Save the Date!

October 1st is a big day for me as it's the official release date for Catching Moondrops! Don't forget to grab your copy!

It's also the deadline for entering the Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest, and you all know how worthwhile I think it is to enter. Don't miss out! You never know what might happen!

Encouraging Kids to Read for Fun!

It seems I can get writer's block about blogging, too. Who knew?! I've been stumped about a new topic for days so I asked Facebook friends for ideas, and they came through! Thanks to Tabitha S. for her suggestion of today's topic: How to get kids interested in reading.

Call me crazy, but I think reading should be fun. Granted, not all reading... who likes reading instruction manuals or service contracts? Some reading simply has to be done. But when it comes to reading books, especially for kids, I really do think it should be an enjoyable experience.

As you likely know, I'm a nanny as well as an author, and I've been working with kids for about 16 years now. The majority of them have had a love for books, but that doesn't mean they always nurtured it. At times I've had to figure out ways to get them back on track, and that sometimes started with figuring out what drove them away in the first place.

One of the most common things that I think pushes kids away from the process of learning to read or developing they're reading skills is having no freedom about what to read. Kids who are beginning readers get so frustrated by the stuff they have to decipher - "Judy sat down. Judy ate lunch. Judy ate lunch with Jane." If I'm bored stiff having to listen to it, imagine how the kids feel having to read it out loud! While the process of learning to read can be laborious and intimidating for a lot of kids, I wonder if it might not be a tad easier if they had some choices about what to read.

For instance, if they have a favorite character they like to read about - there's a beginner book for almost any character now, from Thomas the Tank Engine to My Little Pony. They may have their homework that simply has to be done, but if you give a child a book in their free time about something they're already interested in, they're likely to want to find out what it says.

The same can be said for older readers who are developing their skills. I never liked my assigned reading in school. Classics just weren't my thing, and it frustrated me so much having to narrow my focus like that, that I began to dislike reading. The fact of the matter is, however, that children will always have required reading so, then what?

Make reading fun! Be creative with it. When I was young, I always liked reading in "special places". Whether that was under a blanket tent or snuggled up on the front window sill, it felt more adventurous to read somewhere other than sprawled across my bed. Encourage your kids to find their own place. Maybe send them outside to read in a tree house or under a big shade tree. Even under the covers with a flashlight adds a sort of mystery to reading... so long as your child's not employing this method at midnight!

Talking to your kids about the stories they're reading can help, too. Sometimes I think kids don't get into a book because they don't understand the historical significance or the back story to the main characters. Maybe you could research the time period with your child (in a fun way so it doesn't feel like more homework!), or flesh out the setting of the story so they can feel more acquainted with the book. For instance, reading The Diary of Anne Frank can only be enhanced by having some idea what they, and others in their position, were facing.

Or you could try reading the story with your child, playing roles like you're reading a script. When I was young my mother would use different voices for different characters, acting the story out like a play rather than just reading words. You could assign characters to yourself and your child - even get other family members to join in if the story permits. It's a great way to draw your little reader in, and having them join in the fun gets them reading without it feeling like work.

And never forget the library! One of my friends commented on Facebook that she loved library day in her family, when she could pick out her own big stack of books. It's a great feeling to have so many books at your disposal, and I've never known a kid that didn't like filling up their own book bag to the brim. After all, if they spent time picking their books out, they're more likely to want to go home and find out what's inside!

As for what to read... that's subjective. Some of my favorite books have not appealed to the kids I've read to, but some of their favorites have made me feel like "accidentally" misplacing it somewhere. However, there are some that have struck a chord with both myself and the kids - a mix of classics and new reads that are destined to become classics, such as...

-Anything Dr. Suess. Who doesn't love the alliterative tongue-twisters that are Dr. Seuss books? And what kid doesn't like nonsense words? If your child's going to go around saying things that don't make sense, better they come from the genius mind of Theodor Geisel!

-The Berenstain Bears books by Jan and Stan Berenstain. I haven't been around a kid yet who didn't enjoy these books. And the Berenstains have written for many different reader levels. You can find books that have just a few words a page to much longer ones that focus on morality tales.

-The Scaredy Squirrel books by Melanie Watt. I absolutely adore these books! Who wouldn't love reading about a germaphobic, paranoid squirrel who asks his readers to use hand sanitizer before reading?

-The Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. These books are pure silliness, but in the best way possible. And they're simple enough that I've heard my four-year-old charge reciting the books to herself by looking at the pictures.

For the older ones, you can't go wrong with Nancy Drew(Carolyn Keene), Hardy Boys(Franklin W. Dixon), Choose Your Own Adventures(R.A. Montgomery and others) or Encyclopedia Brown(Donald J. Sobol). I'll refrain from calling some of these classics as that would mean I'm aging way too fast! But they're pretty solid bets, nonetheless. I've also seen kids eat up the Magic Tree House (Mary Pope Osborne) books with a spoon. My seven-year-old charge can tell you the exact numbers of the few books out of the forty-something in existence that he hasn't read. There must be something good going on there!

What about you? Any suggestions for frustrated parents? Or nannies?! No matter what people tell you in books, the best advice usually comes from those who are on the job every day!

Facebook Contest!

I'm having a Facebook Fans Only contest over on my Facebook page! Hop on over to join in for a chance to win a signed copy of Catching Moondrops and some coffee or hot chocolate (your choice) to sip while reading it! Hope to see you there!

There's More to Life Than Cherry Garcia

Today is Saturday. I've been to four yard sales, bought a pillow and three hand towels at the mall and eaten a mini-sized Cherry Garcia. All the exciting stuff! That's the way most days are, right? Hours of monotony that keep repeating themselves so all the days start to run together. After a while, it all just begins to seem ridiculous, doesn't it?

But the other thing I did on this monotonous Saturday was watch Prince Caspian again. I love the way that story reminds us about destiny, about our particular individual purpose.

But what does destiny have to do with our world? Between work and school and house cleaning and grocery shopping, destiny sounds like something only found in fairy tales.

Maybe it doesn't exist.

Or maybe it all comes down to the fact that we don't pay attention. Maybe the Lord's trying to guide us down the right paths to our destiny every second of every day, and we're just too focused on the monotony to notice.

It doesn't mean we're going to end up fighting to save the world or staking our place in the history books. Destiny doesn't often add up to headline news. Life is still life, and we're responsible to lead it. But the real significance of destiny is the all-important fact that it's designed by God. God created us and placed us here for a very specific purpose, and if we spend our lives fulfilling that purpose by being obedient to Him, life gains added dimension no matter how many dishes you wash or customer complaints you field.

I believe that when He creates each one of us, He crafts us in such a way that we will only be truly fulfilled by living out His plan for our lives. Sure, we can find substitutes that will make us relatively content, but there will be something missing. Somewhere, deep down inside, we'll know we were made for more than this.

So I suppose it's up to us to see past the boredom and monotony of the never-finished laundry, the daily carpools, reoccurring workplace dramas, and the dust that lands where dust was just removed. Because somewhere out there is our own personal destiny, our purpose for being sent here in the first place. We may not know all of it at once - we'll likely only see it in bits and pieces - but all of the particulars are up to Him.

Don't go out there seeking to find your destiny; seek to find Him and all the rest will fall into place. If we keep our eyes focused on our Creator, He'll guide our feet, one step at a time, onto the path we were meant to travel.

"For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be" Psalm 139:13-16

Classic Inspiration... and Junior Mints

One of my favorite movie memories is going to see a special screening of "Arsenic and Old Lace" at a local historic theater. I was a kid seeing Cary Grant on the big screen for the first time, and I ate up every second of it, nearly ending up on the floor when Cary Grant's "brother" pops through the window. (Haven't seen it yet? Watch it and see how you react when it happens!) It has since become one of my all time favorites, and there's a very clear reason why: It's a fantastic story brought to life by fantastic actors.

Aside from that early trip to the theater, I grew up on these films at home. Whatever I could catch on television as a kid, I watched. Mostly that meant monster movies or Jerry Lewis comedies, but it didn't matter. I loved them. I remember being balled up on the couch watching "The Invisible Man", scared to death that somebody could be sitting on the couch next to me without me being able to see him. I jumped like a cricket during a 3D "Creature from the Black Lagoon", staring at the television through paper 3D glasses we picked up at 7-Eleven. Most of all, I couldn't wait until the Easter time showing of "The Wizard of Oz". I swear that movie is the reason I'm so fascinated by weather - that tornado still stands in my book as the best film depiction of a twister. And then when we got a VCR (Yes, I remember a day without being able to pop in any ol' movie any ol' time!), I picked up every classic movie I could find that I hadn't seen yet. I reveled in the golden age of film and watched my favorites over and over again.

So it's a thrill for me to have found a local theater that shows classic films every weekend. There's nothing like seeing these stories in a larger than life fashion while munching a handful of Junior Mints and sharing the experience with an audience that laughs, jumps and gasps right along with you. It just goes to reaffirm how memorable these films were. A little melodramatic? Maybe. But those screenwriters and directors knew how to put on a show that would stick in a movie goer's mind long after they'd left the theater.

That's what real stories do - they draw you in time after time. I'm not talking special effects, risque scenes and childish dirty jokes... I mean real stories. Once upon a time, those good old films brought charm, genuine witty humor, class and - above all - a good reason for making the film in the first place. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of clunkers back in the good ol' days, too. But think about the films that everyone's heard of: "Gone with the Wind", "On the Waterfront", "Casablanca". Those stories stick in our minds, the lines are repeated in our conversations. We mimic Brando's "Stella!" in "Streetcar Named Desire", and "Badges? I don't have to show you no stinkin' badges!" from "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre".

Strong writing takes root in our culture, and I for one appreciate that back in the day the roots they laid down had meaning to them. They were cast into immortality with classy, intelligent skill. That's my goal as a writer, to put words down on paper that stick and stand the test of time... for all the right reasons.

If you're feeling uninspired in your writing, check out some of those famous classics. Watch how the story is crafted, how the characters come alive. Pay attention to the crispness of the dialogue. You can't help but learn some lessons and get some ideas.

Those stories have stood the test of time because they're timeless.

Upcoming Releases...

Here's a fantastic ad for upcoming Tyndale fiction titles, and I'm proud to be a part of it! Keep an eye out for all of them!

Happy Summer Reading!

I recently found out that Fireflies in December is on one of the summer reading lists here in Virginia. So happy to see the book cross generations! If you're a student reading one of my books, or if you know someone who is, stop by my mail page and let me know about it. I'd love to hear from you!

Christy Part Two

Okay, so I've finally gotten my thoughts together long enough to let you all know how the Christy's went. It was an exciting trip, getting to see people I hadn't seen in months and having the chance to meet new ones.





I was particularly excited to see some of the Tyndale family there. Tom Pawlik, winner of the Operation First Novel contest in '06 and '09 Christy winner was there with his lovely wife, Colette. Tom was also a nominee this year in the Visionary category, his second nomination for his second book. If you haven't read his first two, Vanish and Valley of the Shadow, check them out. You won't be disappointed!







It was fantastic meeting DiAnn Mills and her husband, as well. DiAnn won the Christy for her novel Breach of Trust, so there was plenty of rejoicing at the Tyndale table!




And, of course, it's always wonderful to see fantastic editors Stephanie Broene and Karen Watson. It was the first time my parents had been able to meet some of the people who have made these books come to life, and I was so thankful they were able to join me in St. Louis.

-




It was also the first time I'd been able to meet in person my Facebook friend and co-nominee in the First Novel category, Christina Berry. I was proud to be nominated alongside her and so happy to be able to experience such a wonderful event with her.



The room was full of faces I'd seen on the backs of books: Angela Hunt, Terri Blackstock, Robin Jones Gunn... fun to point them out and remember which books of theirs I've read! It was part reunion, part meet-and-greet, and I had a truly lovely time.

>
Each winner was initially announced by having the first line of their winning book read, and it took me a second to be certain I was hearing my first line when it was being read. Can't tell you how weird it felt to hear my name announced! But there's one thing that has been profoundly evident to me... anything's possible if you leave the details in the Lord's hands. It's amazing the blessings He'll bring your way!


So I came home with a wonderful reminder of how much I appreciate being able to do what I do, and I want to thank all of you who read and support my writing. If it weren't for you, I'd have a bunch of words sitting on my hard drive with no place to go.




Happy reading!