Author Tracie Peterson Tackles Gossip and Innuendo

Dear Readers--

I'm so pleased to announce that author Tracie Peterson is my guest today on Everything Writerly.

Tracie has been instrumental in my writing career. For a time, she was my editor when I wrote for the book club, Heartsong Presents. Tracie is also a beloved, bestselling author of over 100 titles. She speaks and teaches at a variety of women’s retreats and writer’s conferences. She makes her home in Montana with her husband Jim.

But what does Tracie's success mean to her? How does she view it, and what does she hope her new title, Beyond the Silence will mean to readers?

Here's what Tracie had to say.

    "Writing has always been a ministry for me – a chance to share the Gospel and Bible application.  Beyond the Silence was no exception to that. 

    As Kim Woodhouse and I developed this story we thought it was important to portray characters who were struggling with their identity.  The heroine from a perspective of past loss and future uncertainties and the hero from past loss and the judgmental attitude of those who were supposed to be friends.

    Throughout the story, the theme is one of not jumping to conclusions or judging by what gossip is being spread around, no matter how certain that gossip seems.  It’s also about learning that God is trustworthy even when no one else is. Having learned over the years how easy it is to fall victim to people misjudging you for something you didn’t do, as well as hearing others talk about the same painful experience, I thought this story was one that might make readers think before acting on gossip and innuendo.

    Ultimately, I hope the story will draw the reader closer to God and His love."   

   *     *     *

Thank you, Tracie. I'm sure everyone can relate to misjudging others or being misjudged. I can't wait to read your latest book.

Readers can learn more about Tracie by visiting her website: http://traciepetersonbooks.com/

Later this week, Everything Writerly will host author Kimberley Woodhouse, coauthor of Beyond the Silence.

AND SO IT IS CHRISTMAS

Family ties. They can bind, all right. Strangulate in some cases. With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, family members aren’t far from our thoughts.

For myself, I’m grateful for a rich family heritage. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy writing about various family dynamics. I find them strange and fascinating. Some family dynamics are painful, others annoying. Nonetheless, it begs the question: What constitutes a family?

Families don’t have to be solely blood relation. Many of us have “church families,” and “work families.” The latter is not surprising, as we spend so much time at our jobs and with our coworkers.

But I think what’s important at Christmastime is the aspect of giving. Times are tough and everyone’s wallet seems emptier this year—mine included. However, consider giving a gift of your time, like two hours, perhaps, to a harried mom in your church family who would thankfully take a little time away from the kids. Or spend an afternoon with an elderly person in your life who could use a bit of help around the house—or just good company.

In our busy world each minute seems already claimed before it even ticks by. However, reprioritizing could free up those precious moments that would cheer another person or make an unforgettable and happy memory. Christmas is, after all, about giving. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NASB).

What a precious gift!

How about you? What about the dynamics within your family, whether or not you family is blood relation? What can you give those you love this year that won’t cost a fortune but might improve someone else’s life? These questions are so very relevant as Christmas draws near.

Merry Christmas!

Look for my latest releases online or at your favorite bookstore. Books make fabulous Christmas gifts.

 A THOUSAND SHALL FALL 
(Historical fiction with romance)
Click on the above link to purchase

SEASONS OF LOVE 

(Contemporary Novella Collection, romance)

Click on the above link to purchase

Catching Your Dreams

Do you have a dream, a goal, a vision for your life? Does it seem to be just short of your grasp? I know the feeling.

For those who don’t know me, I’m an author of Christian fiction and nonfiction. My latest novel, a historical Civil War romance, is called A Thousand Shall Fall. It’s book one in my Shenandoah Valley series series. Truly, it was a dream of mine to see this story in print. God worked in the hearts of the folks at Kregel Publications, and my book will release November 28^, 2015.  (Answered prayer!!)

Here are 3 ideas that have encouraged me and they might help you catch your dream – and, perhaps, even change your life.

            1)    Pray about your dream-goal. If you’re like me, then you have lots of ideas. Not every one is worthy of your time – or is God’s will for your life.

We can get busied up in all kinds of meaningless things. So begin a journal and write down all the things you’re involved in. Pray over each one and ask God which to eliminate so you’ll have the time to journey down the God-given path for your life.

             2)   Practice “planned abandonment.”

In her book Jesus Life Coach, Laurie Beth Jones writes: “Planned abandonment doesn’t mean walking away from something that is difficult or isn’t working anymore. Planed abandonment means choosing between good and great, between better and best. Planned abandonment means that you are able to say no to all that glitters and discern what truly shines.”

Search out all the EWs in your life. EWs are “energy wasters” and we’ve all got them. They’re those things that crowd in on us when we least expect. They can be the meaningless ideas I previously mentioned and they can be people who suck your time, perhaps wanting advice but unwilling to change their behavior or step out in faith. An EW, for example, might be that neighbor who comes over every night to sit on the couch and…bloviate. As you begin to eliminate EWs in your life, that neighbor may have to find himself another roosting place.

3)    Participate in your own life. Don’t just talk about all things you want to do someday – do them!

I recently watched the movie The Music Man and near the end of the motion picture, Professor Harold Hill tells Marian the librarian something quite profound, I think. He says something like, “If you keep putting everything off until tomorrow, all you’ll have is a collection of empty yesterdays.” How true that is!

And just remember, Tomorrow and Someday are days of the week on a planet that doesn’t exist! So quit procrastinating (and I’m pointing one finger at myself too!), turn off the “boob tube,” as my father called TV, and take steps toward accomplishing your personal goals. It doesn’t have to be a leap of faith. Only small footsteps.

Dare to dream – and imagine yourself a part of that vision. It’s attainable! If you’re a believer in Christ Jesus, He has put that power within you. And remember: With God all things are possible!

Jennifer Uhlarik: Wedded to Honor

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.

Wedded to Honor: A novella in The Convenient Bride Collection

According to her father’s will, 20-year-old Honor Cahill must be married in order to inherit the 5500-acre California ranch she and her father have run together until his recent, unexpected death. If she is unmarried, her greedy half-brother Nate will inherit the ranch. Honor posts an ad in the Matrimonial News, but can an Eastern-bred Harvard graduate truly help her save her northern California ranch? 

*     *     *

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Mona Hodgson: Keeper of My Heart

Mona Hodgson is the author of nearly 40 books,

historical novels and novellas for adults and 

children’s books, including her popular Sinclair 

Sisters of Cripple Creek Series, The Quilted 

Heart novellas, and Prairie Song. Her children’s 

books include bestseller, Bedtime in the 

Southwest, Real Girls of the Bible: A 31-

Day Devotional, six desert and princess Zonderkidz I Can Read
books, six I Wonder books, and more. 


Keeper of My Heart: Novella in The Convenient Bride Collection

Neelie "Shott" is fighting to live down her deceased husband’s bad 

deeds. Fleeing Fort Kearney, she comes across a wagon train company, where she is reunited with the brother she thought had died in the Civil War. The caravan seems a good way to disappear and keep moving toward her future performing in a Wild West Show. That was before she unwittingly endeared herself to the Kamden youngsters. Ian Kamden's wife died on the operating table at Fort Kearney, leaving him to travel on with five children and his aging mother. Ian needs a wife, and Neelie decides having a husband could be convenient. The two wed, but the marriage starts out exceedingly inconvenient. What will it take for them to overcome past experiences and become a loving family?

*     *     *

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Amanda Barratt: The Substitute Wife

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As a multi-published author, I feel so 

blessed that the novella I 

co-authored appears with such amazing

talent. Another author

featured in The  Convenient 

Bride Collection is Amanda Barratt. 

Here’s what she had to say about her 

novella:

 The Substitute Wife

Grace Whittaker has spent her life in 

the shadow of her beautiful sister, 

Audrey. But when Audrey jilts her fiance, Dr. 

Raymond McNair, hours before the wedding, Grace offers to 

take her sister’s place. Grace longs to win her new husband’s 

heart, yet fears it still belongs to Audrey. Will their marriage 

turn from convenience to love, or will Grace forever remain 

the substitute wife?

Amanda Barratt- Romance That Inspires

A Bride for a Bargain (The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection) May 1, 2015 Barbour Publishing

The Substitute Wife (The Convenient Bride Collection) July 1, 2015 Barbour Publishing

Find out more about Amanda by logging onto her website at:

amandabarratt.net

Contact Amanda at: amandabarratt33@gmail.com

Connect with Amanda on Facebook: AmandaBarrattAuthor

https://twitter.com/amandambarratt

See Amanda's Amaazon.com Page: 

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College Adventures

I'm fifty-something and in college, chipping away at earning my bachelors degree. I thought I'd share one of my papers. I wrote the following for a  Civil War History class. The assignment was to select a book from a long list and write a review, such as we might read in a newspaper. As I recall, we were required to use a published review of the book we read as a source. 

Below is my attempt. Enjoy!
(Oh, and if you're wondering...I got on A!) 

Civil War: A Narrative

Red River to Appomattox (Vol. 3)

By Shelby Foote

Author's Biography

Mr. Shelby Foote was born in 1916 in Greenville, Mississippi. He served in both the United States Army and the U.S. Marine Corps. A published novelist first, Mr. Foote researched and wrote his 3-volume series The Civil War: A Narrative over a twenty year span. 

Mr. Foote was considered a traditional Southern gentleman by most, although critics in the 1960s accused him of retreating into the past via his research and not focusing on the present issues of the South, such as segregation and the Civil Rights Movement. However, in a letter penned in 1963 to his longtime friend Walker Percy, Mr. Foote wrote,

“I feel death all in the air in Memphis, and I'm beginning to hate the one thing I really ever loved -- the South. No, that's wrong: not hate -- despise. Mostly I despise the leaders, the pussy-faced politicians, the soft-talking instruments of real evil” (Morris. 2003).

Along with his non-fictional Civil War series, Mr. Foote authored the following novels: Tournament (1949); Love in a Dry Season (1951); Shiloh (1952); Jordan County (1954); and September, September (1977). Additionally, Mr. Foote was a consultant to Ken Burns on the highly acclaimed Civil War series that aired on PBS in 1990 (and now available on DVD). When he died in 2005 at the age of 88, Mr. Foote was survived by his third wife, Gwyn, a daughter, and a son (Martin, 2005).

Aperçu and Reader’s Commentary

Shelby Foote is a magnificent storyteller. In volume 3 of his Civil War series entitled Red River to Appomattox the reader can well-imagine herself, sitting in a rocking chair on a wide front porch on a humid night in Memphis, listening to this fiction-writer/historian weave accounts of this nation’s bloodiest wars fought on American soil. From “Another Grand Design” (Chapter 1) to “Lucifer in Starlight” (Chapter 8), the characters, both Union and Confederate, come alive off the pages.

This final installment in Mr. Foote’s The Civil War: A Narrative opens with a scene in which General Ulysses S. Grant and his son are checking into Willard’s Hotel in Washington. It’s March 8, 1864. The scene is written from the hotel clerk’s viewpoint as he sums up the “short, round-shouldered man in a very tarnished major general’s uniform” who seemed to have “no gait, no station, no manner” (Foote. 1986). From there the book transitions to the omniscient point-of-view and the reader is soon whisked to a reception at the White House in which President Lincoln is in attendance. Again, General Grant is described. He “blushed like a schoolgirl, sweating heavily from embarrassment and the exertion of shaking the hands of those who managed to get nearest in the jam” (Foote 1986). The point of the chapter is Grant’s proposal to Lincoln for the capture of Richmond and bring an end to the war.

Mr. Foote habitually used the omniscient point-of-view, particularly to transition from one character to another. In Chapter 4, War is Cruelty, the reader is in Lee’s viewpoint and learns the Virginian hoped for another Cold Harbor when his Confederate general, Jubal Early had called at the gates of Washington. But instead of sending the entire Army of the Potomac after Early and his men, Grant dispatched two corps and they successfully discouraged the graybacks from capturing the Union capitol.

The battle of “The Crater” is also discussed as a Union debacle, after which the Yanks dug into trenches and began the long siege of Petersburg. Eventually, the campaign played a part in the surrender of both Lee’s and Johnston’s armies.

In the final chapter Lucifer In Starlight, the opening scene is one of celebration. In Washington, a crowd has gathered outside the White House. According to Mr. Foote’s narrative, several marching bands are on hand to heighten the mood. Union President Lincoln calls to them, saying, “I have always thought Dixie one of the best tunes I ever heard…it is now our lawful prize. I request the band to favor me with its performance” (Foote, 1986). The musicians oblige him.

Later, the reader has a front row seat as Lincoln reads a speech to the crowd from a balconied window of the White House. Mr. Foote sets it up for the reader, describing young Tad Lincoln crawling around the floor of the balcony, catching the pages of his father’s speech as the president drops them one by one after reading from them.

Fellow Citizens, we are met this evening not in sorrow but in gladness of heart. The evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond, and the surrender of the principal insurgent army, give hope of a righteous and speedy peace whose joyous expression cannot be restrained (Foote, 1986).

The moment was not without Lincoln’s dry sense of humor which author Shelby Foote didn’t fail to include. After the delivery, Lincoln turned to Noah Brooks, a young journalist who was expected to replace one of the president’s private secretaries. Brooks had been holding a candle for the president and stood behind a drape at the balcony window from which Lincoln spoke. Afterwards, Lincoln said to the younger man, “That was a pretty fair speech, I think, but you threw some light on it” (Foote, 1986).

Mr. Foote’s narrative goes on to recapture the pall that fell over Washington after Lincoln was assassinated on Good Friday, April 14, 1865. Afterwards, the reader is transported to a scene with Jefferson Davis. The Confederate president is described by Zebulon Vance, a Confederate officer and later the governor of North Carolina, as “a man of imperfectly constituted genius… could absolutely blind himself to those things which his prejudices or hopes did not desire to see” (Foote, 1986). 

Mr. Foote goes on to describe the meeting between Davis and his cabinet taking place in a boxcar as they sought to escape capture by Union forces. Davis talked of “raising a large army by rounding up deserters and conscripting men who previously had escaped the draft” (Foote, 1986). Mr. Foote wrote that it must have been like “closeted with a dreamy madman” (1986), and the reader clearly gets the picture. President Davis was a man who could not accept defeat. Even years later, after he’d been incarcerated and chained in his cell, he refused to ask for a pardon. Davis was convinced that the South lost the war because many of its citizens weren’t determined enough to win. Quite the inflammatory speech during Reconstruction. Invariably, Davis remained, in his own words, “a man without a country” (Foote, 1986).

Not ironically, Mr. Foote’s Civil War narrative ends with the death of Kentuckian, Jeff Davis. The reader is left feeling, not celebratory because slavery had been abolished and freedom imparted, but glum and sad for the leader of the Rebellion – and the states that followed him and suffered in its aftermath.

Author’s Selection and Use of Sources

Because Mr. Foote’s book is a narrative, sources of specific facts and quotes aren’t readily apparent. However, in his Biographical Note at the end of the book, Mr. Foote acknowledges his debt to such works as Red River Campaign by Ludwell H. Johnson; Jubal’s Raid by Frank E. Vandiver; Sherman’s March Though the Carolinas by Jon G. Barrett; and Nine April Days by Burke Davis to name only four. Mr. Foote also cites biographies. When the book was written, use of Internet libraries and online access to historical societies were nonexistent. Sources could only be read in printed formats. Suffice it to say today’s authors have an advantage when it comes to researching historical topics. However, as Mr. Foote’s work was a twenty year-long process, it’s obvious that Civil War history was his passion. In fact, Mr. Foote quoted Chaucer in his Biographical Note, and wrote, “Farwel my book and my devocion” (1986). Mr. Foote’s accumulation of knowledge of the Civil War and its historic figures enabled him to write a passionate narrative as opposed to a dull and colorless historical textbook.

Assessment of Book by Others

This third and final volume in The Civil War: A Narrative Red River to Appomattox is an essential read for students and enthusiasts. Of course, reading the first two volumes is a must to understand much of what transpires in the last book.

Generally, reviews were good to excellent when the book was first released. A review by Donald Stewart of the State University of New York read:

Like its companion volumes, the conclusion of Shelby Foote's twenty-year "labor of love" conveys the gallantry and drama, and the dust, horror and smell, of America's most desperate conflict. In the plethora of books on the Civil War, Foote's trilogy ranks high… Readers can visualize Confederate dead piled seven deep on the field of Franklin, Sergeant Reese relighting the burned-out fuse in the Crater's tunnel, reactions of Northern troops to Georgia chiggers, and Mrs. Lincoln's jealous public tirades against wives of Union generals. Yet Foote never forgets this was a fighting war; movements and battles are his central theme (Stewart, 1975).

Another review read this way: “Foote’s monumental work may lose some of the objectivity that goes with more up-to-date research, but these volumes are commendable materials for Civil War study” (Hartje, 1976).

This reader heartily agrees!

Researching My Own Backyard

By Andrea Boeshaar

My latest novel, Threads of Love, releases May 7th, It's set in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1902. 

One of the main characters, Emily Sundberg, is well known in the community as she's a school teacher. Her father (Captain Daniel Sundberg from Book 2) owns a shipping business and, as I researched the city, it was interesting to learn that in the 19th and early 20th centuries Manitowoc was commonly referred to as "Clipper City" because of all the shipbuilding going on -- Manitowoc was known for building those graceful lake clippers. 

I toured the Wisconsin Maritime Museum and got a glimpse of what the city might look like in the time period of my story. It helped the characters to come alive in my mind.

Below is the back cover copy of Threads of Love  --
 





As my character's aunt and mother (Julianna from Book 2 in the series) work in a shop in Manitowoc called Sundberg Creations -- a shop that offers hand-spun items -- I took a knitting class at Cream City Yarn Shop. I felt it was important to get the feel of different fibers and textures. I imagine that the Sundberg ladies' shop would look similar to Cream City Yarn. It's a quaint shop in Brookfield constructed in vintage Cream City Brick. 

Incidentally, I knitted scarves for all the grandkids and my daughter-in-law for Christmas (talk about getting inspired!).

I enjoyed researching the fashion in 1902, but still can't imagine wearing all those under-garments (especially in summertime!). And, as a portion of my story takes place in Fallon, Montana too, I enjoyed researching that area. It'd be fun to ride the train out west.

Threads of Love is book 3 in my Fabric of Time series and all three novels in the series are set in Wisconsin. So fun to research my own backyard!


Stop by on May 7th because I'll be giving away FREE copies of my books in the Fabric of Time series, Threads of Hope, Threads of Faith, and Threads of Love -- to celebrate the release of the third and final story -- Threads of Love.

Linore Rose Burkard's Impossible Dream

Back around 2005 I had completed my first book, but was struggling with how I wanted to try and get it in the hands of readers. As an outsider to the world of publishing, I sent it to only two publishers. ( I got one "no" and one "maybe" which turned into a no.)

At the same time, I came across information about a POD printer which appealed to me. I still  dragged my feet although I felt the book was ready, but the Lord gently prodded me into action. The amusing thing is the way He did it. With a background in English Literature, I'd done my fair share of studying Shakespeare, but I was nevertheless startled to hear the Lord reminding me to return to "thine almost blunted purpose." Goodness! I wasn't seeking to avenge anyone's death, but apparently I bore a resemblance to Hamlet. And I know what it was, too: we were both procrastinators!

With a couple of gentle Shakespearean reminders behind me, I got things moving and published my first book, a pioneering work at that time, since it was a Christian regency romance, and there were none on the market. (That was, in fact, the impetus for my writing to begin with. I longed to see a Jane-Austenesque 

 romance with a Christian emphasis.)

Since that time, Harvest House Publishers picked up that book (Before the Season Ends) and gave me contracts for two others, which make up my regency series. I'm so grateful that God didn't let me miss the boat, so to speak. He got me back to my purpose, which was, and is, still, writing. As a homeschooling mother of five, it's certainly not 

 my only purpose, but one He considered important enough to warrant a few dramatic reminders that I thoroughly understood!

For more about Linore, see her website:
http://www.linoreburkard.com/

Today I have the honor of hosting one of my good friends, Lena Dooley. If you’re not familiar with Lena’s work, here’s her bio:

Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 690,000 books in print.

In addition to her writing, Lena is a frequent speaker at women’s groups, writers groups, and at both regional and national conferences. She has spoken in six states and internationally. She is also one of the co-hosts of the Gate Beautiful blog radio show.

Lena has an active web presence on Shoutlife, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Linkedin and with her internationally connected blog where she interviews other authors and promotes their books.

Lena is giving away her brand new book, Mary’s Blessing, so please leave a comment at the end of this interview and on Sunday evening we’ll draw a winner.

AND NOW FOR MY INTERVIEW WITH LENA!

1.      What genre do you write in? (Historical, contemporary, romance, etc.)

I have written both historical and contemporary books in several genres, but all of them have a romantic thread woven through. Right now, I’ve finished one three-book historical series, and I’m starting writing another contracted historical series for the same publisher.

2.      How does your faith affect your daily life?

Faith is an integral part of my life. I’ve walked with the Lord so long, that to remove Him from my daily life would require major surgery, which would be life-threatening.

3.      What message do you hope to convey to readers, either in this latest book or in all your books?

The last four books I’ve written have had a strong thread of unmerited forgiveness, and learning to trust God in all things woven through the stories.

4.      Do you believe there is evil in the world and, if you do, how do you portray it in your novels (or do you portray evil in your novels?

Yes, there are all forms of evil in our world, and if some of them appear in my story, I try to make them realistic without being offensive in the way I write it. I want reader to feel safe about reading my stories.

5.      Did you ever have a memorable book-signing? (Sad, humorous, or awesome?) If so, please share it.

I’ve had a couple of wonderful book signings at Mardel’s for a Book Release party for a novel. I’ll have the one for Mary’s Blessing there as well. One thing I’m going to do with this book is to have a signing at Chan’s Mongolian Grill. One of the characters is the book is named for Tony Chan the proprietor, and he wants to have a book signing there. I think it will be fun and interesting.

6.      How do you deal with rejection letters or an irate reader?

Rejection is part of a writer’s life. I learned years ago to trust the Lord with the sales of my manuscripts. If I receive a rejection, I know He didn’t want that publisher to publish it, because he had other people He wanted to read the story that publisher wouldn’t reach.

About irate readers, I will answer their emails or messages and agree with them, because it’s a valid opinion. I won’t please everyone all the time. I sometimes ask the reader how they would change the book. I try to make a friend, even though we don’t agree about my book.

7.      What’s next for you as an author? Any books in the hopper?

As I said before, I’m starting a new series, and I’m excited about it. This is my Restored Hearts series about people whose hearts have been broken in some way.

I totally agree with your last statement, Lena. I wrote a book about that very thing called Broken Things. The updated version is available as a Kindle download on amazon.com.

Thank you so much for being my guest today, Lena! I’ve watched your career take off from your first Barbour novellas to your trade fiction for Charisma House. (Oh, and by the way, Lena and I both write for the Realms Authors’ Blog called Just theWrite Charisma. Stop by and take a read some time.)

 

And remember, Readers, Lena is giving away a copy of her brand new book Mary's Blessing. Be sure to leave a comment and your name will be entered into the drawing.

Until next time, keep those pages turning!

EVERYTHING WRITERLY has a brand new focus!

Don’t you just love it when you hear God’s voice? Not his audible voice, of course, but that “still small voice” that speaks to your heart. An epiphany. That happened to me recently. The Lord spoke to me out of the Book of Philippians. I became very convicted about how much self-promotion I’ve been doing, even though it seems a necessary evil in the publishing industry. Regardless, I clearly felt God’s prompting me to promote other Christian authors instead. Ironically, the message had been a challenge to my son Ben who has now taken over the stewardship of Faith Baptist Church in Munising, Michigan. But God’s Word spoke to my heart as well. So now, Everything Writerly will have a new focus.

Every week, I’ll feature a Christian author. He or she might be famous or not so famous. Either way, authors will have something incredible to share about their faith and their writing lives as well as their latest releases. I realize there are plenty of blogs out there that do the same thing so I’ll try to throw in a surprise or two.

Whether you’re a faithful follower of Everything Writerly or a new reader, I hope you will enjoy this blog. I look forward to your feedback.