Wreader Fun

I’ve had 2 requests (one from Kelly here, and one on my eharlequin blog) for more information about the Love Inspired series by Jillian Hart: The McKaslin Clan. On Jillian Hart’s website at http://www.jillianhart.net/mckaslin.html you can see the complete series with book covers and blurbs but here’s a break down for you: Series One - The original McKaslin sisters with the setting of Manhattan, Montana 1 – Jul 02 – His Hometown Girl – Karen 2 – Mar 04 – The Sweetest Gift – Kirby 3 – May 04 – Heart and Soul – Michelle 4 – Jul 04 – Almost heaven – Kendra 5 – Oct 04 – Holiday Homecoming – Kristin I liked this series because although these sisters had their own lives and troubles, they put a high priority on family time and regularly got together for a girl’s only night out for a rousing game of Monopoly and catching up. Add that to the author’s ability to convey heart-wrenching emotion and I was eager to read the next series. ------------------------------ Series Two - Paternal cousins...

Precious Blessings (The McKaslin Clan) by Jillian Hart Love Inspired 383 - Feb 07 This author has such a fantastic imagination for her characters and this great book certainly didn’t disappoint me. Yes, we’ve all heard and read the other McKaslin Clan books and this is another branch of the family in another Montana town, but that’s where the similarities end. I really like the way the author used Jack and Katherine’s pseudo perfect lives to get to the heart of the matter – ‘perfection is in the eye of the beholder’. State Trooper Jack Munroe works hard to provide a stable home environment for his teenage daughter. That’s why he’s ticked when Katherine McKaslin runs after his SUV and accuses his daughter of shoplifting. Obviously, the woman’s got the wrong kid. But soon, Jack must face the fact it was indeed his daughter who stole from the Christian bookstore owned by Katherine’s family. Once Jack acknowledges his daughter’s wayward behavior, he’s then ticked at himself for being attra...

The Borrowed Bride by Elizabeth Lane Harlequin Historical #920 Nov 08 This is a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. I like being near people of integrity because they make me want to rise above myself and the two main characters in this book oozed with honor as well as tension. I wanted to read the next page...the next chapter...to find out if Quint, the younger brother, was going to come back and the emotional explosion it would entail. Hannah Gustavson grew up alongside Judd Seavers’ younger brother, Quint. Being a decade older, Hannah didn’t really know Judd and in fact, ran from his forbidding countenance. Hannah had always loved Quint, but Quint had wanderlust. He just wasn’t ready to settle down yet. Hannah had kept Quint’s ‘roving hands’ under control but somehow, the day before he left to satisfy his wanderlust, she gave in to his male urge. It was a decision she regretted immediately after – before she even realized the full implication of the deed But Quint left the n...

The Linda Howard Award of Excellence contest is short inspirational entries. Are you an aspiring, unpubbed or pre-pubbed writer? Do you want to see if you have what it takes to get published? Entering the contests is an excellent way to receive constructive criticism from industry professionals. Check here for more info: http://www.southernmagic.org/lindahowardcontest.html They've extended the deadline twice now so this is it. New deadline is Nov 29th. -

I was reading Kelly Marstad’s blog the other day and I had an epiphany of sorts. Her blog post http://kellymarstad.blogspot.com/2008/11/fatten-up-your-baby.html is about having to add to your manuscript after you’ve decided it’s complete. I don’t like revisions. And I could never figure out why. But, somewhere during her post, I realized something: I don’t like making sewing alterations, either. So what has that got to do with it, eh? Well, when I sew, I take a length of fabric, a pattern, and all the trimmings and I create something new. Same as with my writing. I love to start a manuscript, get my creative juices flowing, and work until it’s done to my satisfaction. Then, I send my ms, one chapter at a time, to my CP’s and see what they say. When their critiques come back, it’s time for revisions. In sewing, you take the completed article and change it either to fit someone or to repair it – like a broken zipper. But, I don’t like doing sewing alterations. It’s not creative enough....

My NaNo meter hasn’t moved for the past 2 ½ wks because I tried to do too many writing projects at the same time. I had to postpone my NaNo project because it was low on my priority list. I really miss NaNo, though. Before I get to start a new project, I need to complete my current ones . I need to write this across my desk in big letters. At the ACFW conference, I rec’d 2 requests for partials for different manuscripts. I’ve since mailed them out but need to work on revising the rest of the ms with what I’ve learned at the conference, just in case the respective editors request to see the full. This is my main priority. I’d like to say it’s my 1st priority but I have the church blog to update and a local newsletter to get out. At the moment, being the editor of the newsletter is the only job where I get paid to use my writing skills. I’m also working on a contest entry. The contest needs inspirational entries, so I wanted to enter something. We want to keep the inspy categories in the...

So about 10 days ago, Margaret Daley http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com/ tagged me – again. But with a twist this time, so I guess it’s allowed. First I have to post the rules. Here: Now I get to tell you 7 random things about me and books: 1. I love books. I love way they feel. I love the way they smell. I love the way you can enter an entirely different world when you open the cover. 2. I have written 5 books. None of which have been published. Yet. 3. My all time favourite book is a Little Golden Book called The Pokey Little Puppy. 4. I used to gauge how much I liked a book by how fast I read it. Until I read A Soldier’s Family by Cheryl Wyatt. I took days to read it because I wanted the story to go on forever. 5. I find inspiration in the Bible – not only for as encouragement for also for story ideas. Have you read some of them? Ai-yi-yi! 6. I’ve read 107 books since Jan 08 (I’m 4 reviews behind). These books count towards the Harlequin 100,000 Book Challenge for Literacy. 7. I sta...