BOOK GIVEAWAY with Karen Witemeyer

I'm so excited to introduce to you a WONDERFULLY TALENTED author and storyteller, KAREN WITEMEYER! I just had the privilege of reading her recent debut A Tailor-Made Bride. And I have to say, this story is as good as its cover!

When a dressmaker who values beauty tangles with a liveryman who condemns vanity, the sparks begin to fly!

Jericho "J.T." Tucker wants nothing to do with Coventry, Texas's new dressmaker. He's all too familiar with her kind--shallow women more devoted to fashion than true beauty. Yet, except for her well-tailored clothing, this seamstress is not at all what he expected. Hannah Richards is confounded by the man who runs the livery. The unsmiling fellow riles her with his arrogant assumptions and gruff manner while at the same time stirring her heart with unexpected acts of kindness. Which side of Jericho Tucker reflects the real man? When Hannah decides to help Jericho's sister catch a beau--leading to uproarious consequences for the whole town--will Jericho and Hannah find a way to bridge the gap between them?

Karen Witemeyer is an Abilene Christian University Alumni, and serves as a deacon's wife in Texas. Karen, thank you so much for stopping by my blog and sharing with us a little about yourself. Please tell us, how long have you been writing? How did you get your start?

I had always been an avid reader, and as I grew to adulthood, I toyed with the idea of putting my own stories to paper. I'd daydream romantic plot lines and jot down my ideas in a journal, but I never committed myself to writing. First, college kept me busy. Then kids entered the picture. But in 2003 when my husband learned his job was being cut, the urge to turn someday into this day became too strong to ignore. The busyness didn't disappear, of course. I started working full-time outside the home, and the kids were still young and in need of my attention. However, the Lord had sent me a wake-up call, and I knew I had to answer. I sold a couple of short pieces along the way, but my first contract for full-length novels came in January of 2009.

What made you decide to write fiction?

Fiction is what I most enjoy reading, and it's so much more fun to write the kinds of stories you enjoy reading. I also believe that story is a powerful tool to reach people. Jesus spoke in parables in order to reveal truth to his listeners. I hope to entertain with my books, but more importantly, I hope to minister through them, sharing nuggets of God's truth with my readers.

What made you choose this particular genre?

I am an historical romance reader through-and-through. It is all I read and, therefore, what I prefer to write, truly my passion. I love the 19^th century American west, but I also enjoy regency stories, and medieval settings. Rugged cowboys, dashing lords, fierce warriors—what's not to love?

How did things change once you became a published author? Did you lose friends? Make friends? How did it affect your family?

Life as a published author is still very new to me. My first book has only been out a few weeks. My family has been wonderfully supportive. My husband, who is a sci-fi guy and wouldn't touch a romance book with a ten-foot pole, chats up my books to his online and work friends. And for the most part, my kids are taking it all in stride. My middle kiddo is the most enthusiastic. He grins and hugs me and tells me how proud he is of me every time we see something in a catalog or in a store. It's fun. And when my hubby took my youngest to Sams the other day, they cruised the book aisle. When the little guy saw my book, he asked if they could buy it. Never mind that we have a couple boxes of them at home. Too cute! My daughter just turned 12, and she's asked for her own autographed copy. I'm still deciding whether or not I want my little girl reading a romance novel - even mine. She's not supposed to be interested in boys yet, is she? Something tells me this denial technique isn't going to work for much longer. LOL I'm also making contact with readers, which brings great joy and encouragement into my life. So far, the blessings have been rich indeed.

Where do you spend your time writing? Do you have a favorite place? A favorite time of day?

I write whenever and wherever I can. I work full-time, have three kids, and am involved in many church activities, so finding time can be tricky. Thankfully, the Lord provides, and the books get written. When I'm at home, I usually write in my bedroom, sitting propped up on the bed with my laptop. Not very glamorous, but I can close the door and keep the kids out. Well – most of the time.

How did you come up with the story for A Tailor-Made Bride?

It all started with a question: What happens when believers disagree about what the Christian life should look like?

Hannah Richards believes she is being a good steward of the talents the Lord has blessed her with by turning her needle to creating dresses that are pleasing to look upon. She is imitating the Creator God who designed wildflowers, rainbows, and sunsets.

Jericho Tucker, on the other hand, believes that fancy dress goods encourage women to focus their attention on vain, superficial beauty instead of the inner attributes of a gentle and quiet spirit that Scripture promotes as true loveliness.

Both are right. Yet both see the other as wrong. By throwing Jericho's sister Cordelia into the mix, I forced these two characters to face their differences and learn from each other, to mend those tears of condemnation with threads of grace.

What are you working on now?

My second release, Head in the Clouds, will be hitting the shelves in October. Since I enjoy Regency romances as well as those set in the American West, I thought it would be fun to blend the two by bringing an English nobleman to Texas. In Head in the Clouds, a recovering romantic takes a job as governess for the mute daughter of a sheep rancher and soon learns her heart is not the only thing in danger.

My current work in progress is a story set in the late 1880s that asks the question – what happens after the prodigal son returns? So many times, we focus on the wonderful homecoming the lost son received from his father, but have you ever asked what life was like for him after the celebration was over? How did he relate to his bitter older brother or the servants and townspeople who were only too aware of his past arrogance and wild living?

In my third book, I play on those very questions. My hero is a man recently released from prison who has returned to his faith roots and rededicated his life to the Lord. The heroine is a woman who has been disappointed by men in the past and has little tolerance of those who don't meet her high standards. In an effort to make a clean start, Levi hides his past and Eden believes she has finally found a man of honor and integrity. But when his secret is revealed will both their futures be shattered?

What is your favorite scene in the whole book? If it's a reasonable length (not an entire chapter), feel free to share an excerpt!

Oooh – that's a toughie. That's like asking a mom to pick her favorite child. Ha! There's a fast-paced action scene involving a flash flood, a spooked horse, and an upturned buggy that I like quite a bit, but I also love the scenes where J.T. and Hannah are sparing. Here's a brief excerpt of one of my favorites:

"You really shouldn't criticize something you know so little about…Jericho."

He blinked then narrowed his gaze. No one had dared call him by that name in years. Not since his mother left. His pa's belt had kept him from back-talking when his mama insisted on using the name despite his protests, and he'd even bore up under his teacher using it. But not one of his peers dared go against his wishes. He'd pummeled the last fellow who tried—a twelve-year-old kid who didn't think a nine-year-old could thrash him. The smart aleck hadn't reckoned on how much J.T. hated the name. What boy wanted to be named after a city that crumbled when a bunch of nomads walked around it? Not exactly an image of strength or fortitude.

Besides, she liked it. If Mama could abandon him, he could sure as shooting abandon the name she tried to saddle him with.

J.T. silently worked his jaw back and forth. There was only one person who would've dared tell this woman his given name, and she was stifling giggles on the porch behind him. Choosing to ignore his sister for now, J.T. faced the impudent woman whose eyes issued challenges his pride could not ignore.

He prowled forward, jaw clenched so hard, his facial muscles ticked. "The name's J.T."

"No," she said, tapping her chin as if pondering some great mystery. "Those are initials. Your name is Jericho."

Wiggling his fingers to keep them from curling into fists, J.T. reminded himself that she was a woman. He couldn't deal with her the same way he had the boy in the schoolyard.

"Are you purposely trying to rile me?" His voice rumbled with menace, warning her against such a dangerous path.

An all-too-innocent smile stretched across her face. "Why, yes. Yes, I am. Is it working?"

THAT was one of my favorite scenes! Thank you for sharing that one with us.


Karen, it was great to have you join us today. Thank you so much for being willing to share a little bit of yourself, your life and your book!


For those that would like to enter to WIN a SIGNED COPY of A Tailor-Made Bride, just leave a comment below with your email address. And if you'd like to be entered into the drawing TWICE, then sign up to be a follower of my blog.


GOOD LUCK TO THOSE THAT ENTER! It's a book you'll thoroughly enjoy!


(Please forgive the strange formatting and font background colors. Blogger had its own ideas and didn't want to cooperate.)

The First Kiss . . . or . . . No Kiss At All

Recently on a writing loop we were discussing the first kiss in Christian Romance. Some prefer that the characters either never kiss at all, or that they spend a good portion of the novel working up to that one first kiss. Others prefer kissing from the get go, as long as it's clean, of course. Really, it comes down to what's true to the character. Are they acting "in character" or doing something that their character wouldn't normally do?

While, THE MASTER'S WALL doesn't fall under the romance category, it still has a love story. I personally like to build up to that first kiss in my fiction. After all, once you reach that ultimate climax of the first kiss, what more is there to build up to? Well, I think we can all come up with plenty of physical activities to build up to after that first kiss, but imagine a story with characters so full of longing for each other, yet without ever touching in an intimate manner, that once the characters finally reach that first kiss, it's the ultimate in satisfaction . . . and relief. And on another platform, makes them more crazed for each other. E-hem.

I love the tension and the build up to that one monumental first kiss. But think about it. What is it that can make the first kiss so monumental in Christian fiction? To me it would be the struggle between our fleshly desires and wanting to do what's right. Keep in mind, our bodies were invented by God. He's the inventor of sex, kissing, etc. The question is, are we exploring those subjects in a manner that's pleasing to Him? Let's say our character has no desire to be pleasing to God and later has to learn about his/her sin. How do we portray that successfully in our work without going too far?

In THE MASTER'S WALL, Alethea and David finally kiss in chapter twenty out of twenty-four chapters, a little over three-fourths of the book. They're both in love with each other. Problem is, David is a slave, and Alethea is the slave-owner's granddaughter. David sees no hope for them to ever be together, and because of his status as a slave, and his desire to be pleasing to God, he fights his attraction. But Alethea doesn't make it easy. From the time she was small, she would dance for the family. Well, now that she's grown, David has the worst time of it. Frustrated, he finally confronts her about it and tells her she needs to stop (after all, she's a Christian and she's causing men to undress her with their eyes). Horrified by his confession, she slaps him, not understanding at all, and the most significant reaction he gets out of her is her ire.

Despite his warning, one evening Alethea pulls a risky stunt, while David is juggling torches for the family and some invited guests (not only does she risk the family noticing her attraction for the slave, she's going completely against David's warnings about dancing before the men). Musicians are playing, the lights from his torches are turning and dancing, and of course . . . so is Alethea. She tries to get David's attention by dancing in front of him, and she gets it all right. As she tosses her sash into the air during one of her dramatic, and most "enticing" moves, her sash catches fire. Shouts of horror carry up from the family, and David burns himself trying to save Alethea from her foolishness. So that night, feeling guilty and stupid, Alethea finds him alone in the stables. She's there to apologize and thank him for "rescuing her" once again.

The following is the most sensual scene out of the entire book, and they don't even touch, let alone kiss . . . but oh, how they want to (try not to critique the writing, e-hem):

"David?" Alethea whispered into the darkness as she made her way toward the dim light in the back. She turned the corner and there was David hanging from the rafters, pulling his chin above the beam, then down and up again. She stopped at the sight, his muscles flexing and shimmering as the torch cast long shadows about the chamber.

David released the beam and dropped to the dirt floor. Their gazes met and his eyes narrowed. With a severe gait, he walked toward her, jaw tight and hands fisted at his sides.

Instinctively, Alethea stepped back until she came against a wall. His mere presence held her there as though an invisible force pressed against her. Sensing she'd better say something to tame him, she said, "I came to thank—"

"Don't ever do that to me again." His voice was a fierce whisper as he pinned her with his words.

"I . . . I . . . ." Alethea stammered, taken aback by the force of his tone, her apology dissolving on her tongue. In an effort to regain her dignity, she straightened. "Or you'll do what?"

His eyes flashed as he moved closer.

Gasping, she stepped back, but the wall blocked her feet.

David loomed over her, his broad shoulders engulfing her into a cavern and his threatening stance making her aware of how small she was compared to him. The fire from the torch reflected on his face, its softness contrasting with the harsh tension set in his jaw. He placed his palm against the wall over her shoulder, holding her captive. He lifted his other hand, and she held her breath as his closeness whispered a promise of more.

Little by little, he brought his knuckles toward her cheek as if he wished to touch her but didn't dare. His hand trembled, and . . . she waited. His smoky blue eyes drank in her face as they focused on loose tendrils curling against her cheeks and then her mouth. Without touching her, he ran his knuckles down her cheek and then her neck, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.

She shivered from the impact.

He placed both hands against the wall, encasing her in his strong arms, and he leaned in closer. She breathed in his scent. Sweat. Pine. His lips hovered over hers, his breath mingling with her own. He held steady, hovering over her mouth, desire and heat emanating between them.

His nearness sent waves of heat to every limb of her body, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, and she feared she might melt into the wall before they came together.

"David," she whispered, aching for him to touch her, to kiss her.

A light came to his eyes, and as if awakening from a dream, he pushed away.

Abandoned, she wanted to grab him, to yank him back to her, but she didn't dare touch him, no more than he dared to touch her. Would they even be able to stop if they did embrace? It would be like flint striking stone. One brush of contact would ignite flames between them.

Growling, he ran his hands through his hair, his chest heaving. He paced like a cat wanting to escape the confines of a cage. Suddenly, he turned and punched a wooden beam. She jumped from the fierceness of his thrust, the crack of the wood echoing in the silence, echoing in her heart. Without a word, he stormed away.

Still leaning against the wall, she gulped in a breath. Cold air chilled her, as if a blanket had been ripped off her warm body. She pushed away, her legs wobbly. In a daze, she touched the beam, running her trembling fingertips along the prickly splinters. Shattered by the same fist that dared not caress her cheek.

Breathless, she ran after him.

He marched out of the stables, cloaked by the shadows of the dark night.

Watching him go, she felt as though he were taking a part of her with him, a piece of herself she could never reclaim again, for she'd never shared such an intimate moment with a man. Now, he left her there, empty and unfulfilled. She leaned against the doorframe, pressing her back against it for support. Tears welled in her eyes. "Oh, David." Her hoarse voice carried after him, only to die in the darkness as he left her alone.

To me, it's this kind of struggle between right and wrong and what we want/desire that makes a kiss more powerful in the end. And sometimes, a scene like this can be more powerful than the actual kiss, in my opinion. It's deeper on so many levels with passion and struggle intertwined.

I think it can be handled very simply by narrowing it down to that old saying, "Less is more."

AND THE WINNERS ARE . . .

YES! I said, "winnerS!"

And the winners are . . .

Carmen, Steph, Reuben, Rebecca, AJ, and Deborah!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Ken Craig said he wanted to give everyone who commented a FREE copy of his book. So, you'll be hearing from me to collect your snail mail addresses.

Again, BIG CONGRATS everyone! Whoo, hoooo!

BOOK GIVEAWAY and INTERVIEW with author KEN CRAIG

PLEASE WELCOME from Birmingham, Alabama, one of my favorite people and a great teacher of God's Word, KEN CRAIG!

Want to have a better understanding of God's Word? A simple explanation of the plan of redemption? A better comprehension of the main theme of the ENTIRE Bible? Then enter to win Ken Craig's book, The Big Picture of the Bible. All you have to do is leave a comment with your email address written out like this: sandirog at gmail dot com. If you'd like to be entered in the drawing twice, then not only leave a comment, become a follower on my blog!

When I think of the Bible, sometimes I feel intimidated and overwhelmed. But Ken makes it easy for us to understand. And he does it by simply pointing us to scripture. This isn't some newfangled "knowledge" that he's imparting on us ignoramuses. What Ken teaches in The Big Picture of the Bible is wrapped around what Jesus has done for us. His life on this earth, His death, burial and resurrection. God's plan from the beginning is the key to us having a better understanding of His entire word, and Ken helps us to see that plan in an easy, comprehensive way. It's quite amazing, really. And wonderful!

So, who is Ken Craig?

Ken Craig has had a long and varied career in the field of information technology. After receiving a degree in mathematics, Ken began his IT career in Houston as a computer programmer with IBM on NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Ken has since managed various IT companies both in the U.S., as well as internationally. Ken has been married for more than thirty-five years, has two grown children, and serves as an elder at the Helena church near Birmingham. Ken’s real passion in life is telling others about The Big Picture of the Bible. He has carried this message all over the world. Ken can be reached via e-mail at kwcraig@gmail.com.

Ken, thank you so much for coming. It's great to have you here.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Didn't you live in Holland for a while? What were your experiences there? How long waere you there for?


I was loaned to a British firm that was in a joint engineering venture with a Dutch firm to build a state-of-the-art high tech plastics compounding plant for GE Plastics in the south of Holland. I was loaned to the British firm for two months to produce the planning for the development and integration of the numerous computer systems required for the new plant. That two month loan turned into a six year stint in The Netherlands! My children were 3 and 5 at the time and they made the transition to Dutch life very well. We spurned living in the American community near The Hague, choosing instead a small village outside of Amsterdam named Abcoude, a truly wonderful village of about 3,000 people. We absolutely loved our time in Holland and even learned to speak the difficult Dutch language, which very few of the Americans living in Holland would even try. This came in very handy in business meetings as people would switch to Dutch when they wanted to say things they didn’t want me to know! Of course I could understand everything they were saying and this really helped my business endeavors. My son was placed on the local soccer (football) team and they would practice every day with professional trainers. They take football very seriously in The Netherlands. My daughter was three and picked up the language in nothing flat from her local kindergarten class. As the kids got older we placed them in the Amsterdam International school and later they were in the Antwerp International School when we moved to the south of Holland to be close to the construction of the plant. I managed system development projects in France, Germany, Belgium, England, and The Netherlands while we were there, which gave me a broad and treasured exposure to varied European cultures. We still have many dear friends in Holland and there are times we miss it, after all it was our home for 6 years.

What was it like returning to America?

Actually the transition went fairly smoothly. My daughter remembers being made fun of at elementary school because she liked mayonnaise (Belgian frite saus) on her French fries. The hardest thing was to reacclimatize ourselves with the choices available here. The Europeans live pretty Spartan and structured lives compared to the US. Stores, ALL stores, in Holland must close by 6 so that families are spending time together and not running businesses and out shopping. I would tell the Dutch that in America you could, if you wanted to, go out somewhere and buy furniture at midnight, and they would not believe me! But it works both ways, for over there if you needed aspirin you would just go to the store and there would be a bottle of aspirin. On our return I remember nearly melting down at the drug store as I contemplated several shelves of aspirin of every hue and description with added ingredients and without this ingredient and so on. That is the short answer to the question often asked about the difference between living in Europe and living here. Choice. Each European country has a fairly uniform culture and their laws and customs are in place to support, and propagate their culture. In the US we don’t have anything even faintly resembling a uniform culture so all of our laws and customs are largely driven by market forces, hence tremendous amounts of choices in all areas of our society. This fundamental difference is at the root of many, if not most, communication problems between Europe and the US.

Having lived in The Netherlands are you excited about the World Cup?

I have to admit that I am a soccer convert. When I went to Holland, soccer was a ninety minute sedative. After being immersed in soccer and the culture with my son, I reluctantly began to truly understand and appreciate the game. I also managed a company in Brazil for over a year. They are even more into it than the Dutch. Now, The Fox Soccer Channel is one of my “go-to” channels. My son and I are quivering with excitement as the World Cup approaches. This is “our” thing and it only happens every four years! We are big fans of the Dutch National Team (we even decorate our TV room with orange streamers and the like) and will pull for them in every game unless they play the US National Team. That would be a true nightmare scenario for us. Hup Holland! Aanvallen! (Go Holland! Attack!)

How long have you been writing? How did you get your start?


About fifteen minutes! Seriously, I am not a writer. I have often wished that I was more skilled at this. TBPOTB is the first book I have written and I wrote it hesitatingly and reluctantly. I feel more comfortable lecturing than writing. In the past, I actually conducted training classes for IBM to teach technical people how to give a proper presentation to clients and for project reporting, etc. I am a self-professed wizard with PowerPoint and can help an audience achieve that “death by PowerPoint” level faster than just about anyone!

Do you make a lot of money from the book and lectures?


Actually, I do not charge for my lectures and likewise I do not make anything from the book. Part of the “deal” I made with the publisher was to keep the price low so people could afford the book for themselves and to buy copies to give away.

What made you decide to write this particular book?

While living in The Netherlands I was pressed into doing a bit of preaching and teaching at our local church. I think my mathematics background causes me to look at things as systems and I began contemplating the Bible as a holistic work, trying to figure out how all of the pieces fit together and to what purpose. I eventually worked up a series of lessons which I called “The Plan of Redemption.” They were very well received and after returning to the states these lectures morphed into a set of lectures now called “The Big Picture of the Bible.” These lectures “went viral” and in the last six years I have given them at over 150 churches and lecture venues in nearly 20 countries. What I was trying to do was to capture the theme of the Bible and then “test” the major doctrines and teachings against that theme. First, I didn’t want to take a “negative” approach to scripture and by that I mean starting from some point of doctrinal presupposition and then try to shoot down any opposing view by proof texting. Rather I wanted to step back and see what the central message was and try to present an overwhelmingly positive case for that message. Second, I did want to counteract the influence of post-modernism to believers today, whereby everything in scripture is relative and there is no absolute biblical truth. If the Bible is a truly postmodern book then it really has nothing of importance to say to me or anyone. We should follow its teachings because, and only because they are true. If it is true, we should follow its teachings regardless of whether that truth results in promise or peril. I didn’t want to write the book, but I kept being pressured by a growing body of friends until I finally put together this brief volume. I didn’t want this to be a heavy and burdensome systematic theology of the Bible; although I did want it to make logical sense.

What do you hope people will walk away with after reading your book?

There is a LOT of confusion about the Bible. It is easily one of the most misunderstood books that exist. Even so-called experts disagree about key Bible doctrines. I’m convinced that if we just step back and “get the big picture” then we can avoid all the confusion whether it originates from doctrinal presupposition, post-modern thinking, or even unbelief.

I hope that people who read the book (it only takes about 45 minutes) will realize four things: 1) That the Bible is undeniably true. It would have been impossible for men to have written this book across thousands of years that reflect the staggering unity and clarity of purpose and theme we see in the Bible unless there were a supernatural force providing guidance. 2) That the Bible really is a pretty simple book once you grasp its underlying theme and purpose; 3) That they will see how the role of Jesus Christ fits so precisely and neatly into God’s plan for mankind; and 4) They will come to appreciate the role of Jesus Christ, the love God had for us in sending Him, and how critically important the response of faith is in those of us that want to love and serve Him.

Ken, thank you so much for joining us! It was great to get to know you and to learn more about your book.

For those who would like to win a SIGNED copy of Ken Craig's book, please leave a comment, and if you join my blog, you'll be entered into the drawing twice! Don't forget to leave your email address like so: sandirog at gmail dot com.

If you don't win, you can go HERE to purchase Ken's book online.

Good luck to those who enter!

BEATEN DOWN

I'm getting ready to go for one of my walks. I've been walking 2-3 miles a day (nothing fast, just steady and leisurely), and I've lost 15 pounds over the course of 5 months (I've also been watching what I eat). It's taken a LONG time, IMO, but at least the pounds are going DOWN and not UP.

During my walks, I listen to music and dream about my stories, dream about my characters, and dream about the next scene I need to write. But recently I hit a stumbling block. I got some well-meant feedback from professionals saying just how "wrong" it is to start a story off with children. This really hit home for me because my stories are mostly about children. Children facing adult issues. But children, nonetheless. If I were to take their advice, I simply wouldn't have a story. But they were pretty adamant about it, and I got so wrapped up in defending my writing that I didn't get any writing done at all! I then came down with a migraine, and because the symptoms mimic my MS, all I could think was the docs are going to put me on steroids, I'll gain all the weight back that I've lost, and I'll probably even die (the steroids almost killed me last year). Well, because I panicked, I ended up hyperventilating. For days now, I've been trying to relax and relearn to BREATHE.

Is that pathetic or what? I mean, my goodness! Get over it, Sandi. BREATHE. Forget what everyone else says, even if they ARE professionals.

I'm gonna get really honest here. The bigger houses say what's selling. In my opinion, the only reason they believe "what's selling" is because that's ALL THEY OFFER. There's nothing else out there but one genre practically. Historical romance and contemporary romance, whether it's wrapped up in a mystery or thriller, that's ALL THERE IS. So, of course that's what's selling. ARG!! THIS is the whole reason I became a writer. So I could write what I want to read, since these bigger houses didn't have a whole lot to offer on their "silver platter."

So, back to the professionals who are telling me what I can and can't write . . . I understand their concern to a point; the story needs to start IN the story, not with back story. But they're talking without having even glanced at my work. They were so harsh in fact, I got some private emails from supporters (who were also professionals and quite successful with their sales, by the way) telling me to write what God has put on my heart, and one writer who has read my work said my writing is "historical fiction at its best." Think God may have used that person to encourage me? Yes. I believe so.

I've also been told how silly it is to think that Jesus is going to be my publicist. Not that I ever came out and said that. But I sure have thought it. You see, I'm SICK. I have a debilitating disease that won't allow me to bend over backwards, upside down, and inside out to SELL my work. It doesn't mean I won't try, but I've got to depend on God to pick up my slack. And I will depend on Him to help me out.

I wrote this book for Him. It's His book. I trust He'll sell as many copies as He wishes. Of course, I hope it's A LOT, but who's to say that's even His will. So, all I can say is, I pray His will be done.

Sometimes I wonder if my writing is important to Him. I mean. Who am I to think that the creator of the universe would care diddly-squat about my little story or whether or not it's under attack? Well, the Bible does say He knows how many hairs are on my head, and that's something I could really careless about, and I love myself quite a lot. So, if He thinks it's important enough to care how many hairs I (WE) have on my (OUR) head(s), don't you think He cares about our passions?

All I can say is, I'm passionate about my story, whether it has kids in it or not, and I'm gonna write it. I don't care what these others say. After all, they're stuck writing what everyone else has already written. There are thousands of stories just like the ones they've written. THOUSANDS!

I'm breaking the mold. And I'm trusting in the Lord to make it happen.

PERIOD.

AND THE WINNER IS . . .

CANDEE FICK!

CONGRATULATIONS!