Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Finding Star Completed

I can't believe it but I have completed Finding Star, actually a little bit ahead of schedule, fourteen months of hard work, and I have put my Baby to bed!!! I actually just sent it to my publisher and am praying things work out favorably, that things fall into place so we can begin this journey with Star.

 This picture of a young lady reminds me very much of how I envision Star!  I do not know this lady of course, but since I can not draw I thought I would give you a very close visual of how I see her. 

I closed Finding Star out at 82 k thousand words and counting yesterday, and am so glad that I was able to finish that book.  It's kind of a bittersweet thing finishing something that you have been working on so long, and now I wonder what I am going to write next?  LOL no not really I still have to work on What A Daughter Learns, and perhaps work on an Amish fiction piece, but I am not sure about that.  I know it would be fun doing research though.

My dear friend Karen was hospitalized last week due to high blood pressure, and is being released today, so prayers for her are appreciated!!  And for her twin Sister Karla Dorman, they co-wrote With A Little Help with me and Lord willing I envision other projects with them.

Everyone I pray you have a Happy and Blessed Leap Day!!!

In Christ's Love
Michelle~



Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Learning From Mistakes, Publicity, Finding Star

A busy couple of days ahead, tomorrow going to volunteer in Little Mans Kindergarten classroom, Thursday he turns six, Friday he and Bubba come over for awhile and Saturday is his birthday party.  I know he is going to have a great time, and Ashell has already got his smaller gift, his bigger one will be late, but it will be here...

In the meantime I am working on Finding Star, now at 63k and counting, and What A Daughter Learns, I have some other story ideas brewing too, but right now the majority of my focus goes on Finding Star, because I want to make sure that I meet my deadline so I can have it ready for the new publisher.  I know this one has taken a lot of work, but this is a project I am passionate about.
I am grateful for doing something I am passionate about, and I have been studying the ways to best market Finding Star, that in itself is daunting, I know even after the publisher publishing the book my work has really just begun, and I have learned from my mistakes in publicity, I am sure I will make more but that is life!

I am going to close todays blog, with my life verse

Isaiah 40:31

31 but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

Monday, February 20, 2012

This World I Live In

Another, busy week, but the writing has been good, at this rate I may have Finding Star ready well before deadline, and that is awesome.
When the boys come over, I generally give them a little computer time, if they are good, so here they are yesterday, I got my word count in, despite the boys getting an hour each on the computer, and I am thankful for that.

The weather was beautiful today, so we took a walk, and I am glad we did.  It felt more like April than February, but that is the way it has been lately.  We have gotten a little rain this winter, which is a good thing, but I sure do enjoy a sunny day when we can walk with the boys and the dogs, its awesome.

I am not only working on Finding Star, I also am working on What A Daughter Learns, and plan on looking into writing a cozy mystery for Heartsong presents, at least getting the idea for one.. I think that would be awesome.  I read a lot of Heart Song mysteries so its not like I am unfamiliar with them...

I was saddened about Whitney Houston, so sad, I hate seeing so many people, so many talented singers, actresses, actors, falling into drugs and alcohol and ultimately killing themselves far before their time.  It's heartbreaking when you think about it...

I have been playing around on Klout and am trying to figure that out, and Pinterest, but I think I have Pinterest about mastered LOL!! Not to mention Facebook LOL!!  But hey it's the social networking age, and it is not like I am sitting at the computer twenty four seven, I get out and do things as well!! I enjoy going for walks, and am glad when the weather allows it.

God Bless
Michelle~

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Finding Star and Valentines Day

I am still busily working on Finding Star, just getting ready to break 52k and I must say I am pleased with the progress of this story.  I know that Star is going to be one of the Characters who stick with me long and hard.
We have been going back to Harvest for the Past couple of weeks, great sermons so far, and I am grateful for that, was at Hope Center tonight though for a Valentines Day Lunch, a couple of kiddos, I.E Gracie and Ryder were more than happy to see me LOL!!! 

I'm working on What A Daughter Learns to, the first book in the Ana Alexei or Children of Alexei Children.  About twelve thousand words into that one, so can't say where that is going to go, but I am more focused on Finding Star right now:

Here's a sneak peek of Finding Star:  The Beginning of the Fifth Chapter




Five years ago I gave my heart to the Lord, five years ago in ways it seemed like a
lifetime ago. I had come along way, by the Grace of God. I knew it was God’s grace I had made
it this far, that I had overcome all the abuse, the scars would always be there, but in ways I
understood that I was strong for having survived them.
My life was so different now, in a strange way losing my leg had brought me to the Lord,
but it had been more than that, so much more.
Hope’s prayers had a lot to do with it, and the life my parents led, not the monsters who
had abused me in unthinkable ways in that remote village in Iraq, but my parents, the one’s who
had took in a broken terrified girl, and loved her, despite her doing everything to push them
away.
            I had been such a scared child, so scarred, I felt so unlovable, so dirty.
            I had been afraid to even say hello to my new Father at first, afraid every man was like
the monster who had abused me when I was a little girl, the man who had made me Father his
child, and then gave it away like it was some unwanted puppy.
            I still had trouble with that, I was only eighteen and somewhere out there I had a nine
year old daughter.
The thought was sickening.
            I forgave the monsters though, because I had to, because if I held onto that bitterness, it
would eat me alive.
            I knew the Lord had held them accountable for their sins, the day they had been
slaughtered.
            He had started my road to redemption that same day.
But it was a long process, and I was a stubborn child.
In some ways the stubborn streak served me well, in other ways it only acted as a crutch.
At times I felt like a myriad of contradictions, but that had been before I gave my heart to
Christ.
            I have my moments when I still struggle with the trauma of my past, when the nightmares
of the hell I endured as a child still haunt me.
The people who were supposed to love me, did everything, but I was treated worse than
the pigs my Father raised. I was no matter to him, except a toy to be used and abused. He’s gone
now, they are all dead and I have a wonderful family was given a second chance. And I found
Christ, so things have improved, that does not mean I forget what happened to me, the fear that I
faced as a child. The fear that ultimately made me afraid to speak of the infection that set in my
leg when I was settled with my new family in America, therefore I ended up losing that leg, but I
found something much more important I found Christ, and I found myself.
I am no longer a scared little girl I am now a young woman of nineteen, whose moved on
with her life with the love and support of my sister and my parents. My true parents, not the ones
who gave birth to me, but the ones who nourish me and helped me see that there was more to life
than abuse. A child does not deserve the kind of treatment I had, I understand that now, because
Mom, Dad and Hope have helped me to see that.
Most importantly God has shown me what true love is, and that is not something my birth
family had. They could not really be called a family though, because a family does not hurt a
child the way I was hurt. It’s not something that any child deserves.
I still wonder too about the child I gave birth to, when I was but a child of nine and a half
years myself she’d be about nine now. I hope and pray she never endured the things I endured as
a child. That someone out there is loving my daughter the way she deserves to be loved.
I am praying too that people stop using Allah as an excuse to do evil. I no longer worship
Allah, I suppose I never really did, I gave my heart to Christ though, but no religion should
condone such violence to a child. Not even a dog deserves the treatment I got.
Yet sadly some have it even worse than I did. I understand that now, but I did not as a
child. How could I? I was afraid to even think for myself.
I am so glad I am no longer a scared, abused little girl in a remote Afghani village, but I
am an American young woman studying journalism and creativity writing at college.
Something I would not have been afforded had Jesus not led me to America, and to my
Mom and Dad. I know that now.
I am no longer so terrified of men. I suppose there will always be some sort of fear their
but it no longer paralyzes me as it once did. I still question whether or not I will marry and have
a family of my own, because the scars of abuse run deep, and I would not want to see a child
hurt.

I know Valentines day has come to an end, but I would like to wish you a blessed one, and ask for prayers for my niece who lost her Grandma yesterday, her Grandma Kathy!!!!

God Bless
Michelle~

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

God's Blessings Big and Small!!!!!

I must say its been a crazy week I haven't had much time on the computer, but I have an iphone now so I can still get on facebook on the go, still that's not getting Finding Star done, I am at the half way mark now, their about. 
I am loving my iphone and am glad to have it.  I was uncertain on how I was going to feel about it, but I am happy.  I couldn't be more happy with it.  I am still learning it though.

I am still writing on Finding Star and am hoping to have it finished including revisions by the beginning of May the latest, it's almost a year and a half with this project as of May, but this story is one I am passionate about.

I had to get a Mickey mouse case for the phone because it was to cute to pass up LOL!!!!

I am feeling much better than I was last week, I am finally at the tail end of this bug and fee so much better.

I went back to Harvest Fellowship last week and I know that is where I belong I believe it is time that I go back their, after much prayer, I feel confident in my decision.

God Bless
Michelle~