Tuesday, September 22, 2009

At last, the day has come!
I'm bubbling over with excitement! UPS delivered the box of my ten copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul What I Learned from the Cat yesterday evening. It's now available in book stores everywhere. Look for my story, Romeow and JuliCat, on page 301. The cat on the cover bears a strong resemblance to my Feathers. I wonder if she's been modeling on the side? Instead of spending yesterday evening writing, I labored over making a T-shirt with the book cover, the title of my story, and a photograph of Sebastian (Mr. Romeow himself) on the front. I'm wearing it today, with a blouse over it. (Can't be in a law office wearing a white iron-on T-shirt!) I found the Avery iron-on kit at Office Depot on my way home from the FWA meeting on Saturday. Then stopped at Walgreen's where they have T-shirts 5/$10. I didn't know my HP printer has a mirror image selection to print everything backward so it comes out frontward when you iron it onto the shirt (or hat, or tote bag, or...). Cool...but a bit scary. Two people at my office have read my story so far. I hope it prompts them to buy a copy for themselves. One co-worker said he'll buy several for Christmas gifts. Great idea! I've already posted a review on Barnes & Noble. Check it out, too! http://my.barnesandnoble.com/communityportal/Review.aspx?page=Review&reviewid=1217061 If my friends buy copies of the book and want me to have a book signing, I'll host a special Book Signing Tea at my house one Saturday afternoon. Date & Time TBA. Or maybe on Monday, 9-28-09, since my office is closed that day for Yom Kippur. If that would be more convenient, let me know!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Fearless by Max Lucado Released Today!

The by-line of this title is: Imagine Your Life Without Fear. I never imagined my life without fear because fear has been my constant companion. I cling to my fears, phobias, and frets because they are, after all, legitimate. Or so I thought until reading FEARLESS by Max Lucado. Some fear, Lucado points out, is good. Not stepping in front of an oncoming truck for fear of being run over is acceptable. But our uninvited Loch Ness monsters are not.

Fears, like vampires, can't live in the light. When we expose them to our trust in Christ, they scamper away, seeking their dark hiding places.

Max explains that there's a difference between prudence and paranoia. Prudence being caution, but paranoia being the obsessive side of our fear. Example: Prudence washes with soap. Paranoia avoids all human contact. Christ warned that things will get worse, but admonished us not to be alarmed. We can trust in Him to carry us through any calamity.

To my delight, there is a Discussion Guide in the back of the book. This makes a great tool for the Professional Women's Bible Study that I attend every Friday morning before work. I'll certainly recommend it to Grace, our study leader.

FEARLESS by Max Lucado gets five big stars in my review of this excellent reminder to put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and kick our "hell-hatched, joy-stealing" anxieties to the curb!