Changing for the better, by Myra Johnson

My last couple of blog posts have dealt with our recent move from North Carolina home to Texas. As anyone who has ever moved can understand, even after three months we’re still getting settled. It’s…a process. 

And though we love almost everything about our new home, there were a few changes we needed to make. First item on the list was fencing the backyard so our doggies would have a safe place to run and play. They’re taking full advantage, too, romping or sunning in “real” grass (plush and durable St. Augustine vs. the scraggly fescue that struggled to survive in our shady NC lawn).

Penny & Poppy enjoying the lawn.

Another no-go in our new home was a master bathroom with a lovely soaking tub…but a single sink and NO shower! Especially with our daughter’s family of six expected for a visit next month, no way could all eight of us take turns using the shower in the guest bath! So for the past several weeks, we’ve endured the come-and-go of plumbers, carpenters, painters, electricians, tilers, and granite installers as we change the master bath to a tub/shower combo and add a sink. The end result will be both functional and attractive, the bathroom redesigned exactly as we’d envisioned.

Stages of our remodeling project from start to almost finished!

Writing a book has a lot in common with a remodeling project. The first draft may tell a good story, but it usually needs a little help (or a LOT!) before it’s ready for publication. A scene that goes nowhere? It’s out. The character who chose a certain course of action when the plot really needed her somewhere else? Gotta fence her in. Once character and plot are working in concert, then we get down to the nitty-gritty of polishing sentences and paragraphs, checking spelling and punctuation, and ensuring the finished book reflects the vision we began with.

And just for fun, a photo of Denali getting some outdoor time since he's not allowed to roam free.

It’s also good to remember that since God is the Author of Life, He is constantly at work on a remodeling project in each one of us. Unhealthy habits, harmful choices, negative emotions—these are all things God can help us change so that, day by day, we are growing into the people He created us to be. It takes patience and persistence, along with an unshakable faith that even when progress seems slow and we feel frustrated or discouraged, God knows exactly what He’s doing.

Have you undergone a remodeling project recently? Learn any important lessons along the way?

~~~~~~

Native Texan Myra Johnson writes emotionally gripping stories about love, life, and faith. She’s currently at work on a new Love Inspired mini-series, Hill Country Haven, with returning characters from Her Hill Country Cowboy and Hill Country Reunion. The first book in the series, The Rancher’s Redemption, released last month. Book two, Their Christmas Prayer, will be out in October.


Also look for the updated editions of Myra’s earlier romances:

Autumn Rains

Romance by the Book

Where the Dogwoods Bloom 

The Horsemen of Cross Roads Farm (3-book collection)

And…mark your calendars for June 27-July 1, when Pearl of Great Price will be free for Kindle and other e-readers!

An abandoned Arkansas lake resort holds the key to a young woman’s past . . . and her future.

Myra is a three-time Maggie Awards finalist, two-time finalist for the prestigious ACFW Carol Awards, winner of Christian Retailing’s Best for historical fiction, and winner in the Inspirational category of the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards. After living five years in Oklahoma, then eight years in the beautiful Carolinas, Myra and her husband are thrilled to be back in the Lone Star State enjoying wildflowers, Tex-Mex, and real Texas barbecue! The Johnsons share their home with two very pampered rescue dogs who don’t always understand the meaning of “Mom’s trying to write.” They’ve also inherited the cute little cat (complete with attitude) their daughter and family had to leave behind when they moved overseas.

Website

Facebook

Twitter: @MyraJohnson and @TheGrammarQueen 

Goodreads

Instagram

Pinterest

Sign up to receive Myra’s e-news updates here!

A New Beginning

Hi, Patty Smith Hall here. As many of you are aware,  Love Inspired Historical, the line I write for, will publish the last set of books this June. It's always difficult to see a line end, particularly when it's closing directly affects you. I won't say I didn't see it coming--just one look at the sales numbers over the last few years, and you wonder why they didn't do it sooner. Many who wrote for this line are venturing into contemporary or romantic suspense while others are still trying to figure out where to go from here.

For me, it's been an easy decision. I love reading and writing historical romance and fiction so changing genres was never an option for me. But I've been blessed since word of the closing hit. Last year, I was published in three novella collections(The American Heiress Bride, Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands
and The Captive Bride.) This summer, I'll have two more released--The Underground Railroad Bride and The Southern Belle Bride. I'm also working on a historical fiction that I hope will be published sometime next year.

That being said, I feel it's time to say good-bye. It's been difficult as I've read Harlequin books since I was eleven years old, and it was my dearest dream to write for them since the late 1980s. But times have changed--though I still read Love Inspired, there are other dreams to follow.

So thank you, readers. You are the reason I write in the first place. I'm honored and humbled that you would read my 'scratchings' as Jo March would say. Thank you to the LI editorial staff for giving me the opportunity to live out my dream and teaching me how to be a better writer. Thank you to my LI sisters who have talked me through plot points and tough times. You are some of the most generous people I know.

And thank you, Lord! You began this work in me when I was barely a child, and gave me the dreams of my heart. How great you are, Father! I can't wait to see what You have in store for me next!

PS--Don't miss the first installment of the Valentine's Day tomorrow! It's going to be fantastic fun!

Ask Elnora--About ACFW??? Lenora Worth

Hello, my lovely friends. September is a good month. My daughter was born in September and fall comes in September. It kind of slinks in on those last rays of summer sun and plays around, a leaf falling here, a burst of crisp clean air there. You feel a hint of change in the air.  September is the beginning of the end of the year, the winding down of all the rebirth and growth we get to enjoy and then the world goes quiet and turns into brilliant colors that allow the good earth and the natural world to take a rest and go dormant. But there is another reason I love September and that is the American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference!

This year, it will be held September 13 -- 15 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the best conference for anyone who is interested in writing. Yes, I know it's technically a conference for Christian writers but good writing is good writing and you can learn how to be a good writer at this conference. But it's very different from some big conferences. At ACFW, we begin each day with a worship service and praise singing and lots of prayers. It's a loving, open, giving place where people's lives really do change. There are so many people in this world who have stories to tell and they hurt to put their words to paper. This is the place for such people.

I know that not everyone who attends will go home and write a book. For some, it will be a lifetime struggle and for others, it will be a dream realized. Writing is a hard business. We start with a blank page and we try to fill it and hundreds of pages with words that are woven together into a story. It's not an easy task, no matter what anyone has told us. But at ACFW, we use The Word to help us figure out our words. It's a good place to start.

If you haven't been to ACFW, if you haven't heard of ACFW, if you have a story in your heart and a dream in your head, then today is your lucky day. Elnora is encouraging you to check out this conference. If not this year, work toward going next year. (The hotel fills up and I'm telling you this rather late, but I just want everyone to be aware.) If you can't go to the conference, try joining ACFW and work you way from there. September is about letting go but it's also about blossoming into something wonderful come spring. It's Elnora's job to spread hope to those out there who might not be sure. Be sure and be assured, ACFW means business--the Lord's business and the writing business. Oh, and you can wear fabulous shoes, too, of course :)))

Transitions

Hey everyone, Karen Kirst here to talk about life changes.  I mean BIG changes…like picking up your family and moving out of state or cross-country or even to another country.  Right now, our belongings are packed away in boxes.  The walls are bare and the swing set is gone and we’ve eaten enough sandwiches to last a lifetime.  After seven years, we’re waving goodbye to military life and reentering the civilian world.  On the one hand, I’m sad that I’m leaving. (Having an armed Marine at the gate of our housing complex makes a girl feel very safe!  We like to tell people we live in a gated community at the beach. lol) On the other hand, I’m excited to be going home to Tennessee.  To be close to family and friends again and be able to see those gorgeous Smoky Mountains.

Change can be scary.  Intimidating.  Painful.  But it can also be good.  There are a lot of unknowns in our future, but I’m trusting God to work it all out.  What about you?  Have you experienced any big moves?  What did you do to make the best of the situation?  Were there any surprises?  I’d love to hear about it!

 Like my Smoky Mountain Matches series, my October novella is set in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Here’s a description of both mine and Linda Ford’s novellas-

The Gift of Family

Merry Christmas, Cowboy by Linda Ford
A wild snowstorm strands Colt Johnson in Eden Valley, where the storekeeper's daughter exudes welcome warmth. She's even offered to give the two orphans in his charge a Christmas to remember. An outcast, Colt doesn't dare hope for more-even though Becca's love would be a Christmas wish come true.
Smoky Mountain Christmas by Karen Kirst
Cole Prescott's Gatlinburg visit will be just long enough to free his wife from their mistake of a marriage. Then he meets the daughter he hadn't known he had. Little Abby needs a father, especially at Christmastime. And all Cole wants is a chance to make a life with Rachel and Abby at last....