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A New Project and De-tyrannizing the Tyranny of the Urgent

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This has been a pretty busy first two months for me. I finally finished the taxes, lol. And I got past the first chapter on my next novel. Writing the first draft of this new story feels tougher to me, but then I’m pretty sure writing the first chapter of my last story felt just as tough. {I went through over thirty drafts of the first chapter of the last story 🙂 }

But I’m here again. And I’m happy to be here again. I’m learning to whittle down on my responsibilities so that I can fully focus on what really matters: faith, family, home and writing. Things have been moving at lightning speed for my family, and I’ve been guilty of getting swept up in the tyranny of the urgent. So now, I am really getting dogged about focusing on the important and learning that it’s not ALL important. Some things can be let go. I can’t get it all done today.

How about you?

A Family Saga Built on an Empire in Pine By Naomi Musch

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A forest of trees so tall their canopy could block out the sun. A pioneer spirit so strong it could blaze a trail through the wilderness. A woman’s love so courageous, she dared follow her heart into dangerous places.

This is Wisconsin’s story, and the story of a girl-turned-woman in the wilderness, falling in love with an upstart timber cruiser, but vowing her life to his enemy.

This month, my novel The Green Veil, Empire in Pine Book One re-releases as a paperback. I am so thrilled! What a way to celebrate the 2-year publication anniversary of its first release as an eBook by Desert Breeze Publishing.

Empire in Pine is a three-book historical series that chronicles the rise and boom of Wisconsin’s logging industry through Colette Palmer, her daughter Elaina, and twin grand-daughters Jesilyn and Corianne. It follows the hardships, drama, and romance in the building of an empire from the time Wisconsin was part of the Northwest Territory in the early 1840s until its boom in the 1890s when lumber barons and railroad magnets lived like kings.

Empire in Pine is a series of three generations of women who leave their pasts behind to embark head-on into journeys both physical and of the heart with uncertain outcomes. Dangerous liaisons, wilderness heartaches, faith, hope, and love mark the way.

Civilization followed the rivers and railroad lines, the lifeblood that carried lumber to the rest of the world. As families settled and towns grew up around them, liaisons formed for good and for evil. In The Green Veil, those liaisons tangled relationships, turning them into messes that only God could bless as He moved to bring Colette Palmer through them in ways to make her stronger and more faithful.

If you enjoy historical fiction that’s big in setting and sweeping in drama, in which things don’t always turn out easily while love finds its way, I hope you’ll investigate The Green Veil, Book One in the  Empire in Pine saga.

Blessings~

Naomi

 About Naomi

Naomi writes from the pristine north woods of Wisconsin where she and husband Jeff live as epically as God allows on a ramshackle farm near their five young adults and three grand-children. Amidst it, she writes about imperfect people who are finding hope and faith to overcome their struggles, whether the story venue is rich in American history, or along more contemporary lines.

She invites readers to say hello and find out more about her stories, passions, and other writing venues at http://www.naomimusch.com or to look her up on Facebook (Naomi Musch – Author) and Twitter (NMusch).

 About the Book

The Green Veil, Empire in Pine Book One:

Colette has loved Manason since childhood. But as a woman in a land where lumber barons rule private empires, her vow is to his enemy.

Lumberman’s daughter, Colette Palmer has always loved timber cruiser Manason Kade — even though he only remembers her as a child. Leaving Michigan to settle with her family in the Wisconsin wilderness and separated from him by miles and years, compassion and a broken heart compel her to marry another.

Manason longs to plant roots of his own in Wisconsin Territory. But when his new Kade Forest Works challenges the illegal log harvesting of a rival company, Colette’s husband will stop at nothing to ruin him. Logging enterprises collide as the territory nears statehood. Then one day Manason and Colette meet again. Now, she will have to choose between her first love and her commitment to her marriage vows, while her faith and an empire in pine hang in the balance.

 You can purchase The Green Veil here: 

Desert Breeze Publishing

Amazon

B&N

CBD

Sony

 

Through the Psalms in 2013: Psalm 3

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O Lord, I have so many enemies;
    so many are against me.
2 So many are saying,
    “God will never rescue him!”

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
    you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
4 I cried out to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy mountain. Interlude

5 I lay down and slept,
    yet I woke up in safety,
    for the Lord was watching over me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies
    who surround me on every side.

7 Arise, O Lord!
    Rescue me, my God!
Slap all my enemies in the face!
    Shatter the teeth of the wicked!
8 Victory comes from you, O Lord.
    May you bless your people.

I love this New Living translation of Psalm 3. Arise, O Lord! Slap all my enemies in the face! So blunt, but sometimes that’s how we feel. It’s comforting to know we can go to God and be trnasparent with Him. And He, patiently, listens.

And while we lay down in sleep ruminating about our troubles to God, there’s nothing to fear, nothing to fret about…because He wakes us up in safety, in peace.

Maintaining our peace is the way we overcome the enemies to our soul, and that comes from cultivating a living relationship with the Living God.

Guest Post by Novelist Amanda Cabot

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I’m happy to welcome, author Amanda Cabot, to our blog today! Her novel, Waiting for Spring, is available now!!

One of the questions I’m often asked about books is why I chose a specific location and timeframe for the story.  Although I often use fictional towns, I wanted real places for the Westward Winds books, and so I picked Fort Laramie for Summer of Promise and Cheyenne for the next two stories.  Why Cheyenne?  Besides the fact that I live here, it’s a city with an intriguing past. 

In less than twenty years, Cheyenne went from a rough and tumble railroad town to become both the territorial capital and one of the wealthiest cities in the country.  That wealth brought with it many of the amenities you’d expect, including an opera house that attracted the likes of Lily Langtry, streets lined with mansions, some of which boasted their own ballrooms, and electric lights for both homes and streets.

Though Cheyenne was founded as a railroad town and though the Union Pacific, along with the territorial government were major contributors to the city’s growth, much of the wealth came from cattle.  Cattle ranching grew rapidly in Wyoming Territory, in part because of the open range.  Who could resist the lure of free grazing?  The result was an influx of ranchers and cattle companies, culminating in what was called the “Great Grass Bonanza” of 1876 to 1886.  It was during that era that Cheyenne reached its pinnacle of wealth and influence, with cattle barons dominating the city’s social events.  But all things end.  Greed led to overgrazing, and a particularly brutal winter with massive herd losses caused many of the cattle barons to declare bankruptcy during the spring of 1887.   

Depressing?  Some might say so.  I’m sure that if I’d lived in Cheyenne then, I would have been distressed by all the changes that the end of that first cattle era brought.  But as an author 125 years later, I found that final year of immense wealth and prosperity intriguing enough to use it as the background for Waiting for Spring.  And so you have it, a story set in Cheyenne in the fall of 1886.

  Brief Bio

From the time that she was seven, Amanda Cabot dreamed of becoming a published author, but it was only when she set herself the goal of selling a book by her thirtieth birthday that the dream came true.  A former director of Information Technology, Amanda has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages.  She’s delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian historical romances.  Her Texas Dreams trilogy received critical acclaim, and Waiting for Spring, the second in her Westward Winds series, was just released.

 

Interview with Novelist, Pam Hillman, Author of Claiming Mariah

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As we begin this tale, we see Mariah, a young woman who has recently lost her father, battling with his past indiscretions and faced with the consequences of her father’s bad decisions. Where did the idea for Claiming Mariah come from?

Several years ago, I read a novel where a bank robber tosses a sack of stolen money in the back seat of a hand-to-mouth college student’s car. She kept the money and eventually started a very successful business. She justified her actions because she anonymously created a charity to help destitute young women get back on their fee. But, as the old saying goes, two wrongs don’t make a right, and that wasn’t quite right from a Christian’s perspective, was it? I based Claiming Mariah on the following question: “What would a Christian do if they found out their whole livelihood had been based on a lie?” Mariah does the right thing by writing to Slade’s father asking for forgiveness, but the consequences of her actions end up being way more than she bargained for.

For someone debating reading your story, what would you say makes it worth the read? What sets it apart from other historical novels out there?

Some might say that Slade Donovan doesn’t come across as very heroic to begin with, but he believes he has good reasons for his demands. He quickly softens toward the heroine and her family and eventually lets go of his bitterness. Also, I like readers to see part of the story from an unusual angle, a point of view that shines a light a little off center, and in Claiming Mariah, that light is on Red Harper, a secondary character who plays a pivotal role in the story. Red could have had so many more layers, and I’m still not sure I did him justice.

While writing, do you find yourself using your life experiences as fodder for a more realistic novel? If so, describe a few times this takes place within Claiming Mariah.

The account of Yellow, the half-wild tomcat and his precarious beginnings after being born in the woods, is an almost exact retelling of a cat that I befriended several years ago. I had to work for that cat’s trust, just as Mariah earns the trust of both Slade and Yellow in Claiming Mariah.

 The entire true-life account of Taming Yellow can be found here: http://calicotrails.blogspot.com/2012/11/taming-yellow.html

In the larger sense, what do you hope readers learn from Claiming Mariah?

I hope readers can learn to let go of bitterness toward someone who has wronged them. But on the flip side, I pray that someone who has committed a wrong would have the courage to offer restitution if God lays it on their heart to do so. 

About Pam

Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of! Claiming Mariah is her second novel. www.pamhillman.com

Pam is thrilled to announce the release of her second novel,

Claiming Mariah

 

 

About The Book

In light of her father’s death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father’s farm, the only home she’s ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father’s rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Fredrick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.

With the ranch now under Slade’s careful eye, he will unearth more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal and murder threatens more than the well-being of the ranch, endangering the lives of those who hold it dear. With days dwindling until the rest of the Donovan clan arrive to the Lazy M ranch, Mariah and Slade must rise above the resentment of their fathers and see their true feelings before greed alters their futures forever.

To celebrate, Pam is giving away two eReaders

(choice of Kindle Wi-Fi, 6″ Display, or Nook Simple Touch)

Two Winners: One on facebook. One through Pam’s Newsletter.

Facebook Drawing: Kindle/Nook Giveaway

Newsletter: Pam’s newsletter.

 

Registering both places is not required but will double your chances of winning. Also keep in mind that you will receive updates more often being connected on facebook than through the newsletter. Just sayin’

Contest runs from January 1st until March 31st, 2013.

 

And….that’s not all! There will be prizes offered randomly throughout the tour.

 

Pam is especially excited about this week’s giveaway:

A horn fountain pen handcrafted by Herbert Johnston

Clinton, MS

 

 

PREVIOUS STOP ON TOUR

January 17th: Blogging with Jenny Blake

http://ausjenny.blogspot.com

 

 

NEXT STOP ON TOUR:

January 21st: Blogging with Mary Connealy

http://mconnealy.blogspot.com/

 

 

Click for a Complete List of Stops Along the Tour

 

www.pamhillman.com

Through the Psalms in 2013: Psalm 2

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Psalm 2 (New Living Translation)

Why are the nations so angry?
    Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
    the rulers plot together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.

 “Let us break their chains,” they cry,
    “and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
    The Lord scoffs at them.
Then in anger he rebukes them,
    terrifying them with his fierce fury.
For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne
    in Jerusalem,on my holy mountain.”

The king proclaims the Lord’s decree:
“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son.
    Today I have become your Father.

Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
    the whole earth as your possession.
You will breakthem with an iron rod
    and smash them like clay pots.’”

Now then, you kings, act wisely!
    Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
Serve the Lord with reverent fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
Submit to God’s royal son,or he will become angry,
    and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—
for his anger flares up in an instant.
    But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

——

My Thoughts

Psalm 2 is prophetic as it speaks of Jesus’ and his ultimate reign over all the kings and nations of the earth. For me personally, this psalm also shows me the futility of operating apart from God’s plan for my life. I can “waste my time with futile plans” and devise my own plans only to have them come to nothing. The wisest route for me is to “submit to God’s royal son” or else I will be “destroyed in the midst of all my activities.”

Sobering thought…especially for me since I have a tendency to find my identity in accomplishing and doing things.

So maybe Psalm 2 can be a Psalm for women like me, women with Superwoman Complexes. What are your thoughts? 

Guest Post By Tanya Eavenson

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My latest novel, Unconditional, is dear to my heart because God placed it there. Statistics show Christian and non-Christian marriages are failing at the same rate. I believe in marriage there needs to be an unconditional love as God shows and displays in our lives. He also tells us to love our enemies as ourselves, so what is that saying for our marriages today? We need to show a love that isn’t possible from us alone, but a love that comes from God who ordained marriage to last.

I wholeheartedly believe that if we fight for our marriages and follow after Christ, He will be the One to grow in us an unconditional love for our spouses.

The story opens in a situation some married couples might find themselves in, losing a child, being in a loveless marriage, hurt by feelings of abandonment, adultery. To fight for the marriage at any cost or give up. In my story, as in real life, there is a choice.

Here is the blurb and the intro to Unconditional. I hope if you purchase this novel it will speak to your heart, or maybe to someone you know.

He will fight for her at any cost…

Elizabeth Roberts can’t remember her past, and the present is too painful. She turns to nightclubs and drinking to forget her infant daughter’s death, her husband’s affair.

When his wife’s coma wiped out the memory of their marriage, Chris Roberts found comfort elsewhere. He can’t erase his betrayal, but with God’s help he’s determined to fight for Elizabeth at any cost.

She wants to forget. He wants to save his marriage. Can they trust God with their future and find a love that’s unconditional?

About Tanya

Tanya Eavenson and her husband have been in the ministry for fifteen years teaching youth and adults. Tanya enjoys spending time with her husband, and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee and reading a good book. Tanya is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and writes for Christ to the World Ministries sharing the Gospel around the world. You can find her on Twitter at @Tan_eave and contact her at her website www.tanyaeavenson.com  Want to learn more about writing? Stop by her blog http://guidedgirls.blogspot.com

 

 

Going through the Psalms in 2013

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This year I’m using the Wednesday posts to go through the Psalms. However, there are 150 Psalms and only 52 weeks in a year. So, this year we’ll go through Psalms 1-50.

I love the Psalms because they are a record of written prayers to God. {And I love to write out my prayers to God.} Journaling prayers is also a great way to discover God’s vision for your life. {I discuss the importance of prayer and planning in my new ebook, Visionating.}

Hopefully, as we endeavor in this project this year, we’ll find truths to apply to our life on how to get direction for our unique life path. Let’s start with Psalm 1 (NLT).

Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the Lord,

meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

But not the wicked!

They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

They will be condemned at the time of judgment.

Sinners will have no place among the godly.

For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Here we have some practical advice for success. No need to run to the Self-Help section of the bookstore to get the latest advice on how to become wildly rich and famous in 30 days. It’s all laid out for you in Psalm 1: meditate on His Word day and night.

Bible meditation is different from Eastern meditation. Biblical meditation involves filling your mind with something whereas Eastern religious practices aim to keep your mind empty, free of thoughts. Our minds are never truly empty, even if we are trying to empty our minds, we are thinking of emptying them…which is a thought.

If I don’t consciously set my mind on the things of God, then gravity will take over, so to speak. The mind of the flesh will have full reign. (Romans 8) And that mind is filled with unbelief (not faith), worry (not peace), the worst (not the best), and fear (not confidence). So it’s best to think on God’s Word and fill my mind with it.

Some ways to fill your mind with God are by reading the Word, muttering Scriptures to yourself as you do mindless tasks like washing dishes, memorizing portions of Scripture, and writing out Bible verses. This process doesn’t take much, 5 minutes here and there. But as you continue with it, you’ll notice your appetite for the Word increasing.

Personally, when I started engaging myself in the Word of God more often, I noticed that my desire for other things started to wane: checking Facebook, watching or reading bad news in the media, checking email, etc. God’s Word truly changes you from the inside out, but it’s in baby steps over a long period of time.

Before you know it, you’ll become a mighty tree planted by Rivers of Living Water, abiding in the True Vine of Christ…