How Those Favorite Gifts Become the Basis for Your Story!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Mia here, stopping in for some egg nog and a few Christmas carols. You’ll have to forgive my singing—I have a decent voice but a tin ear.  :)

Anyway, Ruthy and I thought it would be fun to share our favorite gifts with you today and then open up the comments for yours. They can be tangible things or precious memories, whichever you treasure most. We’re going to get things started, and then if you join in, you’ll be entered in the drawing for our Love Inspired Christmas books.

For me, this was an easy one: my kids are the best gifts I’ve ever gotten. I really enjoyed my wedding day, but when I became a mother my life changed in ways I never could’ve imagined before. I learned how to be more patient, how to plan for more than myself, and how to survive on VERY little sleep.  Now that our kids are older, I’ve discovered how inspiring it is to watch them grow into the people they’re going to be. Life with young adults isn’t always easy, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

For anyone who’s not familiar with my background, we have a daughter in college and a son in high school. Looking back, I see how they and their friends have helped make me a better writer. They didn’t mean to do it, of course, but their many dramas—large and small—provide me with endless fodder for the characters in my stories. Giving them real problems to solve makes them feel more real to me and hopefully to readers, as well. Without the unwitting contributions from my kids, I’d have only my perspective to draw from. I have a pretty good imagination, but left to my own devices, I’m afraid it wouldn’t take me long to run out of decent material.

Before Ruth comes in and takes over, I want to wish everyone a warm, wonderful holiday season!

Oh, Mia has me laughing, because I’m snarky enough to raise a brow when folks try to write kids and blow it! You know the original rule we all learned, to write what you know? Not a bad idea, LOL!  That doesn’t mean there aren’t different ways to approach kids, because anyone who’s got more than one kid knows they’re unique… some are bratty. Some aren’t. Some are outgoing. Some aren’t. But you know what shows me an author’s lack of experience with kids more than the kids’ behaviors, speech patterns, and actions?

 The way other characters REACT TO THE CHILD. Oh, that’s like raising a big red flag that says, “I don’t have kids, I haven’t had kids in decades, and I have no idea how they sound, or what they say, do and like!”

I agree with Mia, life is the best scene-coach of all. If you’ve lived, you have story fodder. Just change the names to protect the innocent. And the guilty!

Best gift… Well, there’s a bunch of dust collectors around the Blodgett farm that I could tease about, but youse know what I’m going to say… my faith.

My faith has moved mountains. My faith has sustained me in times of darkness and uplifted me in times of light! That sweet gift, that faith of a child bolsters me in everything I do. It puts a smile on my face, I’m like a grinning idiot!!!! And all because I truly believe God shaped me… created me…. And offered me life to the full! Thank you, God, because honestly, that gift of faith, a gift that whispered to me as a child but came to me fully as an adult.

The kids get to lay a piece of yarn on baby Jesus's manger every time they do something kind and good without being asked! They warm a baby, born to the poor, by their good deeds. By Christmas, the manger will be alive in colored yarn!

 That faith, a faith that began in a childhood hovel, is what I cling to when we lose those we love. It’s what I profess when danger looms. It’s what I teach to small children with messy faces as we make sugar cookie crosses and put yarn on Baby Jesus to keep him warm in that drafty manger... our good deeds warm that baby's heart!

Simple. Pure. Free.

It has cost me nothing and given me everything!!!

I try to infuse the blessed warmth of that faith into each story I create. Faith or lack of faith can underscore character growth and bind or sever healing threads of forgiveness and acceptance and romance. Like writing children and their foibles, the best way to write faith is from the deep emotions faith evokes within us. You and me. Simple folk of the race that knows Joseph.

And speaking of gifts!!!! Mia and I are each giving away copies of our books, so wonderful commenters are going to have their names yanked from the cat dish tonight! A copy of Her Holiday Family (Ruthy’s version, the contemporary!!!!) and “Sugar Plum Season”, Mia’s latest Love Inspired will find their way to your door! And I've thrown in complimentary copies of "Hope for the Holidays", one historical and one contemporary set for your Kindles! Let us know in the comments what you'd like!!!

Come on inside, Helen’s got the coffee waitin’ on us and there’s a whole tray of custard and strawberry stuffed croissants. You. Will. Love. Them.

I promise!

OH, WAIT!!! THIS JUST IN!!!! GUIDEPOSTS IS OFFERING THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK FOR .99 FOR KINDLE, NOOK AND APPLE!!!!

LINK TO AMAZON

LINK TO NOOK

Romantic Times called these stories a compelling read... and they're filled with joy! "Red Kettle Christmas" by me.... and "Manhattan Miracle" by Anna Schmidt!!!!  Yes, jump over there now and get your .99 book... and then come on back and we'll toss your name in the cat dish for some more fun Christmas reading!

Because we love youse that much!!!!

Ruth Logan Herne lives in a rabbit hole in upstate NY and pokes her head out as needed because she loves being denned in for the winter, writing stories of faith, hope, humor and love! With some cute kids sprinkled in, of course! Hang with her on facebook or visit her at http://ruthloganherne.com

Her buddy Mia Ross is also an upstate NY native who loves telling stories!

 Visit Mia at www.miaross.com, friend her on facebook, 
and enjoy her stories from Love Inspired books all year round!