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Archive for the ‘Promoting Friends’ Category

It’s been awhile. I thought I should check in, and reassure you – and myself that I can in fact type even when not under a deadline. So what’s been happening here?

The flu, the common cold, maybe Ebola, I don’t know. Some serious germs have been permeating our home for the last month. It’s ridiculous. We’ve prayed, rested, drank gallons of water and orange juice, rested, slept, watched a lot of Netflix, rested. You know, sick people activities.

I’m also recovering from foot surgery. I’ve had a cyst the size of a super ball on the inside of my ankle for over a year. I finally went to the doctor and was referred to a surgeon. Three weeks ago (while we were having a moment of health in our home) I had surgery. I have 2-3 more weeks of recovery time ahead of me, but if you think that has given me lots of time to sit around doing nothing, think again. I’m homeschooling three children. Right now we’re behind schedule and trying to catch up due to all of that sick people activity.

Yes, I said three. Will, the boy who has been living with us since last April, moved out in January. We did our very best to love him while he was with us, and I worked my ass off to help him graduate in May, but he decided he didn’t want to be here. I am still heartbroken over how things ended. He’s not speaking to us. I pray for him and hope he gets his head on straight and realizes how loved he is. In my pain, I feel like I failed some great task I had been given. I think I did the best I could, but he needed more than I could offer. And that just sucks.

We announced that 2013 is a Sabbath year for SEVENS. That means a lot of things, and you can read about here on our SEVENS blog. We’ve yet to start anything because of the illness we’ve been passing around, so our year is starting off with forced rest. Oh the irony. 😉 We are on the mend and figuring out what Sabbath looks like when it’s lived out in practical ways.

Some wonderful family from our church donated a minivan to us, and we are SO thankful to be a 2-car family again! We had been borrowing a car from our friends Zack and Melody for a few months. We’re blessed to know so many generous people. To Zack and Melody, and the mystery family, whoever you are, if you eventually happen upon this blog post:

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Trevor, Chris, and Allen are the creative gurus over at Sacred Margins, and occasionally invite me to participate in the process of writing about walking out one’s faith. They are working their way through the liturgical calendar, something none of us have done before because it wasn’t part of the faith tradition we grew up in. Anyway, my latest post was about Revealing Light which focuses on Luke 4/Isaiah 61 as part of the last week of Epiphany. I have not been able to let it go. I am blown away by these passages and didn’t get to share everything I wanted to, so I’m working on a second part that I’ll post here soon.

Speaking of writing, my friend Luke (also a blogger extraordinaire) gave me an amazing book to read. The WAR of ART by Steven Pressfield is exactly what I’ve needed these past few years. Have you read it? If you are a creative soul, you should! Luke said so.

I never did update about my reading challenge last year. My goal was 104 books. I managed to read about 60, not including the children’s books I read with my kids. If I included all of those, I blew my goal out of the water! My goal for this year is the same. On average, 2 books a week. We’ll see how it goes.

Do you have a reading goal for the year? What’s new with you? Let’s reconnect.

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My friends Trevor, Chris, and Allen invited me to guest blog over at Sacred Margins today. I wrote about making a difference in my post, Greeting Cards and Bubbles.

“The guys” as I affectionately call them, are not only some of Benny’s best friends, but a talented band of brothers with a gift for exploring themes of faith. Their Sacred Margins site was born out of walking through life together and long talks about rest, space, and the desire to explore the deep connections between spirituality and technology. I am so honored they invited me to be part of the discussion!

I need to apologize to my friend Don. Not only because I never finished his 30 day drawing challenge, but because I’m not going to. I’ve had to give myself permission to move on. It was a great challenge – he rocked it out – but me? Not so much.

I did learn that I can draw more than stick figures. I also learned that drawing is work for me, and not the fun kind. Give me a lump of clay and I’ll be content to make whatever you want me to, but my brain does not see pictures on a flat surface in a way that is easily reproducible for me. I’m going to stick to word art for a while.

I have enough challenging things in my life now to take on any more. For instance, I decided not to join my many friends taking the NANOWRIMO challenge this month, but I am working on my time travel novel. That is fun for me, and there’s no pressure to have it completed by a certain day. I definitely work better on a deadline, but this is play, not work. It’s still challenging, but in a good way.

Have you read my story yet? The one published in Time Traveling Coffers? It’s not too late to get it at a discounted rate.

https://www.createspace.com/4021532

(Save 25% by using coupon code 9HW5GHYR when you order by 11/31/12)

I’m also trying to write our end of the year letter to our SEVENS family and friends without making it sound like a Christmas letter. It would be much easier if I had been writing quarterly letters like I had planned to do. I’m lucky they’re a forgiving bunch and they love me.

Be honest. How do you feel about Christmas letters?

Love them? Dread them? Hate them?

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I write fiction.

Now there’s a phrase I didn’t think would ever pass my lips. I’ve dreamed about writing a bestselling novel, but what writer hasn’t? I even went as far as outlining a novel at a workshop I attended a few years ago, but it was only to appease the speaker. I filed it under “writing misc.” and forgot about it. I have spent the past few years whining about not having enough time to blog, and working on piddly projects here and there. Until a few months ago.

I know this lady in my writer’s group who is always sharing opportunities for contests, anthologies, conferences, and such. She’s a writer/editor and probably submits more than anyone else I know. One day she cornered me and asked when I was going to write a story for her. With a polite smile, I kindly told her that I don’t write fiction. We chatted for a few minutes and I finally admitted that the time travel anthology she was working on intrigued me, and I did have an idea for a short story based on something that has puzzled me most of my life. I shared my idea and she said, “Write that!” So I did. Sort of. A few weeks after the deadline, I found out my story was accepted. I went to work on my edits and resubmitted my story. I was thrilled when it was also chosen as the 2nd story in the book!

From the intro:

What makes this collection unique is that an object must directly or indirectly be responsible for the [time travel] journey. The approach taken by all twelve writers is both as different and as diverse as the authors themselves. Several are from other countries. Several are brand new. Several are already published…it is family friendly. The editor wanted parents to be comfortable allowing their child or teenager to read these stories without fear of offensive language or sexual content. That being said, sit back and enjoy a trip through time via odd devices. It will be well worth the journey.

Time Traveling Coffers (WolfSinger Publications) released last week just in time for Mile Hi Con here in Denver. Last Sunday I joined my editor, publisher, and a few of my fellow authors in a reading, panel discussion, and book signing. We had a small but gracious audience and I received lots of encouragement and advice. I couldn’t cram all the story details into my limited 6,000 word count for the anthology, so I saved  a lot of it for the novel I’m writing. I hope others love my idea as much as I do.

Now that you know the story behind the story, here’s how you can buy it!

Print Edition is priced at $12.95
Ebook is priced at $5.99

Here is the link for Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Traveling-Coffers-Dana-Bell/dp/1936099373/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350073188&sr=8-1&keywords=Time+Traveling+Coffers

 

Smashwords offers all available e-book formats.

(Save 50% by using coupon code WB94A when you order by 10/31/12)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/243987

 

This is the link for create space:

(Save 25% by using coupon code 9HW5GHYR when you order by 11/31/12)

https://www.createspace.com/4021532

 

I also have limited e-book copies I can offer for anyone who would like to read and review the book on their blog. Email me if you’re interested.

 

I didn’t get to do this in the book, so special thanks to:

Dana Bell for asking me to write outside of my box, and accepting my first story.

Benny Nowell and Karen Stonecypher for thinking through the plot with me and being my head cheerleaders.

Paula Moldenhauer, Kordee Rose, and Don Hillson for their invaluable critiques of my SFD, asking me the hard questions, and keeping me encouraged and on track.

Will Rees, and Max, Zoe, and Pete Nowell. I was glad my kids were as excited about my story as I was. 🙂

 

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Yes, I’m behind again. Lots going on over here in Niki-land.

Day 22: Something you miss

 

Day 23: Something you need (I couldn’t choose just one.)

Day 24: A Couple 😉

I have friends that draw better than I do. I’ll prove it.

Click on any of the links below. Go on. You know you want to. 😉

Expatriatism,  Free To Be Too Much, and GirlyGeeky

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I’ve been thinking about this challenge for the past few days, but was finally inspired by the baking and canning frenzy at my house today.

We are a missionary family. We run our ministry and our household on the generosity of others. Our financial supporters are amazing! Some of them have been with us since the beginning, sending their checks faithfully for the past 8 years. We’ve seen several go because of their own financial situations, completing the original commitment they made to support us for a certain time frame, and a few other reasons-some of which I’m too kind to mention here. We’ve also been blessed by new people wanting to partner with us. Overall, we’ve been very blessed, but to say the past 2 years have been a struggle is a gross understatement.

Benny and I are both terrible fundraisers. We don’t want to emotionally manipulate people to give. You’ll never see starving babies or abused puppies on our website, but we also need to figure out how to get the message out that we need help. What Benny does is a full-time job, but we’re living on part-time pay. I do my part by being a super couponer, shopping at a food bank, and a billion other little ways I am frugal for my family.

I know this is a DRAWING challenge, I just wanted to explain my drawing to you.

I chose green for what we have coming in now. I like green.

I chose gray for the one-time gifts that occasionally come in and allow us to catch up. Gray because it’s uncertain – we can’t plan for it.

I chose pink because it’s my favorite color, and I want pink. I want the rest of what we need.

I chose to draw a pie, because that’s what my house smells like right now. 🙂

 

Go check out my pie-loving friends who are taking this challenge with me:

Expatriatism,  Free To Be Too Much, and GirlyGeeky

 

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