I am training (painfully!) for my first half-marathon. I finished my first triathlon this summer and it was amazing. (Amazing that I finished, I mean.)
I come home after a run, terrify my children with “Sweaty Mom” and listen to them scream as they avoid me, then I get in the shower and get clean. I feel a surge of relief to be done, and relaxation from the endorphins.
How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?
Black humor, sarcasm. When the people I love make fun of me, I feel very loved and accepted. I despise overwrought sentiments and sloppy hugs and kisses. I won’t read effusive greeting cards, which makes my mother mad.
Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.
I’d have to say my soulmate, Mitch. We’ve been married 12 years and I still love his touch. I’d also take a Bible, chocolate, and some Gaelic music. Or blues. Or anything with YoYo Ma.
Favorite season and why?
Valentines for the chocolates, Halloween for the mellow pumpkins, Christmas for the peppermints from Bob’s factory, and Easter for the Cadbury eggs. The Fourth of July needs a good candy, don’t you think?
Favorite book setting and why?
Belgium. I love Belgium. It’s the most drearily romantic place on earth. I also love Ireland because I sleep well there, and Italy because it has such wild abandon.
Which compliment related to your writing has meant the most and why?
Anytime a reader emails me, I am elated. I write to build connections, and reader emails mean it’s working.
What criticism has cut the deepest and why?
I don’t think I’ve ever been deeply wounded by a criticism. They are the costs of doing business, that’s all.
What is your favorite word?
Puppy. I love puppy everything. I love puppy smell, puppy food, puppy leashes, puppy breath. I love puppies. When I was pregnant, I worried I wouldn’t like my baby as much as I like puppies. Fortunately for us all, I was too drugged to decide for several days. By then, I liked the kid a lot.
What word annoys you more than any other?
Morsel. I despise the way it feels in your mouth, the way it sounds, the meaning. My friends work it into conversation wherever possible.
Superhero you most admire and why?
Sarah Palin
Favorite chore
Taking the trash to the curb. It’s very satisfying.
Anything you'd do but don't because of fear of pain? What is it? Ex. Bungee jumping, sky diving, running with scissors.
I do *everything* because of fear of pain. If I am afraid of it, I get a thrill out of doing it.
Societal pet peeve…sound off.
People who give their animals away because they get “too busy” to care for them.
CREATIVE CORNER: Pick any of the following and have fun with it.
If Alex had known the body of the senator was in the bathtub, she would've taken Jim's offer for coffee.
Jim looked much better naked. (sorry, couldn’t resist!)
I don't hesitate to lay a book down and skip going back to it. I belong to a mystery readers club that sends a portion of a book via e-mail every day. Usually, I know whether I want to open the excerpt the next day or not by what I read on day one. That's why I love the feature that CFBA is offering now -- the entire first chapter. I recommend that you read the first chapter of Wounded. Clickhereto do so.
Wounded is a challenging novel. Personally challenging in what will I, an evangelical Christian who has concerns about Catholic doctrines, do with a book that is very much about saints, stigmata and Christ's wounds? For starters, I won't recommend it to anyone who is confused about Mary worship vs. Christ worship. Can I recommend it to those who are mature enough in their walk with Christ that they know His words and His heart? Yes I can, because a person who is mature is going to be able to discern the truth throughout, within and behind this novel about very broken people who are in need and receipt of scandalous grace.
I know folks who won't read C.S. Lewis because of his deep questions. Others in my circle of influence don't believe a Catholic can be saved because of the tradition and error that stands between soul and Savior. Still others label things outside of their experience and knowledge heresy. If you fall into any of these camps, don't pick up Wounded because you will be offended.
However, if you believe that Jesus works today as He did when He walked the earth, that He is not bound by our expectations, that He is lavish and almost wasteful with His grace then read the first chapter. If you are intrigued by stories of those who sacrifice everything for Jesus or powerful and unexpected healing from hideous consequences and lives, Wounded may speak to the very center of your soul. If you are broken and don't want to be broken anymore, if you feel like you are a blind man and you are looking for another blind man who can accompany you while you search for freedom you may want to stumble to the bookstore to pick up a copy of this novel.
Claudia Mair Burney writes with passion and poignancy. She also writes as if she is using "ink" from her own veins. Her characters are haunting. People who are broken, blind and needy, and people I recognize when I walk through my safe little suburbs and sometimes even when I look into a mirror.
Wounded is not for everybody, but it is for some. I think you will know who you are.
