It's been said the key to unlocking the future is found in the past. I tell stories about those who went before us and left guideposts for us to find. Take up this journey to the past with me and be inspired, entertained, and enlightened.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
The Irish Fireside Reviews the Year 2013
There is one of my recent blog posts on here. I love this recap. If you don't follow the Irish Fireside, you are missing out!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
What if Christmas Didn't Happen Like We Thought?
Several years ago I attended a program at an observatory where I learned that Christmas, meaning the birth of Christ, mostly likely did not take place on December 25th. First of all, the calendars have changed over the eras. But more than likely the star the wise men followed appeared in the sky sometime during our month of March. So for centuries we've celebrated on the wrong date? Looking back it seems Christ's birthday was not even celebrated for the first few hundred years after His death, according to this article.
If you are wondering how this happened, it's not really that hard to uncover. From what I understand about church history, it was the practice of the church to take over pagan festivals and turn them into ones that have meaning for Christians. This likely happened with the observance of the winter solstice, the coming of light becomes the coming of Light.
My publisher gave me Ann Voskamp's new book, The Greatest Gift, Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas. It's an advent devotional beautifully written with plenty of inspiring quotes I could pull out for you. Here is one: "Love had to get to you. Love had to come back for you. The Love that has been coming for you since the beginning…this is the truest love story of history…"
God With Us! Yes, the birth is important, life-changing, ground-breaking, startling. The actual date, not a big deal.
Why do we do it, then? Give presents, cook, wish every stranger a Merry Christmas (and really mean it, unlike the everyday "Have a nice day.") Because of Him. Because God is with us. Because He lives in us and we see Him in the face of every stranger. That is the important thing about what happened when Jesus was born.
Merry Christmas!!
Friday, November 29, 2013
My Black Friday Offer!
My #BlackFriday Offer: Buy #GracesPictures, email or message me proof of purchase dated today through Christmas & mailing address, & I'll send you Brigid of Ireland for free! Pass it on!
Buy:
And I will mail you FREE:
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Tuesday, November 26, 2013
New Cover!
Pleased as punch to show you the cover of my upcoming novel with Tyndale House Publishers, the follow-up to Grace's Pictures. The designer perfectly captured Annie Gallagher and her love for stories. Cannot wait to share this with readers. Have to though. It releases next summer. However, I am working on some additional material related to this series and hope to have some of it available early in the new year for my newsletter subscribers.
Are you a subscriber? If not, you can join simply by clicking on the icon to the right of this post. You will need to reply to an email you'll receive in order to be signed up (anti spam laws.) I don't share emails with anyone, and you'll only receive one a month. It's a great way to keep up on my news because subscribers are the first to hear what's going on in my writing world.
The year is 1901, the literary sensation The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is taking New York City by storm, and everyone wonders where the next great book will come from. But to Annie Gallagher, stories are more than entertainment—they’re a sweet reminder of her storyteller father. After his death, Annie fled Ireland for the land of dreams, finding work at Hawkins House.
But when a fellow boarder with something to hide is accused of misconduct and authorities threaten to shut down the boardinghouse, Annie fears she may lose her new friends, her housekeeping job . . . and her means of funding her dream: a memorial library to honor her father. Furthermore, the friendly postman shows a little too much interest in Annie—and in her father’s unpublished stories. In fact, he suspects these tales may hold a grand secret.
Are you a subscriber? If not, you can join simply by clicking on the icon to the right of this post. You will need to reply to an email you'll receive in order to be signed up (anti spam laws.) I don't share emails with anyone, and you'll only receive one a month. It's a great way to keep up on my news because subscribers are the first to hear what's going on in my writing world.
But when a fellow boarder with something to hide is accused of misconduct and authorities threaten to shut down the boardinghouse, Annie fears she may lose her new friends, her housekeeping job . . . and her means of funding her dream: a memorial library to honor her father. Furthermore, the friendly postman shows a little too much interest in Annie—and in her father’s unpublished stories. In fact, he suspects these tales may hold a grand secret.
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