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Monday, March 19, 2018

I am not a Hand


My sister doesn't know how much I envy her. While I managed to inherit all of the talent and IQ ... she was the angel child. She was never in trouble, always thinking of others, always giving.

Me, on the other hand ... I am, and always have been ... a mess. Disorganized, distracted, frequently disobedient, etc. I was saved at an early age because I was very aware that I was a sinner and could NOT make it into Heaven on my own merit. Yet, even so, while the spirit is willing ... the flesh is weak.

Try as I might. I am not my sister.

And it doesn't help that I'm surrounded by so many other women to whom this servant attitude is second nature. Aunts, my late Grammy, my sister's best friend. All these women to whom I compare myself and just fall short. Women who look at me and shake their heads because how can I possibly justify just sitting at my computer writing all day.

And sometimes ... I question my salvation because of it. How can I possibly be a Christian if I can't give of myself freely like all of these other women I know and respect?

And then one day, as my mother and I were discussing spiritual gifts, a second passage in the Bible sprang to mind. One that I'd considered many times, but ... suddenly ... it struck me.

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
...
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1 Corinthians 12:15-16, 21

I'm surrounded by women who are hands - reaching forward to the community, administering to needs. Service is their spiritual gift, and they give of themselves so beautifully.

But, much as I wish it were, service isn't my gift. It's exhortation - encouragement. I'm a mouth, not a hand. God has given me words to say and write and they're no less valuable. I see people down and my drive is to comfort and cheer them. I give of myself just as freely - just in a different way.

I respect and admire these women, but I am not them. God has not called me to fill their shoes.

I am a mouth. And I will speak encouragement to the people around me. I will BE an encouragement to those around me.

And to all of the rest of you who aren't hands either, and who aren't mouths (though I imagine, in my world of authors, there are a good number of mouths), you're just as valuable. Because the body needs feet, ears, eyes, arms, stomachs, noses, even little pinkie toes.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Minstrel's Call Blog Tour - Interview with the Author

Happy Thursday everyone!

And of course it's Thursday, because Thursday is the day that I'm supposed to share this lovely interview with Jenelle Leanne Schmidt.

SPARKLY WIZARDESS AUTHORESSES ARE NEVER LATE, I TELL YOU.


Book Blurb:
War threatens. The game board is set. But the Minstrel is missing...

Advancing his growing power, the Dread Prince breaks free of his prison and brings a faction of dragons under his control, stirring unrest and hatred in the newly united kingdoms of Tellurae Aquaous.

When the dragon wards of Kallayohm are targeted in a ruthless attack, the High King travels there to administer justice. But the trial results in a crippling blow that leaves him reeling.

On the heels of defeat, an unexpected message from the erstwhile Minstrel arrives, pleading with his friends for rescue. Together, the High King and his companions must follow the fragile trail, braving peril and darkness that will test the measure of them all...

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Minstrels-Call-Song-Book-ebook/dp/B079CLZYZB/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38524538-minstrel-s-call?from_search=true



Tell me three fun facts about yourself.

I am a compulsive opener-of-doors. Ever since my dad read me The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was little, I’ve been looking for a way into Narnia. The “grown-up” part of me fears I may never find it, but the part of me that will never grow up still likes to look behind doors, insides closets and cabinets, and around corners... hoping to find a magical land filled with grand adventures.

I have this amazing superpower that causes people around me to get lost on road trips. I don’t even have to be the one driving or navigating... I just have to be in the car. Thankfully, the wide-spread availability of GPS has helped to negate this somewhat dubiously useful superpower.

I don’t fit neatly in any of those personality tests. No matter what it is, I always end up pretty close to the exact middle on any spectrum. In college, when I had to take the actual Meyers-Briggs test, my scores were all within 48%-51% on every result except Introvert-Extravert (I am an introvert... though the people I love/feel comfortable with would never guess that)

Tell me a bit about your book, Minstrel's Call, and why my readers need to rush to their nearest Amazon and read it RIGHT NOW.

Minstrel’s Call is the fourth and final book in my YA fantasy series and it has all the amazing things, which is obviously why everyone should rush off and get their hands on a copy right now! (And the rest of the series, if you haven’t read it yet...)

Oh. 

Did you want more specifics?

Well, it has awesome dragons, an epic fantasy ship and ocean voyage, a high-stakes battle for the fate of the world, an evil villain bent on destroying everything, magical weapons, and is filled with themes of friendship, loyalty, courage, and the importance of family. It also reveals much of the mystery behind Kiernan Kane... this is his story, more than anything else.

What is your biggest piece of writing advice?

If you want to be a writer, you should be writing. It is, to this day, the best and biggest piece of writing advice I’ve ever received, and now I’ve passed it on to you! It seems fairly simple, but that is where most of its beauty lies. You can read about writing, you can hone your craft, you can listen to music, you can debate outlines versus discovery writing, you can contemplate the best way to hook a reader and argue about the use of tropes, but until you begin putting words down on the page, that story in your heart will remain untold, unshared with others.

Describe your writing process in seven words.


Chaotic. Tedious. Thrilling. Terrifying. Cathartic. Emotional. Analytical.

Author Links:

Also, there's a giveaway.


Thursday, March 1, 2018

Minstrel's Call Blog Tour - Interview with Kamarie


Greetings and solutions!

Yes, I'm aware that this post is way late, but I erased Monday from my memory and thought that yesterday was Tuesday. Even though I knew it was Wednesday. I'm sure you've never had a week like that.

Anywho, I'm participating in a blog tour for the final book of Jenelle LeAnne Schmidt's final book in the Minstrel's Song series, Minstrel's Call.

I love this series, everyone should go read it.

Book Blurb:
War threatens. The game board is set. But the Minstrel is missing...

Advancing his growing power, the Dread Prince breaks free of his prison and brings a faction of dragons under his control, stirring unrest and hatred in the newly united kingdoms of Tellurae Aquaous.

When the dragon wards of Kallayohm are targeted in a ruthless attack, the High King travels there to administer justice. But the trial results in a crippling blow that leaves him reeling.

On the heels of defeat, an unexpected message from the erstwhile Minstrel arrives, pleading with his friends for rescue. Together, the High King and his companions must follow the fragile trail, braving peril and darkness that will test the measure of them all...

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Minstrels-Call-Song-Book-ebook/dp/B079CLZYZB/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38524538-minstrel-s-call?from_search=true

Oh, and I get to interview Kamarie, who is my favorite character in the series.

So. You and Oraeyn? Would you kindly tell me a bit about your courtship and the three things you love most about him? (Yes, I'm slightly miffed that their relationship 90% happened during the time skip between books 1 and 3.)

Kamarie laughs and crosses her arms. “Well, Oraeyn and I didn’t start out on the best of terms. He really annoyed me at first, mostly because I figured he would get in the way of us having any exciting adventures. In all honesty, I aggravated him rather a lot, as well... he threw me in a river shortly after we started getting to know each other. But after that... well... we sort of gained a lot of respect for each other as our journey continued. That respect turned into friendship, and somehow, somewhere along the way, I realized that he was my best friend, and that I never wanted to go through life without him.” She gazes off across the room for a minute. “What are the three things I love most about him? I enjoy his sense of fun. He’s always surprising me with different idea of things to do. Picnics on the beach, rock-climbing in the Mountains of Dusk, exploring the Aura Wood, racing our horses, unexpected bouquets of wildflowers. I can’t believe I ever thought he might be the sort of person who didn’t love adventure! I also love that he listens to me. I mean, he really listens, and he is always there to help me if I need it, but he’s also willing to just listen and then let me try to solve the problem on my own if that’s what I say I want. And third, I just love how much he cares about everyone. He is always kind and respectful to everyone he meets, from the poorest farmer to the youngest servant to the highest noble to the king of the dragons... he treats everyone the same.” Kamarie laughs and continues, "Also, my author wishes to apologize for the fact that most of our romance happens between books! She says that romance is not her favorite thing to read or write, and that when she originally wrote us, she'd never been in love herself, and felt inadequate to the task. She actually left out our entire wedding except as a mention in the original draft of Yorien's Hand, but wrote it in later after a beta reader yelled at her about it!"

You're good friends with the young Yole. Care to tell me a bit about him?

Kamarie grins and leans forward. “Yole is like the brother I never had. He used to be like my little brother. He was someone I felt I needed to watch out for and protect. But he’s grown so much in the past eight years, and now he has really come into his own and seems to be finding his place in the world. I think he believes he’s sort of become my big brother, and thinks he needs to help protect me... I let him believe that... but just because he’s a dragon doesn’t mean I don’t still remember him as a scared little boy lost and wandering through the Mountains of Dusk!”


What would be your biggest piece of advice to any princess who wants to learn the sword?

“Ooh, that’s a good question. Well, I’m no expert, though I can definitely handle them. I would say that it would be good to get your parents’ approval. I should have done that... though I found out later that my father gave his approval to Sir Garen without my knowing it.” She shrugs, and gives a tiny, rueful grin. “And then I would say that you have to have patience, with yourself and your teacher. You can’t go into anything and just expect to be perfect at it - or even good at it - right from the start. We’re not all blessed that way by our fairy godmothers, after all. It takes a lot of practice, sore muscles, and getting knocked to the ground. But it isn’t about falling down... learning the sword, like most other things in life, is about whether or not you choose to get back up.”

Author Links:

Also, there's a giveaway.



Tune in next time and maybe Kendra will feel a bit more chatty.