The last couple of months have been packed. Plenty of crazy mom stuff, like dance competitions, prom preparations, overnight field trips, and–get this for wild–putting blue dye in my teen daughter’s hair. As a writer, it’s been equally crazy: conferences, writing, editing, and deadlines. Here are a few of the big highlights and a fun book-selfie GIVEAWAY!
BOOK LAUNCH
Next week, the final book of the Golden Gate Chronicles, Through the Shadows, will be hitting bookstore shelves and e-readers everywhere. I know some of you have gotten a jump on reading this book because Amazon–as usual–shipped the pre-ordered copies early. For those of you waiting for the ebook release, it’s scheduled to drop on May 3. I love this book and these characters, so I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s worth the wait.
BOOK-SELFIE GIVEAWAY
I’ve already received a couple of pictures of my books “out in the wild,” so I thought I’d jump on this trend and offer a fun giveaway. If you snap a book-selfie with Through the Shadows–your own copy, a friend’s copy, a promo copy (hear that NetGalley and Litfuse Bloggers?), or one you find on a library or bookstore shelf–post it to social media and TAG me (links to my social media connections are on the right side of my website) and I’ll enter you for a chance to win a $25 gift card. The winner can choose between Starbucks, Dutch Bros., Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
Post and tag your photographs by June 3 to be entered. So, head to the bookstore, pose with your e-reader, take a “book-selfie” reading by the pool, or whatever! Don’t like to take selfies? No worries. Snap a photo of Shadows with your favorite cat, dog, toddler, coffee cup–feel free to be creative. The winner will be chosen randomly. The contest is open to readers in both the US and Canada. Have fun! And don’t forget to tag me, otherwise I might not see it.
And I’ll be re-sharing some of these photos, so don’t have TOO much fun . . . if you know what I mean.
CONFERENCE FUN
I had the surprise of my life at this year’s Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference when I was named Mount Hermon Writer of the Year for 2016. Since Mount Hermon is where I got my start as a Christian writer, receiving this honor felt like I’d come full circle. And do you know what was even sweeter? Right after the awards ceremony, we moved into a worship time. The first song played was “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” If you’ve read Out of the Ruins, or followed my writing journey for a while, you probably know how much this hymn means to me. Whenever I doubt my calling as a writer, God finds some way to put this song in front of me. Having it played right after the award felt like a wink-nudge from my Heavenly Father. It was a precious moment in my life that I will never forget.
I’m in the process of registering for the Oregon Christian Writers summer conference. I’ll be serving as a mentor this year, accepting appointments from aspiring writers. Since I still feel like a newcomer to the writing business, it’s odd to imagine myself doling out writerly wisdom, but hey–I’ve still got a few months, right? I hope to see you there!
Now remember–get snapping those pictures. I want to see you reading Through the Shadows on the beach, in the airport, your favorite coffee shop, next to the pool, etc. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Blessings!
