Writing Woes

I've had a hard time writing lately. I'm a wife and a mother so that makes writing difficult. Especially since I make sure to prioritize it after the people in my life. One day I will retire and be forgotten by all of you but I will be a mother until I die. I don't wnat my kids' memories of childhood to be of them staying out of my hair while I wrote. And I'd like to retire and move to Florida with the same husband I started with. So writing gets pushed aside at times.

But lately, when I've had a chance to write, I can't. I've felt very insecure about my writing. Very unsure about everything. Somedays the anxiety kept me from writing at all. But tonight God reminded me that I'm not alone in this. He gave me all my callings--Wife, Mother, Writer. He's with me to guide me about all of it.

So I prayed and felt such peace. I can't remember the location but in the Bible I know it says, "Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you."

I so believe that He loves me and loves you and offers such hope, peace, and purpose to each of us. I refuse to believe we are nothing but bubbles floating around waiting to pop into nothingness.

So anyway, about to write with God taking my anxiety and giving me confidence in its place.

So Blessed

I feel so very blessed from all the support I'm receiving from fans and bloggers for my book, The Earth Painter. That just blesses a writer's heart after spending so many hours querying agents only to be rejected. I was told my story had nothing to keep a reader reading. That they had no clue who my characters were and that my story wasn't enough to make a reader care.

Now to have people tell me my characters keep them awake at night. Readers telling me that they are losing sleep to race to the end and are countng down for the next book. It gives me a reason to keep writing.

I really need this to be my career. I dont' need to get rich but I have 3 boys who keep getting bigger each day and 1 small house that shrinks every day. Plus I've had every job out there and none fit. The characters in my head kept getting in the way. (I really have had a lot of jobs. My brother's family once had a catagory in charades called, "Jobs Aunt Missy Has Had")

I hope to be a much better writer one day with editor people to help me make my stories really sing. right now I'm doing my best and we will see how it goes.

EASY Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Just made this to sneak a veggie into my kids. VERY good and
VERY easy.

Spray a bunt pan and prehead oven 350 degrees

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup self rising flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp McCormick Pumpking Pie Spice
3 Eggs beaten
1 cup oil
1 15oz can of Pumpkin
1 small box of instant pudding (vanilla, white chocolate work GREAT. If you like coconut, coconut cream pudding works well too)

If you like texture, nuts and raisins are good mix ins.


Mix all together until a creamy batter. . Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Very moist and yummy.

I"m a Romantic

I am a romantic. I love being in love with my husband. I love to pull out our old love notes and read them. I love OLD romancit movies. (The old ones because Hollywood can't get them right anymore)

Anyway, this isn't much of a post but here is a link to one of my favorite love songs:

Blush (Only You) by Plumb. Hope you like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo8cI-y5o6o

Marriage is Good

I think one of the reasons I started writing is because I had so much trouble finding books and movies that statisfied me. More and more they are from a place of dissolutionment. I'm one of the few people of my generation who comes from an in-tact home. Now I won't pretend it was always a good marriage, but my parents were together until my dad passed about 3 years ago. My brothers are much older than me and got married in their twenties while I was still in elementary school, and both are still happily married.

I married my high school sweetheart. I never really loved anyone else. Only had one other short 1 month relationship in high school, so my own heart has been spared heartache, so it's easy for me to believe love still exists and can last. If my background was different, I'm sure that belief would be harder to have faith in.

Back to movies and books. I don't want to spend hours reading a book or series to end with, "We'll try this thing out and see how it goes." or "I want to be free to go if I ever want out." That is NOT satisfying.

I know they want fiction to mimic real life, but that ending leaves you empty and I don't know.. hopeless? But in Real life Real love exists and to try to convince people that because it's HARD to make it last, that it's IMPOSSIBLE to make it last makes us all feel defeated and ready to settle for whatever.

I've been married for almost 16 years, but have been with my husband for 18 years (dated 2 years). It is HARD to stay in love. What works for us is to try to put each other before ourselves. You'd think that would just get you trampled on but it doesn't when you are both looking out for the other. Do we mess up and get selfish? Yep and we appologize, forgive and move on.

God is a big factor in this too. My husband and I are Christians so we believe what the Bible says. One thing it says is that Christ and His relationship with the church (the church is the believers, not a denomination) is the example for husbands and wives. In that mysterious relationship between husband and wife, we get a glimmer of the mystery of Christ and His love for His people.

God has an enemy and that enemy is out to destroy our belief in love and marriage. Because if we catch a glimmer of that mystery, we might seek out the One it is an example of.

Anyway, this is the place I write from. A place where love lasts forever. An enemy is out to destroy it all and there are supernatural forces at work that most people have no clue about.

Gotta go cuddle my baby boy now. Hope you enjoyed my ramble. Let me know what you think.

Marketing and Writing

As I make my path down the trail of the self-published, I'm finding that I spend 3 to 4 times as many hours on marketing as I do the writing. And you know what I LOVE IT. I do. In college I majored in Communication with my Concentration in Journalism and my Cognate in Marketing. (Weird words that kinda mean Major and Minor). I did an internship at a marketing firm rather than a newspaper or the local news station. At the time I was most interested in broadcasting.( I wanted the be the white Oprah. Hahahaha).

But for fun, my electives were ALL writing classes. Biography Writing, Creative Writing, Fiction Writing and Writing for Broadcast.

And then I went home to be a mom and NEVER used any of it...until now. I honestly believe it all had to go in the crockpot and stew a while. God knew what He was doing when He led me to that course of study. although for long time now I had wished I'd studied something more practical.

I write while the kids are all at school but look up book blogs and such while they are here. So I'm always working and I LOVE IT.

So there's my post for today. An ode to my love for God, Writing, and Marketing,

New Review and Great Blog to Follow

Here is a link to a really great blog to follow if you have kids. There is also a review of my book, The Earth Painter there. Go check it out and follow that blog. :-D

http://kidsfunreviewed.com/the-earth-painter-book-review/