Writing update

Whoo hoo!!!! It's in the can....Pop the cork...It is finished...and every other "DONE" cliche' you can conjure. Basically, I am just saying, "Ahhhh!" and enjoying the feeling, for shortly, the real work begins.
About 2 years ago, the Lord gave me the desire to write a daily devotional for new writers that included all the various writing tips I'd been tabulating from classes, seminars, and books. I thought, "No way. I'm not qualified. I'm not a pastor. I don't have a Masters in Theology." But the idea brewed within and a title emerged. Write Steps with God: 70 Daily Devotions and Writing Tips for New Authors. I wanted to include quoted advice from famous authors. Why 70 days? I have no idea; it's just what burned in my heart.

So, I started working write away (typo intentional) and wrote about 30 days. I hadn't done a thing with it after that, other than use it's name to start this little blog. Well, a few months ago, I decided it was time to finish. I've been busy writing and last week, whoo hoo, I got it done, hallelujah! And I'm really pleased with it and amazed.

The numerous quotes I've received from published authors brought tears to my eyes. The kindness and generosity of so many successful authors, who were more than happy to email me their advice to new authors, has deeply touched me. God is so good! He knows how to give good and perfect gifts to His children! "Thank you, Lord!"

So now the real work will now begins.
1) I'm having a retired pastor, who does have a Masters and all appropriate credentials, go through all the scriptures and applications to make sure they are Biblical, spiritually deep, and to add intellect.
2) I want to have it professionally edited. I figure if I am going to write a book about how to write, it better have every ellipses, em-dash, and i dotted perfectly.
3) Send it through my critique partner.

After the above 3, I'll have lots of re-writes. I want to get it all polished, perfect, and ready to pitch at next year's 2010 OCW conference.

What a wonderful process this has been. I've learned a lot and regardless of the outcome, I'm a better writer for obeying God's lead to write what He purposed in my heart.

And now for some good news/bad news. I received 15 pages of changes that a publisher wants made to my first novel. I was so hoping that the last changes would finally be it and I'd get a contract, so this is a little disappointing. On the other hand, the dream is still alive, so I am thankful. I've got quite a good start on 2 other novels, but now they will have to go on the back burner. As of right now, I've decided not to start anything new. I want to get all 4 of these books finished before I begin any new projects. Writing one book was a goal, two is pretty good, but 4 at once is crazy overwhelming. I'm not good enough for that. "Focus, ADD girl, focus!"

Hoppin' Seaside

The tiny town of Seaside on the Oregon Coast sure bustles to life over the 4th of July. It reminds me of the little town of Amity in Jaws, minus the sharks of course. Check out the picture below from our balcony window. And that was at three in the afternoon. Quadruple that for the fireworks at 10 PM. It was a madhouse...beach.

Of course the weather was awesome! Perhaps it brought out the crowds more than the special holiday. The boys sure had fun on their Skim Boards. Dan even gave it a whirl for the first time in years. He's still got it. Below is a nine second video of Skyler. He has mad skimmer skills.

Except for Mark and crew, the whole Bowers clan went along. Thanks to the laptop, I got lots of writing done—exciting news next post about that. We played tons of Fascination, pooled our tickets, and Dusty walked away with a Magic Bullet—love those things!

Anyway, I'd highly recommend Seaside for the 4th if you like hoppin' fun!

Brock Rocks! Skyler Too.

I guess it is time for more nephew praise, only this time it is for the amazing Brock Bowers. He is so good at making videos. (At least they entertain my family.) At the bottom right of my link bank is a link to his old videos. His Michael Jackson spoof is my favorite. He has finally made a couple new ones. Below is the one he recently created for his brother Skyler's 18th birthday. Check it out. It is fast and fun! Enjoy PRN.

http://www.vimeo.com/5384721

Pacific Crest Half Marathon

What a great weekend!

About 4 weeks ago, my friend Trish and I decided to start walking and do the Pacific Crest Half Marathon in Sunriver, Oregon. Yep, 13.1 miles with only 4 weeks of training. I am so thankful for fun friends like Trish who go along with my crazy ideas!

Anyway, we stayed at my BFF's house, Eve, in Bend for a couple days before the big event to adjust to the altitude. We even climbed Pilot Butte the day before and had a great dinner prepared by Eve's husband, Kim, who really spoiled us. (Thanks, Kim!)
Race morning, 6:15 AM, we stopped at Starbucks on our way to Sunriver. I hadn't slept well the night before—too excited and nervous. So I woke with a headache and needed caffeine. Well, my Venti Mocha was a HUGE mistake. Despite using the restroom twice (can't believe I'm blogging about this subject) before the race started, I still had to use the porta-potty twice on the route. This was bad because of the long lines. I waited 8 minutes the first time and 4 the second. Twelve minutes wasted just waiting in a Honey Bucket line, that's a whole mile. Well, the race was a blast. Not only did we finish, we did not come in last. I even beat about 85 people. That sounds great until you hear that 1315 people beat me. Oh well, I only trained for 4 weeks, so I will focus on the fact that I finished, had a blast, and wasn't last.
This was such a fun event. We plan to do it next year, and I think I have Eve and Kim talked into joining us.

So for 2009, one 1/2 marathon down, 2 to go...

The works of God shall Praise Him!

Definition of Majesty: Nobility, grandeur, brilliance, sovereign power, splender, magnificent and glorious.

Psalm 145: 5-10
I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wondrous works.
Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness.
They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and great in mercy.
The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.
All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, and Your saints shall bless You!


Only God can create worlds, stars, earth, moons, the ocean, and species. Only God is the great creator, only God is amazing and praise worthy, only God is perfect, omnipresent, and omniscient. I'm baffled as to why so many people don't want to follow that kind of power, perfection, and love.


I wish I could better comprehend the depth of God's majesty.

Pensacola Rocks!

"White fluffy sand." Think about that statement. How can sand be fluffy? Well, I guess it isn't actually fully, but man is sure seemed like that up in the pan handle of Florida. Probably because it is so dang soft and white. I just returned from a few days in Pensacola for my work. (I love my job!) My hotel was right on the beach (the long middle right building on the above postcard) and I have to say, I have never seen sand so soft and white in my life! It just amazed me. I kept taking pictures, as if they could do the softness justice.I wonder why the sand up on the pan handle in the gulf is so fine and soft, much softer and whiter than the course sand in Miami, Hawaii, California, and the Caribbean. I suppose that would make a great research topic, if I ever get some free time. Pensacola is home to the Blue Angels and they are very proud of this fact. They even display small models of the Blue Angels in formation on their overpasses.

It was my second time to P-Cola and this time, I was able to spend quite a bit of free time on the beach. Pensacola is located right on the coast about 30 minutes from the Alabama boarder. They have a big sound then a narrow strip of beach on the other side of that. There are water sports on the sound side and gorgeous white sand beaches on the Gulf of Mexico side, plus tons of fun shops and restaurants. They even had a free concert right on the beach one night while I was there. As you can see, I loved Pensacola. I think it would be a great vacation destination!

My Nephew will be an extra on Leverage

My nephew, Derek Herman, is going to be on an episode of Leverage on TNT. Timothy Hutton stars as a former insurance investigator determined to bring down the kind of corrupt bigwigs whose neglect led to the death of his son. His highly skilled team pulls together with their keen intellect, street smarts, connections, thievery, acting skills, and technology know-how to secure justice for society’s underdogs.

Leverage Season 2 starts Wednesday, July 15th at 9:00PM. My nephew, Derek Herman, will be an extra on one of the episodes, but we don't have the air date yet. He said his experience as an extra was a lot of fun, if it weren't for all the waiting.

Originally Derek was set to play a 14-year old at a "Jonas Brothers" like concert. However, when he arrived on set, they changed him to a roadie. He arrived at 7 AM for the shoot, was shuttled over to a secret shooting location, sat in a tent for two hours, then was finally called to set. His part was really small—no lines. He rode on a golf cart in a backstage lot setting surrounded by trailers. He thinks his episode had something to do with a rock star named "Trianna". He carried a walkie talkie, jumped off the cart, and ran up to one of the trailers. That was it—his big moment, but how exciting!!!! There is another shot of him walking across the camera during a scene between Trianna and some other guy. His friend had her whole scene cut, so I sure hope Derek’s doesn’t end up on the editing floor. He said, “You never know what to expect in T.V.”

Derek graduated from high school last week in Portland. Above he's posing with my sister, Lori (his mom) and Kelli, Derek's sister, AKA my niece. Derek is college bound to Roosevelt University—Chicago College of Performing Arts, where he will major in theater. I am so proud of him!!!