Guess who won one of the books in the latest Mainly Mystery blog draw? The ladies there, Cynthia Hickey and Nancy Mehl, have lots of book reviews and interviews, mainly about… mysteries.
Stop by and get some ideas of what to read next.
I’ll be reading Dawn’s Light by Terri Blackstock, and I have to find Jill Elizabeth Nelson’s Reluctant Smuggler too. I’ve enjoyed the previous books in each author’s series.
Over at the Promptings blog, Violet is posting an advent calendar, complete with surprises to open every day from December 1 to 24.
What a lovely way to start each day! Why not stop by?
Voting is into round 2 for the 2008 Canadian Blog Awards. Check out the finalists, you might find something new that you really like. Thank you, everyone who voted for this blog in round one’s “Best New Blog” category, and thanks again, Belinda, for nominating me. You are such an encourager!
Belinda and friends’ Whatever He Says (Religious/Philosophy) and Denyse O’Leary’s Post-Darwinist (Sci/tech) are still in the running.
Click on the beaver to go vote!
I’m surprised and pleased that God with Us: Finding Joy has been nominated for the 2008 Canadian Blog Awards, in the “best new blog” category.
Thank you, Belinda!
Some of the blogs in my blogroll have also been nominated, including Belinda and friends’ Whatever He Says for “best religious/philosophy blog”, Imperfect Prose for “best personal blog”, Canadian Authors Who Are Christian for “best group blog”, Fit for Faith for “best blog post series”, Future Tense and Fiction Matters for “best professional/career blog”, Post Darwinist, Mindful Hack and Colliding Universes for “best sci/tech blog”.
Round one voting is from Nov. 23 – 29, with voters allowed one vote per category. To vote, go to the 2008 Canadian Blog Awards site.
[Note: this review is of the original version of this book, which has now been revised and rereleased. For the review of the 2020 edition, click here.]
Eye of the Storm, by Janice L. Dick (Herald Press, 2003)
In Eye of the Storm, we follow the characters from Calm Before the Storm through the years 1917-1919. A less compassionate author would overwhelm readers with the cruelty and horror of this part in Russian Mennonite history.
The story centres on the fictional Hildebrandt family, but gives glimpses of historical figures like Trotsky and Lenin – and the execution of Tsar Nicholas’ family. At times the sense of growing tragedy made me put the book aside until the next day, but the characters always drew me back.
Rich in historical and cultural details, the book opens a window into the suffering of both rich and poor – and the faith of the Russian Mennonites. The Mennonite landowners experience raids on their property and possessions, but their faith calls them to a peaceful life. Some choose to learn self-defence, but family head Heinrich Hildebrandt cannot reconcile this with his beliefs. He removes all weapons from his estate, “that I might not be tempted.” Whatever the reader’s personal beliefs on pacifism, this book brings the agony of the Russian Mennonites’ choice to life.
It also demonstrates the struggle to keep hope and live by faith when the world is falling apart. Although the characters usually come to decisions in line with the tenets of their faith, it is never trite or without serious wrestling.
I’m glad I picked up books two and three of the series together – the ending of Eye of the Storm is the beginning of a new adventure, and I can’t wait too long to discover how things work out.
To learn more about the series, or for an overview of Russian Mennonite history and some authentic Mennonite recipes, visit the author’s website.
If you’re a writer or aspiring writer living in or near Barrie, Ontario, I highly recommend taking in author NJ Lindquist’s Recycle Your Personal Experiences workshop on Nov. 15 at Barrie Free Methodist Church.
Recycle Your Personal Experiences is an all-day workshop filled with warmth, encouragement and practical help for people who feel a desire or even a pressing need to write, but don’t know where to begin or how to market their work. The goal for this workshop is to bring like-minded people together in an environment that allows them to connect with each other, learn necessary skills, and formulate an action plan in order to achieve their goals. [from the promotional material]
I attended this workshop last month in Nova Scotia, and it was empowering. Attendees ranged from published writers through those trying to break into print to some who came wondering “Could I be a writer? Is this writing thing for me?”
Speaker NJ Lindquist ended each of the four sessions by breaking us into small groups to apply what we’d learned. By the end of the day, we had identified some ideas to write about, thought through why they held our interest and how we wanted to present them (article, devotional, story, poem etc), and identified potential markets to research for them. We’d also made some new friends.
I’d never been to a workshop that combined teaching and practical application this way, and I think it’s great. Too often we get inspired but then in the cold doubt of second thoughts once the event is over, we don’t know how to follow through.
Recycle Your Personal Experiences
Date: Nov. 15, 9:00 – 5:00
Location: Barrie Free Methodist Church
Cost: $85 (students and seniors, $60). Group rates for 10 or more.
Registration: Via TicketWindow or phone 519-886-4196.
Sponsored by: The Word Guild and That’s Life! Communications.
I haven’t had the chance to meet Marcia Gruver yet, but we’re both members of American Christian Fiction Writers (yes, they let Canadians join too) and I’m excited to be part of the blog tour for her historical novel, Diamond Duo, released this month from Barbour Publishing.
Marcia is a full time writer who hails from Southeast Texas. Her deep south-central roots lend a Southern-comfortable style and a touch of humour to her writing. Recently awarded a three-book contract by Barbour Publishing, she’s busy these days pounding on the keyboard and watching the deadline clock.
Lifelong Texans, Marcia and her husband, Lee, have one daughter and four sons. Collectively, this motley crew has graced them with ten grandchildren and one great-granddaughter-so far.
JS: Thanks for joining us today, Marcia. Please tell us a little bit about who Marcia Gruver is.
MG: Which Marcia? Like everyone else, who I am depends on the hat on my head. I’m wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, granny, and just recently, great-granny to a little sprite of a girl who seems well qualified to carry our legacy into the future. Even more recently, I’m a published author of inspirational fiction. How about that? Marcia Gruver is content, well loved, fulfilled, and grateful to God for every second of her life.
JS: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
MG: Guilty secret time? I love to play video games. I look for any slip of time and any excuse to play. I also love to read and watch movies in all genres.
JS: When you sit down to read for pleasure what authors do you choose?
MG: Linda Nichols, Kristen Heitzman, and Brandilyn Collins are at the top of the list. But I have so many books in my ‘To Be Read’ pile, I just know there are favourites sitting there waiting to be discovered.
JS: Tell us about Diamond Duo.
MG: Bertha Maye Biddie’s in love. Trouble is, she’s not sure the object of her affection feels the same. He seems to be interested, but something’s holding him back. So when opportunity rides into Jefferson on the northbound train out of Marshall, young Bertha leaps at the chance to learn a few tricks. A charming, charismatic stranger offers to take Bertha under her wing and teach her the art of wooing a man. But when the woman is unable to keep her promise, Bertha realizes their chance meeting held far more eternal significance.
JS: Bertha is a breath of fresh air with her fun and refreshing sense of humour. And I totally relate to her aversion to those uncomfortable-but-height-of-fashion shoes! If I were to ask those close to you about your sense of humour, would they describe similarities between you and Bertha?
MG: Oh, boy! I’m afraid so. I’m actually dry and rather reserved at first-so much so that I’ve been accused of having a split personality. When I’m very relaxed and get to know a person well, the real me comes out to play. Yep, the lights are on and a whole bunch of us are home.
JS: Has being a published novelist differed from your expectations?
MG: Yes. I’ve discovered that when you do it right, it’s actually work.
JS: Do you plot your novels out or are you a so-called seat-of-the-pants writer?
MG: I used to fly by my seat from start to finish. My first experience with working a plan came after discovering Randy Ingermanson’s snowflake method for plotting a novel. After working through Karen S. Wiesner’s First Draft in 30 Days, I’m a born-again plotter. These days, I don’t think I’d do it any other way. I sort of like knowing where I’m going when I sit down to write.
JS: Has being a writer brought you closer to God and if so, how?
MG: Not really closer. More in tune, maybe? I just know there’s no step in the writing/marketing process that I could pull off without His guiding hand. That teaches you to report on a regular basis for your marching orders.
JS: Can you tell us about your next book?
MG: Chasing Charity, book two in the Texas Fortunes series, picks up in Humble, Texas, several years after Diamond Duo ends. Charity Bloom, Bertha’s daughter, stands at the altar watching her best friend flee the church on the heels of her departing fiancé. This is the final straw for Charity, who is distressed by the many changes taking place in her life and in her hometown, most notably the devastation wrought after oil is discovered near Humble. Imagine Charity’s surprise when one of the men responsible comes to her rescue, and she finds her heart torn between two suitors-the handsome roughneck and the deceitful rogue who broke her heart.
JS: Well, thanks for the chance to get to know you a bit, Marcia-and for the chance to read Diamond Duo. I enjoyed meeting Bertha Maye and her friends, and I have to put a plug in for my favourites: Sarah and Henry King. They grabbed my imagination from our first meeting, and taught me a few things along the way.
To read more about Marcia, check out her website or her blog. You’ll also find a variety of interviews on the different blog tour sites-they’re worth a visit:
A Latte and Some Words, A Little Bit of Sunlight, Anne Greene, Be a Barnabas, Book Splurge, BookingIt, Cara’s Musings, Dawn Michelle Michals at ShoutLife, Erica at ShoutLife, Fictionary, Horizontal Yo-Yo, Janice Olsen, Lighthouse Academy, Marthawrites, Mary Connealy – real life, My Christian Fiction Blog, Net’s Notes, On The Write Path, Pam Krumpe, Patti’s Porch, Readin N Writin, Simple Living Christian Style, Tamara Lynn Kraft, Terri Tiffany, The Friendly Book Nook, The Writer’s Tool, and Writing by Faith.
Marcia Lee Laycock will be teaching an online course in writing devotionals, November 3 – 24, 2008.
Content: Writing in an anecdotal style, learn how to stimulate your readers to consider spiritual things. The course will cover Using Literary Devices, How to Show instead of Tell, Keeping your Focus, Using Metaphor
Cost: $90.00. Receipt of fee confirms enrollment. Enrollment is limited. To enroll and for payment information, please visit the InScribe site here.
Format: The course will run as a Yahoo group. Students should make themselves familiar with Yahoo Groups before the course begins. A short lesson and assignment will be given at the beginning of the week. Each student will send her/his devotional to Marcia for critique. Students are also free to comment on/critique one another’s work.
Credentials: Marcia is an award-winning, published writer. She has been writing a weekly devotional column for the past 18 years and has been published in both national and provincial newspapers and magazines. Marcia has taught writing at InScribe’s conferences as well as at God Uses Ink in Ontario and through Adult Learning of Alberta. She has been invited to read at The Gathering, a yearly event for poets in Edmonton, AB., as well as the Festival of Faith and Writing, Grand Rapids Michigan. Her devotional books, The Spur of the Moment and Focused Reflections have been endorsed by Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan. Her novel, One Smooth Stone, won her the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award in 2006 and was released in Sept. 2007.
I haven’t taken this course yet myself, since I focus more on fiction, but I’ve heard many good things from Marcia’s former students.
I can’t believe I haven’t already posted this information!
If you live near Montreal or in Canada’s Maritime provinces, there are creativity and writing workshops coming your way (click on the workshop name to reach its website):
Release the Creative You is a 2 ½ hour evening workshop for teens and adults who want to explore their creativity, who have a dream they’re afraid might never come true, and who long to set their imagination free. The session will challenge, inspire, motivate and offer tools for attendees to find the courage to trust God and become the person He created them to be. Tickets: $20 ($25 at the door) for adults, $10 ($15 at door) for high school/university students.
Friday, Oct. 17, Brossard, Quebec
Monday, Oct. 20, Sussex, New Brunswick
Tuesday, Oct. 21, Sackville, New Brunswick
Wednesday, Oct. 23, Charlottetown, PEI
Friday, Oct. 24, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Write! Montreal and Write! Maritimes are all-day sessions (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) that will help attendees identify which of their stories would be the best to begin writing; teach them a variety of ways to use their ideas; and offer tools to help with marketing. Tickets: $85 ($99 at the door) for adults, $60 ($75 at door) for seniors and students.
Saturday, Oct. 18, Brossard, Quebec
Saturday, Oct. 25, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Registration for all events is through TicketWindow.
Speaker NJ Lindquist is a Canadian author, and co-editor of the ground-breaking anthology of Canadian Christian writing, Hot Apple Cider. Here’s a brief intro from her website: “Her mysteries have been compared to the best of Agatha Christie. Her novels inspire teenage boys to read. Her wisdom and leadership have empowered thousands. Her journey from accidental conception in a tiny hamlet of the cold Canadian prairies to award-winning author and international speaker is truly inspirational.”
NJ blogs on life at What’s on My Mind? and on writing at Blue Collar Writer.
These workshops are sponsored by The Word Guild, in partnership with World Vision and That’s Life! Communications.
Over on the Fit for Faith blog, Kimberley Payne is interviewing “average jills” about their fitness habits. Today was my turn, and you can read the interview here. I think this is going to be a neat series. Reading about uber-fitness-types doesn’t inspire me, but reading about people more like me—but more successful in meeting their fitness goals—can inspire me to persevere. A good thing, after all the ice cream I ate on vacation.