What I Learned in June

I really enjoy taking a few minutes to think back over my month and share a few of the things I’ve learned. (This idea is from both Emily P. Freeman and Modern Mrs. Darcy). 

Here goes:

1. I am incapable of being calm when surprised with good news. (Or . . . I *will* make a goober out of myself when something awesome happens). 

On June 17^th, my phone rang and even though I didn’t recognize the number, I answered it. When the voice on the other end of the line said, “This is Casey Herringshaw . . . ” Well, honestly, I don’t exactly know what she said after that because there was only one reason for her to be calling me and I couldn’t quite let myself believe that it was possible until she confirmed she was calling to tell me that Covert Justice was a finalist in the Short Novel category of the Carol Awards. I don’t actually know what I said after that, but there was a lot of laughing (I’m calling it laughing…Casey might call it maniacal giggling). Other that that, it’s pretty much a blur—although that might have been because of my tears of joy. I generally try to act like a professional, but I must say, it was way more fun to enjoy the good news. Which leads me to the next thing I learned…

2. It is REALLY hard to keep good news a secret! I had to wait 10 days before I could tell anyone about the Carol final. It was *killing* me! I wanted to ask my friends if they had finaled (and quite a few of them did!) and I wanted to share it with the world. But I kept my mouth zipped up tight (no small feat for me) and waited not-so-patiently for the announcement on the 27^th. 

3. Good news in one area will not fix the rest of your life—or even fix that part of your life. I had one of my most challenging writing weeks - ever -  in the space between finding out about the Carol final and being able to talk about the Carol final. Awards are awesome and fun, but they don’t actually make it any easier to write your stories, and I don’t know of a single one that will do your laundry. (If there is an award that comes with a laundry service, please someone let me know because I want to win that one bad). Life goes on. The plot line that was kicking your rear an hour before you get a “call” will still be making you crazy an hour later. The dishes still need to be done. The bills still have to be paid. People will still cut you off in traffic. It’s a very bizarre thing to be simultaneously joyful and despondent, but it is possible. 

4. I love to read the Psalms in the summer. I run to the Psalms when I am frustrated and frazzled, and summers are challenging for our family. Children who thrive on routine can struggle mightily in the free-wheeling, carefree days of summer, and that makes it hard on this mama. Without being consciously aware of what I was doing, I just turned to Psalm 1 and started reading . . . and realized I’ve done this before. My Bible is marked up in pens, pencils, and all sort of random notations, but there is nowhere that I can remember what I was feeling when I highlighted a particular passage as when I re-read the Psalms. 

5. The best way to wean yourself off caffeine is S-L-O-W-L-Y. I’ve gone cold turkey before and paid the price. In June, I took a slower approach and cut way back on my caffeine. I still had a few migraines, but it wasn’t anything like before. Now, I’m avoiding caffeine in most things except my morning coffee, and even there, I’m drinking less and going with a half-caff approach.  I’ve even skipped it entirely several times with no drama. I sleep better and don’t crash so much in the afternoon, and more importantly, don’t get the jittery feeling I had been experiencing far too often before I made the switch. And speaking of coffee…

6. Some things are worth the calories. I drank my coffee black for a while, but I just didn’t love it the way I had before. And yes, I could give it up entirely I suppose—maybe try to switch to tea—but I’ve decided that some things are worth the calories. I drink my coffee with a splash (or two) of half & half. I enjoy every sip. I sit on my deck with the Psalms and I get my head on straight before I dive into the morning. Life is too short to say “no” to everything under the sun just because it might be a tiny bit better for you. Some things are worth saying “yes” to for the simple reason that they bring delight to your day. Cream in my coffee is one of those things. 

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Interview on Blog Talk Radio with Christian Communicators Live!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer! I am up to my eye balls in summer camps and a new romantic suspense story.

To be honest, it's been a challenging writing week. I had hit a wall - hard - when a friend of mine shot me an encouraging word about an interview I did on the Christian Communicators Live Blog Talk Radio back in November and it was such a blessing to me. Her timing was perfect and I know God used her to help me keep my eyes on Him and stay focused on what He has me doing.

Later on - same day - I had a chance to sit down with another friend who I consider to be one of the most uplifting people on the planet, and I came away with a renewed sense of purpose and hopefulness about the work God has ordained for me.

It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget the miraculous ways God has intervened in our lives. When that happens, we need to remember what God has done. We need to review His faithfulness and His goodness to us and when we do, we find new strength for a new day.

Last night, I realized that I never shared the interview with you here. So I'm taking care of that today. :) Who knows? Maybe there's something that God can use to inspire you to press on and run your race well.

I had a blast talking with Carolyn Knefely and Vonda Skelton about Covert Justice, my family, stories, my writing process, writing with children in the home, NCIS, and why I love writing romance. It might be fun for those of you who don't know me personally to hear my Southern drawl as I share about God's faithfulness in my publication journey.

And if you're a writer--especially a writer mom--I hope this will be an encouragement to you.

You can click to here to listen to the interview. I'd love to hear what you think.


Click to Tweet
Talking #writing, #publication and why I love romance. Encouragement for the #writermom. http://bit.ly/28S7sZQ #amwriting #romanticsuspense 

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A Few Thoughts....The Selah Awards - Part 2 edition

A month ago I shared a few thoughts on being a finalist for the Selah Awards in the Mystery and Suspense category. (You can read that post here).

In that post, I made the following statement…“I am not going to win."

Well…

I was wrong.

To my absolute and complete shock, Covert Justice won the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery/Suspense! 

I’ve had almost a month to think about it, to let it settle in my mind, to stop looking at the plaque on my mantle in stunned disbelief, and I still don’t have the right words to describe how I feel.

I’m a writer. I really should be able to handle this.

All I know is that when my name was called, I temporarily lost all sense of time and space. It was truly like having an out of body experience. I remember fighting back tears. I remember walking up to the stage. I remember smiling at the camera. I remember stumbling back to my seat and people smiling and congratulating me as I passed. I remember sitting down and realizing that I was trembling from head to toe.

Note the glasses and
goofy grin!

I forgot to take off my glasses (which I hate but am currently wearing all the time because of a tenacious eye infection). If I had been required to give a speech it would have been a disaster because in that moment I wasn’t entirely sure what my own name was. I’m pretty sure I looked like some bizarre version of the Joker because there was this weird grin plastered on my face that I couldn’t get control of.

But beyond that, I’m still processing the whys and hows of it all. 

I am so humbled. So stunned. And still wondering if there might have been a judging mistake. :) 

Me with my awesome agent,
Tamela Hancock Murray!

Covert Justice is my first book. I love it. It will always be special and dear, but in the year since it was released I have had so many days when I wondered if this writing thing was just too much to deal with right now. If maybe everyone would be better off if I walked away. (Can you say "Mom guilt"?) 

I have prayed so many times for clarity. Not for a sign, really. Just for peace and confidence that this journey was one I should be on.

Being a finalist and then actually winning an award like the Selah makes it hard not to believe that I’m at least moving in the right direction. 

So fun to have Shana Asaro, a Love
Inspired editor there! 

I know God is up to something with my writing. I have no idea what, but I’m thrilled to be following His lead and I’m excited to see where He takes me next. I'm also terrified! It's quite daunting to be faced with a very clear directive from the Almighty!

I want God to receive all the glory and praise. I want my readers not only to enjoy the stories I write, but to love Him more and to see Him more clearly than they did before. 

This summer, I am waiting to hear about my next book, writing a third, and brainstorming ideas for a new series. I would so appreciate your prayers as I lean hard into the Ultimate Storyteller and seek to craft new stories that will honor Him!

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Hard Lessons on Envy

I'm so excited to introduce you to my friend Felicia Bridges. Her new book, CzechMate, just released. I got a sneak peek a few weeks ago and it is awesome!! Perfect for the teens (and adults) in your life who love a great story and have a heart for missions.  Here's a little bit about CzechMate...

Nicole Wise loves her new life in Prague almost as much as she loves telling people about Jesus. But when an election upset changes the balance of power in the formerly communist country, Nicole’s outspoken attempts at evangelism lead to her parents’ arrest on espionage charges. Teaming up with Jakub, a handsome, young Romani Czech, who has grown up homeless, Nicole and her little brother, Adam, evade corrupt authorities by hiding out in underground tunnels of the ancient city while hoping to find evidence of their parents’ innocence. Their last resort is to make the proof public in a desperate bid to save them before it’s too late. When Nicole and Adam’s parents are caught in a standoff between political forces that threaten to erupt into a bloody civil war, Nicole finds herself standing alone against an army, faith her only defense.

AGGGH! Doesn't that sound awesome?!

Felicia has such a passion for the Lord and for living her life on mission. Her post (written a couple of weeks ago while the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference was in full swing) spoke to me. Well, it actually hit me between the eyes and stomped on my toes...you've been warned!

******

It’s started already.

Most of my writerly friends are spending this week enjoying a slice of Carolina heaven known as Ridgecrest at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference (BRMCWC). The Facebook posts about packing and preparing started weeks ago and with them, the little green monster crept in.

Facebook itself fed the monster with reminders of years past and the fun, fellowship and worship we enjoyed together.

Before long, I found myself posting things like, “Jealous,” or “Wish I could be there” or emoticons with tears flowing down.

But this morning our pastor had a message just for me – a message I would have missed if I had been at BRMCWC.

It wasn’t the key point of his message, but he made this statement that has echoed in my heart all day: “Envy is based on a doubt of the goodness of God to you.”

It’s a child receiving a cookie and wanting to see his sister’s cookie to be sure she didn’t get something better.

It’s a husband ogling another man’s wife.

It’s an employee with bitterness over their co-worker’s success.

Envy tells us no matter how blessed we are…is there something more? Am I missing out? Is God keeping His very best for someone else?

Ah! And there we have it – the root of the very first sin. Doubting the goodness of God.

When Satan tempted Eve in the garden, this was the lie he used. The lie that tells us that God is withholding His very best or giving it to someone else. It suggests that God’s motivation is not in our best interest.

Now for confession time. The very reason I couldn’t make it to the conference this year is because of God’s magnificent and overwhelming blessings. Over the past year, God has blessed me by guiding me to a publisher (Vinspire Publishing) and an agent (Julie Gwinn, with The Seymour Agency).

By His grace, I signed a contract not only for the book I had finished writing, but for the second book I had barely begun.

By His grace, I was able to finish that second book and meet the deadline.

By His grace, my employer has allowed me to take time off to work on writing. By His grace, I’ve been able to meet deadlines at work that seemed impossible.

By His grace, we celebrated two graduations in a single day – one from graduate school, the first in our family, and the other from college.

By His grace, both of my daughters found their forever love, godly men who honor and treasure them. By this time next month, both will be happily married.

In the midst of all this joy, sorrow and grief, almost guilt, gripped me as God brought to mind so many friends who are grieving. Grieving the death of a child. Grieving a child who has lost their way. Grieving a parent who isn’t there to share special moments.

The disparity between all these blessings in my life and the grief in the lives of people I love brought me to tears.

What if you’re watching others receive blessings while your health is failing, your finances are tapped out, or someone you love is standing on the threshold of meeting Jesus face-to-face?

What if you’re sitting on the sidelines watching your friends’ children graduate, while mourning the loss of your own?

What if you’re watching your friends get married and wondering if your Boaz will every show up?

What if you’re working harder and harder and earning less and less?

Who wouldn’t look longingly at those around them and wonder, why me, Lord?

Joni Eareckson Tada, who lost the use of her arms and legs at age 18 in a diving accident, said, “My weakness, that is, my quadriplegia, is my greatest asset because it forces me into the arms of Christ every single morning when I get up.”

As Pastor JD Greear put it, “I would gladly forfeit everything if it means I know God more.”

Do we want more of God as a means to the end of providing for our needs and wants – or is He the end we seek? Is knowing Him worth giving up everything else?

“Jesus is better to us than anything life can give us or that death can take away from us.”

Paul put it this way, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

Whether your life is filled with blessings and busy-ness or turmoil and tragedy, choose today to value God above anything this world has to offer. Resist the enemy who crouches at your door seeking to devour by filling us with discontent over the life that God has purposed for us.

Rather than envy my friends at the conference, I choose to thank God for His blessings, to silence the voice of doubt that suggests I am missing out, and to enjoy the conference vicariously through their posts, tweets, and pictures knowing that God gives to each of us good gifts in perfect season.

*******

Felicia Bridges

Felicia Bridges’ nomadic childhood as an Army BRAT created a passion for missions and travel which energizes her writing. The International Mission Force Series, featuring teenage missionaries around the world, begins with CzechMate, available now. Book two, BoliviaKnight will release in December 2016.

Her blog, www.AdventuresThatInspireAction.wordpress.com, focuses on living on mission wherever life’s adventure leads.

Felicia has a B.A. in Psychology/Human Resources Development from North Carolina State University. Her ten years’ experience as an HR Manager provides for interesting stories and as a Dale Carnegie Course graduate, she is equally comfortable speaking to a stranger or an auditorium full of people.

Catch up with Felicia’s adventures at:

www.AdventuresThatInspireAction.Wordpress.com

Facebook: Felicia Bowen Bridges – Writer

Twitter: @fbridges272

Pinterest: Felicia Bridges

Instagram: fbridges2

Email: feliciabowenbridges@gmail.com

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