The Story Cure

It is my firm belief that everyone who can read is also a writer.  I concede that some individuals are more talented in the composition of written passages, but all can write.  Everyone has a story to tell, in one fashion or another.  I, profess to be a wannabe novelist.  I have always wanted to easily tell engaging stories that make others want to read and become part of the imaginary world of  characters that live in my mind.  I can create the characters, the situations that happen to them, but weaving the entire plot and theme of the book are very difficult for me.

Blogging for Books to the rescue.  While looking for my next book to request I happened upon, The Story Cure- A Book Doctor's Pain-free Guide to Finishing Your Novel or Memoir by Dinty W. Moore.  Voila! The perfect answer.  The Story Cure offers a diagnosis and the prescribed cures for the main elements of a novel.  Along with the written information, The Story Cure also includes interactive lessons to put the cures to practice in fixing a book.

Moore, refers to himself as a book doctor, having taught many classes as well as working with individuals create the book that lives inside of them.  I found the information very helpful.  I plan to work through the exercises and try to bring life to the story I know I can tell.

I would sincerely recommend The Story Cure to any writer struggling to bring their novel to life.



FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

What it’s like to be pampered for 32 years…

I am pampered.  Well cared for, spoiled, and absolutely, completely, in love with the husband who takes such good care of me.  I have been completely, totally pampered for the last 32 years.  I think when Scott and I took  our wedding vows there must have been a silent clause that he took that said, “I will love, cherish and pamper my wife, until death do us part.”  I  know I said “I will obey,” which I remember adamantly telling our pastor that I would not say, but it was in the vows and with stars in my eyes I never knew I ever said it, until I saw the video tape.  Yet, I confess, I have obeyed his wishes, desires, and wants since the day that I uttered the words.  God must have known that those things would align with mine anyway.

Tomorrow is our 32nd anniversary.  I would have to say, as a pampered wife, life has been perfect.  That being said, it has not always been easy.  We have had many challenges in our career and family life.  In some ways more than others, in other ways fewer, but definitely not idyllic.  However, at every point in our relationship I  have felt cherished and loved.

In the beginning, when we were just newlyweds who were trying to finish our degrees at Kansas State University, I felt loved when we found days that our schedules matched and we could have dinner together.  A rare treat with each of us working retail jobs while trying to finish school. I also felt cherished  when I would set off the smoke alarms trying to cook the perfect meal, and my darling husband would check the banking account to see if there was enough money to take me out to Country Kitchen for a meal.

Then I felt loved and pampered when he held my hand, and my head as I was sick through almost 8 months of my first pregnancy with my son, and he dealt with the stress of a pregnant wife and graduating KSU while looking for a job that would support us.  It was real, and scary, but I was taken care of each and every day.  

I felt pampered while he held my hand through every child’s labor, through the scary take offs and landings of each vacation that involved airflight, through the deaths and funerals of both of my parents and my best friend, and the weddings of my children.  I have never felt alone.  Even when he was on a business trip for weeks when the children were small.  Even when everyone had the flu, and the tornado sirens were blowing,  and I was alone, I was not because he was thinking about us and calling us and a constant source of support.

I felt pampered because he has done the dishes every night that I cooked dinner.  That was the deal when we were in college, whoever cooked the meal didn’t have to clean the dishes.  I have almost always cooked, which I prefer.  I rarely burn a meal anymore.  God must have known that I love to cook and he doesn’t mind dishes.

I have felt pampered to receive a hot cup of coffee everyday on my bedside table to help me wake up.  When he travels, and I must get my own, it makes me miss his presence and realize how truly blessed I am which makes each cup of coffee even more precious.

As of tomorrow, we will have been married for  32 years.  The journey is amazing.  I hope and pray that I will never experience it without my dear husband.  Thank you Scott, for always letting me know that with you at my side I am truly pampered.   

Blood Rose Rebellion

Young adult fiction is a genre that I have always enjoyed.  Perhaps because I found my true passion for reading at that age. Book series that contain all the elements of a great young adult novel are a certain gem for my bookshelves.  Great series such as "The Hunger Games,""Harry Potter,"  "Dragon Slayers," and "Divergent," to name just a few are some of my favorites.  In my opinion,  Rosalyn Eves's book, The Blood Rose Rebellion is the next book to enter this realm of great young adult novels.  

The Blood Rose Rebellion is set in the world of an "alternate Victorian England" per Eves, and the main character, Anna is a young woman who is alienated from her place in society due to a lack of magical ability.  All of her family have magical powers, but Anna's lack of magic not only is an embarrassment to her and her family, but also wreaks havoc to unravel the magic of others in her presence.  Following an embarrassing event at her sister's societal magical debut, Anna leaves England with her grandmother to hide out in Hungary.  Little does Anna realize, that her true adventure has just begun.

Eves's novel is captivating from the very beginning.  She weaves a story with intrigue, mystique, and romance. Her characters are as engaging as her plot is riveting.  It is easy for me to recommend Rosalyn Eves book, The Blood Rose Rebellion to both young adult and mature readers.


FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Thy will be done...very scary words indeed

Four of the scariest words in the English language (if you are a Christian and completely understand what these words mean) are "Thy will be done."  I try to always pray this in any situation I am faced with, I ask for God's will for me, and I must tell you, it is a scary prayer to pray.  So often I want what I want, and praying for His will is humbling.

Just recently I was faced with an incident that disheartened and discouraged me.  My gut, human reaction was to be frustrated, angry, and hurt.  I was in a situation where I couldn't show any emotion, (being an adult is often this way) so I pushed the feeling down and "adulted" my way to the end of the day when I could properly process them. What I discovered later was that of course, I can't change anything on my own so I "simply"(okay, so it's never really simple, a bit of sarcasm slipped out) prayed for God's will to be done in my life.

My situation is not life threatening.  It hurts but I won't be financially strapped. However, I began to think about all who daily pray for God's will in their life, and the faith and humility it takes to do so.  The parent of a seriously ill child is one example.  Trusting God's will for the healing of the beloved child, knowing that His will very well  may be that their child is ultimately healed by going to heaven is a truly frightening situation. A homeless individual, asking for God's will when they have no idea of where the next meal or bed will be, is faith as an action verb.

Praying for God's will in any loved ones' turmoils takes absolute faith. The one praying must relinquish all claim and control and allow their life to be purely in God's hands.  I happen to believe that our lives are anyway, but giving up the pretense of control is difficult. 

Every time I attend church, my congregation recites the Lord's Prayer. I say "recites", because sometimes I wonder how many are actually concentrating on the words being said.  The prayer begins:

Our Father, who art in heaven

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done...

Right there, In the fourth line we are asking for God's will and giving ourselves entirely into His hands. A very safe place to be, but perhaps a test of giving up control which is a very human trait.

Though the words and the actions of placing oneself entirely in God's control, asking for His will and being content in the waiting are scary, in the end following His will is the safest and most comforting place to be.  You're welcome to join me, anytime.

Life After Heaven

As a spiritual person, one who is proud to be in the Christian faith, books about individuals' encounters in heaven are always interesting to me.  I guess for me, and maybe for many Christians, I have a bit of Jesus's disciple Thomas in me. Although I believe by faith in God's word, the bible, I also have the human curiosity to want to see with my own eyes, to know what heaven will be like when I get there.  For anyone not familiar with the Christian faith, Christians believe heaven is assured to those who are baptized in the water and the word of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who died and was resurrected to save the world from sin and the devil.  If one acknowledges Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the person is saved by His Grace and will then go to heaven upon death.
My curiosity about heaven lead me to choose Life After Heaven, by Steven R. Musick, as my most recent selection from the Blogging for Books website.
It was a comforting read. Like most heaven accounts, Musick reports that he traveled to heaven through a bright lighted "tunnel" and ended in miraculous and comforting area of peace and perfect beauty.  He meets with Jesus and learns about the parts of his life that have troubled him, he is given explanations for the events in his past and Musick is so comforted that he wants to stay forever in this perfect place.  Then Jesus sends him back to his earthly existence in a damaged body and acute sense of loss for the love and communion with Jesus he had experienced so briefly.  For Musick his time in heaven was brief, in reality he had been in a coma for five weeks.  Following his  return to life, he overcomes many obstacles and throughout his lifetime, he finds "bubbles" of heaven's existence all around him as he grows to a deeper faith and relationship with Jesus.
I enjoyed Musick's book, Life After Heaven.  I feel that anyone, at anytime, will find comfort and acceptance in his story and feel that Jesus is not only Lord and Savior but a friend that walks beside those who believe in Him. Heaven is waiting for those who believe. Read Musick's account and find joy in it!

FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Vibrant India

The end of the academic year is quickly approaching, and little time outside of the school day is available for pursuing hobbies, but summer is coming....and with that arrives time to have some fun.  One of the first things I look forward to doing is spending more time in the kitchen, trying out new recipes and new cultural dishes.  I was so excited when my recent book, from Blogging for Books, arrived on my doorstep.  Vibrant India, written by Chitra Agrawal, is exactly as its title implies; a vibrant depiction of the stunning and savory dishes found in the Indian cuisine.

The vegetarian cuisine in Agrawal's book is paired with pages outlining South Indian food traditions, Indian cooking tips and techniques, items needed in a South Indian pantry and the various kitchen tools essential to Indian cooking. Each recipe is carefully explained so that even a cook unexperienced in  Indian cooking is able to attempt the dishes.  Agrawal offers both the traditional spices in her recipes as well as substitutes found more commonly in an American kitchen, so that her dishes are less intimidating to prepare.  There are a few items in her recipes that I have not been able to find locally (I live in a rural area of Kansas). However I believe I can locate them online or the next time I travel to a larger metro area.

Agrawal's book, Vibrant India, also includes elements of Indian culture, both in the written commentary that Agrawal has in her chapters, as well as the vivid artwork that showcases the color and heritage of India.

I am certainly enjoying Chitra Agrawal's book, Vibrant India, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in exploring the flavorful cooking of exotic India.


FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Chamberlain Key

I'm a skeptic.  I will lay it right out there.  When it comes to theological writings, ones that purport to open up the mysteries of the bible, old or new testament, I tend to tread with caution.  Perhaps this is because I was raised and have always been Lutheran.  We believe that the bible is the inspired word of God, written by men, through the guide of the Holy Spirit.  That said, I did find, The Chamberlain Key, written by Timothy P. Smith an interesting read.
Smith writes a real life story about his discovery of a key that is hidden within the old testament, "the Masoretic tradition of textual transmission...(with its)...seemingly fanatical insistence that both the letter count and sequence of specific biblical manuscripts not be altered so much as one letter (Smith). It is through this precise translation with exact spacing that Smith discovers the Chamberlain Key through the use of the Leningrad Codex.  He, with other academics and professionals discover messages that point to and confirm the Christian gospel.
When I first picked up this book, I was afraid it would be much like the Bible Code written by Rips, Witzum and Rosenburg.  Thankfully it is not.  Smith even refers to this book as he also found the book "appalling for many reasons"(Smith).
I do not pretend to know or understand all the the bible offers for both Christians and Jews.  I do believe it is God's word for mankind.  I feel that Smith's book is an unique story, of a man with a strong faith.  My skeptical nature can not condone the book as a new faith text.  I can recommend the text as a good read of a man, who worked hard to share his faith story and journey to delve deeper into God's word.


FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Truly Inspiring

St. Patricks Day, I walk into the junior English classroom, and on the board is the statement "what in life makes you feel lucky?" students wrote on the board a reason they feel lucky...I wrote one too..
"What in life makes me feel lucky? My job.
Today in junior English, the students presented "Identity Boxes" as a project for the novel study that the class is beginning, Night by Ellie Wiesel.
Being among the amazing students in our school is just one reason that I love my job. Being with amazing teachers is definitely another.  Amber Neighbor is one of the most sincere, intuitive, and inspirational teachers that I have had the  privilege to interact with and been blessed to be in her classroom.

Her love of teaching, and inspiring learning is tangible each and every day.  Today she had her students present "Identity boxes" as a prelude to reading the novel Night.  Each student shared quotes, memories, belief systems, fears, and memorable personal objects that they identified with as aspects of their personalities.  Because she has created a classroom atmosphere where her students feel safe to share parts of their lives with their peers, the experience was one of the most memorable of my career.

  Students that I work with everyday shared snippets of their lives that gave me great understanding into their families and educational experiences.  Each student as an audience member was silent, listening to their peers, and I could see compassion, understanding, and tolerance being fostered by the sharing of thoughts and memories. I am hard pressed to find another educational experience in my career that was as poignant as today.

Thank you for teachers like Amber Neighbor who make learning relevant and tangible, not only for their students, but also for the others they inspire in their lives.  That is what makes my life lucky, working with professionals like Amber, who make me love my job!

The Struggle is Real

There is an internet story that is being shared concerning a boy and a butterfly. I was thinking about the story today because this story seems to exemplify so many things I see in my own life but also those lives around me.

 In the story, the boy has  a collection of butterfly cocoons, most of the cocoons are empty and the butterflies well away on their journey. One is left, it is struggling to exit the confines of the cocoon.  The boy wants to help the butterfly by opening the cocoon and easing its way when an old man comes by and stops him.  He tells the boy to let the butterfly struggle, because this process helps the butterfly gain the strength needed for its long journey ahead in life.

This story exemplifies how I feel about so many things in the world. Struggle is real.  Sometimes struggle involves concrete things like money, food, jobs.  More often, though, struggle involves internal conflicts, such as self-esteem, anxiety, depression, or lack of confidence.  Everyday, many fight the emotions and turmoil, and struggle to keep going, to work their way out of the strife whether it is physical or internal.  Those who make it through are stronger for the process, even if it is exhausting to complete.

I myself have struggled with self-esteem and feelings of confidence.  As a child I was painfully shy, and I have pushed myself to be outgoing, but there are times when  I resort to past feelings and behaviors.  I believe it is my own struggles that have helped me to empathize with others, particularly my students.  "I get it."  I know how it feels to get the details of a project and want to bury my head because the process seems so vast.  That there are moments where I hope that whatever the process is, it will just go away. This can be completely overpowering and I feel frozen in time and must push myself to continue a commitment I have made.  I also understand all types of avoidance behaviors.  I want my students, friends and family to know, I get it, the struggle is real.

But, as much as we want to save ourselves from suffering and experiencing the hurt of the world, both internal and external, it is more important to face the obstacles,  to struggle, because this is how character is built and perseverance is achieved. If we allow ourselves to escape our problems, through denial or other avenues, we are cheating ourself from the growth that comes with the process.

 The same is so for our children, or our students. If we save them from the struggle, expect less, allow them to hide from responsibility, to escape when the internal or worldly problems arise, they will not become the strong adults our world needs.  If we intercede on their behalf when they face a problem, be it homework, relationships, sports, or jobs to make their lives easier, to save them from the pain, to save ourselves from the agony of watching them try and fail, or worse yet watching them not try; then sadly they will not find the internal strength needed to deal with the difficulties that come from living.

Inherently humans want to help each other. Teachers want to help their students find success.  Parents want to help their children grow and mature.  However, let us remember that helping does not mean ending the struggle needed to improve and thrive.  Like the butterfly,  all need to feel the frustration of trying and enduring when things are not easy.  To feel a bit trapped but learning that with perseverance the goal can be achieved. Ultimately to find pride in embracing the struggle, no matter what it happens to be and know that strength comes from the trial.

When God Made you

"YOU, you… God thinks about you. God was thinking of you long before your debut" (Turner). This first line and certain truth is the theme within Mathew Turner's enchanting children's book, When God Made You.  Turner's book, vibrantly illustrated by the artist David Catrow, speaks to the child in all of us.  Turner embraces the fact that each individual is completely different, yet completely planned according to God's perfect plan.  
As an educator, and a Christian, I feel Turner's book, When God Made You, is an important addition to the children's publishing genre.  Turner speaks to the question many children, and adults struggle with, being different and unique yet finding their place in society.  In, When God Made You, the child in all of us feels comfort that "Out of billions of faces from cultures, all races, people God made, from all different places, God new your name"(Turner).  No matter what, each person is part of God's plan for a perfect world. No one is a mistake. No one is less than perfect in whatever body they are born with or abilities they possess.

I was so excited to see this book on the Blogging For Books website.  The title spoke to me and I had high hopes for the content.  I was not disappointed.  Every part of the book is exquisite.  Reading the pages brings smiles to the reader's face and joy to the heart.  I simply can't wait to share this book with adults and children alike.  It is with heartfelt sincerity that I recommend, When God Made You.  Share it with every child in your life, young and old.


FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.