Seekerville: The Journey Continues

Yes, I'm late getting my post up.

Yes... I knew it was my Wednesday!!!

And with all the good intentions of a strong Christian woman, I intended to have this all done last Friday.

And then life happened and the post didn't happen and it's pumpkin season here on the farm and I might be stretched in a few directions.

But...

Oh my stars, there could be worse things!

Worse things than having two lovely careers, writer and farmer. 

Worse things than being surrounded by grandkids and customers and joy.

Worse things than dusty shelves and dustier floors.

In Ruthy world, busy is vital.

In Ruthy world, if you've got time to rest you've got time to write, get ice cream, walk, make something, bake something... notice that cleaning didn't make that list, LOL!

I love being busy. (I also love the peace of winter, of being able to write several times/day, of being a little quieter because I know the season of busy looms again... happily.)

I've finished two Guideposts novella romantic mysteries, one full-length Guideposts mystery and a new 80,000 word Wishing Bridge book this year, and plan to finish a mystery before year's end.

So that's exciting! 

And we have more gorgeous pumpkins and mums than ever....

Also exciting.

So forgive me for being late! Forgive me for waxing on.... And I still have to mail books from August. That's my bad... but I am so blessed to be healthy, busy, focused (again, cleaning doesn't seem to rank high on the focus-meter)... :)

So while this post isn't filled with great writing substance, it is filled with love... for you, for life, for God, for all the blessings that are showered on us every day, even in these trying times of mega-inflation and division...  The blessings of another day, a new day. Of faith, family and friends. Of food on the table and a faucet that brings us clean, fresh water, 24/7/365.... The blessings of plumbing and electricity, of Internet and Abbott's Frozen Custard. :)

Sending you hugs and blessings on this mid-September day! God bless you!

Multi-published, bestselling inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is busily arranging orange, yellow, white, green, striped, beige, caramel-toned, speckled, red, ivory, cream, blue, silver, gray, pink, coral, dappled and yes... even other pumpkins!!! She is co-owner of a pumpkin farm in Western New York and the author of over 70 novels and novellas. Ruthy loves God (cool dude alert!), her family, her country and kind of bleeds red, white and blue while loving on dogs and miniature donkeys. She loves to hear from folks... you can email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com or stop by Facebook (if she's not in Facebook jail) and chat it up with her or visit her website ruthloganherne.com. 

Ruthy here!

I am so excited to see this wonderful series hit the shelves of Guideposts.com!

"Love's a Mystery" is a great new concept for Guideposts, a wonderful coupling of TWO novellas in one book... a historical romantic mystery and a contemporary romantic mystery, written by two separate authors.

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN WORKING ON THESE STORIES! 

Gabrielle Meyer did the historical on this one... I did the contemporary, and it was wonderful to spend a couple of days in Sleepy Hollow (formerly North Tarrytown, renamed after a huge manufacturing shutdown by General Motors left the town reeling and virtually unemployed).

But the town hit the Reset button, changed its name to reflect Washington Irving's amazingly successful story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and now the town is a tourist mecca of history, great sites, wonderful foods, bakeries, kitchens, great churches, and black-and-orange street signs. :) 

And now the book is out... A wonderful romance that sizzles in the midst of an autumn mystery and no one in Sleepy Hollow has time to mess around in October! :) 

From Guideposts, Inc.: 

When a strange man claiming to be the brother of Ichabod Crane accuses Brom Van Brundt of murdering Ichabod, his daughter Hannie begins a desperate search for the truth. Was the local folklore true? Was Brom the headless horsemen who scared Ichabod out of Sleepy Hollow? Or did something more sinister happen? The handsome new schoolmaster, Gideon, offers to help Hannie, but how long can they hide their growing feelings for one another?

Then turn the page and travel 200 years to the present where Tess has returned to Sleepy Hollow to help run her Gran’s soup shop. But all is not well. Gran has been scammed out of thousands of dollars by a bogus animal charity. She hires Riley O’Toole, Tess’s high school crush, to help. As Riley and Tess investigate, sparks soon fly. Is Gran secretly playing matchmaker?

#fun

#amazing

#flyingsparksrock

THEN...  in two months I am blessed to have a second novella in this series:

"Love's a Mystery in Cut and Shoot, Texas", a pair of Christmas stories set in an iconic Texas town named... you guessed it... Cut and Shoot!

Throughout all the crazies and over-reactions of the past two years, the Guideposts team has stayed at the top of their game with all of their work on inspirational writings, devotionals, self-help books and a deep-dive into more fiction and rebranded fiction. This new series goes along with the republishing of the Summerside Press books that hit the charts years ago, an original Love Finds You series including my "Love Finds You in the City at Christmas", an award winning novella "Red Kettle Christmas" which will be loved, loved, loved by fans of "Call the Midwife".

SO BLESSED! 

So they're republishing my historical "Red Kettle Christmas" in "Love Finds You in the City at Christmas", a wonderful step back into 1947 Manhattan and these two new novellas.

Yes, it's been a busy year!

Yes, I'm so blessed to be part of this.

And yes, I'm looking forward to more mysteries with Guideposts! 

So celebrate with me today... Leave a comment and one person will win a copy of "Love's a Mystery in Sleepy Hollow, NY"! 

 Ruthy here, giving you a delightful post first done in 2017.... and still relevant today! 

In Ruthy's world, "nobody puts Baby in a corner".... and writing diverse genres and stories suits her... and might be just the thing for you!

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Loving Women's Fiction! Most of the Time!

I love writing romance. Check out this video my daughter Beth made for me... Twenty Love Inspired books so far. #21 comes out in February and #22 in August... and then a Christmas novella duo with my buddy Linda Goodnight... and then #23 in January of 2019.

I am blessed.

I love writing mysteries!!! Who knew? This was my first mystery for Guideposts, and I've just finished mystery #2 and I'll be plotting #3 in a couple of weeks!!!

I love writing big books and smaller books, too. 
Link to bestselling "Back in the Saddle" on Amazon...

And I've always loved writing women's fiction... with women empowerment plugged into the story because I believe women should all feel empowered. They should feel ready to handle whatever life sends their way, and when I wonder why women might not feel that way, I look around the world where oppression and lack of women's rights... and the fact that we only gained equal rights in the grand old U.S. of A. a hundred years ago. Historically, that's like YESTERDAY...

But while I love a splash of romance in Women's Fiction, I don't want the heroine rescued. There ain't no Disney princess on my watch, although their newer varieties are more my cup of tea.

Note to everyone reading this: PLEASE DO NOT TRY AND RESCUE ME. Rescue not needed, not appreciated and clearly unnecessary. And that's the spirit I like to see in my heroines... even the ones that might benefit by a little help and a ragingly cute, cool guy. 

BUT... I don't want her saved by a knight in shining armor.

I don't want her to be relegated to a life of raising kids in a worn kitchen while the hero earns a living.

Not because that's bad... It's not.

But if we don't learn to take care of ourselves and stand up for ourselves, neediness can become a major step backwards in the story plot... and I don't want to see women stepping back when God calls us forward. But if your heroine is strong, what makes the conflict relatable in your story? Why does she need a story at all?

Here's where Mandisa hits the nail on the head with "Overcomer" on Youtube. I love this song... and what it represents. 

Plotting the Wishing Bridge series came from multiple inspirations, but today we're sticking to heroines and Thanksgiving. I brought pumpkin pie and cranberry orange relish!!!! YUM!

Back to plotting.... In a women's fiction story, your women need to be the crux of the stories/series. The stories and plots should revolve around the woman's story. She's the ice cream in the sundae. The fruit in the pie. The cake... not the frosting. Because the solid base of the woman and her issues is what your story grows from.

In Wishing Bridge, all three women are from abusive pasts. All had troubled teen experiences. All were in group foster care at Hannah's Hope, a home for troubled girls near Philadelphia. And they'd made two promises at age 18: To never repeat the mistakes of their mothers... (mothers take a lot of heat in this series!!!!) AND...

If one ever runs into trouble, all she has to do is send the others an SOS and they will come running.

And of course, that's the beginning of the series.

Book One: Cinderella-looking Kelsey has always longed for the All American dream. To be a teacher, to be beloved, to fall in love with a wonderful man and raise a family.

OOPS. How about a con-man disguised as Prince Charming, an unexpected pregnancy and an $8000.00 line of credit taken out in your name... only it wasn't you who signed the application.

Book Two: Jane Eyre-styled Thea is the big city loner. Sold into human trafficking by her crack/cocaine addicted mother, she was eventually released from captivity by a kind man... Now a family practice nurse practitioner, Thea's determined to work in the big city and help the teens and tweens that remind her of herself... and here she is in a tucked-in-the-hills snow-belt town that rolls up the sidewalks at seven o'clock, every night. Yawn.... 

Book Three: And then there's long-legged, drop-dead gorgeous bi-racial Jazz, a supermodel living the high life, a runway favorite, destined for continued greatness... If she survives the eating disorder threatening her life.

And that's where it begins, with strong, flawed characters who might need help, who may seek redemption but who are inherently overcomers... the kind of women who don't blame others because they're too busy carving a life for themselves.

I try not to belabor my own slovenly upbringing when talking about stories... not because I don't like talking about it. I don't lean on it, I don't use it as a crutch. It's the past. Over. Done. Finis. I don't dwell in the past. Ever. But I'm not afraid to use my past, my experiences, or those of others to deepen a story.

I don't wallow, and I don't want my heroines to wallow, either. Wallowing is for piggies, down on the farm. Not for successful women, even if they still question their own strength.

We know they've got what it takes, and as authors build their stories, we can construct a path that helps readers reach for success. Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it ain't real.

Keep it real.
Keep it upbeat.
Keep it moving.
Stay on the upside of the crises, never miring down in the seamy side of life for too long. We know it exists... we don't have to drown ourselves in it.

Show your heroine emerging from her cocoon like a butterfly escapes the chrysalis... To spread her wings and take flight. And if that flight includes a wonderful man, well that's not a bad thing. But it shouldn't depend on the wonderful man outcome. That should be the frosting on the cake... the whipped cream on that sundae... And a drizzle of hot fudge is never in bad taste!

I am so excited about this release. I love the story, I love the series, and I've had a great time working with Amazon's Waterfall Press to launch this book.  

RUTHY UPDATE 7/22: Wishing Bridge didn't just fly off the shelves... it still is flying off the shelves! This initial story "Welcome to Wishing Bridge" has over 800 reviews and a 4.6 star rating.... and it was joined by "At Home in Wishing Bridge", "Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge", "Embracing the Light in Wishing Bridge" and this October you'll see "Reclaiming Hope in Wishing Bridge", all with hundreds of reviews and 4.7 star ratings... I am so delighted that folks have fallen in love not just the people, but the town of Wishing Bridge, NY!

FIVE MORE DAYS!!!! COUNTDOWN BEGINS!!!! But you can pre-order "Welcome to Wishing Bridge" here.

What kind of women's fiction do you love? What speaks to you?

Come on inside and let me know and I'll put your name in the wishing basket for a chance to win a Kindle version of your choice of the Wishing Bridge stories!

They picked a great actress to do the voices... and she nailed it! 

Thank you, Erin!

Multi-published, award-winning inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is currently holed up on her Western New York farm with family, friends, 3 miniature donkeys, two dogs, three cats and a partridge in a pear tree! Friend her on facebook... follow her on twitter... and she'd LOVE IT if you followed her on Amazon and Book Bub! 

"A FAMILY TO CHERISH" RELEASES ON 7/5!!!!!!

Bestselling and award-winning inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is currently living, breathing and talking pumpkins, squash and 3000 chrysanthemums on her popular pumpkin farm in Western New York. She is no stranger to dirty fingernails, chemicals, equipment breakdowns and dealing with occasionally grumpy farm folk, so you probably can't rattle her! She loves hearing from readers....email Ruthy (and yes, she actually is the person who answers her email) at loganherne@gmail.com, visit her website ruthloganherne.com and friend her on Facebook although she admits to social media disenchantment as the possible scourge to mankind as we know it... but that's a blog for another day! :)

I have never needed to make a big splash with my work.

It didn't matter if I was waiting tables, selling bridal gowns, running a Tupperware business or changing diapers and teaching ABCs to preschoolers, it was never about the splash.

It was always about content.

I take that same mindset into writing. 

I'm not jealous of bestsellers.

I've read some that suck....

And I've read some great ones.

It taught me that some things are subjective. 

And that I can only control so much.

I'm not envious of big buck contracts.

I'm not broke. I can pay my bills. I even started an IRA. To me.... that's rich. As rich as I care to be.

I don't lust after fancy cars.

I drive a 2017 Chevy Traverse, a big SUV that drinks a lot of gas. Remember what Obama said in his book? "Americans like big cars and cheap gas..."

In my book, that just makes us smart. But then I'm a conservative.

I drive that 2017 Traverse for our farm.... I drive it for grandkids. I drive it on research trips now that the world has come to its senses and reopened. I drive it because I spent over a decade driving tiny cars (Neons and a Chevy Cruze) and saving my money to drive an SUV.

I always wanted an SUV... I couldn't afford it. So I waited. Because it wasn't worth being broke for, right? It's a car.... But it's a big car and I can fit over a hundred pumpkins in the back of that bad boy.

I call her "The Tank".

And I love driving it. 

But that's not the same as envying others' successes.

I love seeing people succeed. It's a good thing! Most of the time, that is.

Sometimes they fall down. Sometimes they mess up. Mess up contracts, don't write the books, don't get it done for whatever reason.

There's something to be said for waiting your turn at the watering hole. For waiting in line at the playground. For studying the textbook before the exam. Preparation. Preparation is key. It's clutch. It matters.

Ruthy's latest Love Inspired Book, her third "Kendrick Creek" story! 

AVAILABLE HERE!

If you skin your knee a few times, you hang on tighter to the bike. Or you take the curve slower. 

If you get bit up by skeeters ten ways to Sunday, you start putting "OFF" on earlier in the day.

If you've been passed over for contracts a few times you realize how important, special and amazing they are. 

I trust in God.

I trust in His timing.

But nowhere in the Good Book does it say that we should rest while waiting for good things to happen. And that whole Mary and Martha deal?

I'm a Martha and proud of it. Not because Martha was better than Mary or vice versa, but because they should both be celebrated.

So I work hard.

I laugh. I cry. I help others. I bake lots of good stuff, I write great stories and I grow a lot of pumpkins with a lot of help from others.

Yes... I am blessed. So blessed! And smart enough, old enough and wise enough to know it.

So bring on the contracts.... bring on the indies... bring on whatever opportunities God has in store for me because as long as I'm breathing, living, laughing.... I'll be writing.

Because there's nothing like having to wait to have your dreams come true to make those dreams even more special than you ever in your life thought they could be.

Oh.... How blessed! 

 Vince Mooney, a good and dear friend to Seekerville and the Seekers went home to heaven two weeks ago. When we heard that Vince had entered hospice last fall, we wrote this tribute to him. We repeat it now, knowing that a good, kind, funny, cryptic, smart man has made heaven a more philosophical place than it was on April 28, 2022.

We love you Vince and Linda Mooney... you've stood tall for faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.

THE SEEKERS.

BACKSTORY: Sixteen years ago a group of fifteen contest-winning unpublished Christian/Inspirational authors formed a group with one sole goal: To pray one another into publication by a royalty-paying publisher.

Their dreams came true when Pam Hillman was offered her Tyndale contracts. YAY! WE DID IT!

Back in 2007 that original group of 15 started a writers' blog and called it "Seekerville". The goal was to encourage and help aspiring authors, meet readers and build a platform for book launches. The blog-- this blog!-- was successful on all three. Blessed by the work of many and the faith of all, Seekerville was born and achieved the coveted "Top 101 Writing Blogs" multiple years in a row. 

A lot has changed! 

Many of the original Seekers have retired or gone their own way. Life happens.

New bloggers were welcomed on-board and we forge on, loving books, writing, readers and the chance to connect with both through this blog. Vince was right there, encouraging us to keep on keepin' on as seen in this "Changing of the Guard" post nearly five years ago: 

https://seekervillearchives.blogspot.com/

From the beginning, or nearly the beginning, Vince Mooney Jr. has been a constant. He's encouraged, laughed, lamented, learned and taught with his wisdom, a wisdom gained through life, love and liberty. A well-read man of faith, a veteran, a sage, philosopher and successful businessman, Vince's comments were often a blog in themselves and he's never been afraid to argue or back up his points.

We've loved him for years. He and his wife Linda have welcomed Seekers with open arms when we've visited Oklahoma. His Amazon reviews are amazing, but then he is amazing so that's no surprise. 

Vince's "Philosophy of Romance" blog offered advice, wisdom and kudos to various authors. I was blessed to be one of those authors. I was blessed to know Vince, to win his love and support, to spar with him, laugh with him, and if we lived closer, I'd have had coffee with him on a regular basis. Yeah. He's that smart. :)

Vince has entered what he predicts to be a short-term hospice. Today's post is to thank him for his love, his words, his wisdom, his constancy, his support and that beautiful faith that has sustained him. Vince, my friend... from me personally... I don't have the right words to tell you how much your love, support, encouragement and enthusiasm for my work has meant to me. I am so glad to have known you for so long... what a blessing to me! And I have never forgotten your reaction to my debut novel... and my gratitude for your belief in me.

Go with God, my friend. I'll miss you. We all will. But that's the way of life, isn't it?

Until we meet again...

Ruthy

 Dear Vince,

Thanks for your support and encouragement over the years. One of my biggest thrills was having THE OFFICER’S SECRET selected as the Philosophy of Romance Inspirational Suspense Book of the Year! You've always been so willing to affirm my writing, and your positive comments have meant so much to me. I still remember your praise for my novella, YULE DIE. Your kind words continue to buoy me, especially when I'm struggling to create a new story and feeling at low ebb. You’re a great cheerleader, Vince, which is what every writer needs.

Thanks, too, for being a loyal Seekervillager. Your posts always provided food for thought and lots of sound advice. You’re a Renaissance Man, dear Vince, and certainly one of a kind. You’ve enhanced my life in so many special ways.

May God bless you. I know the Lord’s holding you in the palm of His hand, and in His perfect time, will call you home to Eternal Glory. Prayers for the journey, dear friend, and God speed!

With love, prayers and gratitude,

Debby Giusti

Julie

From Myra Johnson:

Vince, I will always remember my delight in meeting you in person when you came to one of my very first book signings. Remember Steve’s Sundry in Tulsa? What a special day! You have been such a staunch encourager and advocate for authors of romantic Christian fiction. I treasure your insightful reviews, and I’m honored to know you, truly a man of integrity and deep faith. Praying God’s comfort and strength upon you and your dear wife, now and always.

From Janet Dean...

I treasure knowing Vince Mooney, both as a reviewer of my books and as a vital, faithful member of the community of Seekerville. Vince is a man of faith, well-read, intelligent, and generous with this time and yes, with his opinions. His views might sometimes differ from mine but his points always made me think. His reviews brought depth and meaning to romance books that rightly elevated our genre and encouraged us writers. When I was struggling with getting words on the page, I’d sometimes reread a couple of his reviews and receive a boost to keep on keeping on. When I was active in Seekerville, I appreciated his male point of view and could count on him to show up each day with fresh perspectives and occasionally controversy that made our exchanges interesting. I think of Vince as a true Renaissance man.

 

God bless you, Vince, on your journey home. My love goes with you.

Janet Dean 

From Mary Connealy:

I had the pleasure of meeting Vince once, and his wife Linda. 

I did a book signing in Tulsa Oklahoma with Ruth Logan Herne and Tina Radcliff, inspired by Tina having lived in Tulsa at one time and setting her book there. 

Vince came to our signing and made us feel welcome in everyway. We visited the Will Rogers Museum with him and shared a meal. I learned so much about Will Rogers from the museum and also from our trusty tour guide Vince. 

Now when I think of Will Rogers, which I do frequently because he’s such a great humorist and cowboy, and his trick roping is fascinating, I think of Vince and what a fan he was of Rogers and how he compared me and my romantic comedy with cowboys to Will Rogers. I consider that a great honor. Vince Yates, the hero of Stuck Together, book #3 of the Trouble in Texas series, is named for Vince.

Vince had been a faithful follower of Seekerville for years and with his marketing background, has always been full of advice that’s different that what we usually get from people more centered on writing. He’s a friend and an encourager and a man of faith. Thank you, Vince. 

From Sandra Leesmith:

Dear Vince, 

What a blessing you have been to all of us in Seekerville.  And you have always been a blessing to me as a writer.  You have an uncanny/godly gift of always saying the right thing at the right time. Your words to me were always right on time.  I always thank God for that my dear friend.  You probably have no idea how much your words touched my heart just when I needed them the most.  I always felt so honored that you enjoyed my books.  And I treasured your reviews.  Thank you dear friend.  Know you will always have a special place in my heart. Love and hugs, 

Sandra 

And so it is that as we pass through life we touch people's lives in so many ways. Their hopes, their dreams, their thoughts, their beginnings and sometimes their ends.

Vince, I hope you see this. I hope you know how much you are loved and respected by so many. And we all hope that when we reconnect in God's heavenly kingdom, we can raise a cup to your health, hope and happiness. All things you shared with us.

"May the Lord bless and keep you. May his face shine upon you and give you peace."

Amen.

 It's a saying we use up north and it's usually uttered cryptically, sarcastically or candidly ..

"Got through another winter."

There may be a wry note or a hike of expectation. It might be a declaration of success or an anticipation that no matter what you do, winter will come again.

"Got through another winter."

It's funny... and sometimes sad. Sad because not everyone makes it through a rough winter. It's not a guarantee.

I was thinking of this the other day as we were organizing the attic. My attic is finished. It's got two finished rooms, long before the advent of "bonus rooms" in houses up here.

FYI: Bonus rooms are a clever way of getting around a bigger septic system because the size of your septic system here is governed by the number of bedrooms in your house. So a 4 bedroom house must have a bigger system than a 3 bedroom or 2 bedroom and septic systems here are five-figure investments... So that adds up really quick. So houses have begun incorporating "bonus rooms" so that they're not flagged for a bigger, pricier septic system.

I love my attic. At least I will love it again when it's cleared out, so between yesterday and today we organized, filled totes, labeled and moved all those books to the big shed. The sales shed is 14' x 36' so it's like a small house. :) We love this shed. Built by a formerly Amish family in Pennsylvania, they trailered it up last spring and I honestly don't know what we did without it! But I digress, the two-room attic had become a hidden harbor for books. 

So many books! My books! The generosity of publishers meant I had hundreds of books to give away every year so even if I had 50 books that didn't get given away, over 11 years, that's 550 extra books. :) That's a lot of books.  So we've been doing book giveaways for assisted living centers, nursing homes, senior apartments or neighborhoods, fundraisers... we've been making sure that we're getting them out there, but there were still enough to fill 14 plastic totes of varying sizes, but we got smart.... We sorted them, got appropriately sized totes, labeled them and they're all living in their own spot in the big sales shed... My goal to reclaim my attic is near at hand. :) 

What does reclaiming the attic have to do with writing or books or winter?

Stories are created in a step-by-step fashion. They're never a single entity, they're a blending of setting, characters, plot, angst, desire, goals, conflict and resolution, and when an author finishes a book... when we do that last round of edits, that final polish, that slice-and-dice to tighten the laces on a really great new pair of boots, it's like clearing out the attic. Or a closet. Or a pantry. It's that feeling of success and satisfaction. Only--

At least at Blodgett Family Farm--

No one pays me to clean a closet or an attic or a room or anything, LOL! 

But they do pay me to write books, and that's a wonderful reason to finish the book, wrap it up, take a deep breath and move on to the next one.

In my life there's always another room to clean and in my professional life (so far)...

There's always another book to write because it's a lot like getting through another winter. The truth is that I love writing stories...

And I actually like winter because there's nothing like the anticipation of spring and color and grass and flowers and warmth once you've mastered winter. It's a natural high...

So I'm happy to say...

"Got through another winter."

And we're mighty glad it's spring! 

 So this Friday we're flippin' the switch.

We want to hear from you.

Are you a writer? Reader? Both?

If you're a reader, what are your faves? 

If you're a writer, what are your questions? Where are you in your writing journey? How can we encourage you?

This is not an easy business.

It's a rare person who makes a livable wage writing. I am blessed to be one of those people, and we have a host of authors here whose experience, wisdom and professionalism show decades of work in the industry.

We've ridden the waves of change... some drowned. Some treaded water. Some left the mainland of writing completely and that's okay.

This job/business/career isn't for everyone.

You need motivation. You need self-discipline. You need time. You need something to pay the bills until writing pays off. Those things can be daunting, right?

But mostly you need the determination to stick it out, to work, edit, work some more, then edit some more. 

But in the end, to quote my buddy Lenora Worth, on the very worst day I have the very best job possible.  And I love it. I love creating stories and story worlds.

So what about you, writers and readers?

THIS IS YOUR DAY! 

Let us know what you like, where you're at, what your dreams and aspirations are... and let's have fun together! We have another package of those awesome cookies for you! 

Leave a comment below and we're putting you into the drawing! 

 Oh, those words.

They resonate.

They call out!

They command, they direct, they compel us to move forward, to think, to pray, to ready ourselves for what is to come, and why was John the Baptizer moving out in front of his beloved cousin Jesus... risking death and scorn and humiliation... by heralding Christ's coming?

Because he believed.

He knew.

He understood that what was coming after him... Who was coming after him... was a gift so great, so big and bold and beautiful that despite the normalcy of Christ's looks (remember he was of no special bearing...) He held redemption in His holy hands.

He held Scripture in his mind and His Father's love in his heart.

He risked it all to be the Christ. The Anointed One. The Alpha and the Omega.

We are guilty of taking so much for granted today and I think that shows in the outpouring of love for The Chosen because it's not embellished in ways to make things look better or worse than what they were. We see the humanity and frailty and weariness of the people... and we feel their joy when Jesus teaches, when He comes among them. His very presence heals and helps! Hooray for that!

So this week, this Holy Week, the Seekers wish you all the beauty and love and hope of a week fraught with emotion, filled with anguish and ending in tears of joy... because He is Risen!

He is risen, indeed! 

So we enter Holy Week knowing our King is at hand... and remembering what He did to achieve our grace and ascend to His kingdom.

Thank you, sweet Jesus! 

 First we pray for Ukraine. First I lift my eyes up to the Lord, who has made heaven and earth. First I pray for the people of Ukraine, caught in a decades-long goal of an evil dictator in Russia. A power-monger... a land-grabber... a man of strength with a core of evil. We are living a history our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will learn about. (Hopefully...) A time when a tyrant ruled and they will look back and know what was done-- and what wasn't.

And now back to THIS NEW RELEASE!!!!

Okay, it's actually a re-release of one of my first Love Inspired stories, an absolutely delightful book!

The joy of re-releasing stories is in the updates. I was able to go in, update the book, change a few things and I realized (again) that it's amazing how technology has changed since this book was published in 2013.... Nine years... think of what's happened in nine years!

WE HAVE "CLOUDS" NOW!!!!!

Everyone and their brother has email.

Cell phones from that year are pretty much dinosaurs now.

BLACKBERRY??? WHAT??? TIVO???? DITTO!!!!! 

It's funny to see that as the tech world goes, so go our stories and now I'm more careful about specifying tech stuff because it does go out of date so quickly. When that happens, it dates your story. Instead of being relatable and timeless, it's like "HUH????"

So I'm enjoying that process and learned a lot.

The other side of this is the business of writing. I have loved working with publishers. I've learned so much. But I also like running my own business and vagaries of publishing the past few years tipped me further into the indie side of publishing. Not because I didn't have contracts... but because the industry had shifted stripes/colors/intent and I realized I was a fish out of water. And that's okay.

I also learned that nothing is perfect. No industry, no business. But when you're running your own business and you love to write, to produce stories, Amazon has offered an amazing opportunity that certainly pays off. And what a bonus, to have older books that won't be reproduced by Harlequin become a commodity that gets shelf life again! That makes me so happy and I was inspired by authors who fought for that right less than two decades ago. So much has changed.

A dozen years ago authors had little choice. It was hard to get your rights reverted so once stories lost their place in bookstores, they were done. And then the law decided that wasn't fair to writers (truth!) and indie publishing was growing... and the influx of authors with rights-reverted books and new stories blossomed. 

That became a cornerstone for good books on Amazon because we're talking famous bestselling and award-winning authors.... and there were a lot of them. 

Indie publishing has changed, too. The industry is still fluid... and in a flux following the ravages of the pandemic.

But in the middle of all that are authors who write... who work... who republish and newly publish and work with publishers and with KDP (Kindle Direct)/Amazon.

We are blessed!

So we have just released book 2 of the Southern Tier Romance series... Small Town Hearts... Kindle and paperback. It's a warm, sweet, inspirational story that inspired my homemade Maple Fudge, a fudge we sell at the farm now! :) I love it when one business "bleeds" into another.

The road to publishing and self-publishing isn't easy.

I don't think it's supposed to be.

I've watched authors who got "the call" fairly quickly crash and burn because the work required and the expectations of editors and publishers means that we adjust/change/edit/revise as directed and most often that means a better book... but you do swallow your pride! :) And humility is a wonderful if acquired taste. 

Enjoy your day! Pray for Ukraine.... Help in any way you can.... and if you want another lovely Ruthy-read, go grab this book and get lost in the small town grace of Jamison, New York tucked in our very own Allegany County, NY.... South of Wishing Bridge and a bit north of Pennsylvania. And thank you!

SMALL TOWN HEARTS AVAILABLE HERE!!!!!

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Books three and four coming this spring and summer!