Mother Inferior

Why Should I Get Involved in Missions?

I did an interview last week on domestic missions with my friend, Lorri Scott, from Sirius radio. You can download it here.

Carnival of Christian Writers

Come visit me (and lots of writer friends) at the Carnival of Christian Writers--I'll bring the cotton candy! :)

http://writermominterrupted.blogspot.com/2006/10/carnival-of-christian-writers-premier.html

Voting our Values

These are Bono's remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast. Convicting, challenging stuff.

With the elections coming up, it's good to read those comments and realize how much we can do if we band together as people of faith and conscience.

Have I found lots of candidates I agree with on all the issues? No. I lean left on social and environmental stuff and right on abortion and gay marriage. It's hard to find anyone I totally feel "in sync" with. Maybe someday, when my generation is more involved in the process, I'll find people who I feel totally comfortable voting for. :)

Do I feel cynical and jaded by the political climate in Washington and elsewhere? Yes. You bet. I want to scream when I hear of politicians who cover for child molesters, or when I see a political ad that's all about mudslinging and not about the real issues.

But will those things keep me from voting? NO.

Why? Because it's a privilege--something many people fought and died for. And because it's my duty, I believe, as a Christian, to vote my values.

I encourage you to study the issues (as much as you can--I know we're all busy!) and pray about how you'll vote.

But by all means, go to the polls. There's so much at stake!

A Chat with a Groovy Mom-Blogger

Heather Ivester at Mom 2 Mom Connection just posted an interview she did with me about the newest Groovy Chick book, the importance of girl-friendships, and online writing courses. Especially if you've never read her blog, come on over and stay awhile. She's one of my favorites. (And thanks, Heather, for a great job!)

Book Marketing and Book Tour Dreams

I'll be blogging over at the We CAN! Market our Books blog on the next few Tuesdays. I'd love for you to stop by--the bloggers there always have some wonderful things to say about creative book promotion from a Christian perspective.

And check this out: Word Harvest Books, a national publisher of inspirational print, kicked off the Book Dream National Tour on October 16, 2006 in search of the next bestselling inspirational author. The Producer of YES FM describes the Tour as "Reality TV without the TV."

The Book Dream Tour is now accepting applications for 100 interview slots for inspirational unpublished books, manuscripts and outlines. The publisher will select 25 writers from the initial interviews for a second interview and coaching session ($250 value). Then the publisher will select 10 writers after the second interview for a professional manuscript review ($250 value). From the 10 manuscript reviews, the publisher will offer one writer a publishing contract. To submit the online application, interested writers can go here.

Don't know anything about the publisher, but it sounds really neat! :)

Interviewed by Author Tricia Goyer

Hop on over to prolific author Tricia Goyer's excellent blog and see how I answered her fun questions about mommyhood, writing, and grace. Hope to "see" you there! :)

Real Beauty

Have you seen this yet?

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/home_films_evolution_v2.swf

It's eye-opening...and very timely. Go, Dove!

From One of My Favorite Novelists

I'm honored to be a part of novelist Mary DeMuth's blog tour for her new book, Wishing on Dandelions (which I was also honored to read and endorse when it was in the galley stages.) Mary is one of my favorite novelists. She tackles difficult subjects with grace and humor, and I want to introduce her to you if you haven't heard of her. If you have, read on for some insightful advice about writing redemptive fiction (and be sure and visit her website for links to great stuff about writing, including her excellent blog). Q: This book deals with difficult subject matter: childhood sexual abuse and its residual affects. How did this book emerge?

My passion is to write about redemption through the avenue of story. I started the first book, Watching the Tree Limbs, in a flurry. In my mind I saw the streets of Burl and a girl who didn’t know where she came from. Because my personal story involves different instances of sexual abuse, I wanted to write a story that showed the reader how God could intersect an abuse-victim’s life and make a difference.

So, are you Maranatha?

In some ways yes, some no. Like Maranatha, I felt like God had transformed my life in such a radical way (like her name change from Mara—bitter—to Maranatha—Come Lord Jesus). Like Maranatha, I endured sexual abuse, but I was much younger when it happened. Like Maranatha, I wondered if I had been marked, that every sexual predator could “tell” I was a ready victim. I wrestled through relationships in my teens with Maranatha’s twin feelings of revulsion and attraction. But, she is not me in many other ways. She is more independent. She has no parents. She lives in an entirely different culture. She is less ambitious. She has the privilege of many wiser people to mentor her through life.

What made you decide to write a love story?

The book didn’t start out in my mind as a love story, but it evolved into it as I continued writing. Characters have that uncanny way of taking your prose and running in all sorts of directions with it. Charlie just kept being faithful. In a sense, I fell in love with him!

What made you choose East Texas as the setting for both novels?

The South fascinates me. I grew up in the Northwest. When my last child was born, my husband was transferred to East Texas to start a department in a hospital. Because I was a stay-at-home mom and home schooling, I didn’t have much else to do there except to observe small town southern culture. Because I didn’t grow up in that culture, my senses were heightened and I eventually began to really appreciate the differences.

Childhood sexual abuse is not talked about very often, and seldom covered in novels. What made you decide to write about it?

For that very reason. The more victims are quiet, the less healing they will receive. The more we talk about it, bringing heinous acts to the light, the better able we are to know we are not alone. I wrote this book so other abuse victims would feel validated and heard. And to offer hope.

Why do you end your books with hope?

Because hope is essential to Jesus’ Gospel. Even when things are bleak, there is always hope—if not in this life, then in the next. I’m not interested, however, in presenting hope in a superfluous way. I don’t want to tie up every story thread neatly. The truth is, life is tragic and difficult and bewildering, but God intersects that life and brings hope.

Have you always wanted to write?

Yes. Since my second grade teacher told my mother that she thought I was a creative writer, I’ve wanted to write. I kept a diary since the sixth grade. Though I was an English major, I didn’t start writing seriously until my first daughter was born. I wrote for ten years in obscurity before my writing career took a turn for the better.

Who are your literary heroes?

I love Harper Lee. I only wish she’d written more. Leif Enger, who wrote Peace Like a River, greatly inspired me to write visually and artistically. I love Sue Monk Kidd’s Secret Life of Bees, how you could almost taste her characters. I’m fascinated and intimidated by J.R.R. Tolkein—how he managed to create an entire world with several languages is way beyond my literary prowess.

What do you want your reader to take away from Wishing on Dandelions?

That redemption of a broken life takes time. We’re all on a journey of healing. Sometimes it’s slow going, but if we can endure through the dark times, God will bring us to new places of growth. I want the images and characters to stay with a reader for a long time. 

Standing in for Darfur

Please, PLEASE, read this message and take a simple action to add your voice to an important campaign:

"Soon there will be no one left to protect in Darfur, Sudan.

The numbers are staggering: over 200,000 people have been killed in the ongoing violence in Darfur; 2 million people have been forced to flee from their homes, and 3.5 million people are reliant on international aid for survival.

Only last month, Human Rights First helped to organize a global Day for Darfur to alert the world's governments to make the crisis in Darfur a priority. You can help us build on this call for action – by giving voice to those who have been murdered, raped and displaced.

With your help, we are hoping to get 200,000 caring people to sign our petition and "stand in" for victims of the mass atrocities in Darfur. Please pass this on to your friends and family, too.

Click here to be one of the 200,000 by signing today.

We need to show how many people care about strengthening the peace process and ending the slaughter.

The petition calls for a high-level envoy, appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to re-energize the peace process. That means, in particular, bringing all of the stakeholders in Darfur to the table – something that is not happening right now. 

Sincerely,

Jill Savitt
Campaigns Director
Human Rights First"

Thank you...and let's pray that this situation gets remedied soon.

The Cross or the Sword?

I just read a wonderful article here and had to pass it on. This pastor vocalizes some of the things I've been pondering over the last few years. A wonderful friend of mine has gotten ostracized by many people--especially Christians--for his political views, which are left-leaning. This friend is one of the most servant-hearted believers I know.

And while I do tend to lean Republican on abortion and gay rights (although I do disdain how the Church has often acted toward homosexuals. I think we need to show a lot more grace and compassion, instead of always pointing fingers and condemning sin), but I am leaning left on issues such as social justice, etc.

What do you think? Should the Church try to gain (or retain) power in the political system?

There are no easy answers...at least, that's the way I see it. I'd like to know what you feel.