Robin Lee Hatcher's Write Thinking

Excellent Blog Award

A couple of weeks ago, I learned that Cindy at Notes in the Key of Life had bestowed the Excellent Award to Write Thinking. I kept meaning to blog about it, but hadn't yet found the time. Then this morning, I learned that Curtiss Ann Matlock at Pressing On, who recently discovered my blog, has bestowed it as well. (Tit for tat, Curtiss Ann awarding me the E caused me to discover her blog.)

Deadline being what it is, I still lack the time to ponder who I want to pass along the award to, but here is a quick list of blogs I always enjoy:

Angie at A Life in Pages

Dan at Cerulean Sanctum

Randy at Eternal Perspectives

Kristin, Colleen, Denise, and Diann at Girls Write Out

There are many more blogs in my Bloglines, but this is where I'll begin. Excellent blogs that I highly recommend and upon which I am now bestowing the Excellent Award.

---

I am off to get a massage (boy, do I need it), and then it is home to pound out another ten pages. It's going to be tough trying to finish this week (deadline is Tuesday but I may need at least a couple more days). Still I'll give it the old college try.

Spring has arrived this weekend (again). We will have temps in the mid to high 70's. From furnace to AC in a few short days. Well, I won't run the AC. I will open windows and let in the fresh air. Hope it is lovely where you are, too.

-rlh-

God and Dog Walking

I have really fallen in love with Kathryn Mackal's blog, God and Dog Walking (I walk the dog — and grace willing—God meets us out there on the path). I subscribe to it on Bloglines so that I never miss an entry.

Today's entry is a favorite since it features my Poppet (both my joy and my headache). So bop on over and find out more than you ever wanted to know about my pooch, then take some time to poke through past entries. You'll be glad you did.

-rlh-

Blogrush

Over on the right hand side of my blog, you'll find a widget for Blogrush, a cool new way to build traffic to your blog. If you have a minute, I recommend clicking on that bottom tab (where it says BlogRush) and taking a look at this free program to help you build buzz about and traffic to your blog. There are videos on the site that you can watch to help you learn about this free service. You get to choose the category your blog is in. I've chosen blogs about "Writing and Literature." (New categories come out this Friday, so I'm hoping I can narrow mine a little bit.)

So check it out. Join the network.

-rlh-

PS The blog graphic I'm using in this post is one meant to show the color of the widget only. It isn't how the widget shows on your blog. This one is Licorice (black). The one I'm using in my sidebar is Cherry (red). And there are two widths as well.

this and that

Sorry for the protracted silence/spotty blog posting. I'm still deep in revision-land, trying to keep track of the various changes I've made as I work my way through this old manuscript. But I have a few things to say today, so here goes:

---

My latest book has arrived at my house. It isn't in stores just yet, but it should be available soon. The book is Hearts Evergreen (Steeple Hill, November). There are two Christmas romance novellas in this book, mine (A Cloud Mountain Christmas) and one by Katheryn Springer. This is a mass market romance, and that means it comes and goes from stores in the blink of an eye. If you want a copy, buy it soon.

---

Jill Eileen Smith has an interview spotlight with me on her web site that some of you might find interesting. She asked lots of writing related questions.

---

I am currently involved in the Breaking Free bible study by Beth Moore. I believe Beth is a truly anointed teacher, and I never do one of her studies without God revealing something to me that I never expected going in. If you've never done one of her studies, I highly recommend them, especially Believing God.

---

Heads Up!  Would you like a chance to win one of three hardcover copies of Amy Grant's new book, Mosaic? Well, tune into this blog the week of October 15th for details. I'm currently reading a copy of it now, and it's a lovely mixture of lyrics and memories, bits and pieces of Amy's life so far.

---

I would really like to own an iPhone. Seriously, I would. They are too cool. But AT&T's cellular service in the Boise area is not good. Too many complaints about it for me to leave Verizon which has been the best cellular service for me. Plus I've got lots of long distance friends on Verizon, too, and I enjoy our free chats.

Anyway, I decided to try out the new iPod Touch, having been led to believe it would work as my PDA for contacts and calendar. Ooh, truly cool device. It's so thin and light. It is the iPhone without cellular service. Only I got it home, and I learned that, unlike the iPhone, the Touch doesn't allow me to add new appointments to the calendar. Contacts, yes. Calendar, no. How stupid is that? It is the same technology as the iPhone, and they leave off that capability. I took it back to the Mac store since it does me no good if I can't enter appointments in it when I'm out and about.

At the end of the month, when I'm eligible for the new every two, I'm going for a Verizon Blackberry and putting an end to my iPhone envy.

---

This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is featuring Kristin Billerbeck's The Trophy Wives Club. I featured it in an earlier blog post. It was delightful! In her usual witty chick lit voice, Kristin tackles a serious topic. This is now my favorite Billerbeck novel.

---

Okay, back to the revision salt mines.

-rlh-

blog tours in the NYT

Angie Hunt sent me a link to an article in the New York Times that is definitely worth reading if you are a writer and/or a blogger. (You must have a NYT log-in to read, but it's free, so sign up if you need to.)

The Author Take Q.'s Now:

“When you’re not in the book business you think, of course they’re going to send you around,” she said.

Chances are, unless an author is especially high-profile or promising or willing to pony up for expenses, they’re not.

Fortunately for Ms. Cohen, her memoir has made it onto at least one best-seller list even without a traditional reading and signing tour. She credits a write-up in People magazine, along with a newer publishing tool: the blog book tour, in which an author pops up on a series of blogs, usually over days or weeks, variously writing guest posts, answering questions from the host or sitting for a podcast, a video interview or a live chat. The blogs’ readers may comment and leave more questions. Ideally, they follow links to the author’s Web site and to an online retailer like Amazon.

Again, worth reading.

-rlh-

PS  Please note that both of the authors pictured in the NYT article are using Apple laptops as is the author pictured above. Must be significant in some way. Don't you think?

my garden spot

I am always inspired by writers who wax poetic about planting and tending and growing beautiful flower gardens. I love to see what they've created. But the truth is, I'm not much of a gardener myself (love to look at gardens, hate to weed them). My thumb is several shades away from true green. My new home has rose bushes and shrubs planted out front, but in back, I've opted for pots of plants. Quick to water. No weeding. Next year I will add more.

Friend and fellow author Deborah Raney has created a fun new blog about authors and their gardens, called The Plot Thickens. I finally sent her a couple photos of my "garden." Authors are listed alphabetically by last name, so be sure to scroll through them all. It's really fun to see.

-rlh-

tagged again

Some memes I ignore, but how could I ignore one created by BJ Hoff for writers and readers? I couldn't so here are the questions and answers.

1. What's the one book or writing project you haven't yet written but still hope to?

I'd love to write a modern day parable about Peter walking on the water. I just haven't come up with the story that goes with the concept. But it's been rolling around in my head for years, so maybe the answer will come to me some day.

2. If you had one entire day in which to do nothing but read, what book would you start with?

I try to always begin my days with time in my Bible. But if it was a whole day just to read, I have a stack of To-Be-Read novels. In that stack are the latest novels of several of my favorite novelists, both historical and contemporary. It would depend on my mood which one I reached for first. If a new Francine Rivers' book was in the stack, it would probably be my first choice.

3. What was your first writing "instrument" (besides pen and paper)?

I did write my first two and a half books with pen and paper at home. Then I typed them on an IBM Selectric at the office where I worked. My boss allowed me to use it on coffee breaks and lunch hours. I bought my first computer the month my first novel was released (Feb 1984). That computer had two floppy disk drives, no hard drive, and an orange monochrome screen.

4. What's your best guess as to how many books you read in a month?

I'm a very slow reader. My pleasure reading is done at bedtime and I don't usually last very long before it's lights out, even when the book is good. My guess, one novel per month, and usually one non-fiction every month or two.

5. What's your favorite writing "machine" you've ever owned?

I became a Mac enthusiast in early 2006, and I love both my MacBook and my iMac (both are Intel versions).

6. Think historical fiction: what's your favorite time period in which to read? (And if you don't read historical fiction--shame on you.)

I can't name just one: WWII era (USA or Europe); Regency and Victorian England; American West of the 1800s.

7. What's the one book you remember most clearly from your youth (childhood or teens)?

Old Bones, the true story of a race horse. That was a favorite grade school read of mine. Little Women was a standout from my early teens. And I used to own every single book from the Trixie Belden series.


Now, I think I shall take the easy way out. If you are a writer and/or a reader, take these questions to your blogs and answer them yourself. Then leave a comment to this entry so others can go read your answers. Of course, if you do it correctly, you're supposed to tag seven people. Or you can be lazy like me and see if you get some volunteers.

Technorati Tags: meme

Seven random things

My friend Angie tagged me with the seven random things meme. (Little known fact: Richard Dawkins coined the term meme, which first came into popular use with the publication of his book The Selfish Gene in 1976. Dawkins based the word on a shortening of the Greek "mimeme" (something imitated), making it sound similar to "gene".)

Here are the rules: Each blogger should list 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to then report this on their own blog with their 7 random facts as well as these rules. They then need to tag 7 others and list their names on their blog. They are also asked to leave a comment for each of the tagged, letting them know they have been tagged and to read the blog.

Okay . . . here goes.
1. I first became a grandmother at the age of 41.
2. I used to raise horses and compete in timed events (barrel racing, pole bending, etc.). I was also in the Ada County Sheriff's Mounted Posse-ettes (a drill team on horseback).
3. My favorite girlhood books were the Trixie Belden series. Nancy Drew was okay, but Trixie rocked.
4. One of my favorite all time novels is Gone With The Wind, and I love the movie too. Thus my very first novel was what I refer to as "the poor man's Gone With The Wind." (It didn't quite measure up to the classic.)
5. When I was still doing theater, a director told me that I was a "natural born ham." No comment.
6. I'm working on my 55th book.
7. I'll have a devotional published in a Bible next year, a first for me.

I'm tagging Colleen Coble, Robin Bayne, Tammy Alexander, Camy Tang, Deb Raney, Katy Raymond, and Rachelle Gardner.

Happy Saturday!

-rlh-

Rockin' Girl Blogger Award

Angie at A Life in Pages has presented me with a Rockin' Girl Blogger Award. I'm honored, of course, but I've been so remiss in posting regularly since I began the moving process that I feel a bit guilty accepting it. Add to the problem that Angie passed along the award to lots of my favorite girl bloggers and she got the award from one of my favorite bloggers. Thus, I have a real dilemma giving it to five more favorite reads.

Wait a minute. I can take care of four with one blog.

Girls Write Out (Kristin Billerbeck, Colleen Coble, Denise Hunter, and Diann Hunt)
These gals are a fun, fun bunch. Their posts are usually humorous, although they do sometimes tackle serious topics.

No Rules. Just Write. (Brenda Coulter)
Always interesting.

Congrats, gals, and thanks for the great reading, both blogs and books.

Robin

Technorati Tags: Blogger awards

Thinking Blogger Award

Cindy over at Notes in the Key of Life gave me a "Thinking Blogger Award." I'm really honored, especially since my recent posting has been mostly of the "lite" variety due to deadline and preparations for selling my house.

In presenting me the award, Cindy said: "Another terrific fiction writer who blogs, Robin's blog is always fresh and relevant, and prompts me to think about all kinds of things--cultural, faith-related, fiction-related or otherwise."

Thanks, Cindy. I'm honored and humbled.

-rlh-

Technorati Tags: Blogger awards

happy blogday to Write Thinking

Five years ago today (January 26, 2002), I wrote my very first blog post of what I thought would be a record of writing a novel from start to finish. It wasn't long before I found I enjoyed blogging about my faith walk more than saying, "Wrote five pages yesterday." It was clear to me that, like most jobs, much of the day to day of writing a novel is not exciting or interesting to others.

My readership really kicked up a notch when I left Diaryland and moved to Typepad in October 2004. That's also when I began to read more blogs and gain on-line friends.

A few days ago, I read on BJ Hoff's Grace Notes that blogging is down. Maybe so, but I'm still enjoying it. However, I've never felt the pressure to make this a job. It's fun, like calling up one of my BFFs and having a chat over the phone.

That's about as deep as this particular post is going to get. I've had a busy week writing, then was at the hospital with my mom again in the ER, and then caught some sort of bug. Fortunately, it doesn't feel like it (the bug) is going to stick around. As for Mom, she's bounced back too. We probably won't know what caused her illness, but at least we ruled out most of the bad stuff.

And now I'm getting back to work.

-rlh-

Technorati Tags: blog birthday

the Bible in America

From Michael Hyatt's weblog, From Where I Sit, this post:

The December 18 issue of New Yorker magazine has a great article entitled, The Good Book Business: Why Publishers Love the Bible. It focuses on the Bible publishing industry in general and Thomas Nelson in particular. It mentions several of our own employees—and former employees. Here’s an excerpt:

The familiar observation that the Bible is the best-selling book of all time obscures a more startling fact: the Bible is the best-selling book of the year, every year. Calculating how many Bibles are sold in the United States is a virtually impossible task, but a conservative estimate is that in 2005 Americans purchased some twenty-five million Bibles—twice as many as the most recent Harry Potter book. The amount spent annually on Bibles has been put at more than half a billion dollars.

Robin here: I confess that I buy many Bibles. I buy new ones for my own study and I buy new ones to give away. I am also given new Bibles by my publishers. I have been given so many Bibles in recent years that I recently gave away ten unused ones to a women's prison in Idaho. Sometimes when I think how persecuted Christians in other countries are overjoyed just to get their hands on a few lines of Scripture, let alone an entire Bible, I feel guilty. Can it be a sin for a Christian to own so many Bibles? Sometimes I think it must be.

I have my favorite Bibles, of course. They are underlined and highlighted and have notes scribbled in the margins and at the top and bottom of the pages. They worn and torn and wrinkled and are beloved because God has used them to speak to my heart. I like to have different versions of the Bible so I can compare translations and gain a deeper understanding. But there is something quite sad about an unused Bible. Better for me to have one less translation than for someone who needs a Bible to do without.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin

brainstorming & the intuitive writer

I missed the fact that a column of mine, Brainstorming & the Intuitive Writer, is up over on Charis Connection, posted on Thanksgiving Day. I guess I was too busy eating turkey to check blogs.

-rlh-

From the Deep Places

I'm blogging today over on Charis Connection. My post is called From the Deep Places. Here's a clip:

Soon after my first CBA novel, The Forgiving Hour (a story that deals with adultery and forgiveness), was released in 1999, I paid a personal visit to my publisher. One of the sales representatives made a comment that he thought the story rang so true because I'd experienced that particular betrayal (twenty-five years earlier). I remember saying something to the affect of, "If I have to personally experience every story the way I did this one, it'll kill me."

I'm not dead yet, but I have found myself mining those deep places of personal experience in the books I've had released since The Forgiving Hour. How can a writer do otherwise? No matter the subject matter of the novel I'm writing, the lessons God has taught me and is teaching me find their way into the fabric of my stories. They can't help it, and neither can I.

Pop over and read the entire post. And leave a comment if you feel so inclined.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin

got a story to tell?

Rachelle over at Seek First His Kingdom is looking for stories about women for a book she is writing. Why not pop over for a visit and see if you have something you might want to submit?

Here's a snippet from her post:

Falling Forward

Most of us remember, as young girls, singing, “Ashes, ashes, we ALL fall down.”

As grown women all too familiar with faltering, stumbling and falling, we might hear that song in our heads and think, “Ain’t it the truth!”

Christian women are not immune to failure. At times, we’re vulnerable to falling down a variety rabbit holes, and landing ourselves in Not-So-Wonderlands.

What’s your rabbit hole? For some it is depression or despair. For others it is falling into discontent or restlessness. Sometimes we fall into hopelessness or grief. We are all susceptible to discouragement and feelings of unworthiness.

Other times we fall into sin. The pressures of our lives mount up and we fall into addictions to numb our pain: overeating, alcohol, drugs. Our desire to be loved and cherished can cause a fall into relational or sexual sin. Success in life can lead us to fall into pride. Then there’s shopaholism, jealousy, gossip, anger—need I go on? You get the picture. Even the best fall down sometimes.

And when we do—what’s next?

We all learn from others in the body of Christ. Perhaps your story can lift and encourage your sister.

-rlh-

a chuckle for your morning

I have nothing worthwhile to say this morning. I need my head in my manuscript. So I thought I would post this photo I got a few days ago with the caption:

HOW TO TELL THAT YOU ARE DRIVING TOO FAST

Have a great day and slow down!

-rlh-

confess your secret

Check out this site: MySecret.tv

saturday sundries

My Garden:

I do not have a green thumb by any stretch of the imagination. I do not enjoy digging in the dirt, planting, weeding, etc. That is not my gift. I fully appreciate the beauty of those who do garden. While the front of my house is landscaped, including purple wildflowers, roses, potentillas, shrubs (which are in the process of being trimmed as they are out of control), some sort of pretty ground cover, a mock orange, etc., my backyard is lawn, a curly willow tree, and a huge lilac bush. I did have some rose bushes, but they were in too much shade and never did well. I had them ripped up and sod laid. My dogs were also a detriment to the roses, especially Poppet who loves to run the length of the back fence where said rose bushes used to be.

I love my backyard (except for the size of it when it comes to mowing and weed whacking). The curly willow casts shade across it starting in mid-afternoon and lengthening as the day progresses. Mom and I enjoy sitting on the patio on the porch swing in the cooler parts of the day. But we have missed the color that flowers bring to a yard. So this week I bought a "portable garden" in an urn, and it's amazing how it brightens things up.

Straight Up:

I was fortunate enough to be asked to do an advance read of Lisa Samson's next book, Straight Up (September 2006). PW gave it a very lovely review, and I concur. Here is what I had to say:

What if we chose differently in life? Straight Up is pure Lisa Samson — original, raw, and laced with grace. As always, Lisa's characters came to life in my imagination, becoming my friends. This book made me cry and also allowed me hope. What a treasure.

Lisa Samson has an original voice, and she doesn't pretty up the realities of life for her fiction.

What Brings People to Write Thinking:

Every once in a while, I look to see what people search for on Google and other search engines that ends up causing them to follow a link to my blog. Sometimes they are just down right funny. Typepad only shows this information for 24 hours so these are just what I can find in that time frame as of about 6:45 a.m. MDT:

Golf AND blister AND right thumb
How to write ten pages per day
Robin Lee
Mining theme for Christian women's retreat
I have an ugly thumb on my left hand
"Philip Anschutz" trusted assistant
Write farewell note
Hand pain golf
Write cheerful farewell notes

It appears that the problem with that blister on my thumb from golfing has created quite the traffic. Not sure about those farewell notes. And who is Philip Anschutz? Hmm. I must have quoted him or something.

---

Well, that's the end of my Saturday Sundries.

Until next time, may God keep you ...

In the grip of His grace,
Robin

a friday feast kind of friday

I'm working on my book, trying to keep up with the yard work, running errands for the household, etc. But none of those things have generated any good blog material. Thus, I haven't blogged in a few days. So I'm going to indulge in a Friday's Feast. Here goes:

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you like your job?

A 10. Oh, there are plenty of parts of being a writer that I dislike at times, but those times come and go. No job would suit me better, that's for certain.

Soup
When was the last time you think you were lied to?

Yesterday.

Salad
Share some lyrics from one of your favorite songs.

All things work for our good
though sometimes we can't see how they could
struggles that break our hearts in two
sometimes blinds us to the truth

Our Father knows what's best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim, and you just can't see Him
Remember you're never alone

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart

He sees the master plan
And He holds our future in His hands
So don't live as those who have no hope
All our hope is found in Him

We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and the last
And like a tapestry He's weaving you and me to someday be just like Him

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart

He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand trust His heart
*****(Trust His Heart by Babbie Mason on the Timeless album)

Main Course
What do you do/take when you are in pain?

I ice it or heat it, and eventually I'll take an Aleve if necessary.

Dessert
Fill in the blanks:  My __________ is very __________.

My Papillon dog Poppet is very high maintenance but still brings me joy. (Photo above is of Poppet sitting on my mom's bed.)

-rlh-

feedblitz on typepad

Typepad has added some new features, one of which is the ability to sign up for FeedBlitz. All you do is enter your email address in the little sign up box over in my sidebar. For subscribers (that's you), here is how it works:

• Register with FeedBlitz
• Add the blog or web page URLs to track
• You get a simple daily digest of any changes

FeedBlitz monitors the information you care about and delivers it to your inbox. Simple. No popups - ever. No gurus required. No software to install. And because it's email, unlike typical web services, you can look at the content offline in your email software - on your laptop, phone, PDA, at the airport, wherever you can read your mail.

Multiple Feeds, One Daily Email. Each night (US East Coast) the free service checks on your feeds, figures out the changes, and sends you a single, easy to read email with all the information at your fingertips. If there are no changes, you won't get a message, so FeedBlitz won't clutter up your email system with worthless emails. Even with an online aggregator having a daily digest backup is useful, as your email software has search, sort and indexing capabilities that many aggregators simply don't.

Looks like a nice little feature. You might want to give it a try.

-rlh-

oops

If you tried to follow my link to Kristin Billereck's blog post yesterday, I apologize. I pasted the link to Terry Whalin's blog into both of my recommendations. Sorry! Some of you already have these two blogs linked, so I know you made it there despite my oops. The error has now been corrected.

-rlh-

i'm moving

Yes, I'm in the process of moving, but not from one house to another. From one platform to another. I have joined that Mac "cult." After 22 years of using PCs, I am now learning to think and compute in a new way. I've been considering this change for more than two years. Probably closer to four. What's stopped me is WordPerfect. It is the best word processor out there. But WP stopped making software for the Mac. Now I shall be forced to use Word all the time instead of just for the Track Changes during editing. Sigh...

Still, for a number of reasons, I decided now was the time to make this move. I'll be quiet for a number of days as I move files and get everything working the way I want it. But never fear. I'm alive and kicking and also getting very close to finishing my rewrites.

Oh, I finished my Scripture memorization class. I came away with a lot of ideas and tips. My first goal: Romans 12. I'll let you know how it goes.

-rlh-

what a compliment!

Okay, I confess. I loved seeing this post! Very nice way to start my work week and a shot in my guilt-ridden, I-should-have-written-yesterday-instead-of-watching-two-DVDs ego.

Robin, who believes the Super Bowl is one that cleans itself

4th blogiversary

Four years ago today, at 4:28 a.m., I posted my first blog entry:

The Journal Begins

It's early. All my days start early. It's just the way I'm wired, I guess.

I am in the beginning stages of writing a new novel. This stage is always hit and miss for me. My mind scrambles to grasp what the book will actually be about. I'm trying to "get inside" my characters. I'm reading research books and trying to assimilate all the new information.

Since readers often ask what it's like to write a book, I thought I'd try my hand at on-line journal keeping and let you have a peek inside.

So pop back every so often and see how things are going.

Here are a few items of note about "the book":.

(1) The new novel is Book #4 in the Coming to America series from Zondervan. In this journal, I'll refer to it as PTM..

(2) PTM is an historical romance set in 1908, featuring German immigrants who settle on a farm in eastern Idaho..

(3) The hero is Jakob. The heroine is Karola..

Today is Saturday. This morning is my bi-weekly woman's bible study, held here in my home. I'll probably use the afternoon for more research about wheat harvesting.

I never envisioned that I would blog about more than my w*i*p's. I'm not sure I believed I'd still be blogging four years later or that people would make a point to visit it on a regular basis (thanks, everybody). Amazing!

A few months after I'd begun keeping my on-line journal, my blog (which has had a few different names) evolved naturally into one that incorporated my faith-life along with my writing life. Actually, this blog is more often about things of faith than writing. Here's an entry from June 2002:

relying on His strength and not my own

Paul writes in Ephesians 3:16: "I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit."

That's my desire. To tap into His glorious, unlimited resources so I can accomplish what He has for me to do. I sure can't do it on my own. When I wrote books under my own power (during my pre-CBA career), I definitely used the talent God gave me, but I didn't write the books He wanted me to write. Now, if I hope to use the talent for God's purposes, I have to have His power to go with it or I am lost.

Florence Nightingale said: "Life is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the principle of evil, hand to hand, foot to foot. Every inch of the way is disputed. The night is given us to take breath and to pray, to drink deep at the fountain of power. The day, to use the strength that has been given us, to go forth to work with it till the evening."

God doesn't ask us to walk in our own strength. If Jesus is our Lord, we can walk in *His* strength. That's a good reminder for me on this Saturday morning.

Since beginning my blog, I've made 818 entries (including this one): 369 on Diaryland between January 2002 and October 2004 and another 449 on Typepad between October 2004 and today. Of course, there are bloggers out there who post daily and frequently during the day, so those numbers don't seem all that enormous, but it's an average of 204.5 posts per year. Not too shabby.

So anyway, happy blogiversary to me. Thanks for joining me as I do my Write Thinking.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin

soapbox

I got up on my soapbox today as a guest blogger at fallible.com. Hope you'll drop by.

-rlh-

2005 in review

From Katy at Fallible.com comes the idea to review the year by listing the first line from the first post of each month . I'm expanding to the first paragraph since they were all fairly short anyway. This was interesting to me, to see what I was talking about each month as I breezed through, cutting and pasting. How quickly a year goes by.

And now, 2005 in review:

---

January 1, 2005: Today I embark on another journey through the Bible. I'll spend 9 months in the Old Testament, mining its truths, then the final three months in the New Testament. I'm asking the Lord to teach me something new about Him each day. May His truth go down deep in my heart, so that I'm changed by it.

February 2, 2005: Yep. It's true. I've got another cold. Nailed by the bug again. I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired. I swear I'm going to improve my immune system and stop this nonsense.

March 1, 2005: I have lived long enough that I shouldn't be surprised by the things people do and/or say. Yet I am often surprised, all the same.

April 1, 2005: I've been "googling" on the Internet, trying to find the full transcript of the statement the Schindler family gave at the press conference yesterday.

May 2, 2005: My daily Bible reading this morning included this selection from 2 Kings 5. Naaman was the commander of King Aram's army, but he suffered from leprosy. He was sent to Elisha the prophet to ask for healing.

June 2, 2005: Earlier this week, I received an email from a reader (of my books and of this blog). She wrote to me because she read The Victory Club over the Memorial Day weekend and wanted to tell me what it meant to her. Her words of praise were especially sweet since I struggled so during the writing of that book.

July 1, 2005: It's July 1st, and I am officially heading into overdrive. I am behind where I needed to be on the wip. Bummer. I have three trips in the month of July (writers' conference/booksellers convention, brainstorming retreat, and another writers' conference). I'll be gone 17 days total, including travel days. These are all jam-packed business trips where I'll be on the go-go-go from breakfast meetings to dinner events. Nonetheless, I'll have to be writing too in order to finish the book in time. Have laptop, will travel.

August 5, 2005: Hmm. Ever notice that when life gives you a sucker punch, blogging and blog reading are just not real high on your priority list? Well, if not, I don't think you've really experienced a sucker punch in the game of life. And since this week hasn't been one of my better weeks, I am living dangerously close to the "ranting" edge.

September 1, 2005: This morning, I sent an email to subscribers on my e-newsletter list, a request to give and to pray [re: Katrina].

October 10, 2005: Okay, so you may not remember me, I've been silent so long. I'm Robin from Write Thinking. Nice to meet you. {{grin}}

November 2, 2005: The edited manuscript of DP landed in my mailbox by email attachment yesterday, and I went straight to work on it. Managed to finish only chapter one, but I did make notes for chapter two which I will tackle soon.

December 3, 2005: I am currently burning up the hours trying to get this latest book done. I will return to my blog soon after I hit "Send" on an email with the manuscript file attached.

---

So how about you? What did your year look like, fellow bloggers?

-rlh-

this cracks me up

I have long said that I think of myself as "around 32." Of course, I was older than 32 when I started thinking and saying it. Now with this test that I discovered on Angie Hunt's blog, I've learned I act even younger than 32!!! Afraid I don't agree with it. I believe the avoidance of alcohol in the questions I answered considerably lowered my results. But it was fun to do anyway.

You Are 25 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

seven sevens

Okay, while I was in the midst of trying to finish a book, I got tagged for the latest meme making the rounds. Not by one but by two folks! Since I am thoroughly and completely brain dead after a rather intense rush to the finish, answering a meme seems like a pretty good way to fill my next blog post. Angie and BJ, here you go.

Seven Things to Do Before I Die:

1) Travel to the countries of my maternal and paternal great-grandparents: England, Ireland, and Sweden
2) Lower my cholesterol
3) Be consistent in my exercising
4) Learn a foreign language
5) Learn to play the piano again (I took lessons as a child)
6) Declutter my house so my children and/or grandchildren don't have to do it after I die
7) Move to a smaller home without lots of yard work

Seven Things I Cannot Do:

1) Plot a novel scene-by-scene in advance
2) Prepare a gourmet meal
3) Wear high heels
4) Run (it's pathetic!)
5) Watch sports on TV (except for figure skating and the Olympics)
6) Be around cigarette smoke
7) Understand calculus

Seven Things that Attract Me to My Best Friends (in no particular order):

1) Their love of God
2) Their devotion to husbands and children
3) The way they mentor other women
4) Their love of music, especially their voices raised in songs of praise to the Lord
5) The way we laugh together
6) The way we cry together
7) That they are prayer warriors and stand in the gap for others

Seven Things I Say Most Often:

1) Really?
2) Duh!
3) You know...
4) No, Poppet, no!
5) Awesome!
6) Major!
7) You think?

Seven Books (or series) I Love:

1) The Bible
2) Come Thirsty by Max Lucado
3) The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
4) Heaven by Randy Alcorn
5) Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
6) The Word on the Street by Rob Lacey
7) So many novels I could not begin to remember and list them all

Seven Movies I Would [and do] Watch Over and Over Again:

1) Sense and Sensibilities
2) Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth version)
3) About a Boy
4) Finding Neverland
5) Mansfield Park
6) An Ideal Husband
7) Return to Me
8) The Wizard of Oz
9) Dave
10) and many others in my considerable DVD collection

The last thing I'm supposed to do is list 7 people I would like to see answer this same meme. But since it appears everyone in the blogosphere has already been tagged by someone else, I think I will just skip that step. But if you want to play, join in and then let me know.

-rlh-

a friday's feast

In an effort to be a little more regular with my posting, I'll answer this week's Friday's Feast.

Appetizer
What did you look like when you were a teenager?

I had a few good moments, but I was kind of gawky. Naturally curly dark blond hair (but I thought of it as brown) when what was popular was long, pale-blond, and straight. I used to iron my hair on the ironing board to try to look like the other girls. I was slender, and when I was in high school I was considered on the tall side. These days I'm on the shorter side of average, I think.

Salad
Whose advice do you listen to?

I try to listen to the Holy Spirit's still small voice. I have two very close friends who are both Christians; they are my most frequent sounding boards because I trust their godly wisdom. I listen to my pastor's advice from the pulpit.

Soup
Name a book you would like to memorize.

Wow! I would love to be able to memorize the entire book of Psalms.

Main Course
How often are you sick?

Not very often. I get aches and pains, but it isn't often that I'm sick.

Dessert
Do you like or dislike change?

Hmm. When I see it coming, I'm not very fond of change. And going through it, I'm usually not fond of change either. After the fact, after the dust has settled and whatever is different is done, then I often like what has happened. Must be because God is in control, huh? Romans 8:28 applies here.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin

Christian Carnival XCV

The latest Christian Carnival was posted yesterday over at Eternal Revolution. Follow the link and discover a new Christian blog or two (or more).

-rlh-

blog interview

My introduction and interview (two separate posts) by Gina Holmes at Novel Journey are up as of this morning. Drop on by and see my answers.

P.S. Made some real progress in the edits/revisions/additions yesterday. Hope for more of the same this morning before my afternoon of appointments rolls around.

-rlh-

for what it's worth

Well, here was something fun. Thanks to both Between Sundays and No Rules Just Write, I now know the worth of Write Thinking. Check out Business Opportunities Weblog to find out about your blog.
 

Do you suppose I can take out a loan on this?

My blog is worth $40,646.88.
How much is your blog worth?

I'm feeling richer already.

-rlh-

saturday tidbits

Typepad Problems:

Typepad is moving because of their fantastic growth. But that means that servers have been a bit overwhelmed. Service has been slow. People post a comment and think it "didn't take" but it eventually shows up. Things are supposed to start getting better soon.

---

Yesterday:

(1) I got almost zip writing done as I researched what an acoustic guitar might have cost in 1969. Anybody out there know for sure? Both for something nice, like a Gibson, and for something that would be sold to a beginner with no money. I can come close using a price index, but that's not definitive.

(2) Friday evenings are Celebrate Recovery at the Boise Vineyard. The program Celebrate Recovery, based on the Beatitudes and the 12 Steps, began in Rick Warren's Saddleback Church and has spread rapidly across the country. It's for anyone trying to overcome hurts, habits, and hang-ups. If you've read my novel, Beyond the Shadows, you know my life has been impacted by the alcoholism of a loved one. Because of it, I deal with codependency traits that I'd love to change. God has delivered me and changed me so much over the years, but He and I know there is much yet to do. (Sanctification takes a lifetime. We're never done. But at least we don't have to stay stuck where we were.) Most 12 Step programs, although helpful (and I learned so much about alcoholism through the literature of Al-Anon), don't quite do it for me. I need to be with believers who understand and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Higher Power, the one and only true Higher Power. I highly recommend CR to others, no matter what your issues — addictions, codependency, eating disorders, bad habits, old hurts, etc.

---

This Morning:

[Note to self: Do not drink a can of pop shortly before bedtime. It makes one have to get up in the middle of the night.]

As I snuggled back into my pillow and beneath my warm down comforter, I had the pleasure of hearing Sean Connery's voice whispering to me: "Don't think. Write!" I don't know if I'm quoting from the movie Finding Forrester verbatim or not, but it's close. And that's exactly what I need to do today. DON'T THINK. WRITE! I know that every writer who saw that movie responded to that scene and to those words. There are times we have to get out of our own way and just write.

That's what I plan to do today.

-rlh-

into thin air

Of all the nerve! I spent a good 45 minutes writing this wonderful blog entry — very spiritual and encouraging, mind you — and my web browser simply shut down. First time I've ever had that happen. I had two windows open and both just closed on their own. Poof! My brilliance was gone. I think I shall make that my final lesson in this blog business (I have lost other entries, just not from the browser closing) and begin writing my entries in Notepad first, then copying and pasting them into my blog.

The non-spiritual part of my brilliant blog post was about getting to work today on my new book. And since I cannot get back those lost 45 minutes, I shall have to skip trying to recall the words for a blog post and drum up new words for my new WIP instead.

The spiritual part was about Luke 11:9-13. Perhaps God has something special for you if you go read them for yourself. Perhaps that's why my post disappeared.

Lord, teach us to pray!

In the grip of His grace,
Robin

quote of the day

I'm still hammering away at ye ol' book, but paused to play a bit of catch up reading on some favorite blogs. This post from Cerulean Sanctum really struck me, perhaps because in the writing community there are many who talk about pushing the boundaries of any chosen genre:

The Church in America is troubled by many things that have little eternal value. We get caught up in quibbles and quandaries when we should be caught up in dwelling at the feet of Jesus. What draws us away from real discipleship is our desire to explore the boundaries rather than staying near the Master. (emphasis mine)

Read the rest of Dan's post, The American Church's Five Most Pressing Needs.

-rlh-

christian carnival #89

Another week. Another Christian carnival.

Check it out at In the Spirit of Grace.