Unfortunate Coincidence

Had to get four fillings today. No, I haven't been brushing my teeth with cotton candy. In fact, I haven't had a cavity for more than a decade ... and that was the problem.

All my fillings were old and worn down, so the dentist replaced them. I had the choice of doing them over a period of days, but I would rather get it all done at once.

Unfortunately, this was the first day of the filming of my video/audio version of my book. You know how the entertainment business is, though--the show must go on!

Here's what we ended up with. You might want to grab your copy and follow along. (I also had great fun calling Dave and leaving him a loving message.)

2011 Carol Award Finalists

Put all of these books on your summer reading list:

Debut Novel:

The Preacher’s Bride by Jody Hedlund (Bethany House - Dave Long/Sharon Asmus, Editors)

Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes (Tyndale Publishers - Kathryn Olson, Editor)

Rooms by James L. Rubart (B&H Publishing - Julee Schwarzburg, Editor)

Long Contemporary:

The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Revell - Andrea Doering, Editor)

Red Ink by Kathi Macias (New Hope Publishers - Randy Bishop, Editor)

Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House - Dave Long, Editor)

Long Contemporary Romance:      

Plain Jayne by Hilary Manton Lodge (Harvest House - Kim Moore, Editor)

Anna’s Return by Marta Perry (Berkley - Ellen Edwards, Editor)

Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson - Natalie Hanemann, Editor)

Long Historical:

Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs (Waterbrook Press - Laura Barker, Editor)

Petra: City in Stone by T.L. Higley (B&H Publishing - Karen Ball, Editor)

Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren (Summerside Press – Susan Downs, Editor)

Long Historical Romance:

The Husband Tree by Mary Connealy (Barbour - Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Love Finds You In Homestead, Iowa by Melanie Dobson (Summerside - Rachel Meisel/Connie Troyer, Editors)

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz (Revell - Andrea Doering, Editor)

Mystery:

Mirrored Image by Alice K. Arenz (Sheaf House - Joan M. Shoup, Editor)

Muslin Mystery by Vera Dodge (Guideposts - Beth Adams, Editor)

The Camera Never Lies by Elizabeth Goddard (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Novellas (Contemporary and Historical were combined into one category):

The Prodigal Groom by Vickie McDonough (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Ride With Me Into Christmas by Rachael Phillips (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

A Trusting Heart by Carrie Turansky (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Romantic Suspense:

The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson (Summerside Press - Rachel Meisel/Susan Downs, Editors)

Don’t Look Back by Lynette Eason (Revell - Andrea Doering, Editor)

Pursuit of Justice by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale Publishers - Karen Watson, Editor)

Short Contemporary:

The Wedding Garden by Linda Goodnight (Love Inspired - Allison Lyons)

A Father for Zach by Irene Hannon (Love Inspired - Melissa Endlich, Editor)

Winter’s End by Ruth Logan Herne (Love Inspired - Melissa Endlich, Editor)

Short Contemporary Suspense:

Night Prey by Sharon Dunn (Love Inspired Suspense - Emily Rodmell, Editor)

Legacy of Lies by Jill Elizabeth Nelson (Love Inspired Suspense - Emily Rodmell, Editor)

Firestorm by Kelly Ann Riley (Love Inspired Suspense - Tina James, Editor)

Short Historical:

Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote (Love Inspired Historical - Tina James, Editor)

Promise of Tomorrow by S. Dionne Moore (Barbour - JoAnne Simmons, Editor)

The Columns of Cottonwood by Sandra Robbins (Barbour - JoAnne Simmons, Editor)

Speculative Fiction:

The Wolf of Tebron by C. S. Lakin (AMG Publishers - Rick Steele, Editor)

Rooms by James L. Rubart (B&H Publishing - Julee Schwarzburg, Editor)

König’s Fire by Marc Schooley (Marcher Lord Press – Jeff Gerke, Editor)

Suspense/Thriller:

Predator by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan - Sue Brower/Dave Lambert, Editors)

Fear No Evil by Robin Caroll (B&H Publishing – Karen Ball, Editor)

Medical Error by Richard L. Mabry (Abingdon Press – Barbara Scott, Editor)

Women’s Fiction:

Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett (Tyndale Publishers - Jan Stob/Lorie Popp, Editors)

They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti (Abingdon – Barbara Scott, Editor)

Beyond Summer by Lisa Wingate (NAL - Ellen Edwards, Editor)

Young Adult:

Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson (Revell - Lonnie Hull Dupont, Editor)

Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson (Zonderkidz - Jacque Alberta, Editor)

Katy’s New World by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Zonderkidz - Jacque Alberta, Editor)

Kids Bowl Free--My Summer Public Service Announcement

I've been a bit busy this summer with five kids, nieces, a nephew, and untold neighbors in and out of the house, but I've finally gotten to the bottom of the paperwork on my desk. Found a treasure there: a program that lets kids under 15 bowl TWO games A DAY for FREE all summer long. It's all over the nation, and even some bowling alleys in Canada are participating.

Super fun, and we added the Family Pass for $24.95. That allowed four adults for all those times as long as you are with a Bowl Free child. Added both sets of the Tarabochia parents.

If you haven't heard about this, check it out at Kids Bowl Free. If you did know, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME???

Terrified behind the Wheel

Yesterday I had a bunch of running around to do. The bank, the dentist, Dollar Store for greeting cards, home for shopping list, and then grocery shopping. Winco was stuffed to the brim, but I graciously let carts go in front of me, didn't take corners too fast, chatted with the clerk as she checked out my massive order, giggled as people gaped at my super-full cart dragging me across the parking lot ...

In short, I made the chores fun and enjoyed being in the moment. Counted my blessings like having money to put in the bank, having dental insurance, a fun car to drive, great kids to eat all that food, and so on.

Only three turns from home, I was stopped on a green light on a left turn yield. A car drove straight past me from the other direction as another made a right turn opposite me in their designated right turn lane. I had eggs in the car. This is important because everyone know you drive more cautiously when you have eggs in the car! Another car was just entering the right turn lane and I saw a decent-gap, so turned.

The guy laid on his horn, almost making the car in front of me get in an accident while it pulled over. I waved to them as I passed, signally I didn't honk at them. It struck me that the red car behind me thought I had cut it off. I  had EGGS in the car! Uh-oh, I thought, but we weren't close to an accident at all.

I'm the one you honk at because I'm too conservative at rush hour to take a spot in the traffic. I get made fun of for signaling on lonely driveways and in parking lots. I've never had a ticket. I HAD EGGS in the car!

So I make my next right turn, signaling and driving just as carefully as I normally do. The red car follows me. Wait, is he FOLLOWING me????!?!??! I didn't make another turn for a while, so I couldn't really tell. Then a right and quick left. Yep, still behind me. Now I'm hyperventilating. Freaking out. Having all the news stories run through my mind of road rage with sudden appearances of guns. I'm praying, "Lord, please keep me safe!"

Should I keep driving past our street? Lead him down the mountain? How long will he follow me? [Here's where you can tell how out of my mind I was because this next part seemed logical then.] No, I decided, I have ice cream in the car. (with the eggs) I'll just pull into the garage, stay in the car, until the garage door shuts, then call the police if he comes to the door.

I pull around the trees into our driveway and, miracle of miracles, Dave who lifts weights almost every day is cutting cardboard for the recycling with a box knife! I zoom in, brake, put my window down, and say in a shaky, shaky voice, "IthinktheguybehindmethoughtIcuthimoffandhe'sfollowedmeallthewayhomeandIthinkit'sroadrage!"

I cowered in the car while Dave, knife in hand, went to meet the car. The guy seemed pretty calm, told Dave he'd almost hit me when I cut him off, and that I needed to know I didn't have the right of way. Dave told him that those roads are pretty tough to get around on when they are this busy, happens to him all the time, and that I was a safe driver with no tickets.

I wobbled out of the car, grab a few grocery sacks, and yelled, "I HAD EGGS IN THE CAR!" Ok, really I said, "I'm sorry if you thought it was too close but I felt like I had plenty of room." Then I hid in the house until he left.

The fight-or-flight was so high in me that all I could do was wander around scattered-brain, hugging Dave, thanking him for being home with a knife, and berating myself for showing where I lived. Even if I did cut him off, his horn honk was enough of a warning. NEVER should he have followed me.

I've played it over and over in my head. I still think I had room. Maybe he looked down after he got in the lane, saw me when he looked up, and assumed there was less room because of the surprise. Maybe he thought I was a teenager in the car alone with my bangs and my sunglasses and wanted to good-heartedly make sure I knew the rules of the road. Maybe God was warning me to stay extra cautious and alert with all these big-city drivers. Maybe he had no socialization skills to know how UTTERLY TERRIFYING it is to be a lady in a car alone being followed by a strange man.

That's my favorite theory. I play the whole thing out. He walks into the kitchen, tells his wife he was almost in an accident and followed the girl home to tell her how to drive. Then his wife says, "You did what??" and hits him repeatedly with a dish towel. "She probably had eggs in the car!"

FUN Dear Editor Questions

Elaine Stock, one of my favorite editing clients--but aren't they all??--did an interview with me. It's over on her blog, Everyone's Story. She also has a never-before-seen karate wedding picture. ;p

Please stop in and leave a comment, which makes you eligible to win a book. I spend FOUR hours working on my answers. Which made Elaine feel bad, but it shouldn't, because it just means that all five kids were home and kept "needing" me. I would just get one train of thought on its track and--DERAILMENT, aka kid.

Also, I took a long time answering because I wanted to make sure to give answers of value. So jump over and tell me what you think. Did I succeed in giving you something new to think about as a writer or reader?