The Hope of Spring

These are pictures of my Iris ready to bloom.  See the buds, the yellow and purple edge Iris. Those buds hold the hope of beauty.  Soon I will see a beautiful flower.

 

For me writing is that way.  You come up with a proposal, that bud you send to your editor and then when you write the book, it becomes that beautiful flower.  I am working on the WWII book, and wanting that flower to bloom.  There are other stems on my bush that are beginning to bud.  I’ll be excited to see those stories bloom, too.

Please check back daily this Spring, 

because I will post pictures of the latest blooms.

 

Easter

For me, this time of year is the most special.  As we celebrate the Lord's death and resurrection, I am humbled and awed.  Good Friday has always been a somber day for me.  A time of reflection on the sacrifice made.  What love to endure so much pain.

The joy of Easter morning is so special.  It touches my heart.  After the darkness come dawn, and a glorious one at that.  It is my prayer that you will read the Easter story in any of the Gospels and reflect on what was done. 

Have a blessed Easter.

Texan Independance Day

A couple of Sundays ago (3/4/13) over breakfast and before my husband went to church I asked him, a native Texan, what was special about the day before.  He looked up at me and said, Texas Independence Day.

Okay, he got that right.  "And when did that happened?" I asked.

He thought and said, "March 2, 1836."  Well so much for trying to fool the native.

Not being a native Texan, I didn't study it in school,  but Saturday when I read an article by Brooke Rollins of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, I was in awe of what those men and women did.

The Texians didn't have a lot of success in fighting Santa Anna and the Texians were of all nationalities and backgrounds.  And these men and woman fought against the odds.  The day they declared Independence in a little cabin on the Brazos River, their army lost at Agua Dulce.  On March 8, they lost at the Alamo.  They lost at Coleto (17days later), Copano (19 days later), Goliad (25 days later.)


Now anyone with good sense would've given up, especially after the massacre at Goliad.  There were arguments and doubts, but fifty days later, on April 21st, 1836, Texas won at San Jacinto.

That was the final victory.  Their determination is astounding. I am touched and humbled by people with such determination. Happy Independence Day, Texas.  You're 177 years old.

(This is my post @http://craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/)

In an attempt to promote Christian authors.

      In an attempt to promote Christian authors Julie Cosgrove @ Where Did You Find God Today? http://wheredidyoufindgodtoday.com/2013/03/05/in-an-attempt-to-promote-other-christian-authors/  asked me to participate in promoting other Christian authors,  so here’s my answers of the questions.  Also, check out her devotionals @ the hyperlink above.

 1.    What is the working title of your book?  The Final Forgiveness is the book I am just now finishing.  It is set in WWII Amsterdam and London.

2.  Where did the idea come from?  Corrie Ten Boone.  I read her book The Hiding Place,  and heard her say she was preaching in Germany after the war and at the end of  meeting, a man walked up to her.  It was one of the guards from the camp where she and her sister were.  God convicted her that she was preaching forgiveness, now she had to practice it.
 

  3.  What genre does your book fall under?  This would be classified as a single-title.    

  

  4.  Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 
       I don't have a clue.

5.  What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? How do you forgive someone who has betrayed your family resulting in their deaths?

  6.  Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

The book is represented by an agent and will be published by B&H Publishing next summer.  My book will be one of a series that takes place in different countries in Europe.   Look for the tag line and more information here or on the B&H website.  The countries will be Ireland, France, Italy and The Netherlands.  The authors involved will be Cara Putman, Anne Green, Tricia Goyer, Jeanne Dickson, Sara Sundin just to name a few.

  7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?  All together it took  3 months.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  The other books in the WWII series from B&H.

  9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?  answered in 2.

  10.  What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  What would happen if your fiancé turned in your family to the Gestapo? 

So, now I invite five other Christian authors who have blogs to step forward and do this as well.

Anne Green- http://www.annegreeneauthor.com/

Beth Shriver - http://www.bethshriverwriter.com/

Marji Laine - http://marjilaine.com/

Richard Mabry - http://www.rmabry.com/   

Patricia Carroll - http://patriciapacjaccarroll.blogspot.com/2013/02/love-it-when-plan-comes-together.html

Mention me and my blog as your inviter and spread the word! Here are the instructions:

1. You write a blog answering the ten questions and post it on your week,March 10, and include links to the blogs of the five writers you invite http://leannharris.blogspot.com/ You also credit me as your inviter and include a link to the blog I post..   

2 . The five writers you invite answer the questions; each one puts that blog up the week after yours goes up, and each one credits you as the
inviter and includes a link to your blog.

3.They, in turn, tag five other writers, and the cycle continues.

NOTE: Blogger is acting up.  It looks uniform before I post.  I've done everything except stand on my head.

Amsterdam and the Canadians

As I continue to work on my WWII book, I had to know who liberated Amsterdam.  It was the Canadians.  I spent a lot of time on websites concerning the subject.  The Anne Frank website is if filled with information.

It touched my heart to see how the Dutch remember their liberators. In school, the children are taught about the men who fought to free the city.  And they carefully tend the cemetery where all those men who never made it back home lie.
http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2063900/GROESBEEK%20CANADIAN%20WAR%20CEMETERY

The Blitz

I am spending time in WWII London.  The English have my admiration for their toughness.  They wouldn't buckle under the onslaught of the Luffwaffe.  We can't even comprehend what they endure.  The citizens would spend the night in air raid shelters and then have to get up the next day and go to work.  Many had to walk, since transportation was spotty.

In the midst of this terror, St Paul Cathedral stood as a beacon to the Londoners.  It suffered no damage. On Sept 12, 1940, a time-delayed bomb that struck cathedral didn't go off and the Royal engineers where able to defuse it.

So, if the midst of chaos, God is there.