Monthly Archives: January 2013

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7 Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 2

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1. Today is the 40th Annual March for Life in Washington DC. Over 40 years there have been 55 million abortions in the United States. 55 million souls not allowed to live, to carry out God’s plan for them here on earth, to make their mark on humanity.

2. My 16 year old son is at March for Life for the first time. He left Wednesday, which was his birthday, and spent the day on a bus traveling to DC. I’m really proud of him and I know that if he’s concerned about the lives of the unborn now, then, as he grows older, he will continue to be respectful of all life. In short, I think his wife (if he’s called to the vocation of marriage) and children will be blessed.

3. Last week we did a free promo for Angela’s Song and it made it into the top ten of ALL free Kindle books! Very exciting!  It continues to rank #1 in Religious and Liturgical Fiction.  It also hit #1 in that same category in Canada.

4. My editor, Ellen Gable, is working on the sequel to her best seller, In Name Only.  The title of the sequel is, A Subtle Grace, and I can’t wait to read it!

5.  We have the cutest little dog, Savannah.  She’s a Shihtzu-Poodle mix.  I love that little ball of fur and I’d never want anyone to harm her.  Of course, all my friends feel the same way about their pets.  However, I’ve noticed that many animal rights groups are supportive of abortion.  To me, this is a paradox.  The Catholic Sistas blog has an excellent perspective on this topic.   They are also covering March for Life.  To get live tweets, use the hashtag #SistasMFL13

6.  We had a great conversation about Martin Luther King on Monday.  I described to my kids what life was like during the time of segregation.  The older ones had heard it, but the littles were appalled. When I asked my littles why it’s wrong to think that we are superior to other people because they may be different from us, my daughter piped up, “Because we’re made in the image of God and He loves us all the same.”  Good answer, sweetie.

7.  Shh…while my son is at March for Life, we’re redecorating his room.  He’ll see it when he gets home tomorrow evening and we’ll have a belated birthday dinner and cake for him.  I hope we finish the room in time.  Anyone want to come help scrape a wallpaper border off a wall?

 

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7 Quick Takes Friday Vol. 1

Happy New Year!  I’ve finally gotten on the ball and thrown in with the 7 Quick Takes crowd.  Here we go:

1. Christmas Eve was…interesting this (oops, last!) year.  The tree fell down, the shrimp fell into the garbage pail and I forgot to make the clams.  Oh, well.  We’ll laugh about it next Christmas when we’re reminiscing.  We washed the shrimp and cooked it anyway.  Don’t judge me…

2. The kids always plan our New Years Eve menu and this year, in Whovian tradition, they asked for fish fingers and custard, with a TARDIS cake for dessert.  I want to go down in history as a cool Mom (or maybe even a Time Lord), so I complied.   I’m no Cake Boss, but they were happy with the results.

3. For those of you who watch the Reality TV show, Minor Revisions, you may have heard that it’s star, Jennifer Fulwiler, who is pregnant, had been hospitalized with pulmonary embolisms.  Please say a prayer for her and her child for a quick and complete recovery.

4. I’ve been making playlists on Spotify that my whole family can listen to.  While compiling a list of favorite songs from the 1980s, I realized that most of the music I fed my brain for a whole decade was completely inappropriate.  Luckily, I was able to find about two hours worth of music that we can listen to together.  And, I got my kids to learn the Safety Dance.  Cool!

5. I received an e-mail from a gentleman, who wrote that Angela’s Song answered all his questions as to how he could improve his marriage.  Applause for the Holy Spirit!  It is my prayer that my novel will bring healing to its readers and their marriages.

6. My parish has a huge wreath hanging from the ceiling with large lengths of fabric hanging down from it.  All during Advent, I contemplated how this beautiful fragrant green wreath foreshadows the Crown of Thorns Christ wears during His Passion and the fabric predicts the shroud that wrapped His broken body.  The liturgical seasons flow, one into another, and we are always learning, meditating, contemplating and growing in our faith.

7. I’m about 11,000 words away from being done with my next novel.  It takes place at the same parish–Our Lady of the Angels– but with a different female protagonist.  Fr. Sean and a couple of the regulars do make an appearance.  I’m eager to get the manuscript to my edito.  Now…to find the time.  Too bad I don’t know the Doctor.  I’d ask him to take me away in the TARDIS to a quiet place where I could write; then when I returned, no time will have passed.  I wonder if he could make it so the laundry would be done, too?