Pumpkin Hunting on Roloff Farms!

On a rainy afternoon in early October, I convinced the family we needed to get our pumpkins from Roloff Farms this year. For anyone familiar with the TLC show Little People, Big World, don't be hatin' us for living only half an hour from the farm.

See how wet it is? This is one of the points where my husband tried to persuade me to turn around. Unfortunately for him, I was driving and had a gut feeling that the rain would stop when we needed it to.

And look what happened! It cleared just as we pulled into the parking lot. :-)

If you look closely, you can see the back of Matt, who was driving the Mule. This is as close as we got to any of the Roloff family, which is probably good. Kevin made me promise not to freak out before he would even consider going there. (I'm friends with Matt's mom, Grandma Peggy, so I can freak out with her anytime.)

Andrea and me on the old living room couch that disappeared during the remodel. It's now situated in the barn where you buy the tickets for the tour.

I knew about the zip line, but a BIKE? Eek! Notice the lack of lines because of the "bad" weather?

Though the series is keeping us in suspense about whether or not they'll be able to come up with the money to finish the remodel, here's a sneak peak of the front of the house. Absolutely beautiful.

The sign says: MEN'S CRISIS CENTER: No criticizing men in the barn

Church attendance is very important, especially if you're in a Western town.

Family portrait. Can I say how mean I felt when I put "Angel" down on another sidewalk for this picture? But if I hadn't kept her out of the frame, I couldn't have shared it.

Andrea just had to go.

There's a new law in town!

Pirate Boat

Tree House

Molly's Castle--the tour guide says it might be finished by the time Molly has children

Joshua in the pumpkin field. He's actually really far from me, so I got to try out my new camera's zoom.

Andrea chooses her pumpkin by weight.

Sven's newest art contribution to the farm is a complete house of pumpkins. Very, very cool.

Sven's art work that was saved during the demolition of Jacob's room. Sections of the paintings glow in the dark.

Andrea's pumpkin with an owl mask carving.

The lit pumpkin

Of course we went so early the pumpkins molded well before the 31st. Oh well, it was fun! One thing that really surprised me is how close everything really is. There are homes all around the Roloff's, but clever camera angles make it seem like they are isolated. The sports courts, play areas, and pumpkin field aren't very far from the home.

If you're wondering why I'm posting this on November 2, stayed tuned for the next post which will explain everything ...

Beth Wiseman's PLAIN PERFECT

I want to introduce you to an author I've referenced before: Beth Wiseman. Beth's debut book, which released September 9, is Plain Perfect (Daughters of Promise Novel). As you probably guessed by the title, it does belong to the Amish sub-genre. She's published by Thomas Nelson, who doesn't usually sign new authors, but they definitely knew what they were doing by contracting Beth before the manuscript was even completed. Plain Perfect is already in its fourth print run!


Lillian Miller runs away from a life full of mistakes--most committed by following her mother's example--and toward a simpler life with her maternal grandparents. Feeling entitled to her "Amishness" by birth, Lillian throws herself into learning the rules, or Ordnung, of the community. Well, except for wearing that plain old dress and giving up electronic devices. :-)

Before she even meets her grandparents, she bumps into Samuel Stolzfus, the Fabio of Lancaster County. Okay, maybe that's a little exaggeration, but sparks fly between the Amish widower and the naive city girl.

One of Beth's greatest strengths is her humor. It comes across subtly at times, though there is a particular line describing a flatulence problem that made me truly LOL. Yet she deals with hard themes, too. Perhaps the thread that spoke most to me was about relinquishment of control and acceptance of God's will.

One concern I have, not specific to the book, but pertaining to the Amish market, is this: how often will readers allow themselves to be "introduced" to the Amish and their customs? As more and more books release, authors of Amish fiction need to drop us into the story world with less and less explanation.

The reason I bring it up? Beth's storyline is unique, as is her voice. The only time I was not fully engaged was in the beginning because I've read an outsider's first experience with the Amish before. One example? Beverly Lewis's The Redemption of Sarah Cain.

Also, I asked Beth about a scene I felt was "missing," which left a loose end for me. Turns out it was an editorial choice, and Beth plans on putting the Secret Scene on her website for her readers' enjoyment.

If you love Beverly Lewis, you will really enjoy Beth Wiseman's books. Yes, there will be more. If you're unsure if Amish fiction is your thing, buy a copy of Plain Perfect and find out!

Brilliant Parenting Tip #1

Yes, I came up with it, but it wasn't a purposeful cognition. Only after it tumbled out of my mouth did I realize its brilliance. Also, in case this ever happens again, I had to put the "#1" to differentiate. :-)

How many of our children always obey the first time they're told to do something? (Warning: Answering this with a Yes will result in immediate expulsion from this blog!)

Yeah, I know the phrase, "Slow obedience is no obedience," but my standards are not always as high as they should be. Just as the mighty ocean's motion breaks the hardest rock into minuscule particles of sand, my bar of obedience occasionally erodes over time.

Wouldn't Mighty Ocean's Motion be a great name for a band?

Anyway, I had just finished telling my son to go brush his teeth for the third time when Brilliant Parenting Tip #1 spilled out of my brain. "If I have to tell you one more time, you'll brush your teeth as many times as I said it!"

Has anyone else done this? Heard this before? I've read tons of parenting books, been to conferences, and so on and I've NEVER heard this. If I tell a child to make their bed and they don't do it in a reasonable time, then I'll tell them again. Which means he/she needs to make it, mess it up, and make it again. Oh, the hassle!

Nothing like a natural consequence to change behavior. :-)

Featured Author on Shoutlife!

If you haven't heard of Shoutlife, think Christian social networking site. Facebook or Myspace with more of a family feel. They have wonderful sections for musicians, authors, organizations, events, and people. We all know that artists of any kind are not "people" so it's good they put that as a separate category!

I've been a member since April of last year and have "met" many new friends. Imagine my surprise when I was told to click over to the Authors' tab and found my face plastered on the side of the screen as a Featured Author. Guess who's with me? Denise Hunter and Brandilyn Collins!

Anyone remember that old Sesame Street song? One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn't belong ... :-)

Even if you're not a member, you can click here to see it: Shoutlife Authors Why not sign up while you're there?

I'll be sucking up more writing knowledge at the one-day OCW conference tomorrow. Come say "hi" if you'll be there too.

What's Up with the Single Life?

Drake Yu. Why would Drake call her after ... what, five years? Six?

Venus heard in his voice that resonance that was almost a growl, that titanium-hard determination to get what he wanted. And he usually got what he wanted. The voice said: "I want you to work for me."

Not this time ... If it was a choice between Drake and McDonald’s—she’d choose french fries. She’d never work for him again. It would take an act of God.

One of the great novels I read while on the "hunting" trip was Camy Tang's newest, Single Sashimi (Sushi Series, Book 3). Out of all three books, I enjoyed this storyline the most, though it didn't bring me to tears like the others have.

That may have been because of the freezing cold temperatures of our trailer in the Umatilla National Forest where I read by lantern light, or it may have been because I wasn't in an emotional mood. Whatever the case, I still found Single Sashimi a satisfying, entertaining read. Particularly, the occupation of the protagonist, Venus. I don't know about you, but I haven't read too many books featuring a female game developer.

Also, this book had an element of suspense I hadn't seen in the others. Camy is very skilled at making the reader worry for the main character's safety. (Near the beginning of the book, someone threatens Venus in a very violating way.) Tension mounted as the book progressed and I tried to put together all the clues Camy dropped.

The touch of suspense whetted my appetite for Camy's next book, Deadly Intent, a romantic suspense set in a California day spa. I only have to wait until next August!

In case you haven't heard about Camy ...

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. She used to be a biologist, but now she is a staff worker for her church youth group and leads a worship team for Sunday service. She also runs the Story Sensei fiction critique service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every Monday and Thursday, and she ponders frivolous things like dumb dogs (namely, hers), coffee-geek husbands (no resemblance to her own...), the writing journey, Asiana, and anything else that comes to mind. Visit her website for a huge website contest going on right now. She's giving away ten boxes of books and 30 copies of her latest release, Single Sashimi.

1) What was the worst date you ever went on before you were married? And the worst one since? (You know, those "great idea" dates that our husbands come up with that don't quite work out right.)

I have to admit (and you’re going to hate me for this) that we haven’t been on many bad dates, before or after marriage.

I think the worst one was our first date. It started off like this:

“I have volleyball playoffs on Wednesday night. Want to come watch?”

“Sure. I have nothing better to do.”

Since my driving skills are akin to a drunk, drugged woman, I drove to his house and he drove us both to the gym where playoffs were.

I stayed. I watched. The gym stank. But I got to talk to a lot of his friends, who were pretty nice. And his team won.

Then we went to an Italian restaurant, Frankie, Johnnie, and Luigi’s Too! (which is a FABULOUS restaurant, by the way) with everyone on his volleyball team, and had a great dinner. During dinner, we both discovered we love tiramisu.

No one else was ordering dessert, so he suggested we order one to go and eat it at his place before I have to drive home. My response: “Sure, I have nothing better to do.”

Here’s one of the most embarrassing moment of my life. Everyone is gathered outside the restaurant, chatting like large groups do, and he walks right through EVERYONE and says, “Bye, guys.”

I am left to follow while everyone stares at us, and they’re already speculating because I’m the first girl he’s invited to any group event in months, and he very nicely draws attention to the fact we’re leaving early. To spend time together.

But the tiramisu was good.

2) Biggest pro and con of being single? Of being married? Like a con of being married is sharing the covers, or losing control of the thermostat, etc ...

Captain Caffeine and I are best friends. Seriously. He is the kind of best friend I’d always wanted all through high school and college. We like watching the same movies, we like the same food, we like talking to each other.

But he snores loud enough to wake the dead.

Luckily, once I fall asleep, I am deaf as a doornail, but it’s that falling asleep part that can be hard.

Also, he shoves the covers over to my side and then accuses me of stealing them. I swear, men!

3) Dream date: where would you go? what would you do? what would you eat/drink? (I know that last question is VERY important because you're a food connoisseur.)

Someplace very chichi and Italian. Preferably in Italy.

Barring that, a really good steakhouse will do, too. Maybe in Kobe, Japan.

4) How was writing this third book compared to the other two? Did it ever feel left out? The whole three's-a-crowd thing?


This last book felt like the stories were completing themselves. A few threads are wrapped up by the end of the book, making it feel like I could leave these cousins and be assured they’re going to be okay—them and their families. Jenn is still single, but right now she’s so peeved that her mother has ruined her best French saucepan, she’s not in the mood for love. But her novella will come out hopefully by the end of the year as a free ebook for my newsletter YahooGroup members (people can join here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Camys_Loft/join ) and hopefully as a print on demand print book via Amazon (but it won’t be free).

Thanks for having me here, Christina!
Camy

ACFW: Trip Home as a Simile

I found my note card of the speech and I left out one of my favorite lines. When I first thanked Mom, I said, "Without her, I truly wouldn't be here." :-)

Also, I didn't mention any classes on Saturday, which included one of my favorite workshops during the whole conference. Nancy Moser taught one called Weaving Characters Together, which was refreshing, new, and fun. If you plan on ordering the recordings of the conference, make sure to listen to this one!

Mom and I missed quite a few of the workshops because we had to fit in our five editor/agent appointments, but I still feel like I learned a lot and grew in my writerhood.

Angie Hunt's closing speech was just as good as her others. It's always a bittersweet time to look around a room full of like-minded people and know you won't see them for at least another year.

Our flight left at 6:10 PM, while the conference ended at 11:30 AM. Mom and I decided to get to the airport early and walk around there instead of hanging out in the lobby. Weirdly, and I know many of you are going to find this extremely hard to believe, I feel talked out at the end of these things and can't sit around a gab without using up a lot of energy.

As we waited for a shuttle bus, a tall man walked up to a group of us conferees and asked if anyone needed a ride because he could fit three more. (We were hanging out with fellow Oregonian, Charlotte Kardokus, again.) It was one of those awkward situations where the taxi driver's being a little too pushy and you know he just wants more money.

Except it wasn't. Turned out he was a fellow conferee who lived in the area and was ferrying people just to be nice!

Remember my incident of trying to smuggle granola bars through security on the way to the conference? Well, on the way home, I decided to defy explicit instructions from security. They told me to hold my boarding pass as I went through the metal detector. I realized I was a rebel just as the tray holding my shoes, purse, and bag slid into the Tunnel of X-ray. I couldn't get it out, so I went through anyway, endured the eye-rolling of the worker, and showed him the paper as soon as it reappeared on the secure side of the room. I'm such a dork sometimes.

We shopped a few stores, ate at a mini-Chili's, and meandered to our gate. Passengers for the plane that left before ours still filled the seats. Boarding opened soon after we arrived and Mom and I spread out over a vacated area.

The airline called for a late passenger. A few minutes later, they called for him again. And again. I think even once more. The door was shut and the aircraft pulled away. What happened just then?

Of course, the man rushed up, obviously having run a long distance to make it "on time." He threw his jacket onto a seat in frustration, spun around, and plunked down with his head in his hands. Mom and I began crafting stories of how he would now miss the birth of his first child, or saying goodbye to his dying father, etc ... We're writers after all. But ultimately we ended up praying for him across the room. That his day would go better.

We still had hours until our plane left. With a layover, we'd be home at midnight MN time. Right about now is when Mom pointed at the reader board.

Our flight had been overbooked and they were looking for volunteers to give up their seats. We're pretty flexible women and figured we were getting in so late anyway, maybe we could get a free flight for next year's conference by spending the night and giving our seats away.

Instead, they moved us to a different airline. One that left sooner. And got us home HOURS before we were supposed to.

Here's the simile: the conference played out like our flight home. We went expecting to get something of value and ended up with something far better than we could even imagine that brought us to our destination even faster.

Here's a pic of Mom using the hand dryer in the bathroom. It's one of those super-cool, hygienically-superior ones. You don't touch a thing and it leaves your hands soft and hydrated (but dry) in about ten seconds.

ACFW: Awards Night--Genesis Results!

I forgot to mention what the Barnes & Noble cashier at the Mall of America told me: "The last time we had a crowd this big was when the guitarist from Motley Crue was signing autographs." Gaggle of geese. Pride of lions. Do you know what they call a group of fiction writers? A motley crew. Bah-da-bum.

This is a picture I took of the mirrored ceiling in the elevator. Probably about 10 good-smelling, fancy ladies in there. And one guy. :-)

Here are Mom and I in our resale shop gowns. May I draw your attention away from our gorgeous faces/figures and to my left hand? What's that I'm carrying? Oh yes, this is the new trend I'm starting. Next time you watch the Oscars, look for it.

A clutch is SO expensive and used once or twice a year, if it even matches the dress. I found a solution at the dollar store. A $0.33 gift bag. Large enough to hold my room key, some business cards, chap stick, lipstick, and my camera. I tell you, it's going to be all the rage!

A closer shot.

At the banquet with our BFF, Kim Moore from Harvest House. She had promised to hold my hand when my category came up and she always keeps her promises.

When I scooted over for this picture, I felt the back of my dress give! Mom helped me out into the lobby where we secured it with a safety pin. I'm not sure ACFW has ever seen a wardrobe malfunction and I didn't want to be the first!

The absolutely weirdest thing is that when I took the dress off to go to bed, there wasn't any problem with the stitching in the back. Whatever. Probably just a stunt to get more attention. Speaking of ...

That's Brandilyn Collins smiling at the far left of the shot as Pamela James helps me down a step. Hey, what's so funny? Oh, yeah, I went up the wrong steps when they called my name and ended up on the higher stage. Really, I just did it to get more time in the spotlight, but we don't have to let everyone in on it. ;-)

Second place in the Contemporary Genesis category!! I was thrilled. And thrilled I was thrilled. Maybe no one else works this way, but I was worried that I would have to act happy if I didn't get first. I mean, what if all I felt was disappointment? I didn't expect to win, but I had daydreamed about it. Thankfully, second place felt like a huge gift and I was able to sleep that night, a feat that might have been more difficult with a first place finish.

Most of all, I wanted to give my acceptance speech. Really. Truly.

In fact, I wanted so badly to give my speech that I forced Susan Meissner and Mom to listen to it after the ceremony was over. I had kept my note card to give you a verbatim rendition, but since I've taken so long to blog this, I seem to have misplaced it.

Here's the gist: I thanked the judges for putting me in that position and for giving me a chance to wear my gown. Usually I just wear it at home when I'm writing. Also, thanks to all my ACFW mentors like Camy Tang, Deborah Raney, Jim Bell, Randy Ingermanson, Jill Elizabeth Nelson, and the ones I'm sure I forgot.

Thanks to God for restoring my marriage and letting me use the lessons learned on forgiveness to form the foundation of the book. And finally, thanks to my mother. She taught me how to read when I was four, fed me a steady diet of classics--like Erma Bombeck--from then on, gave me my first writing craft book, and penned the first words of our joint writing journey. She's my co-writer, my encourager, and my best friend. Mom, I love you.

Wouldn't have been a dry eye in the house!

Afterward, Winter Peck came to congratulate me. We'd "met" through Donna Fleisher and enjoyed getting to see each other in person.

Below, since Blogger will not let me put a space between the next two pictures, is us glowing with Deb Raney. Last year, Deb had critiqued the first chapters of Undiscovered and asked if I'd entered it in the Genesis. Thanks, Deb, for your encouragement!

I'm flanked by Sandra Bishop, new agent-extraordinaire, and THE Chip MacGregor, who was one of the two final judges in my category. I know he looks unhappy. I told myself at first that this is because he was so upset that I didn't win first place.

Until I got my score sheets back the next week. Thank You, Lord, that I managed to place second!

Jenness Walker, another friend I met through Donna, WON her category!

I was in fine company. Top top is Dan Case, the first place winner in my category. Just above, Jim Rubart, the third place winner. Funny. Out of the five finalists, he's the only one with a contract. For now, at least.

By the time the evening concluded, it was almost eleven. Mom and I were exhausted. In the hotel room, I got into my jammies and called my husband with the good news. Suddenly I realized there weren't any pictures of the back of my gown. So I put it back on and had Mom snap some in the hall. First, my hair, which I did myself in about 20 minutes.

Ah, the gown can speak for itself.

ACFW: Mall of America Signing!

I've decided, since pictures are worth a thousand words, to count this as 14,000 words toward my writing goal today.

The sheer amount of planning that went into this signing blows me away. I know Cara Putnam, as ACFW Publicity Officer, had a huge part in it. But I also know that numerous volunteers headed up certain aspects and did a fantastic job.

I tried to capture the scope of the signing with these photos. Here you see the two jumbo screens. Authors and their books constantly flashed on these for the entire event.

Here Karen Ball, James Scott Bell, and Brandilyn Collins think they've seen Superman!

False alarm. Back to the panel discussion, now that Angela Hunt has joined them!

Here's Camy Tang hanging out at her table. I've just finished her newest book, Single Sashimi, and will be reviewing it, as well as posting a hard-hitting expose(how can I get the little accent thingy?) of the single life on the 16th. You won't want to miss it.

I'd heard a LOT about Megan DeMaria and was thrilled to meet her. Can't wait to start her book!

This is Beth Wiseman. She's a debut author with Thomas Nelson. A Cinderella story herself, though she writes Amish fiction, I had to struggle with not strangling her when I heard how quickly her book was picked up. I'm in the middle of Plain Perfect now. Look for a review soon.

CROWDED! This is a shot of the walkway along some of the signers. All together, I believe, there were 126 authors there.

I've talked about Shar MacLaren often on this blog. She's a good friend, and a good writer.

Roxanne Henke is trying to talk Randy Ingermanson out of his plan to take over the world.

Mom and Roxanne.

We had grabbed Cinnabon rolls and smoothies to enjoy while watching the panels. Another sweet treat? Meeting Cathy Golke! She won a Christy with her first novel. Is that not unbelievable? I highly recommend William Henry is a Fine Name and it's sequel, I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires. Technically, they're YA, but I LOVED them.

This is the funny panel. Not the ladies, their books. Actually, you have to be a little kookie to write humor, so maybe they're all quirky, too. Camy Tang, Trish Perry, and Rene Gutteridge.

Here Camy is enthusiastically weaving a humor story around a plotline suggested by an audience member: a woman poisons her husband. Hilarious, right?

Rene and Mom.

Next, the banquet and awards ceremony!