Let's Talk Turkey!

Sandra here and if you’re like me, you’re getting ready for the big turkey dinner. And probably trying to write NaNoWriMo at the same time. So I’ll make this short and sweet.

Preparing to write a novel is very much like preparing for the big dinner.

1.     Make a list of ingredients you need.

·      Turkey

·      Stuffing

·      Yams

·      Green bean casserole

·      Cranberry sauce

·      Pumpkin pie

Write an outline of the elements of your story:

·      Characters

·      Main conflict

·      Setting

·      Minor characters

·      Romance

·      Resolution

·       

•  Prepare the turkey
• Write the first draft

3.     Prepare the stuffing

Edit first draft and fill in strong action words

4.     Prepare the Yams

Embellish the emotional elements

5.     Prepare the green bean casserole

Embellish the setting. Bring it alive.

6.     Add the cranberry sauce

Spice up the romantic tension.

7.     Bake the pumpkin pies

Resolve the black moment and get to the happy ever after.

8.     Decorate your table

Gather photos for an enticing cover

All of these preparations take time, but good planning and steady progress result in a wonderful meal and a terrific romance novel.

Finally, gather all the family and friends and pray. Its time to thank the Lord for all His blessings and inspiration.

Please comment and share a wonderful recipe or something you are thankful for this wonderful day of thanksgiving and be eligible for a surprise package of Seeker books.

I am thankful for my Seeker sisters and all the Seeker Villagers out there. Your encouragement has meant so much to me over the years.

Recipe for Yams:  

Ingredients: 

2 cans cut sweet potatoes

1 can apricot halves

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Drain sweet potatoes and apricots but save ½ cup of the juice from each.

Place in greased baking dish

Combine brown sugar, cornstarch and juice in a saucepan and boil.

Pour over sweet potatoes and apricots.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. 

My two novellas that were out with the Seeker collection are now available in print copies which do make lovely stocking stuffers or gifts for a teacher or friend. They are available now on Amazon.com in case you need to shop early for Christmas.

Debbie fell in love with surfer, David Martin. Against her parent’s wishes, she married her first love. Would the help of an angel and the influence of the Christmas season bring forgiveness and redemption?

Elena Delgado loves her father’s new business partner, Stephen Edwards, and wants marriage and a family. As they work together, will Stephen notice her? Or is he still in love with the fiancée who left him?  

Sandra Leesmith writes sweet romances to warm the heart. Sandra loves to play pickleball, hike, read, bicycle and write. She lives in Arizona with her husband and during the hot summers, she and her husband travel throughout the United States in their motor home where she enjoys the outdoors and finds wonderful ideas for her next writing project. You can find Sandra's books here on Amazon. Three of Sandra's most popular books are also audiobooks at Audible.  

You can read more posts by Sandra here.

Giving Thanks!

 Debby Giusti here.

Tune into the nightly news or read the daily paper, and you may feel overwhelmed by the chaos that’s bubbling up around the world.

As we all know, the Middle East is in turmoil. Israel and Palestine are on the brink of a ground war. Iran is racing to develop nuclear weapons. Syria is embroiled in a bloody civil conflict, and in Libya, escalating hatred toward the United States led to a terrorist attack that took the lives of four brave Americans, including our Ambassador.

Riots seem commonplace in Greece where angry protesters oppose their government’s attempts to reel in over-the-top spending, while other European countries walk a tightrope to remain solvent and fend off economic collapse.

In the U.S., the number of unemployed grows daily as more and more companies layoff workers. Soaring prices and the threat of higher taxes make many wonder how their dwindling dollars will stretch to cover basic needs. Others worry about the staggering burden placed on future generations forced to pay down the debt incurred by years of rampant governmental spending.

Photo by Pam Roth (Bubbels)

With the growing strife, both domestic and international, I take comfort knowing God is in control and focus, this Thanksgiving, on home and family and faith. I give thanks to the King of Peace who calls me to trust in His abundant mercy and everlasting love. I give thanks for my husband and children and grandchildren who bring joy to my life...for dear friends, especially the Seekers and Seekervillagers…for the church where I worship and my church community that reaches out to those in need…for Love Inspired that publishes my stories and for all those who read my books and encourage me with their support…for my country, may she always remain "the land of the free and the home of the brave"…for the valiant military men and women in uniform and all those who work to keep America "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Myra Johnson gives thanks…

I'm especially thankful for 40+ years with my devoted husband. Here we are celebrating our anniversary last spring aboard the Belle of Hot Springs on Lake Hamilton in Arkansas. He's my best friend, and I'm blessed to have his steadfast support for my writing career. Semi-retired, he takes care of many of the household chores, shops for groceries, and he's even expanding his cooking repertoire! 

Pam Hillman…

Pam's great-neice holding one of their week-old "babies".
This little fellow loves to sleep on his back!

I have so much to be thankful for this year. I have achieved my dream of being a stay-at-home author combined with working as treasurer for ACFW. I'm thankful for my wonderful husband, my handsome sons, and my sweet and gorgeous new daughter-in-law. And I'm thankful for puppies. Puppies and kittens make the world go 'round!

Sandra Lee Smith...
I am thankful that I was able to spend so much time with my Dad before he passed away this summer. I am thankful for my husband who has been a real life hero for all of these years. I am thankful for my writing friends, especially all of you at Seekerville. I am thankful for the blessings my God keeps pouring over me. I am thankful for my relationship with the Lord.

Cara Lynn James...

I'm thankful for all the obvious things -- the Lord, my family, my home, my country, my friends, my health. I could go on and on and still I'd be leaving many things out. More personally, my grandsons are great blessings and bring great joy to my heart. 

Missy Tippens…
I'm so thankful this year for my writer friends who have become like family. I'm thankful for all of you blog readers who started as online acquaintances but have now become lifelong friends. (Yes, I'm picturing myself hugging your neck at conference fifteen years from now!) You bless us with your visits each day!

Tina Radcliffe…

I have so many things to be thankful for. But besides the humans in my life, I am thankful for Charlie the cat, who kept me company in the car while our house was being shown. (P.S. It sold!)

Ruth Logan Herne…

Picture is Anna Elizabeth who apparently
loves Grammy's mashed potatoes!

How blessed are we when it's next to impossible to point at any one thing and say, "I'm grateful for THAT." I love Thanksgiving. I love that there is virtually no major pomp or circumstance, no huge expenditure, no expectation of gifts. Family, laughing, crying, remembering, feasting together. That's what I'm thankful for.

Glynna Kaye…
I have so many things to be thankful for. My family and friends. My country and those who've sacrificed to give freedom to others. My day job. My health. The opportunity to write stories that encourage readers to go deeper with God. Most of all I'm thankful that my God is loving, forgiving and that his Son paid the price to bring me into relationship with Him for eternity.

Mary Connealy...


Mary and Hubby at Garden of the Gods.

I am thankful for so much that it seems almost rude to list them all. My beautiful daughters. My two spectacular grandchildren. My husband getting through harvest quickly and safely. Good health. Lovely, mild fall weather. A home with a good furnace. The soft, fluffy blanket I cover up with in my recliner at night. Time finally to travel a bit-we went to Denver and Pike's Peak and Garden of the God's this summer. Our first vacation of choice (which means no specific thing made us go, like a writer's conference) in 31 years.

Fajitas.

But right now, I have just been offered a new contract with Bethany House to stay with them for a few more years and I am so wildly thrilled and thankful for it. THANK YOU BETHANY HOUSE! THANK YOU DEAR LORD GOD IN HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!

I am so thankful that God has blessed me and cared for me in this way. It brings this verse to mind from Psalm 91: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Julie Lessman…
Over and above my beautiful family, my precious granddaughter, my daughter's fairy-tale proposal, a wonderful future son-in-law, and a saint of a husband, I am grateful that God is a jealous God who loves me enough to save me from myself. How amazing is it that just this week -- the week of Thanksgiving -- He has opened my eyes to the truth of seeking Him first in a way I've seldom experienced before. And it all began with a book our church asked us to read called The Well by David Hall, pastor and lead singer of Casting Crowns. So thank you, God, for caring so much!

Debby again...I'm also thankful for the author copies I just received. Leave a comment and share what you’re giving thanks for this year to be included in the drawing for the FIRST copy of THE GENERAL’S SECRETARY, the fourth book in my Military Investigations series.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
www.DebbyGiusti.com
www.craftieladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com

THE GENERAL'S SECRETARY
By Debby Giusti
Pre-order here.
Trusting the Wrong Person Can Be Deadly...
Lillie Beaumont's dark past has just turned up on her porch--fatally wounded. The dying words of the man imprisoned for killing Lillie's mother suggest hidden secrets. Criminal Investigations Division special agent Dawson Timmons agrees. He has his own motive for seeking the truth, and it gives Lillie every reason to doubt him. But even as they reluctantly begin to face painful secrets together, Dawson fears that a murderer is waiting to strike again. And this time, Lillie is right in the line of fire...

Happy Thanksgiving, Seekerville!

Seekerville is "closed" today.

Please join us in pausing

to give thanks for our many blessings.

From Seekerville to You...

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

~Anonymous




O Lord that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.
~William Shakespeare




The thing I'm most thankful for right now is elastic waistbands.
~Anonymous

Seekerville :The Movie

We in Seekerville have an entire list of things to be thankful for, starting with the obvious:

The BIG GUY up there and our families and and every single person who has spent time with us in Seekerville (that includes our wonderful lurkers too) and our agents and editors and the paparazzi.


So on this day of thankfulness we'd like to share some exciting news!





Seekerville: The Movie, a spectacular screenplay has been completed and we are shopping it with various production companies.


We don't want to give away too much but, it's HIGH CONCEPT!

Think The Italian Job meets Mamma Mia!
and then tangles with Gone With the Wind and The Sandlot!

Pretty amazing, eh?

There's also quite a bit of knitting, chocolate, and Pride & Prejudice involved.

I better stop.

I am giving away too much.


But as you relax (satiated from eating way too much turkey and pie) consider who you might like us to audition to play YOUR PART (friends of Seekerville)!

Of course I should tell you who we'd like
for the lead roles: THE SEEKERS!

(If you are not familiar with our famous counterparts, move your mouse
over the picture to reveal the name of the actress.)

Debby Guisti
















Missy Tippens
















Camy Tang

















Cheryl Wyatt














Ruth Logan Herne













Mary Connealy


















Janet Dean














Pam Hillman

















Myra Johnson















Tina Russo Radcliffe















Sandra Leesmith















Audra Harders
















Cara Lynn James

















Glynna Kaye














Julie Lessman















So from Seekerville, and Hollywood, Happy Thanksgiving and remember, it's never too early to start planning your Oscar acceptance speech!

LIVING INTENTIONALLY

“I can do a lot of things, but I can only do one thing at a time.”

Years ago, that quote was one of many insightful sayings of a favorite boss of mine. Rocky was a very productive, well-balanced, highly regarded individual. A man who did his job exceptionally well, but you never saw him rushed or mentally or emotionally fragmented. He was a man who valued friendships. Who took time for his family. A man who made each day count by focusing fully on what mattered to him most. Rocky, a man who was wise beyond his years, was also a man who died of cancer at age 39.

In case you haven’t heard the latest research, Rocky's insight was (as the Brits say) “spot on.” Researchers now report that “multi-tasking” is a fallacy we’ve been fed for decades--an unrealistic expectation we’ve blindly strived for to the detriment of our productivity, health, relationships, and peace of mind. Research now shows human beings cannot fully focus on more than one thing at a time. Attempting to do so diminishes the quality of each of those multi-tasked endeavors.

There are only so many hours in a day and so many days in a week. Despite best efforts, we can’t “make time” for everything we’d like to do. We can only prayerfully choose to do one thing over another.

That said, we need to live each day intentionally. Make choices. Prayerfully prioritize. If we don’t, our lives will be ruled by the things that clamor the loudest for our attention, but have the least value in the long run.

Sometimes we need to call a "Time Out." To regroup. Reprioritize. To step back and decide what--and who--should get top billing for attention in our 24-hour day. Our time on earth is limited. So even though we have books (and blogs!) to write and turkeys to bake, let’s endeavor to be fully “in the moment” with friends, family, community--and God--as much as possible during this upcoming holiday season.

That’s why this post is short and sweet. Hope you don’t mind. And it’s my sincere prayer that you, too, will have a very meaningful, intentionally-lived Happy Thanksgiving.

Glynna

Leave a comment today with your email address (remember to use “at” and “dot”), and be eligible to be included in a giveaway drawing for a copy of my book, “Dreaming of Home.”

An American Christian Fiction Writers "Genesis" and RWA Faith, Hope & Love "Touched by Love" award winner, GLYNNA KAYE'S Dreaming of Home (Steeple Hill Love Inspired) is now available! http://www.glynnakaye.com/

Happy Thanksgiving! With Guest Lenora Worth

As a writer, I have a lot to be thankful for. I always dreamed of sitting in a room doing nothing but creating a good story. Now that dream has come true. But about that doing nothing part—well, there’s a bit more to it than that.

I’ve worked hard for the last few years writing Christian fiction for Steeple Hill. I love my job and while I do work at home, it’s still a job. I have to take it seriously. It took me a while to gently train my family and friends, regarding this job. But most of them respect my working hours and try not to abuse the fact that I’m home and I can set my own hours.

I also work part-time for a local magazine and that forces me to actually leave my home office and get out in the “real world” a few times a week. I like that job, too, because we all need social contact with live human beings and not just those voices inside our writer’s head!

Writers don’t have a problem being alone with themselves. Some people are social animals and feel the need to always be where the action is. Writers aren’t necessarily that way. We love being with other writers and we love talking about writing but when it comes to the real work, we crave that alone time to get the job done. We have to take that seriously or we’d never get anything done.

Writers also have to be tough-skinned and confident. This is a hard business, full of opinions and rejections. If we let every little thing get to us, we won’t last very long. It seems personal, the criticism and all the things we can’t control, but we have to get over the sting of rejections and criticisms and get on with making our words count.

That is one of the blessings of being a writer. We get to create our own words and those words can touch other people’s lives in a powerful way. It’s a blessing but it’s also a responsibility. We should never take our talents lightly or squander them away. So if you’re reading this and you’re down or wondering why you should keep trying, remember you have a responsibility to develop your talent and your craft because there just might be one person out there waiting to read YOUR story.

My wish for you this Thanksgiving is that you will hold steady to your own dream, whether it’s about writing or reading or helping a friend or just finding the kind of job you’ve always dreamed about. The real blessing is that we are all free to choose our paths, with God’s guidance. That is the best Thanksgiving.

http://www.lenoraworth.com From Love Inspired Suspense:The CHAIM series:Heart of the Night (January 2009)Code of Honor (April 2009)