Pssst! What are you reading this weekend?

I know by the time I get the kids to bed, I’m ready for something to relax me, whisk me away a la calgon — and nothing beats the combined beauty treatment of a bubble bath and inspirational chick-lit novel — good for the skin and soul.

If you’re already a Spa Girls fan, then you KNOW how funny Kristin Billerbeck’s novels are. If you’ve never read one, then allow me to introduce her to you.

Kristin is an award-winning novelist and mother of four children (ages 11, 10, 8, 6) who makes her home near Sacramento. She says on her website, “I’m a California girl (fourth-generation) and I remember the Bay Area before it was Silicon Valley. Before everyone drove Beamers and drank decaf soy lattes and bubble teas.”

She’s one of the first Christian chick-lit authors and has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and World Magazine for her work. What a Girl Wants won the 2004 American Christian Romance Writers’ Contemporary Book of the Year. This year, Kristin’s novel, With this Ring, I’m Confused won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Lit Book of the Year.

Welcome to Mom 2 Mom Connection! We’re all big fans of inspirational books here, and we’d love to learn more about your Spa Girls trilogy. Can you tell us a little about it?

The Spa Girls Collection is my tribute to women friendships. My best friend has been my best friend since we were four. As you get older, you learn to appreciate all your friends in the seasons of life and what they contribute to make you a better person. These stories are about how we can remain in our little world, but when we get too off-track, our friends are there to rescue us.

I recently read Calm, Cool, and Adjusted, which was released this month. It was so much fun to read! Who is Poppy Clayton, and what is going on in her life?

Poppy Clayton is a natural health buff and chiropractor. She’s a bit obsessive-compulsive and feels she knows what’s best for everyone. In a loving, and fun way of course, but we all know someone who wants us to drink green shakes and has the tastebuds of a squirrel. That’s Poppy and she’s not in search of a husband, but she is in search of freedom from having to find one. When she’s not looking, God has a different plan for her.

How did you come up with her character? Is she at all similar to you?

Truthfully, she’s based a tad on my husband if that makes any sense — and a bit of Colleen Coble, my writing partner. They’re both convinced they know what’s best for me and are not afraid to say it.

Throughout the book, Poppy ranks herself on a desperation scale. I’m sure many of us can relate. Can you tell us more about that?

I had this vision of how the book starts with a female monkey in a tree, chasing after an abundance of male monkeys, only to find her chase has left her alone, and feeling desperate. I really wanted to capture that feeling of how when we go after what we want, we’re often left alone to question our very being. I want women to find themselves acceptable in Him and that’s what the book is about.

How does Poppy become more calm, cool, and adjusted as the plot moves along?

She learns that she does not control the universe, though she tries desperately. The more she lets go of her rules and makes them “guidelines,” the happier she becomes.

What do you want readers to take away from reading this book, or others in your Spa Girls trilogy?

I want them to have a fun sense of escapism, but also appreciate the friends who populate their lives. I hope they’ll see their own friendships in the Spa Girls.

I love reading the Girls Write Out blog, which you participate in along with novelists Colleen Coble, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter. For those who haven’t visited yet, what types of things do you blog about?

We blog about everything — from chocolate, to writing, to our friendship and how wonderfully strange it is. We all started out writing together and we have worked hard to become better writers and hopefully, better people. I think it’s good to share our successes and our foibles because that’s part of life.

Some of us here are also aspiring to become better writers. Do you recommend the American Christian Fiction Writers organization? What are the advantages of joining?

I do recommend it. I remember when it was a seed in Lynn Coleman’s mind as an alternative to secular writing groups for those of us who shared a call. We are now around 1200 members. The forums (available if you join) are a treasure trove of information on point of view, sales & marketing and other writing-related tips.

Can you give us a quick scoop on the national ACFW conference that was just held in Dallas?

The conference was fabulous, as always. Since it only incorporates fiction in its teaching, the editors and agents are just there to find writers of novels. What a blessing! This year, Liz Curtis Higgs was the keynote speaker, and that was worth every cent without all the classes!

Oh, I’d love to hear Liz Curtis Higgs speak someday. Congratulations on your Lit Book of the Year Award, by the way!

Thanks!

What are you working on next?

Right now, I’m working on Split Ends, which is a stand-alone novel about a young woman from a small town who has big dreams of becoming a Hollywood hairstylist. She’s convinced if she can find success, she can overcome her past — but it turns out, her success only creates new problems she hadn’t anticipated.

We can’t wait until you’re through so we can read it. Thanks for stopping by, Kristin!

Enjoyed it!

Kristin Billerbeck can be reached at her website, where you can sign up for her “Kristin’s Handbag” newsletters. You can also keep up with her real-life sagas at the always-entertaining blog, Girls Write Out.

Just in case you thought that press release earlier today was kinda dry, I have to tell you some big news. Kristin Billerbeck, the QUEEN of Christian chick-lit, is coming to visit tomorrow. Here!

Don’t miss it …

I’m busy collecting my all-time favorite laugh-out-loud quotes from some of her books off my bookshelf. I don’t know where she thinks of this stuff, but you can’t read a Billerbeck novel and stay in a bad mood. I mean, just in case you ever get in a bad mood. Not that I’m speaking from experience. heh. heh.

If you’ve never read any Billerbeck chick-lit, you can visit her in the Silicon Valley here.

Quick! If you’d like a FREE signed copy of Kristin Billerbeck’s latest release in the Spa Girls trilogy, she’s offered free autographed books to the first ten people who respond to her at the Girls Write Out blog. Follow THIS link.

As of 1:30 pm Eastern, there are still three copies up for grabs. So go leave her a comment if you’d like to win a copy of this book!

I read it, and it really had me laughing. You can see my review here at Christian Book Previews. I’m crossing my fingers and so hoping that Kristin Billerbeck will be able to come here and chat with us someday!

I saw my first glimpse today of this new book! Isn’t the cover gorgeous? I’m so excited — I actually have a story in this book. It’s going to be released in October from Adams Media.

My story is called “The Great Rabbit Chase” and is about the time I was 8 or 9 months pregnant chasing our pet rabbits around the backyard. They’d somehow tunneled through their hutch and gotten loose. I knew my oldest daughter would be devastated if her favorite white bunny, “Frosting,” was gone forever. What happened was so funny, it’s now going to be recorded forever in this book!

I can’t remember where I heard about the deadline, but I submitted the story last summer. I worked with editor Colleen Sell, who did an awesome job of cleaning up and tightening my words. She made me sound so much better.

Now I’m getting emails from the publicist hired by Adams Media. He wants all of the contributors to set up book signings. Once again, this makes me feel like a nervous wreck. How can I ask people to come buy a book?

But wait! It’s actually the PERFECT gift for expectant moms. For all those long hours sitting in the doctor’s office or waiting around during the last trimester or prelabor. It’s hard to think about anything besides impending labor, yet expectant moms need something fun and encouraging to read. This is the book — a companion guide to the bible of childbirth, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Wow — just typing that title into the computer makes me feel a wave of nausea, since I read it during my first trimester.

So I’ve got to get on this book signing. Who should I bug? Anyone want to host me? I can do more than sign books. I’ll bring chocolate. I can tell funny pregnancy and labor stories. I can show you my “medals of motherhood” (if you’re a mom, you know what those are — they’re there forever.) I can’t sing, but I can do party games. My stomach gets tense just thinking about calling Barnes & Noble. But hey, I gotta do it.

Here’s a description of the book from Amazon:

“A Cup of Comfort for Mothers to Be is a celebration of a very extraordinary time in your life — the nine months that make you into a mother. From joy to fear, from morning sickness to the first kicks, moms to be just like you tell their stories in this new addition to the beloved Cup of Comfort series … These touching accounts of the most exciting months of a new mother’s life are sure to warm your heart — and those of the loved ones who surround you during this emotional and amazing period of your life.”

Another great issue of Christian Women Online is hot off the press. Pour yourself a mug of coffee or tea, and get ready to be inspired.

CWO is really starting to gain attention in the blogosphere. It was recently mentioned on the mega-site, msnbc.com, and Jan White featured CWO in her MarketLines column for Cross & Quill Magazine as a hip new publication for Christian writers to submit articles. I’m working on my September Book Buzz column and would love your thoughts on any great new books you’ve read recently. I’m in the middle of a hilarious novel by Diann Hunt called RV There Yet? I can’t wait to review it for CWO because it’s a hoot. Diann Hunt is one of those funny people I’d love to meet someday.

Fortunately, she also blogs for Girls Write Out, along with Kristin Billerbeck, Colleen Coble, and Denise Hunter. Those ladies know how to have a good time — and it definitely shows up in their writing. I interviewed Colleen here a few months ago, and I saw her from a distance at the Women of Faith conference. My brush with fame!

The new July issue of Christian Women Online magazine is out. Click here to read it.

You can enter to win a free copy of Allison Bottke’s A Stitch in Time, which I’m in the middle of reading now — it’s absolutely adorable. And there are regular columns by Darlene Schacht, Shannon Woodward, Bonnie Hooley, Valerie Wolff, Victoria Gaines, Bonnie Bruno, Kim Brenneman, Ann Voskamp, and moi. You can also read a new chapter from Catherine West’s novel, Just a Little Walk, and be further inspired by guest columnist, Polly Boyette, author of Life is a Buffet, So Save Room for Dessert .

If you haven’t joined the CWO blogring yet, what are you waiting for? There’s also a new CWO Blog, which includes daily posts from six of our favorite bloggers: Darlene, Iris, Paula, Joy, Antique Mommy, and Tracey.

Here’s how editor Darlene Schacht introduced my new Book Buzz column:

Heather Ivester has picked some of the best books this month we’re sure you’ll want to get your hands on for summer.

Whether you want to get whisked away to the Isle of Arran, enter the hilarious and hectic world of Beckie Miller, or brush up on your home-keeping skills, there’s a wonderful book waiting for you.

So sit back in your favorite chair, put up your feet and get lost in a book.

Read more…

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Miss Teresa!

I took the kids to the library yesterday, desperate for a new load of books. I’d just found out the unhappy news that our house is not a candidate for cable TV. I was finally exhausted from three years of the same half-dozen fuzzy local channels, and this week we’d decided maybe it was time to branch out and allow a little more variety into our home.

But the cable company came out and informed us our country home sits too far back from the road for cable. Our only option is satellite, which I don’t want. We had satellite several years ago when we lived even further out in the country, and the satellite company was always giving us free “sneak peeks” at upgrades. Our kids were toddlers then, but now that they’re old enough to handle the remote, I don’t even want to take the risk that they might flip to something that would become permanently etched in their minds.

No can do. So we’re back to the books. Which is fine. Better even.

So I walked into the children’s department and asked our librarian, Miss Teresa, what she recommended for our kids’ ages. “I’m especially looking for chapter books for my rising third grade daughter,” I told her. And I added with a whisper, “She still likes checking out picture books, but I want her to move on, you know?”

Miss Teresa smiled at me. “I’ve got the perfect books for you.”

We followed her back to the “L” section, and she showed me Christian author Bevery Lewis writes a children’s series called The Cul-de-Sac Kids. We checked out Pickle Pizza and a few others.

“Look,” she whispered. “These are published by Bethany House. All of their books are Christian!” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “I try to buy as many as I can. These are wonderful.”

I wanted to reach over and give her a gigantic hug — but with a wiggling baby on my hip, tote bag overflowing, it was not possible.

She started pulling more books off the shelf. “Here are some good mysteries your son might like,” she said to me. “The Bloodhound series by Bill Myers are also published by Bethany House.”

Am I the last person in the world to discover Bill Myers? Wow! I looked him up, and his books and videos have sold over six million copies. He’s published with Zondervan, Tommy Nelson, and Bethany House, among others. So we brought home The Ghost of KRZY. I was a little concerned it looked too easy for my almost ten-year-old, who plowed through The Lord of the Rings trilogy this past year, but my son loves this book. In fact, he’s finished it, ready for another.

What a relief to know my kids are reading books by Christian authors, whose faith will be woven into the pages of the book. And it’s pure joy to know my children’s librarian is a kindred spirit. Miss Teresa also told me she bought the Landon Snow books, which are published by Barbour. I reviewed Landon Snow and the Auctor’s Riddle last fall.

So I ask, does your children’s librarian know what kind of books you want your children to read?

P.S. Another great series for kids is the Wilderking trilogy, published by Broadman & Holman. There’s a new interview up with author Jonathan Rogers over at Gina Holmes’ wonderful blog, Novel Journey.

Since I haven’t been blogging here the past few days, I figured nobody was coming here. I hadn’t checked my webstats lately because I didn’t want to see the number “o.” But I checked this morning, and I discovered that people are coming here anyway. Weird. I’m absent, but people are still coming to visit.

Guess what my #1 most read post is this month? My review of 90 Minutes in Heaven. I still highly recommend this book. I checked the ECPA Christian Bestseller list and found out some good news. Are you ready? This book is a bestseller, ranked #21!

Psssst … I’ll just whisper this — I got my Dad a copy signed by Cecil Murphey, who wrote this book in the words of Don Piper. It will be a late Father’s Day present because I forgot to give it to him the last time I saw him.

I hope you’re all having a great summer. I’m swamped with kids everywhere. And I do mean everywhere.

What are you doing for Father’s Day today? It gives kids security in this crazy, mixed-up world when they see you loving their Dad. My husband and I went on a marriage retreat last weekend and were reminded once again that “Love is an Action.” Saying you love someone is nice — but showing it through your actions is even better. For me, that means staying off the computer and hanging out in the real world with my family.

Nobody says it better than FlyLady, who tells us, “Love means making sure there’s clean toilet paper on the roll and extra ones within reach. (ahem.) Love means making sure your family has clean underwear folded and put away in their drawers.”

I gotta get off the computer — bye! 🙂

Summer is in full swing here. Our library’s summer reading program officially kicks off on Thursday — but we’ve already carted away our first load of books. I learned long ago from a maven mom that wheels are required on library visits.

For a while, we used a rolling crate that we got from an office supply store. We kept it in our trunk because it folded flat — then we could roll it in the house and keep our library books in it throughout the week. But a wheel popped off … somewhere. So today we used a rolling suitcase. It worked great. The kids loaded up the suitcase until it was full, then it was time to go. One kid pushed the baby stroller, another pulled the suitcase — giving me a free hand to keep the NOISY 3-year-old out of the fish tank. (Which is still more interesting than books.)

I love the library. I don’t love bringing five kids to a place where we have to ssssshhhhh be quiet — but it seems there is more grace abounding in the summer when there are more people milling around.

Our summer reading theme is “Once upon a time,” and so there are castles and moats set up all over the library. I think I’m signed up to help with crafts a week or two. That should keep life challenging, although I can use scissors, and I even know how to carry them should I have to walk around the room.

My summer reading this year will consist of FICTION — yes! Glorious fiction. I am thrilled with my stack of Christian novels just begging to be opened. Wanna sneak a peek? Here’s what’s on my list:

A Stitch in Time (Allison Bottke)
Grace in Thine Eyes (Liz Curtis Higgs)
Dying to Decorate (Cyndy Salzman)
The Secret Life of Becky Miller (Sharon Hinck)
AND I’m still waiting on my much-anticipated copies of Watching the Tree Limbs (Mary DeMuth) and A Girl’s Best Friend (Kristin Billerbeck)

My new Book Buzz column is up at Christian Women Online — be SURE to check out my recommendations for the men in your life. (My column is aptly titled “In Celebration of Men.” Don’tcha love it?) And while you’re there — check out who won the CWO Blog of the Month! (Hint — she’s originally from Germany, lives in Phoenix, is a faithful Carnival of Beauty and LBY blogger — and her blog title has something to do with Ephesians. Go tell her congrats!) Also, you can read the awesome winner of the Father’s Heart writing contest (which I was so honored to be asked to help judge) AND you can enter a drawing to win a copy of Wayne Holmes’ newest book, The Embrace of a Father. So head on over to CWO right now!

A few people have written me lately asking how I choose which books to review. Well, for Christian Book Previews, the editor sends out a list of books — there were over a hundred to choose from last time. I usually pick a book I’ve already heard some “buzz” about, which is how I picked The Secret Life of Becky Miller. I’ve heard a TON about this new book, and it’s humorous MOM-LIT published by Bethany House. So I can’t wait.

For Book Buzz, here’s what I’m looking for:

1 — Books that will uplift and inspire the readers of Christian Women Online magazine. Fiction or non-fiction. They must be clean, but don’t necessarily have to be published by a CBA house. I’m trying to stick with books written by women for women — but this month all the books were written by men for anybody! So I won’t rule out male authors — but the CWO audience is all female (as far as I know … ).

2 — I prefer books that are less than two years old. But this is not set in stone. If you know of a great classic that would be perfect for CWO readers, please let me know. Sometimes, nothing beats an oldie but goodie.

3 — Write me a query. Tell me why the book is perfect for Christian women readers! I usually don’t review self-published books unless they’ve been professionally edited — but this is also not set in stone. Two of my favorite books last year were self-published — and gee, it makes so much sense financially if you’re a public speaker to self-publish. Send your query/ press release to heatherivester at bellsouth dot net.

Also on my reading list this summer — Cec Murphey said I HAVE to read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. He’s about the millionth person who’s told me to read it. Oh yes, and Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees. And I’ve heard a ton of people suggest Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. So you see, I’ll be off in fiction-land this summer.

Actually, I have another change of plans this summer — which I’ll tell you about later this week. First, I’ve got to work on writing my last LBY post to complete this Beth Moore study. I think everyone else is finished except me. But guess what? I get to do it again this fall — our preschool mom group will be studying Living Beyond Yourself! So maybe I’ll be able to keep up this time — I hope. (I think God knew I REALLY needed to take this study again. Who doesn’t need a little more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and SELF-CONTROL?)

I went to a writers’ conference last weekend sponsored by American Christian Writers. It was more like a retreat for me — being surrounded by other people who love books, words, and growing in our faith always puts me in good company.

This was my third ACW conference — and it was a great one. I really enjoyed getting to meet one of my blog readers! When I found out she lived not too far from me, I invited her to come. And she did!

I counted up, and this was the seventh writers’ conference I’ve attended in the past two years, plus I also went to CBA Advance in Nasvhille, which is where all the Christian publishers display their lines of books for retailers.

I’ve been to two large conferences sponsored by Lifeway, one sponsored by SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), three American Christian Writers, and another local writer’s group that had a one-day conference that brought in a novelist I really wanted to hear speak.

So, why do I keep going to these things? Am I just not getting it? Well, except for one, they were all within driving distance from my house. Four of them were within an hour of my house, and every time I’ve gone, I’ve invited family members or friends to come with me. For example, last spring, I invited a high school friend to come with me, and I helped her get her feet back into publishing. She’s writing regularly now for several magazines and a PR firm.

It’s also encouraging for me to meet other people who are as wacky as I am about Christian books. Here’s a picture from the Nashville CBA where I met with several people from one of my online writing groups. (I’m in the back row, second from the right.)

On the back row, far left, is Cecil Murphey. He’s one of the most prolific writers around — do you remember me telling you about him when I reviewed 90 Minutes in Heaven? He was the writer God used to tell Don Piper’s story. At the conference last weekend, I sat through over six hours of Cec’s teaching! He has such a gift for mentoring writers.

I think he knows a thing or two about books — since he’s published 104 of them and has about half a dozen under contract now. I’ve taken away so many nuggets from his teaching. And I also got to meet with him one-on-one and listen to his advice for me personally.

This is the best part about these conferences. You get to make appointments with editors, authors, and agents. What better way is there to learn about publishing than to meet the people who make the decisions behind the scenes?

The truth is — last weekend’s conference was where I realized this “writing thing” is not going away. It’s not something I’m going to abandon, like I’ve abandoned countless other hobbies that I got bored of. By writing, I don’t mean scribbling away in a secret journal. I mean seeking publishers who need content and are willing to pay for it.

I’ve learned that to be published, you have to do more than write whatever you want and send it out in an envelope with postage and a prayer. That’s the quickest way to get a rejection letter, probably from somebody’s assistant (yes, I know about this first-hand!).

At every conference, I’ve learned something new. The main thing I’ve picked up is that marketing goes hand-in-hand with writing. Before you even begin your article or book, think about who you’re writing for. Otherwise, you’ll have a hard time finding anyone to buy it.

For example, Gina Holmes of the awesome Novel Journey blog recently interviewed mega bestselling author Allison Bottke. She has published over 20 books in the God Allows U-Turns Series and Christian Living genre, as well as her debut novel. Major success story.

How did Allison do this? In the interview, she explained how she’d wanted to write a memoir of how her life got turned around when she became a Christian at age 35. But she thought, “Who’d want to read my story?” Then she decided to tell it as part of a series of other people’s stories. An agent loved it, and the rest is bestselling history.

And just in case you think these conferences might be boring, think again. Here I am at the Nashville CBA Advance doing a little clowning around. If you like to write, maybe I’ll see you at a conference someday!