Novelist

             Wife, Mom, Nana, Novelist: Living Life Through Faith.

            I’ve tried to cover the bases on what’s important to me, although not in order. First and foremost is my faith, then family, and next others. If you were a Girl Scout it was your motto: God, others, and self. I’m an old Girl Scout leader. I believe the words and follow them.

            Novelist.

            I’m not as comfortable with this as I am my other roles. Don’t get me wrong, I love to write. I write everything from short poems to short stories to novels to Bible studies. I’ve written plays for Scouts. I’ve penned countless essay papers in college. Then there’s blogs, newspapers and magazine articles. I once wrote an author, raving over her book on menopause, and she put my letter up on her website. Okay, I’d rather not be a spokesperson for menopause, but it is what it is!

            Writing is easy for me. Telling people I am a writer seems like I’m violating my own character. It’s like I’m confessing. Writing can often be personal and intimate, daring to unevenly slice you to the marrow and expose you. It’s uncomfortable. The only time I’m completely in my soul’s writing zone is when I’m writing about my hero, Jesus Christ.

            For over two years, I’ve felt the Holy Spirit’s prompting to write a book about some things that were cutting me to the quick. Looking around, I didn’t find many people that seemed overly concerned about what I was seeing. And until I wrote the book, it plagued me night and day. I’d see a scene completely play out in front of me as I was stopped at a red light. Scripture would scroll across my mind when I wrote, causing me to halt and pray about the next scene.

            In all my years of writing, I’ve never wanted to talk much about my writing career. I’m timid and shy. I’m insecure and doubt whether others would even want to read what I write. My next book is hard. After the release date, I will begin a series of discussions about the topics in the book. I won’t give away the ending or pivotal areas, but just delve into a world most of us pretend doesn't exist. It is not a world of vampires, werewolves, black magic, or wiccans. There’s no hokey-pokey. It’s real, complex, and to me, more terrifying.

            Well, I’ll stop there. I write.

            Are you a writer?

            I’ve often wondered what Jesus stooped to write on the ground when the Pharisees brought him the adulterous woman.

            What do you think Jesus wrote?

 

Here's my family!

Wife, Mom, and Nana:

            Well, here’s the clan. All precious 16 ½ of us. Yes, ½! Dana is due July 7^th, which happens to be my father-in-law’s birthday. Dallas, my husband, and I feel overwhelmed with blessings when we see all of us gathered together. Outside our faith, we are devoted to these precious ones.

            I wanted you to see my family. There is no doubt I will be talking about each and every one of them over time. To ease my daughter’s minds, there will be no son-in-law jokes. On occasion, you’ll hear tales of our grandchildren’s antics and the “truth” that often erupts from their mouths. It is startling and honest. Sometimes it causes pause, other times it causes bright, red cheeks. You grandparents will know exactly what I mean.

            Part of our family is also a Boston terrier. She is almost 4 years old, and we are crazy about her. She is equally devoted to us and to all the grandchildren. She thinks everyone belongs to her.

            Okay . . . let me introduce my family. You’ll have to guess who’s who in the picture.

            Dallas, my sweetheart.

            My oldest daughter, Tia, and her husband, Ed. Their girls are Jackie, Reagan, and Maddie.

            My middle daughter, Tara, and her husband, Brian. Their girls are Dani, Grace, and Allyson.

            My youngest daughter, Dana, and her husband, Keith. Their daughters are Samantha and Sydney. In July, we’ll welcome our first grandson, Hudson Edward.

            If you read my bio, you saw that Dallas and I met as teenagers. We were baptized together at sixteen in a pond outside Williamston, NC. We married early and put one another through school. When we look at this picture of our family, our knees almost buckle. God has been so good to us.

            We also have a beautiful family beyond our nuclear one. God is at the center of our lives. We trust Him and purpose to follow Him daily. Thank you for stopping by. I hope you will join me often to hear about my family, faith, and writing.

            I also love to cook. So I’ll share recipes. I read a lot and will share books with you. I write bible studies for a group of women that have become my family. Sharing our times together will probably wind up in a blog post, too.

            Share something with me about you and your family.