Hello girls and guys. Sorry I’ve been away so long. Life has
a way of filling up your time before you know it. I hope you all had a
wonderful Thanksgiving Day…and enjoyed all the good food with the family.
Thanksgiving Day is over, but reasons to be thankful
continue to soar. God is so good. Our Thanksgiving holiday was looking to be
promising, Our daughter was flying in from California to spend almost two weeks
with us, and we had a new grandbaby to join us at the dinner table, as well as
the rest of the kids, grandkids, and son & daughter-in-laws.
Unfortunately before the big feasting day arrived, things
went south. A dear family member had a major surgery. During the waiting, my
husband became so ill; his doctor had us take him to the emergency. Then while
a procedure was being done on him the next day trying to make him better, our
daughter home for vacation collapsed in the lobby of the hospital. She was
immediately admitted to emergency room, and she too was operated on the same
day. As sad as all of this sounds, good came from it and more will. Trials we
go through become testimonies later. We all just have to hold on tight to God’s
promises and know that He is with us through it all. This too shall pass. He loves us and promises our later will be greater than our past. We’ve had so many good days over
the years; it’s hard to believe things can get better. But they can and they
will—that’s a promise from God to those who believe, trust and follow Him.
So keep on thanking God as days go by no matter what the
circumstances are around you.
Look what is only a few weeks away. Christmas!! The best
time of year—the best day of celebration! Christ’s birthday! He is the reason
for the season, and I so look forward to this time of year. I love the lights
and decorations. I love the joy of giving. And who doesn’t love the caroling
and all the Christmas movies. Well some of you may not like all those sappy
movies, but I do. I love happy endings. Peace, joy, good will to men. Just
saying those words as I type them, brings a smile to my face.
I wish you all a very merry Christmas.
This Friday (12/13, 5-10 pm) and Saturday (12/14, 4-10 pm)
I’ll be down in Marrero, Louisiana at the Imagine
Christmas Bazaar & Craft Show. Admission is FREE. This will be my first year in attendance although it will be
their 9th year. They had over 2500 in attendance in 2012. I’m
looking forward to being a part of it in 2013. I’ll have all my books available
(as well as a few Christmas Specials) and look forward to meeting you. It’s
always a blessing to get to know my readers. So drop on by.
They have so much going on. There will be an inflatable park for the kids, Bazaar & Craft show, Christmas Trees
decorated, Pictures with Santa, give-a-ways & door prizes, outdoor stage
performances, a special indoor performance “Home for the Holidays” Christmas
Show (seating is limited), face
painting, balloon twisting, sleigh rides, roasted marshmallows, concessions. Go
on line to secures your seat at the “Home For The Holidays” showing. CLICK HERE I hope you try to make
it. It looks to be a lot of fun for the whole family!!!
A few weeks ago I was at the Livingston Festival. It was
great. The festival pulled in a huge crowd and everyone looked to be having a
blast. In the Author Rows tent I met some people who already read Deborah Lynne
books, and a good many more who purchased one or more of my novels. Hopefully they
too will become followers of my books. Two teenage girls made my day. Both got
excited when their mother not only bought the first book in my Samantha Cain
series, Be Not Afraid, but their mothers purchased book two & three
as well…Testimony of Innocence (released 2012) & The Truth Revealed released
November 2013. Both girls seemed very excited about going home and starting to
read Be
Not Afraid knowing they had both Testimony of Innocence and The
Truth Revealed, ready to read in order. Book 4 – Against Her Will will be
released in 2014.
Again – Have a very Merry Christmas.
Now for you writers who read my blog, this is for you. As
you know, I belong to American Christian Fiction Writers, a national
organization. They teach on-line classes through the website to its members.
I’d like to share some information on one of the classes I took, hoping it will
help you grow your novel as you grow in your writing. Sorry to say, I didn’t
note who taught this class or even when it was posted. I would like to thank
her for her time and pray she doesn’t mind me passing some of her knowledge on
to you. If you already belong to ACFW, you can check out all the courses
they’ve taught through the archives. I suggest you do. If you don’t belong to
ACFW, it’s a great organization to hook up with as a writer.
Layering Your Novel:
What is layering? It is a mix of elements beneath the
surface of the main plot and characters. It’s used to create a richer reading
experience. When we read a story that touches us on several layers, it enhances
our reading experience, and this is what you want your readers to experience.
Some layering elements are subplots, texture, subtext,
foreshadowing, and symbolism. When you understand the purpose of layering, it
will help you understand what is should achieve.
You add layers by adding more highs and lows. Layering also
takes some of the pressure off of an emotional main plot so it won’t exhaust
the reader. It extends the main plot as well as helps you control the pacing of
your story. It also gives your fiction a better representation of the
complexities of real life.
Have I got your attention? On my next blog we will go into
layering one step at a time. When I do this, I will have the name of the
original author who taught this to me and will share her name as well as give
the date she taught this. So stay tuned for next month’s blog.
Have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. I do plan
to post another blog before the New Year…if all stays well…which it will!!
Bye now!
