Scribblings from a twenty-year homeschool veteran about homeschooling, life after homeschooling, occasional peeks into the world of writing for children, and the ups and downs of life in general.
I remember a month or so ago on a Show and Tell, when Mary,Tiany, and some others were displaying baskets where they kept devotionals and other books for encouragement during their Quiet Times. What a great idea to keep it all together like that in one place--ready to pick up and read during a spare moment.
Today I want to tell you about a book that would be a wonderful addition to your devotional "basket." Calm in My Chaos, by Elisabeth K. Corcoran, is a collection of 45 short "encouragements for a Mom's weary soul." If you would like to sample one of these delightful devotional entries, click on the cover: it will take you to another HSB blog, where Kregel Publications posts excerpts from some amazing books for homeschooling families. Calm in My Chaos takes an honest look at a mother's world and offers (with humor and the truths of God's Word!) advice and encouragement for our daily lives. We're surrounded by children. Sometimes we need a moment to reflect, take a deep breath, and get back into the fray. To "keep on keeping on," knowing our sisters are right alongside us, experiencing what we're experiencing.
The author's stories and insights are fresh and honest. For example, "The Morning from . . . Not Heaven" opens with: "It is 9:46 am on a Wednesday. Today we began potty training. Bought the seat. Bought the doll that wets herself . . ." I smiled as I read this entry. Been there. Done that.
Calm in My Chaos is a short, snappy read--the entries are "just right" for a busy mom. I highly recommend you check this book out! To read some other reviews and/or to order, click here: CALM IN MY CHAOS
Here is a book that will open your eyes and the eyes of your children to what is really happening in the 10/40 window on planet Earth. The 10/40 window, in case you don't know, is the section of the world from 10 degrees south latitude to 40 degrees north latitude, encircling the globe. Inside this narrow "window" reside most of the earth's population. Sadly, it is also the portion of the world that is the least evangelized. In addition, most of the people groups in the 10/40 window follow the hopeless religion of Islam.
Within the pages of The Costly Call, by Emir Fethi Caner and H. Edward Pruitt, you'll find 20 stories of Muslim men and women who found Jesus Christ against all odds. And it cost them--their families, their jobs, and nearly their lives. But in exchange they found peace, purpose, and eternal life. Click on the cover of this book to read Part 1 of a 4-part story from the book on Kregel's HSB blog (Parts 2-4 are in the Archives): I could not get through this book without shedding tears at the inspiring testimonies of these faithful brothers and sisters and their courage to forsake all for the cross of Christ. The stories are not graphic; they are excellent read-alouds for upper grade-school and higher children. Opportunities for discussion abound as you're confronted with how difficult it truly is to leave the Islamic faith. This book is a must-read!
I just discovered there is also a Costly Call Book 2, now available:
One more thing. I can't close this without putting in a plug for The Voice of the Martyrs. Click the link to learn how you can help and pray for our Christian "family." They are choosing Christ above all and suffering for it in over 50 countries around the world, where Christianity is illegal. You can sign up for a free monthly magazine as well as for their Kids of Courage magazine for youth. I've received both magazines for years and read them aloud to my kids as we prayed for children around the world.
A couple days ago I posted about an up-and-coming author, Miralee Ferrell, and her first fiction book, The Other Daughter. Today she's back to answer a few questions about what inspired her to write the book, and little bit about Miralee as a person as well as an author! First of all, here's what she looks like! Now, on to my questions...
1) First of all, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Well, I'm over 50, married for 35 years this July, and have two wonderful children, Marnee and Steven. I'm active at our small church, serving on staff with my ministerial license and working with women in a counseling/ministering capacity. My husband and I are looking forward to full retirement soon and taking off for a few months at a time on our 51' sailboat, where my writing will take on an entirely new creativity. We have a horse, a dog and three cats that my daughter and her husband will inherit while we're gone. Thankfully, they live on the adjoining property and are animals lovers.
2) On Thursday, I shared a little bit about your book, The Other Daughter. Click here: BLOG TOUR. A young girl dumped on the porch of a family, claiming to be the husband's other daughter. Wow! Talk about a surprise! How did you come up with this story?
An editor friend and I were brainstorming about what I could do for my first book, and she suggested using something I knew, possibly from my own life. That triggered the idea of using an episode from me and my hubby’s personal life—we received a letter from an 18 yr old girl a number of years ago, claiming to be my husband’s daughter. After investigating and meeting Trisha, we accepted her into our lives and hearts, and have continued a relationship with her. The basis for the book came from that episode, but the balance of the book is fiction, other than the setting—I live in the Pacific N.W., in the area where the book takes place.
3) What was your reaction to the news that your first "baby" had been accepted for publication?
Stunned and a bit worried at first. I know that sounds strange, but I'd made some major revisions to the first few chapters. I should have been bouncing around the house, but my first thought was, "Oh, no! They read the old version and I've made changes. What if they don't like what I've done and want to keep the old one?" I knew the new version was much stronger, as did the editor I’d been working with on the first 1/3 of the book, so I prayed and my agent asked Dennis, my soon-to-be-publisher, if they’d take a look at the changes. They did, they liked what they saw, and the offer extended to the new book. THEN reality set in and the explosion of joy and incredulity hit me. It took several weeks before I really took in that it was sold.
4) Which fiction book in your own personal library has been read the most? What keeps pulling you back to these books?
I have several authors that keep pulling me back...I discovered Gene Stratton Porter and Harold Bell Wright in high school when I first read Freckles, Girl of the Limberlost, and Shepherd of the Hills. I love anything these early 20th century authors wrote. I own first editions of several of their works. The writing in the early 1900s had so much more depth than much of what's being written now. The descriptions were exquisite...that's the only way I can describe how they wrote. The stories were unusual and you knew the characters personally, and cared about them deeply. H.B. Wright, especially, had thought-provoking messages woven through his fiction that would stay with the reader for days, if not weeks, to come.
5) Now that The Other Daughter is at last in print, are you working on anything else?
I’m working on Past Shadows (might also be called Sheltered), the sequel to The Other Daughter, and hope to have it ready to turn in to my editor in November. I’ve also started something new for me---an 1880s novel set in Washington state. I hesitate to say it’s a romance, but it looks like it might be heading that direction. I’m playing around with another idea for a stand-alone women’s contemporary with an unusual twist. I’m hoping to start it as soon as Past Shadows is finished. There could also be a #3 in this series. If so, we’ll return to Brianna, the 13-yr -old girl who arrived at the Carson’s door, at the age of 23.
6) Do you have any parting words of advice?
Keep your priorities in order---God first, family next, ministry and others (including your writing) third. Write for the Lord and for yourself, rather than to be published. It will cut way down on the disappointment and frustration level, and bring a deep sense of joy and accomplishment.
Thanks, Miralee! If you would like ordering information about The Other Daughter, click on the book cover below: And don't forget! If you leave a comment (with contact info), you are automatically entered into Miralee's book giveaway!
This is a scary day for me! I offered to open up my blog to an up-and-coming author, Miralee Ferrell. Her new book (I'll get to that in a minute) was just released, and I want to help her find some readers. So here she is, taking a chance that there are moms out there in homeschool bloggerland who actually read something besides their kids' curriculum. If you are one of those, like me, who would like to read about something other than tomorrow's history lesson, read on... Here is the cover of Miralee's new book, The Other Daughter. You can click on it for ordering information. And now...drum roll please...a short blurb about what's inside:
The girl standing at the door took a deep breath, pulling her suitcase a little closer to her trembling legs. "My mama's dead. He's my daddy."
Susanne Carson knew that she could trust the love of her life—her husband, David—until she discovered a strange, unkempt young girl on their doorstep, claiming to be David's daughter.
Not that their marriage had ever been perfect—David's decision to embrace the Christian faith had strained their relationship. Susanne may not have agreed with his beliefs, but at least she trusted him. Had David been hiding this not-so-little secret from his past? He wanted Susanne to believe in his God, but believing hadn't done much to keep David out of another woman's arms.
As David confronts the truth of his past, Susanne must face her own moment of truth as her marriage is taken to the breaking point and the life of one young girl is left in her hands.
You can read an excerpt by clicking here:KREGEL FICTION BLOG
Oh...did I tell you she's having a book drawing? Leave a comment and she'll throw them all together (from her tour) at the end of the Blog Tour and pick a winner for her book.
Stop by on Saturday and read an interview with Miralee!
Here are some other blog tour participants that are having Miralee stop by for a chat:
I have discovered that my publisher, Kregel Publications, has a wonderful selection of books for homeschoolers. They are not a curriculum publisher, but a conservative Christian publishing company that offers, among other things, reading for both enjoyment and for enriching your curriculum. I have decided to devote a special place on my blog to review and recommend some of their products. I'm calling it my Kregel Korner.
OK, maybe that's not very original, but I never said I was clever with titles.
My Kregel Korner has a special feature you won't find with many reviews on HSB (or anywhere else, for that matter). Each review will be linked to an excerpt from the book on the Kregel homeschool blog. Pretty cool, huh?
I'm launching my Kregel Korner with a review of Across the Wide River. I would have loved to have had this historical fiction novel when my kids and I were studying American history! The author, Stephanie Reed, is not telling the history of the Rankin family--she's telling the story of the Rankin family. And what a story! Lowry Rankin's family is involved in the dangerous practice of helping slaves find their way north as part of the Underground Railroad. Set well before the Civil War, the Rankin family's adventures are based on true events. The "Wide River" is the Ohio River, and the slave state of Kentucky is just across the water. Freedom lies in Ohio, but it is a dangerous freedom, and the Rankins are one link in a long chain between slavery and freedom. Young Lowry Rankin comes of age in this exciting novel as he struggles with issues common to all young teens: shyness, bullying, the direction his life should take, and his faith. It is refreshing to find a historical fiction novel for those hard-to-reach readers--preteen and teen boys. Click on the cover of Across the Wide River to read an exciting excerpt and to learn how you can get your hands on a copy for your homeschool.
Recommended for: ages 10 and up; enrichment novel for US History units circa 1840-1865.
I remember a month or so ago on a Show and Tell, when 
A couple days ago I posted about an up-and-coming author, Miralee Ferrell, and her first fiction book, The Other Daughter. Today she's back to answer a few questions about what inspired her to write the book, and little bit about Miralee as a person as well as an author! First of all, here's what she looks like! 
Now, on to my questions...
This is a scary day for me! I offered to open up my blog to an up-and-coming author, Miralee Ferrell. Her new book (I'll get to that in a minute) was just released, and I want to help her find some readers. So here she is, taking a chance that there are moms out there in homeschool bloggerland who actually read something besides their kids' curriculum. If you are one of those, like me, who would like to read about something other than tomorrow's history lesson, read on...
I have discovered that my publisher, Kregel Publications, has a wonderful selection of books for homeschoolers. They are not a curriculum publisher, but a conservative Christian publishing company that offers, among other things, reading for both enjoyment and for enriching your curriculum. I have decided to devote a special place on my blog to review and recommend some of their products. I'm calling it my Kregel Korner. 
