Blessed with Great Friends!

I’m blessed that I have so many friends—some strictly personal, some professional, some a blend of both, and others people I only see once in a while. They’re all friends, and they’ve all touched my life in so many ways.

As a Christian author, my writer friends and church friends overlap. I pray with both, and they are all involved in my career in one way or another. My writer friends and I critique, share ideas, make career plans, laugh or cry about edits, and feed off each other’s energy. My church friends encourage my writing, read my books, and give me ideas for future books. I love my writer and church friends!

I have neighbors who enjoy standing outside chatting on nice days. We discuss yard work, mulch, traffic on the street, and whatever else is happening in the neighborhood at the time. I’m fortunate that the people who live around me aren’t into malicious gossip. They’d much rather talk about important things, like when to trim the palm trees or what’s on sale at Publix. I love my neighbors!

I have some wonderful online buddies, too. Some of them I see at conferences once a year, and others I only chat with online. Even though I don’t see them often or don’t see them at all, I still feel a kinship with them. We share information through the Internet and give each other cyber hugs when needed. I love my online buddies!

God designed us to be social people. We feed off each other and find joy in the company of friends. I’m thankful to have so many friends who are all such wonderful blessings!

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Mixed Bag Day!

Yesterday morning started out rough. I got some news I didn’t want to hear—nothing earth shattering, but not something I want to discuss. It was basically just ego shattering. Then I hopped on my treadmill to start my daily workout. I have no idea how it happened, but my foot slipped, and I lost complete control. And the treadmill kept on going. Until yesterday, I didn’t attach the treadmill safety key to my clothes. Now I’m sore but not broken—at least from what I can tell. From now on, though, I’ll clip that key to my shirt so if I fall, the treadmill will stop.

Then a friend e-mailed me and advised me to check out the Barbour fiction blog. My heart hammered as I saw my name in the top ten favorites among Heartsong Presents readers. I scrolled down and saw my latest book, Noah’s Ark, listed at #4 favorite contemporary. For the icing on the cake, the Noah’s Ark cover made #1. That totally made my ouchies much less painful!

Schedules, Emma and Suite101!

Life has been insane lately, so I haven’t posted in a while. Fortunately, things are looking good now. I should be back to a somewhat regular schedule soon.

My granddaughter Emma just turned 1 last week! I’m excited that I’ll be seeing her soon. My daughter and son-in-law are planning a big birthday party at her other grandmother's (Hi, Georgette!) house, which should be fun for everyone.

Last week, I was promoted to Feature Writer of the Dating section on Suite101. What a cool category for a romance writer! I’ve enjoyed writing articles there. I hope people who read my researched pieces are finding tidbits to make their lives easier or more fun.