Thoughts and Musings

To everything, there is a season. . . .

You know the Scripture (Ecclesiastes 3) - or at least the 60s song by the Byrds. We usually think of it in gentle terms, in light of the life moments the passage addresses. We sometimes forget that it opens with the most inescapable time of all: a time to die.

Tonight I have two young men on my mind. BJ Higgins was only 15, and already an accomplished missionary for the Lord. He had travelled with the Awestar organization, and he reached out in many ways to bring people to God. He showed them a passion and love that inspired all those around him, even making him a hero to the group MercyMe. Yet, due to an illness contracted during a mission trip, BJ died. Fifteen years old and leaving behind a legacy, which his parents (and Marti, who posts here and is a friend) detailed in the bestselling book I Would Die For You.

Tomorrow I will go to my church to be with the family of the second young man. He was 23. He committed suicide.

Sometimes I realize in the deepest part of my soul that there are no true answers this side of the veil. That we must wait to understand why one brief life shines while another battles unfathomable demons.

This is when trusting God is the most difficult, even more so than when my own life looks bleak, with an empty bank account or lonely rooms. I understand my choices and my relationship with God. What's harder is trusting His hand with these incomprehensible events, trusting Him to use both lives to change His world.

I certainly know I will never forget either one of them.

Not well, but . . .

I'm at least functional. Still coughing, and I woke up this morning with my vocal cords merged into one non-operational lump, but I have more stamina, and I'm coping with most of the world. In celebration, a few notes:

There's a real odd thrill that comes with finding your upcoming book title on Amazon, as if that makes it even more "real" than the contract. THE FACE OF DECEIT showed up on the site this week, ready for pre-order. It ships in September. No cover yet, and probably not until June or so. Still. It's another listing under my name, and that does the ego good, even if the body is still feeling like a wrung-out rag.

Two.... HI, BETSY!!! Talk about voices from the past. I got an email from another friend this afternoon, telling me that in her move to North Carolina, she'd found links to a mutual friend. Just this afternoon, I was at Betsy's blog, checking it out. To those who are NOT acquainted with my stories from MTSU, Betsy occupies most of my favorite memories from my early 20s, and I've not seen her since. One more point in favor of the Internet.

Finally, check out the new headshot. I hope to make it part of the website revision later in the year. :)

That's it for now. Back to my research for the next novel, which is about all I have energy left for.

Still Cold

I hate being sick. I hate when I really need to crawl into bed and stay there, doing nothing but resting. And I really hate it that my body is pretty much insisting on just that. Most of all, I'm annoyed that my brain comes completely out of gear when I'm like this, and I can barely put a sentence together without pausing to catch my breath.

I want to work, to write, to plan, but every time I sit down at the computer, I'm good for about 5 minutes. Even the dog is bored with me. Maybe I'll have a chance to type more later, when the brain goes back into gear.

Bleh

Cold. Icky, nasty, cold. I thought allergies had taken over my sinuses either because spring is starting to peek out or because a friend of mind just did a beautiful two-room make-over in my house. Dustbunnies galore.

But, no, the fact that I can't seem to get warm--and other, less palatable--indicators tell me this a raucous cold. It's turned a perfectly good writing day into a dark, snooze-fest.

Right now, I'm going to curl up under a blanket and watch Ghost Rider with sitter Kim. Hopefully, I'll feel like actually doing something once the hot tea kicks in.

Deadlines and Good News

First - thanks to those who wrote. I've received some AMAZING emails over the last couple of weeks. Profuse apologies (the third or fourth time at LEAST) to those folks I need to write, especially Jennifer, Marcy, Marti, Mary....the list goes on, and I'm grateful for your patience and your loyalty.

I've been neck-deep in deadlines. I actually didn't go to all the sessions at the retreat in order to meet one of those deadlines, then immediately got embedded in others. I THINK I'll have time this weekend to get in touch with folks. Right now, my house is topsy-turvy as we're swapping my bedroom and office, painting, and preparing for a huge book sale.

Yep - I'm actually getting rid of almost all my books. Just keeping a few beloved volumes, and those bought specifically for research on upcoming novels. So if you're in the Nashville area, let me know if you're interested. There will be about 300 books or so, everything from fiction to history, science, and religion.

I need to get all this under my belt because I've acquired another deadline...Steeple Hill bought the third book in the Jackson's Retreat series, and I have to finish the manuscript by May 16th. This one will come out in the spring of 2009. While I was waiting on their decision, I began a proposal for three more books . . .

More later. Thank you all for your support.