Over the last few months, as my family prepared for a move, then made the move, I used packing/unpacking/painting time to get caught up on episodes of Dr. Who. Then, this past weekend I started watching the spinoff, Torchwood.
As I prayed, read by Bible, worshiped, I grew to understand that much of what I’ve been feeling is “friendly fire,” self-inflicted. Not intentionally. I mean, I’m not sadistic or anything. But I am a dreamer. I have a very good imagination and I had all these wild notions of what life would be like once we made it to Virginia and were no long living apart. And the writing endeavors—I believed they’d smooth out and calm down so that I could slip into an “normal” rhythm of writing and homeschooling.
Ha! So didn’t happen.
In fact, things seemed to have gotten worse. And as I looked around and saw that things were still not as I wanted them, I (am ashamed to say) grew discontent. Over time, that hurt because a “sore” and the sore festered (not intentionally). Until this weekend. I’d gotten to the point that I was “so over it.” I saw things in a grim light, and it seemed that everything that happened seemed to prove my thoughts.
Sitting here this morning, I realized I’ve been viewing things through the light of my perceptions. And that reminded me of Dr. Who—the perception filter: has the effect of directing attention away from the object or its bearer, rendering them unnoticeable. Where things/people exist just beyond the edge of our periphery that we often miss them. And even to the point that “we don’t want to know.” This creature below was one that used the telepathic perception filter to hide its presence.
And how often is that true of Truth--God’s truth--that we often miss it because we are so blinded by our own pursuits and dreams and goals?
I had expectations. I had hopes. I had dreams. Had it all planned out (well, mostly) how this thing called my ‘writing career’ would go. How our financial situation here in Virginia would go. How . . . just about everything would go. In my quiet time this morning, my devotional with Beth Moore said, “We see that God always fulfills His promises, just not always the way we imagine.”
And when they didn’t GO that way. . .I lost hope. Selfishly—(feeling very ashamed at this point)—I didn’t want to know that this wasn’t God’s way. Ouch! I wanted *my* way, because I had it all planned out. . . And honestly, I didn’t even realize that till I started writing this article. (Pardon me, while I stop and ask God’s forgiveness.)
Another great thing about the Dr. Who perception filter is this: Once a person became aware of a perception filter and the object it was disguising, they could no longer be affected. So, that’s my goal. I don’t want to be affected by MY truth of what’s happening, MY idea of how things should go. Yes, I want to have dreams and goals, but I do not want to be so rigid in my thinking, so inflexible, that when God sends me down another path, I wallow and become discouraged/depressed. I want to be transformed by the Truth—God always fulfills His promises.
When things go awry—and again, that’s OUR perception of how they “should” go—I want to be flexible and faithful enough to recognize that God’s plan hasn’t changed, and as long as I know He is there, He is leading, I’m GTG (good to go).
WOLFSBANE WINS A CHRISTY!!
Anyway...surprise of all surprises when the amazing Tyson Wynn started reading the first lines of the Contemporary Romance category winner:
Blood dripped into his eye. No, not blood. Sweat. Hands fisted tight against his sides, Captain Canyon Metcalfe blinked away the sting. Another salty drop slid down his temple.
Annnnd...WOLFSBANE FINALS AGAIN!
I am so tickled!! Earlier this week I heard from the amazing Ashley Schrock, who has designed all my covers. She was asking about harnesses and patches for Talon's cover. I was so excited doing the research to help her figure out what was best to use. Today, I got this email from her--along with photo: Hey Ronie, Got some more cool stuff for you. :) The designer sent over an outtake from the photo shoot today for Talon. She said the dog was very friendly and liked to roll in the dirt, so they played together a bit in-between takes. Happy Easter!
Ashley
And what a beautiful model! I can't wait to see this cover. OORAH!
COMING MAY 2012!!It's hard to believe the release of the 7 Hours anthology from Tyndale House Publishers is only a month away. Later this month, I'll share the links for purchasing the novellas. Be ready! Each novella will be only $2.99!!
So, I know there are authors who need absolute silence to write. I think you'd have to straightjacket me and put me in a padded room if silence descended on my life. You see, with four kids and three dogs, life around here is anything but quiet. And if it *is* quiet--there's trouble. LOL Let me also state there are some songs/artists that I cannot write to because the music pulls me out of the story. The bands I listen to while writing are ones that have a natural rhythm that somehow matches the pace of the story and lyrics/beats that aren't so distinct that don't create dissonance. One of my favorite bands, Fireflight, is releasing a new album March 6, so I thought I'd share their debut single for that album...then share with you what songs/albums I listened to while writing various books. I wasn't sure I could remember, but as the albums played, pieces of story came to mind. Without further ado, here is Fireflight's new single, STAY CLOSE, from their NOW album (releases 3/6/12): For Talon and Trinity, I've been using a playlist that included 12 Stones and The Letter Black. For Firethorn, I was able to find a groove with Kazi mostly when I listened to Fireflight's Unbreakable album. For a speculative story, Tej, I've been listening to the soundtrack for (get ready for this) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Don't laugh. The score is done by Hans Zimmer. Amazing music. Always puts me in the mood to write. Check it out:
Do you listen to music while you write or read? If so, what's pumping through your speakers/headphones/earbuds?
I'm a writer and the way I work through things it to, well, write. So lucky ducks that you are, you get to hear my thoughts today.
The truth is, I can't. If I am angry still, if I rail at Him, then I am not surrendered. I'm fighting. Check out Romans 8:7-8 "For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
I don't know about you, but I don't want to be *hostile* to God. Therefore, I surrender that anger borne out of heartache. Pick up the dregs of my courage and keep going.
Wow! It appears 2012 is shaping up to be an awesome year for fiction!! One of my favorite things to do is browse sites like Christianbook.com and Amazon to see what books are coming up. And let me tell you--2012 has some awesome looking reads. Or in the words of my daughter, "schmexy" books.
Here's what I'm looking forward to:
The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo - April 2012
Robert Liparulo sits firmly at the top of my favorite/auto-buy author's list. 13th Tribe looks absolutely stunning in its concept and exhilarating as Liparulo layers in some of the supernatural that I have grown to love in fiction. Simply said: I'm champing at the proverbial bit to read this one!
Their story didn't start this year…or even this millennium.
It began when Moses was on Mt. Sinai. Tired of waiting on the One True God, the twelve tribes of Israel began worshiping a golden calf through pagan revelry. Many received immediate death for their idolatry, but 40 were handed a far worse punishment-endless life on earth with no chance to see the face of God.
This group of immortals became the 13th Tribe, and they've been trying to earn their way into heaven ever since-by killing sinners. Though their logic is twisted, their brilliance is undeniable. Their wrath is unstoppable. And the technology they possess is beyond anything mere humans have ever seen.
Jagger Baird knows nothing about the Tribe when he's hired as head of security for an archaeological dig on Mt. Sinai. The former Army Ranger is still reeling from an accident that claimed the life of his best friend, his arm, and his faith in God.
The Tribe is poised to execute their most ambitious attack ever and the lives of millions hang in the balance. When Jagger's wife and son are caught in the crossfire, he'll stop at nothing to save them. But how can one man stand against an entire tribe of immortals?
Illusion by Frank Peretti - March 2012
Woot! Peretti's back! Need I say more? *grins*
Dane and Mandy, a popular magic act for forty years, are tragically separated by a car wreck that claims Mandy’s life—or so everyone thinks. Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop.
Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn’t know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier.
They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protégée, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy’s powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.
Insurgent by Veronica Roth - May 2012
Roth's DIVERGENT stunned me with it's clean storyline and compelling characters. One of my favorite reads from 2011, Divergent made me long for the next book. May can't come soon enough!
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
Mortal by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee - June 2012
When Forbidden released last year, I felt like someone had realigned a portion of the universe. Dekker returned to his fantasy roots and brought the stunning new voice and style of the inimitable Tosca Lee. This is probably my #1 "look forward to" read of 2012!!
Nine years have gone by since an unlikely hero named Rom Sebastian first discovered a secret and consumed an ancient potion of blood to bring himself back to life in Forbidden. Surviving against impossible odds, Rom has gathered a secret faction of followers who have also taken the blood-the first Mortals in a world that is dead.
But The Order has raised an elite army to hunt and crush the living. Division and betrayal threaten to destroy the Mortals from within. The final surviving hope for humanity teeters on the brink of annihilation and no one knows the path to survival.
Eyes of Justice by Lis Wiehl - April 2012
There is an authenticity behind Wiehl's stories and characters that have kept me reading. I love that the stories tend to be "ripped from the headlines." Really looking forward to next installment!
The Triple Threat Club has solved intense mysteries before . . . but this time it's personal.
Cassidy, Allison, and Nicole fight for justice every day-Cassidy as a crime reporter, Nicole with the FBI, and Allison as a federal prosecutor. Together they're a Triple Threat to be reckoned with.
But never have they faced a case so full of blind alleys-or so painfully close to home.
When a devastating turn of events upsets the balance of the Triple Threat team, they discover an ally in a quirky Private Investigator named Olivia. The women vow not to stop until the case is solved and justice is served.
Yet just when it appears the police have the killer in custody, he somehow strikes again. Not knowing who to trust, the Triple Threat women go undercover for an intricate and deadly cat-and-mouse game where nothing can be taken at face value . . . and nothing will ever be the same.
Prophet by R.J. Larson - April 2012
Love it when a new SFF author splashes onto the scene. I am looking forward to reading this!
Ela Roeh of Parne doesn't understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to become His prophet. She's undignified and bad-tempered, and at age seventeen she's much too young. In addition, no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl. Worst of all, as Parne's elders often warn, if she agrees to become the Infinite's prophet, Ela knows she will die young.
Yet she can't imagine living without Him. Determined to hear the Infinite's voice, Ela accepts the sacred vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite's word to a nation torn apart by war. There she meets a young ambassador determined to bring his own justice for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela battles how to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite.
Beckon by Tom Pawlik - April 2012
Tom is amazing with the whole chilling and haunting thing. Looking forward to his newest chillfest!
Some things weren’t meant to be discovered. Three people are each drawn to the small town of Beckon, Wyoming. A young anthropologist researches a Native American legend and makes a terrifying discovery. An ex-cop investigating her cousin’s disappearance finds herself in grave peril. And an aging businessman is lured by the promise of a miracle. One by one they discover the town’s ghastly secret. The only question is . . . will any of them make it out alive?
The Soul Saver by Dineen Miller - May 2012
Dineen in my "twin"--and I adore her amazing way with words. I'm sure you'll love her debut title as much as I do!
Lexie Baltimore is in the supernatural battle of her life. In obedience to God’s calling, Lexie uses her art and dreams to help others. But will she have enough courage to help herself when she becomes torn between her atheist husband and a godly man? A widower and a father, Pastor Nate Winslow is drowning in darkness. Will he resist his treacherous assignment to win Lexie’s heart or give in to the attraction between them? As events unfold, Lexie becomes entangled in a twisted plot. Will she overcome the evil assailing her or yield to the dark side?
Nothing to Hide by J. Mark Betrand - July 2012
Yes, I'm behind. I still have to read Mark's Pattern of Wounds, but I absolutely his voice and style!
The body was an undercover agent working to bring down Mexican cartels. The feds want the case closed rather than risk exposing other agents in the field, but March can't abide letting a murder go unsolved. And he doesn't have to dig long to figure out something isn't right. Someone is covering something up, and it seems that everyone has something to hide. Maybe even March, as the case soon intersects, unexpectedly, with the murder that led him to become a homicide cop, all those years ago.
So. There you have it. I'm sure there will be more titles that come to mind, or ones that haven't been posted yet, in which case, I'll post another list later in the year.
Tell me what books you are looking forward to. Why? What makes you want to read it?
