The “spring forward” time change is hard for me to get used to. For one thing, it’s still LIGHT outside when it’s time for the kids to go to bed.

Last night, after supper, the clock said 7:30, but it just didn’t seem like bedtime yet. I went upstairs and rocked and read to the baby (almost 2!) and put her to bed. But then — I wasn’t in the mood to go start reading our nightly chapter of Harriet the Spy.

For some strange reason, I felt like watching TV. ME! I never watch TV. I can’t stand to sit still in front of a flat screen when there are so many good books to read!

For several years, we didn’t have cable or satellite, so all we could watch was PBS. But a few months ago, we finally got a satellite installed because I was tired of hearing the theme songs to Arthur and Clifford in the mornings. Now my four-year-old’s favorite show is “Little Einsteins,” and I love the classical music!

So I wanted to watch TV last night — something interesting, yet kid-appropriate since our TV is in the main family room. The Food Network — ah yes! I turned it to this show, Emeril. Do you watch this guy? He’s hilarious!

We had just eaten whole-wheat penne pasta with tomato sauce for dinner — and that’s what he cooked last night — except he made it look so exciting! Flipping the pasta up in the air from the saucepan — tossing in bits of olives and red onions. How fun!

My daughters heard me laughing — so they joined me on the couch. Then my sons, settled down from their waterhose fight out in the yard, came in to watch. And my husband, seeing us all gathered together, also joined us. We were all thoroughly enthralled by this guy — which of course got a joke from me, “Look,” I said to my husband. “Isn’t it nice seeing a man in the kitchen?” haha.

Is this on every night? I’d like to watch it again. Maybe I’ll try flipping my pasta up in the air and garnishing our humble meals with freshly grated mozarella and sprigs of parsley.

I checked his website, and he offers a database of over 6000 recipes. All you have to do is type in the name of the recipe you’re looking for or a main ingredient.

The older my kids get, the more energy I have — and cooking is something we can enjoy doing as a family. It’s not fun when you have a newborn screaming — or a whining toddler hanging on to your pant legs … but my elementary-age children are starting to be big helpers in the kitchen. I think we’ll start trying to be more creative with our meals … with a little help from our TV friend.

It’s a privilege today to welcome author Tricia Goyer back to Mom 2 Mom Connection.

You may remember Tricia was here back in January giving us the scoop on how she finds time to write so much and still homeschool her three children!

Tricia is the author of five novels, two nonfiction books, and one children’s book. In 2005, her novel Night Song won ACFW’s Book of the Year for Long Historical Romance.

She’s also a passionate writing instructor on the topic of researching historical fiction. Her latest novel, Valley of Betrayal, is hot off the press from Moody Publishers, book one in her Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series.

Welcome back, Tricia! How in the world did you get interested in writing a book about the Spanish Civil War?

When I was researching for my novel, Arms of Deliverance, one of the autobiographies I read was from a man who was a B-17 bomber pilot over Europe — but before that he was an American volunteer for The Spanish Civil War.

I had never heard of this war before, which happened right before WWII in Spain. I started researching and I was soon fascinated. Some people call it “the first battle of WWII” because it’s where the Nazis first tried their hand at modern warfare.

Wow. I’ve never heard of that. So how did your research develop into a full-fledged novel?

I started by researching this time in history, briefly, then I started thinking of unique characters that had an impact during that time.

For example, characters from my other novels have been medics, war correspondents, artists, prisoners, etc. To me, it’s the people that make the story (and history) come alive.

For this series, I dove into the lives of an American artist, a few international volunteers, a Basque priest, and a German pilot. I research the real people first, and then the plot for my novel builds. Soon, I have to make myself stop researching to start writing. Research can be addictive!

That sounds amazing — I wish my history professors had used novels to bring our dry textbooks to life. You make this time period sound so fascinating! What themes exist in Valley of Betrayal that you hope the reader sees?

The main theme is one of “God’s Providence.” We think we’re doing something for one reason, but then later we discover that God’s plan was even bigger! There are no coincidences with God.

Also, there’s a theme of “discovered strength.” I love the verse that talks about, “In my weakness God’s strength is complete.” Only when we are weak can God’s strength truly shine through us.

That’s true — and only when we go through a trying experience do we allow ourselves to see God’s strength. Did you find there were any difficult parts to write?

The most difficult parts are those dealing with the political climates of that time. One of my characters, Deion, is part of the Communist party. Today’s reader has one view of what that means, but in the 1930s there was hope found there. In a country that was still segregated, the idea of “equality of men” was a huge draw, especially for African Americans.

Did you have a favorite part of the writing?

Yes, I really liked researching the Spanish culture — the bullfights and the flamenco dancing. The attitudes and the beliefs. It’s fascinating.

Oh, and I love getting swept away with my characters. They always surprise me!

In fact, at the beginning of the book, I added a minor character because my girl, Sophie, needed a ride across the border. As it turns out her driver ends up being one of the major players in the book. Who knew?

Oh, you make the writing sound like so much fun! Tricia, your previous novels focus on World War II, but A Valley of Betrayal highlights a lesser known period of history. What do you think your high school history teacher would say about where the Lord has brought you in your writing projects?

I think my high school English teacher would be shocked. I wrote lots of notes in class, but they were to pass to my friends . . . not notes of what he was teaching! Unfortunately, my history teacher stressed boring dates and stuff. I think he’d be proud of how I bring history to life within the pages of a novel.

I agree. I think historical fiction would be great for high school students to read. A LOVE STORY, like yours, would have made history come to life for us dreamy romantics! Was there anything that intimidated you about writing this novel?

This book was very challenging because I knew nothing about The Spanish Civil War before I started. Yet, I felt sure that God was leading me to write these books, and God (again) taught me to trust Him.

When He gives me an idea for a novel it is so BIG. I mean there is so much to pull together. Yet, God has shown me time and time again that He is faithful. He gives me ideas, leads me to the right research books, and even brings people into my life to help me!

Can you give us any specific examples?

While I was researching this book, a man named Norm Goyer contacted me because he was working on his family tree and he wanted to know if we were related. We weren’t related, but Norm ended up being an airplane expert and consultant for movies.

Norm ended up helping me with research on my German pilot in Spain. I think it was an awesome gift from God! This again shows me that whatever God brings before me, He also has the power to help me succeed.

Tricia, that is such a neat story! You make historical fiction sound like such fun to write. I wish you the best as you work on the rest of this trilogy!

Thanks! 🙂

Tricia Goyer loves hearing from her readers! You can get in touch with her through her main website, Tricia’s Loft. Thanks to Amy Lathrop for helping to coordinate this interview.

Do you want to write a book, but feel like you could use a pep talk to make some progress?

Heather Sellers’ book Chapter after Chapter contains some great ideas. I’m blogging today over at Writer … Interrupted about what we can do to stay on target in meeting our goals. Come join me over there if you have a minute!

If you’re an author and you’re wondering whether blogging is worth it or a waste of time, you’re not the only one asking this question. This recent article in Publisher’s Weekly, To Blog or Not to Blog, shows that, for some authors, blogging is so 2006.

There’s a little gathering going on today over at Robin’s Little Bits of Life blog to discuss Beth Moore’s new book, Get Out of That Pit. I learned about this from Boomama. Since I haven’t read the book (and don’t have time to now), I may lurk a bit and see what everyone’s saying about it.

On a different topic …

Last night I went to a Ladies Night Out banquet at my church, along with about 400 other women. And something weird happened. Twice.

I had a reserved seat at a table, thanks to my Sunday school teacher. When I got there (a few minutes late), there was only one seat left at the table. To my right was my Sunday school teacher, who is one of my mentors. Her five kids are mostly older than mine, and I hang onto her every word because she is one of the most JOYFUL people I know.

To my left was a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. We’d met in a Bible study about seven years ago, but then she and her husband had moved to a different church. Anyway, it’s one of those friendships where the gap between then and now closes in about two sentences.

After a while, I asked her if she’d read anything good lately (always my favorite topic), and she said, “You know, the Lord has really convicted me about reading lately. I’m just a book-a-holic. I love books! But then I felt like I wanted to read other books more than read the Word. So right now, I’m only focusing on the Bible. It’s great. It’s so refreshing. I can’t wait to get up and read the Word every day.”

Wow. I felt like someone had just splashed a bucket of cold water right in my face. In a good way — like wake up, girl, and see what’s really important. We then talked about the Bible — me confessing that I’ve gotten bogged down in the Mosaic Law in my reading, and she telling me what she’s been learning about the New Testament church. Oh, I love having a friend like this.

Then! (in a rambly mood today) …

We got split up from each other. After the banquet, we all needed to move from the fellowship hall to the sanctuary because our speaker needed room for PROPS. Some women went to wait in a ridiculously long line at the restroom. I decided to stop at the speaker’s book table, you know, to see what books she had available.

After a few minutes, I sauntered alone into the sanctuary, which was packed. Several people waved at me, but I was in sort of a daze and kept walking toward the front. I looked over to my left, about three rows back — and there was my old friend I’d sat next to at dinner with a spot for me next to her. So we had another chance to talk again.

This time we changed topics, and I confessed to her that my husband and I have been thinking about thinking about moving — closer to his new job. When I mentioned the part of town we were considering, she burst out, “Oh! That’s right near [such-and-such] church. You will HAVE to go visit that church. The pastor’s sermons are incredible — you’ll be spiritually Blown Away.”

The very weird thing is … that church sounded familiar … and I wondered if it was the same one where some of my college friends attend — friends I don’t get to see often, but our kids are the same age, and we talk on the phone every now and then.

This little seed was planted. About that church. Why in the world, of all people for me to sit next to twice, did I find someone who KNEW about that church?

So I called one of my college friends this morning, and I had this little fluttery feeling in my heart, like I was scared to ask. Scared to be disappointed. But I did. “Um … I was just wondering. What church do y’all go to?”

THAT church.

So I told her we were doing some online house research around that area, and she proceeded to tell me why we would LOVE that church and all the people who go there, many of whom I already know. “This church will be great for your ministry,” she told me. She also said, “You know, the Lord has put you on my heart the past few weeks, and I’ve been praying for you, Heather. I didn’t know what it was about, but I just started praying for you. I even told [my husband] about it. Well, now I know! You need to move here!”

So there’s my two weird things … actually three:
— sitting next to my friend who says she’s not reading any other books besides the Bible and feeling WHOOSH! The Holy Spirit whispering to me.
— her later telling me about this fantastic church
— talking to my old college friend this morning who also goes to that church, and her telling me she’s been praying for me.

I wanted to blog about it — because if I don’t write it down, I’ll forget it. I absolutely HATE moving — having strangers walk through my house, realtors in my driveway with their cell phones and “a client” when you’re sitting down to eat. Big decisions. Contracts. Money. Scary stuff.

But these three weird things, bits of conversation, are like seeds. Something has been planted. I have to learn to trust God to water those seeds if they’re to grow. The verse from Luke 1:37 comes to mind: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

P.S. A percentage of proceeds from last night’s banquet went to support Alzheimer’s research. Here’s a picture of me helping out at our local Memory Walk a few months ago. I had the Very Important job of blowing up balloons and tying them to this sign. (Hat tip to Carol, who blogged about her Memory Walk in Texas).

I’ve spent the last couple of hours vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping my house, and the whole time I’ve had this question in my head, “What am I going to do with all these books, Lord?”

I’m talking about the stack of books people have sent me for review. There is NO way in the world I can read even a fraction of them. I heard the mail truck a few minutes ago and decided to take a break to walk to the mailbox. Inside were three packages — containing six more books!

As Christian Women Online has grown (and the audience is now huge), I’m on every media list out there. I love reading these great Christian books — but I’ve decided I can’t possibly read and review more than four to six books per month. And that’s still a lot!

I have to keep up with my housework, meal preparation, discipling my own children, transporting my kids here and there, and — oh yes — I’m a wife!

So, after I opened that last package of books, I asked again, “What am I going to do with all these books, Lord?” And AT LAST, I had a huge flash of insight.

I can’t read them all — I can’t review them all — but these books can become part of my library that will be a ministry to everyone who comes into my house. I already loan out my novels regularly to friends, who pass them on to others. Many of these women have never read a Christian novel in their life. So that’s a ministry I can offer.

In the past week, I’ve received two Christian young adult novels, a nonfiction book for 20-somethings, and today — a new book on abstinence. These are wonderful resources for anyone who works with young people. A couple of weeks ago, I told our youth pastor about a great book for teaching the Bible to teenagers. And just this morning in our mom’s Bible study, I mentioned several books while I was making a point about something (or at least trying to).

So maybe this will be my role: I’ll be your local friendly librarian — the lady who loves Christian books and can recommend a book on any subject.

A woman wrote me yesterday saying she was having an identity crisis as a young mom; she and her friends are all asking the question, “Who am I?” She wanted to know if I recommended any books. Of course! That was an easy email to answer.

NOW … my next goal is to get more of YOU writing book reviews. It’s a cinch to go over to Amazon and write about a book you’ve just read. Are you doing this? If you read a book and like it a lot, why not tell thousands of people?

If you’re the mom of a teenager, are your teens writing book reviews? If they enjoy writing, why not? I wrote hundreds of essays in high school and college — yet hardly anyone saw them except for my teachers and professors. Most of these essays were my flowery and sometimes intriguing reflections on literature. If I were an English teacher, I’d have my whole class writing book reviews.

Well, I’ve got to get back to cleaning — and thinking. This is what we home librarians do while our children are napping.

A few months ago, I asked our local children’s librarian if she recommended any series for elementary-age girls. Our librarian is a true kindred spirit because she has two daughters and is also a Christian. She knows I’m always on the lookout for character-building fiction that is also FUN for kids to read.

She led me straight to Dandi Daley Mackall’s Winnie the Horse Gentler series (Tyndale House), which I reviewed here. I discovered Mrs. Mackall is the author of over 400 books! I also noticed some of her books are from Christian publishers — so I was curious to learn more about her writing and her faith.

Well, here she is! I think this interview is one of the most inspiring I’ve ever been a part of, one I will read again and again. I hope you enjoy getting to know her too!

Dandi, you’re absolutely prolific! In your writing career, you’ve published books in every genre, from picture book to adult. You must have an endless well of ideas! Where do you find your ideas for writing stories?

I think we all get an endless well of ideas, don’t you? We just need to recognize them, connect the dots, listen, and then work like crazy.

It’s funny, but I’m still insecure enough to have those writer-thoughts that each book is probably the last I’ll have, that I’ll never get another idea, that no publisher will buy anything ever again.

But ideas are everywhere. I love the ones that seem to come out of nowhere—like Larger-Than-Life Lara, a middle-grade novel that “came to me” at 3 am one night/morning, and then kept coming. More often, the thoughts have been simmering for years and then rise to the surface.

My kids supply me with many scenes, parts of characters, plenty of suspense and humor (my husband, too). And I’m still writing out my past—events that happened when I was in elementary school.

You have three children. Do you feel that being a mother has helped you in your writing career? In what ways?

Absolutely! When I started writing, I wrote long “inspirational nonfiction,” humor, and how-to books for grown-ups. Never dreamed I’d write children’s books. Then I had children, and I rediscovered kid books.

I love how compressed the language is, how important the sounds of words become. My writing career has paralleled my children’s lives. When they were little, I wrote board books and picture books. I knew first-hand the humor, problems, language, lives of my child readers.

My kids got older, and I wrote chapter books, then middle-grade fiction, then young adult books. I always knew the lingo, what was in, what was out, what was troubling. I kept writing the earlier genres, too, never giving that age up just because my kids moved past it.

Now I write for every age group. We are extra-blessed in the Mackall household. We have a special-needs daughter who’s turned 20, but lives the age of an 8-10 year-old. I will always have a child who colors me pictures for my refrigerator. We have a live-in child, who helps me stay a child myself and tune in to what children need.

Another way being a mother has helped me write is that I think it’s one of the tools God gives us to force us deeper. Being a mom pretty much guarantees we’ll pray!

What mother can go through the agonies and anxieties of motherhood without glimpsing how God cares for us? We begin to get an idea about sacrifice, about loving so much that we’d give our lives for our children. And that’s a piece of the puzzle of why Jesus would sacrifice for us.

Oh, that’s so very true. When your children were babies or toddlers, how did you carve out a time and place to write?

I was writing before I had children, so I had some good habits established. I was used to getting up really early and grabbing that time for personal devotion, and then writing.

But I had to learn to be flexible when the kids came along. What if they got up early, too? Wrecked my whole plan! When I had two kids under 3, my entire day revolved around pulling off the amazing feat of synchronized napping. My goal was to get them to sleep at the same time, so I could write! I’d have everything ready so I could jump into that book or article the second their eyes closed.

Daughter Katy was diagnosed with a life-threatening and chronic disease when she was 9 months and her sister was 3. A month later, my husband left all of us for another woman. Writing suddenly became much more than a hobby! I supported the kids by writing anything and everything—articles, hospital brochures, college handbooks, Scooby Doo books as work-for-hire. Anything!

Those desperate days made me work hard at writing and finding the time to write. I’d write while my kids colored and did sticker books, while they watched Sesame Street. When I could, I’d hire a high school girl for 2 hours and write every second of it. (BTW, five years later, God brought me my wonderful husband, Joe.)

Do you have any advice for today’s busy parents who dream of writing magazine articles or books?

Do it! John 3:17 loosely says, “You know this stuff. Now do it!”

Hate to tell you, but you’ll probably always be really busy. Writers are. I’m every bit as busy as I was when the kids were small. I still care for Katy all day. We’ve moved my mother in with us. I have writing deadlines and speaking engagements…and life. But that’s where we get our material, right?

You have an edge! Use it! You’re in the thick of parenthood. If I want to write about toddlers, or elementary school kids, I have to research now. You’ve already done your research. I’m jealous.

Enjoy the process of writing. That’s the real gift, a secret joy as you discover stories that I honestly believe started in heaven. We unravel them. We accept them. We write them.

Rewrite. Find at least one other writer who will exchange manuscripts, critique, encourage. Ask for criticism. Don’t reject it. Consider it. Your work isn’t your child.

Ask your family to give you the gift of a writer’s retreat. One weekend can change your life. When they ask what you want for Christmas, that’s it.

Do you recommend any home study programs for helping writers become better at the craft of writing?

Read what you want to write. Read a lot. I know it’s hard, but we must do it. My favorite how-to book is Wyndham’s Writing for Children and Teenagers. It’s a classic and gives a lot of information in a concise package that works for grown-up books, too.

If I could be so bold, I’d love for you to read a book I wrote for middle-grade readers/writers, a story about story, called Larger-than-life Lara, published by Dutton/Penguin. It’s my 400th book, the one God sent in the middle of the night. Each chapter deals with a part of story (character, rising action, climax, setting, etc.), while the action of the story keeps moving forward.

Your website says your book, Eva Underground, “parallels the author’s experiences before ‘The Wall’ came down.” Can you tell us a little about your teaching experiences in Poland and how that led to your writing this book?

Thanks for asking about this. This book only took me about 25 years to write! I lived behind the “Iron Curtain” and was a missionary from 1978-1979, during Soviet-controlled communism. I lived with 20 Poles (and no hot water) on the border of Poland and Czechoslovakia, teaching them to write and teaching the Bible.

It was an amazing time, involving an underground freedom movement, an illegal printing press, and many other experiences than sat in my head for years as I wrote other things. Finally, I wrote this historical novel (frightening to realize I’d aged so much that my life was historical!), fictionalizing the events that took place when I lived there.

EVA UNDERGROUND came out last year with Harcourt. Among other things, I used the countless journals I’d kept during those two years.

Since many of us reading here are bloggers, can you tell us a little bit about your Blog On! teen fiction series?

We all know how into blogging teens are! I wanted to write a series of fun, fast-paced, character-driven novels for teens, about teens who blog. In the books, I don’t rant against blogging. I just show how these four girls eventually form a positive blog.

They avoid the pitfalls of gossiping and bullying online. I wanted to show how these four, very different teens discover that their real-life relationships matter more to them than shallow cyber-relationships, and that their relationship with God is the most important one of all.

My publisher, Zondervan, has developed a great website loaded with safety tips and Q and A for teen bloggers. We printed safety tips in the backs of the books, too. Hopefully, the books can help teens as they navigate through cyberspace.

This sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for coming here and sharing with us!

You can learn more about Dandi Daley Mackall and her books for kids and adults at her website, Dandi Books.

Pastor and author John Piper’s father passed away this week. In his blog, I found Piper’s Tribute to a Faithful Father to be one of the most moving essays I’ve ever read on fatherhood. It’s adapted from a sermon Piper once gave for Father’s Day.

I thank you heavenly father for my earthly father. What a legacy he has left to me and my children and grandchildren—and to this church. O, raise up fathers in this church with great legacies of faith. In Jesus Christ. Amen.

I hope you’ll have a chance to read it, a powerful reminder of the need for today’s men to rise up and be the godly fathers our children need.

Edit: Here’s a new tribute posted today on John Piper’s blog entitled, Hello, My Father Just Died. This was written only moments after Piper’s father slipped away into eternity. Every sentence is so poetic and beautiful, I dare not quote a single word out of context. I hope you’ll have a chance to read it — and pray for John Piper to continue on with his father’s legacy.

Does this picture not crack you up? PLEASE tell me I’m not the only one who finds this totally hilarious. (From Publishers Daily). These are Random House employees who celebrated The Cat in the Hat’s 50th birthday at a companywide meeting last week. I really would like to have one of those hats!

The Cat in the Hat was released on March 1, 1957. I found this article from USA Today full of interesting tidbits:

• “The Cat in the Hat was a product of the postwar baby boom. In 1957, 29 million children were in kindergarten and elementary school.
• “Geisel was asked to use only 223 words from a list of 348 words for beginning readers. He ended up using 236.”
• “Geisel thought he could write the book in a week, but it took him a year and a half.”

A year and a half to write a 236-word book! Now that’s INSPIRING!

I want to post this announcement about a new writing contest that is going on now at Christian Women Online. There are some great prizes offered, and this is a wonderful excuse to write something to give your mom for Mother’s Day. (Can you imagine how you’d feel if your own daughter grew up to write about you in a contest?)

Note: The deadline is April 14!

From the CWO website:

Christian Women Online in conjunction with Art Bookbindery is sponsoring the “Her Life Reflected,” writing contest. We are looking for stories that illustrate how your mother, or a mother that you know has reflected the heart of God in her life.

Our panel of judges will choose only one winner, and that winner’s name will be published along with her essay in the May 2007 issue of Christian Women Online–just in time for Mother’s Day.

Eligibility

The contest is open to women aged 18 years and older, who reside in Canada or the United States. Employees of Art Bookbindery and their immediate families are not eligible to enter.

Entries must be submitted in Microsoft Word format via email by 11:59 pm central time April 14, 2007.

Prize Package

* $200.00 U.S. from Art Bookbindery
* A photo of Candace Cameron Bure, star of the hit TV series “Full House,” autographed to the winner
* An autographed copy of Barbara Cameron’s book, A Full House of Growing Pains.
* Two autographed copies of Darlene Schacht’s humorous book The Mom Complex ~ one for you, and one for Mom!
* A copy of Yvonne Parks music CD “Only One Love”
* One web page design or blog design (Blogspot only) by Yvonne Parks Design
* A selection of the following books from Allison Bottke:
A Stitch in Time (fiction)
I Can’t Do it All (non-fiction)
God Allows U-Turns for Women (anthology)
God Allows U-Turns for Teens (anthology)

Click here to read the Official Guidelines. There is no entry fee.

I’m always nostalgic for Japan on March 3rd because I truly can’t believe God has blessed me as the mother of three daughters. If I lived in Japan, we’d have a specific area devoted in our home to display these dolls — and we’d be eating special food and having a party!

I would love to hear from any Japanese readers about what you do to celebrate the Japanese Doll Festival in your hometown.

A few minutes ago, a girl named Chikako posted this on her Myspace blog, with an adorable picture of some Japanese paper dolls:

It’s March 3rd. Today is Girl’s Day called Hina-matsuri in Japan. It is also called Peach Festival or Doll’s Day.

It’s not a national holiday, but we celebrate with decollating traditional Japanese dolls called Hina-ningyo. But only family which has girls.

We eat special rice cracker called Hina-arare, 3 colours mochi, Chirashi-zushi and drink white sake. Recently, we eat Hima-matsuri cake.

My mom decollated Hina-ningyo when my sister and I were little girls, but not now. We had small Hina-matsuri party tonight. We had nice yakiniku for dinner!

The picture is paper Hina-ningyo decollated in Taketa. The town are having Hima-matsuri festival until March 18th. We can also see traditional dolls.

Kawaii … Natsukashi, ne! 😉

If you have a daughter, give her an extra-special hug today. She’s worthy of celebrating!!!