Next in DianaLand

New Look

2008-05-06T14:01:00.004-05:00

I have a new respect for those who design blog templates after two day of trying to do it myself! I found a person who makes easy to use templates. Christine! She has a lot to offer. I wish I had discovered her earlier. I might have had time to write the last two days!

I had fun playing with my digi stuff too while making my new header. What do you think of it? Lie Fhung is an amazing digi artist.

Family news:
Josh is home for a little while this summer. It's been fun having him here. He makes me laugh. He has an interview for a job this week so he cut his hair! He looks like a grown-up now of would if he changed shirts!

Wendell has been up to some more odd behavior . He's decided to spend a lot of time up here. I'm wondering if he's judging me for my lack of time spent on writing!

Faith

2008-04-24T14:12:00.002-05:00

Faith is personal but it touches other people through what you do, write and say. This clip was shown at my church on Sunday. It made me cry because it so aptly reflects what I believe. Freewill often brings us to our darkest place. It's a dreadful place to be. I'm thankful to know because of God's love for me I can be rescued.

What High School did you attend?

2008-04-15T09:03:00.002-05:00

That's the big question that gets asked when you meet someone new in the St. Louis area. This past weekend I had a few of my friends over for a flashback night, 1970's music, box pizza and chocolate cupcakes oh and bring your yearbooks. My friend Marty, couldn't bring much to the party, she didn't go to school in Missouri! Poor thing. (don't feel to bad for her she had the California coast for a backyard!) My friend, Patty did go to high school in this area. As we flipped through her yearbook we were surprised to find a few secrets, (hush I'm not telling on you) but lets just say now it's understood where that rah rah attitude comes from. The other thing we found in her year book were photos of my cousin! (Hi Terry! )

On April 9 at www.seekerville.blogspot.com another friend wrote about divine connections and mentioned me. I hadn't considered how may of times God has put someone in my life to help along the way. It's like looking back in that yearbook and spotting a photo or a bit of an autograph that fits into my life puzzle.

I had amazing help along my way. In high school Mrs. Ferry believed in me, not only did she trust that I had read every book on the class list already she let me audit another class during her class time as long as I came back for her tests. Then she took it a step farther. She told me I could go to college. I had my doubts about that, we didn't have any money. Not to worry, she took me by the hand and helped me fill out financial aide forms. That still wasn't enough, because of her I was able to be one of the first to graduate high school in January to begin my college career.
Before Mrs. Ferry, Mrs. Rogan had a turn at modeling me into a writer. She also gave me Shakespeare!

Those are just two people, there are many more. Looking back at the blessings brought my way has been fun. Thank you Julie Lessman for giving me a nudge to remember.

Pushing to the limit

2008-03-06T11:22:00.001-06:00

How hard to you push yourself?

I watched the movie Facing the Giants last night, good movie. There is a scene where the coach blindfolds a football player after the player says he'll give his all to do what the coach asks. He has to crawl across the football field with another player on his back for 50 yards. (I'm not a football person so I can't remember the exact term for this exercise!) With the coach's encouragement the player made it all the way to the end of the field, way past the 50 yards. It was hard, he wanted to quit but he didn't know how far he'd already gone and he'd promised the coach to give it his all and he still had more to give. Are you with me? I feel like I'm rambling!

I'm that player (not really, you'll never see me crawling on a football field!) but I am not really giving my all to God. I want to change that. I think the blindfold helped because the player wasn't able to see how far he'd come and how far he had to go. A lot of times I think, well I've already written several books isn't that enough? It's so hard to give so much of my time, my imagination and my life to writing a book—and I write short books! I can't imagine being Julie Lessman and writing such a long book, no not one but three or more!

Sorry, back on track… so I am challenging myself and anyone else that wants to try. I'm going to give my all, 100% to my writing. That is a scary statement but I know my God won't let me down, I just pray I don't let Him down.

More on voice

2008-03-06T11:10:00.002-06:00

Interesting comments on my 'finding a voice entry.'

Jennifer Tiszai said...

If you want to hear some unusual voices, come up my way. Oh my. We have some interesting people in our town. I never run out of story fodder.

I've been to your state Jen, and I loved it. My brain was alive with stories. I think it's the accent, it makes me hear things differently.

Casey Freeland said...

Ah, the search for a voice. That's a good one. I've found that if I relax, write with real honesty, the voices just come. When I start to construct, to push things around artificially, to over-plot, that's when my voices all sound like a third grade read-aloud.

Have fun on your travels!

I did have fun on my trip, Casey. Thanks. I spent a lot of time in the hotel sleeping though because I was sick. I did get to explore the library there though. Beautiful! It's a Carnegie Library, marble floors and stairs. I wanted to spend the night there. AS for voice, you're right when voices are forced they do begin to sound like a Dick and Jane reader.

Blissful said...

That can be difficult for me, too. Most of my heroes sound or act like my hubby. I also need to work on making them different personalities. :)

Hi Blissful, glad to see your comment on my page. I like that your heroes sound and act like your hubby. My first three books have been modeled on mine as well. I think God he gave me such a great hero to copy. Now that I'm on my 4^th novel though I think it might be time to stretch a bit and find more depth. I'm checking out Daniel in the bible. I'm thinking there's a powerful role model.

Finding a voice

2008-02-25T09:50:00.002-06:00

I've started working on my next book. It's hard. Not hard to come up with the idea, characters and plot, it's hard to come up with a voice.
I can see my heroine but I can't hear her yet. She still sounds like my last heroine to me. So how am I planning to fix this problem?
Tennessee. Yep, I'm traveling again. I'll be keeping my ears open for a unique voice one that captures my character. I love this part of writing, eavesdropping in dressing rooms--okay I like shopping too! Then there are restaurants that are unfamiliar to me, but to the locals they're home so they talk about anything and everything. And of course I'll be listening at the local Wal Mart store. I find great voices there, so many people carry on detailed conversations on their cell phones in that store. So wish me the best. I know that voice is out there somewhere just waiting to meet my character.

Deal or No Deal

2008-02-12T10:36:00.001-06:00

I'll admit it. I've become addicted to the show. It's a fascinating look into what people are willing to risk on uncertainty.

Last night, a woman could have kissed a frog and doubled her offer, more money than she would probably make in twenty years (guessing from her comments) and yet she turned it down. It is easy to judge from the safety of my couch. I of course would have kissed the frog. He didn't look that bad.

What really amazes me though is the help the contestants bring with them. These 3 people, relatives and best friends encourage them to take huge risks, just two more case, just one more, are the shouts from the sidelines.

We all know about peer pressure. We've experienced it as teenagers at its worst. So why when it comes to a game where a huge amount of money is possible if you just take the deal do these contestants listen to those they love? Is it because they feel they are being offered good advice? Do they not want to disappoint their loved ones? Or is it fear of having to listen to "I told you so," for the rest of their lives.

I'm thinking it's all the above. I don't' think it matters how old you are, peer pressure comes into play often in our daily lives. So what to do about it?

Keep your eyes on God. Read your bible, listen to your heart. Good idea right? So why isn't it easier to do that? I struggle with it every day, choosing to listen to the those who are louder. Maybe that's my answer. I need to let God's voice have more volume, let Him drown out the others shouting at me.

Thanks for letting me ramble today.

A New Month

2008-02-01T13:25:00.001-06:00

February is here, it came like this! Almost 8 inches of snow and higher in drifts. This is the first year in a long time I've had winter boots. I had forgotten how much fun it is to stomp around in the snow.

I miss my boys at times like these I wish I could snap my fingers and make them small again. I wish for those days of red noses, wet mittens and damp 'boy' hair smells, hot chocolate and getting warm by the fire. Those days went by so fast! And if I remember right I whined about them. How sad for me. I didn't enjoy them to their full potential. I was more concerned with how often I would have mop up puddles and dry mittens than the fun the boys have.

Brings me to my knees. Most of my days are spent this way. Are yours? Are you living with joy and purpose every day that God gives you? I'm not. I'm going to start trying.

A Passion Most Pure--Julie Lessman A Review

2008-01-29T09:39:00.000-06:00

A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman the first in the series of The Daughters of Boston is Faith O’Conner’s story. Faith and her sister Charity share more than a last name. They both love the same man. The twists and turns in this book have you turning pages at a fast pace to discover who Faith will marry in the end. Is it the childhood friend, Collin? Or the charming Irishman Mitch? Which man Faith wants so does her sister Charity.

How Lessman pulls this off is pure pleasure for readers. Lessman’s writing has the edginess of Kristen Heitzmann, and depth of Jodi Picoult. Go ahead, pick this one up and fall in love with the entire O’Conner family. Just make sure you have a lot of time to read because this is one book you don’t want to read a little bit at a time.

The Restorer by Sharon Hinck: a review

2008-01-23T12:26:00.000-06:00

The Restorer by Sharon Hinck is one of the most thought provoking books I've read in awhile. I found it on my Powell's trip and remembered meeting her at Mt. Herman at a writing conference. I had to have the book. I needed something to distract me on the plane trip back from Oregon. I don't like to fly.

I identified with Susan, the main character right away. She knows she has a great life but longs for something just a bit better, to help others and she's depressed. Yep, could have been me in the book. I settled into my seat at the airport, this would be a good comfortable read.

Wrong. This book was fascinating, character driven, with a plot that twisted like spaghetti on a fork.

By the time we were in the air, Susan had left her home and traveled to a place that doesn't exist in our world. I read, turned pages and read more, the air miles went by and soon we landed in Kansas City. I didn't relish having to stop living in this magical world where soccer moms can use a sword! Still I had to deplane and wait for the connecting flight to St. Louis. As soon as I could respectfully ignore my husband and read, I yanked that book back out of my bag.

What makes this book so special to me is the idea of how dangerous one thought can be. At first when I read this book I thought Hinck very clever to use an evil thought to throw a community into chaos. A week later I'm identifying thoughts of my own that are leading me in the wrong directions. Thank you, Sharon for helping me to see how poisonous those wrong thoughts can be.

Would I buy the next two books in this series? You bet. I can't wait for them to arrive.

Here is the book blurb:

Meet Susan, a housewife and soccer mom whose dreams stretch far beyond her ordinary world. While studying the book of Judges, Susan longs to be a modern-day Deborah, a prophet and leader who God used to deliver the ancient nation of Israel from destruction. Susan gets her wish for adventure when she stumbles through a portal into an alternate universe and encounters a nation locked in a fierce struggle for its survival. Now stranded in a strange culture filled with poisonous enemies, Susan must overcome tremendous odds to deliver a desperate people and restore hope to a world far from her own.

Get it at Amazon!

Books and Me

2008-01-23T09:18:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged by Jen! This is a fun quiz for a writer to fill in, and I hope you learn more about me as you read about my likes and dislikes.
1. One book that changed my life. Hands down the bible, but I won't count this one for this quiz because it's an easy answer. So, that means I have to come up with another. That's hard there are many! Everytime I read a how to book my life is changed in someway, I learn to knit, write a better descriptive passage or become a better wife. I'm stalling! I think I'll have to say Little Women, because it cemented my desire to be a writer.

2. One book I read more than once? Are you serious? There are three that make it over the more than 10 times list. Harriet the Spy, Little Women and Gone with the Wind.

3. One book to take on a deserted island? Without a doubt it would be the bible.

4. One book that made me laugh? If you can't Decorate it, Lose it! by Anita Renfroe.

5. One book that made me cry. Little Women

6. One I wish I had written? The Church Ladies by Lisa Samson

7. One I'd wish had never been written. I won't answer that because if I don't like it, I'd rather not give that author any acknowledgment.

8. What am I currently reading?
I just finished reading The Restorer by Sharon Hinck. Amazing book, review to follow later this week.
A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman. Julie is in my ACFW critique group so I've had a sneak peak at the writing of this book. It rocks. The reviews of her book are outstanding as well. So it is the next book on my list.

9. Book I've been meaning to read? Persuasion by Jane Austen. It's on my to be read stack.
Now I'm tagging Casey, Sharon, and Georgiana! Anyone can play,
leave a link in the comment section so others can find you!

Portland, Waterfalls and More

2008-01-22T10:52:00.000-06:00

I'm back from my fun trip to Portland. Powell's bookstore was amazing. There were lofted floors, red, blue, yellow and green rooms, oh my! I had fun looking through each section, trying to decide what to purchase. I did well, I was able to pack everything into my suitcase. I came home with two Jane Austin books and a The Restorer by Sharon Hinck. I'll review it later.

Ed also took me to the Mill End Fabric store which for me was a touch of heaven. Where I live most of the stores carry a huge quantity of quilting fabrics and little apparel fabric. Mill End had row after row of fine apparel fabric. Again, I was was controlled. :) Nothing like a packing limit to keep yourself from over spending.

Tuesday, we explored the Colombia River Gorge, hiked up a few trails to get a better of few waterfalls. It was beautiful and cold! My fingers were tingling from the frigid air!
.

The trip was over fast. I was prepared with my maps and places marked I wanted to go but I can see a need to return someday. There is a lot of things to do in this city.
AND while we were there it only rained once.

ONE WORD--play along!

2008-01-10T09:54:00.000-06:00

Georgiana Daniels hassent me this quiz! Thanks!se a tough challenge for writer's today. Can you go it?

ONE WORD--play along!

Being a writer is often difficult. Some struggle with word count, never able to fill the pages with their desired quota. Other authors type on and on, barely able to rein in at the desired quota.
How do you do? Here's a fun game....
You. Can. Only. Type. One. Word. (not as easy as you might think!)

1. Where is your cell phone? counter
2. Your significant other? sweet
3. Your hair? curly
4. Your mother? amazing
5. Your father? dead
6. Your favorite thing? books
7. Your dream last night? fire
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? retirement
10. The room you're in? office
11. Your ex? none
12. Your fear? pain
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? oceanside
14. Where were you last night? resturant
15. What you're not? thin
16. Muffins? chocolate
17. One of your wish list items? washer
18. Where you grew up? Missouri
19. The last thing you did? shower
20. What are you wearing? jeans
21. Your TV? Men in Trees (messed up! That's 3 words!)
22. Your pets? cat
23. Your computer? humming
24. Your life? best
25. Your mood? distracted
26. Missing someone? Pebbles
27. Your car? empty
28. Something you're not wearing? lotion
29. Favorite Store? Archievers
30. Your summer? hot
31. Like someone? Ed
32. Your favorite color? Blue
33. When is the last time you laughed? Jan.
34. Last time you cried? December
35. Your favorite animal? terrier
36. Last thing you ate? oatmeal
37. Dream vacation spot? Michigan

Wanna play along? Leave a comment so I can visit =)

Lee Jeans Rock

2008-01-09T14:41:00.000-06:00

I am so excited. Last October I found the best jeans for me, Lee Jeans with this secret tummy control. They work or at least give me the feeling that I am smaller than I am.

But, then the pocket tore. Please keep in mind I do not put things in my back pocket. I have no need of any extra poundage back there! So with great regret I folded them and put them on my shelf, every once in awhile I'd pull them out and think, maybe there is a way they could be fixed. Then sadly, I'd shake my head knowing I'd never fix them, refold them and stick them back on the shelf.

I emailed the Lee Jean company and explained how sad I was about the demise of my barely worn jeans, I no longer had the receipt and didn't' think the store I purchased them from would take them back. NOW THIS IS WHERE LEE JEANS REALLY ROCK! They emailed me back and explained how to return them to the store! I printed a copy of their email and hit the highway. I had no problem getting them exchanged once they saw the correspondence from LEE! So there you have it, once again I have a great pair of jeans and my illusion of being 2 sizes smaller is once again real.

New Year New Options

2008-01-02T08:50:00.000-06:00

Like everyone else I'm thinking about those resolutions we either make or make an effort not to make. In the past I've made long lists and of course I accomplish nothing. This year I'm doing something different. I'm re-naming the resolution to options. I don't like to be tied to a specific thing, you guessed it I'm not very good at goal setting either!

Options give me the freedom to choose, like FREEWILL! Woo hoo! Isn't that awesome? It's a God thing. Thump, that was the sound of my realizing it really is a God thing. I want my choices/options to be pleasing to Him, to show others His amazing grace, now the pressure is on, how will I accomplish that?

Wait, I have it! I don't have to do anything! God's grace is not earned. Relief! I can however choose to continue writing books with Christian characters. I like that option, I think I'll keep it.

I can continue my sewing, but how can I use that to show God's love and mercy? I have several projects in mind for that but need to do some research on how to donate. I'd like to make burial dresses for premies/stillborns. If anyone has any information on how to do that please let me know. I'm going to continue sewing at least one quilt top a year for the ladies of BSLC to quilt and send to Lutheran World Relief.

So far my options aren't so scary and do able.

I'm also going to use my option to monitor my intake of food, and exercise. Hmmm, that sounds like a resolution EXCEPT there is no number associated with this option. So it gets to stay!

So anyone with me here? Dump the resolution treadmill and climb on the options horse. :)

Portland and Books!

2007-12-27T12:34:00.000-06:00

What gift could an author find under her tree to make her jump around the room in excitement?

An plane ticket to PORTLAND specifically to visit Powell's Bookstore! The store is a city block big! This store holds a special spot in my heart as they were the first to embrace ebooks and carried my book right from the start. I've always longed to visit this magical place and now, thank you Ed, I get to! Before I leave home I have to find the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to ship the treasures I find back home after I purchase them. I know there will be a lot, how could a person who lives and breathes words come back without a box full of books?
And while I'm there I've discovered there is a huge fabric store close by, so I'll be checking that out as well.
I'm sure we'll need to eat somewhere too, so if anyone knows of a great place to eat (not a chain) please let me know.
If you know of a place that I shouldn't miss while I'm there post that too. I won't be there long, just two full days but I plan to use every minute I can--who needs sleep?

Christmas Delight

2007-12-17T09:54:00.000-06:00

How fun is this? SNOW before CHRISTMAS! I love snow this time of year, it really gets me into the season.

After sending off a requested manuscript I decided to take the rest of the month off, sort of a mini-vacation at home.
One of the joys of not working is this guy. Home for the holidays! He's my Christmas kid, always humming or singing, decorating, he makes my Christmas special. Welcome home J.

So what have I been doing on my mini-vacation? Fun things! I made this digital ornament, not the best, but it's a new skill.

I've also been sewing, learning to use my new machine. There is a lot to learn. I may need to take an extra week or two to figure it out.

Soon though I will be missing writing so much I'll have to return to work on my newest story. Even now the character Amy Grace keeps poking my brain as if I should get busy and write her story.

Christmas is almost here and even though the season excites me--I love the lights, the best part of the season is knowing a child was born to save ME! AND YOU! Happy Birthday Jesus and thank you for your most amazing gift!

DECEMBER!!!!

2007-12-03T08:21:00.000-06:00

Is it? I'm so very confused. When I went outside yesterday morning it was in the 60's by the evening it was so cold I had to wear a coat! Ah, Midwest living, there is nothing like it.

Have you all started the decoration of your homes yet? I have put out two things, my favorite snowman quilt, and my snowflake rug. Maybe this week I'll get the tree set up or not. :) We have a cat that likes to climb and take things from the tree, so delaying is more for my sanity.

The other thing that must be done is CLEANING. The last few years I've approached this icky job in a different way. I focus on the coming of Christ, now I know HE won't care what my house looks like, but I would! I wouldn't want guests to celebrate my children's birthdays in a dirty house. I don't want to have them celebrate Christ's birthday in a messy one either!

The cleaning shouldn't be too hard, now that all my children live somewhere else--except for the youngest and he won't be home until the middle of Dec. so he shouldn't make to much of a mess before Christmas. Sorry Josh. :)

That leaves baking. How do you handle baking all those wonderful delights if you and your husband are the only ones in the house most of Dec. I'm thinking of baking and freezing. The problem is neither of us mind eating frozen cookies. Such a dilemma.

Play Nice and people will like you

2007-11-30T10:05:00.000-06:00

That's what my mom taught me and it stuck, along with make sure to wear clean underwear in case you're in an accident.

Jen nominated me for this award!
"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world."

I love it! It's so nice to be appreciated for niceness. Thanks Jen!
And to keep in the spirit of passing it on I nominate
Jenny
Lillie
Cathye

Step forward and claim your award!

The Life of a Writer

2007-11-26T10:25:00.000-06:00

This video just made me smile. Thanks Jen, for posting it. I know you snagged it from Terry Whalin so I'm sure it is making every writing blog out here, but it's so good! Watch and enjoy!

The Day After

2007-11-24T11:11:00.000-06:00

I hope all you had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was a bit subdued since we were missing members of our family. The food was spectacular as always. My brother-in-law loves to cook, and he does it well. He made three turkeys and there were only 18 of us!
He was also well prepared with takeout containers for all us.

My youngest son came home from college for the break. It's been good to have him home. The funny thing is while he is gone our home is a healthy home. The minute he comes home we forget about health. The cookies are made or bought, chips, and cinnamon rolls fill our tummy's. Life is fun! But tomorrow he'll go back to school, and we will return to salads in preparation for the Christmas break.

SOLD

2007-11-02T13:15:00.000-05:00

I love that word. It means so much to many people, I sold my house, or I sold the car, or even I managed to sell my old sofa. Today though SOLD means I can say my manuscript Hearts on the Road sold to Heartsong! A publisher I have long tried to get to notice me. I am excited to be in traditional print. There is something about a book in your hands with pages to turn that excites almost every writer.

*Yes, I know I misspelled Hershey's name on my mini movie but I can't remember how I saved that file. I did it on photostory and that file isn't liked by photobucket. IF anyone knows how I can convert the file please let me know. It's driving me nuts! That's what happens when you do something at 3 a.m.

Focus

2007-10-19T10:47:00.000-05:00

DianaLand has been quiet these past few weeks and that's a good thing. I needed a rest. Or at least my body said it's time to take a long hiatus. I've read books, made a few t-shirts and scrapbooked a few pages. Now I feel better. I'm not quite back to ME yet, the person who can write a thousand words in a few hours, plan for dinner, contact my friends and do the laundry seemingly at the same time. I'm not sure I want to be that person anymore.

Why?

Because I realize (and this is not the first time, I'm a slow learner) that every moment I'm here is a time that God gave me to use to His glory and in his way. Maybe I don't need to do double and triple duty with every minute have. Maybe it is okay to enjoy the task at hand. Just because I can do more than one thing at a time doesn't mean I should.

So for the rest of this month anyway I'm going to give my full attention to the task of the day. That means this month a class by Margie Lawson, Empowering Characters' Emotions. Yes, I'm going back to school even if it is in my own office. I'm excited about this class. As I look through the material I am encouraged. This is a graduate level course and something I've been looking for to improve my writing. If you are a writer I encourage you to take a look at her courses www.margielawson.com Thank you Jenny Cary, my writer friend for telling me about Margie's classes!

Here are a few photos of what else I've done this month to relax and to check off of my 50 things to do before my 51rst birthday.

The Balloon Glow at Forest Park.

Abe Lincoln's home in Springfield.

We took a Saturday trip. The first in a very long time.

Welcome Mary Lu Tyndall!

2007-09-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog, Mary Lu. I just finished reading
The Restitution.
It's great. Will there be another book following this one?

Hi Diana! Thanks for having me on. No, I’m sorry to say, there will not be another book in the pirate series at this time. I do get a ton of emails asking for more books, so perhaps in the future, there will be another “Legacy of the King’s Pirates.”

Pirates are fascinating to read about but how do you do your research?

Not being able to go back in time and join a pirate crew really limited my research! LOL. Although I doubt I would have made a good pirate (I still have all my teeth) and they would have probably made me walk the plank or something else equally hideous! I use a variety of research methods. I read many books, both fiction and non-fiction, watched as many pirate movies as I could get my hands on (Go Errol Flynn!) and made a trip to the Florida keys to sail aboard a real pirate vessel. I love this job!

I've always wanted to know what really happens to pirate treasure. After it's taken and they store it in massive trunks in the bottom of the ship how do they turn their spoils into money?

Aye, the treasure! It all be about the treasure! Pirates did what all thieves do, even to this day, they spent what they could easily spend (the Spanish doubloons, the Pieces of Eight, the gold and silver coins) and they sold the rest of the things (jewels, coffee, tobacco, pearls) for money—which they promptly turned around and spent!. Pirates were notorious for spending every penny they stole. Rarely did they ever bury their treasure anywhere, as most of us have heard in pirate stories.

How does the captain keep his crew from taking from the stolen treasure? Do they each have a trunk and it gets filled from the spoils each time?

When any man joins a pirate crew, he must sign the Pirate Articles for that ship. These are rules made up by the captain and enforced on penalty of death. One of those rules would always be that any man caught stealing more than his share of the plunder would be killed (in some heinous way which I won’t describe here). Normally that was enough to deter any of the pirates from stealing treasure that wasn’t theirs—especially since not only just the captain would be angry but the whole crew of violent miscreants would be after him as well.

I think of pirates as homeless but in Redemption you mention the ships must be taken out of the water every few months to scrape the sides and bottom so were there pirate safety islands were everyone gets along while the ships are cleaned? Did pirates during this time period have a home besides their ships?

Normally, the ships were the only homes the pirates knew. They spent so much time at sea, that they didn’t feel “at home” on land. Many of the pirates had a “home” port that they would return to where they were usually welcomed among fellow pirates and where they could spend their “hard-earned” money on food, rum and women. The careening of a ship only took a few days and was often preformed on some secluded island away from any civilization. This was a very vulnerable time for any pirate because if he was caught during this time, he would lose his ship, and possibly his life as well.

What difficulties have you had in getting your books published since pirates are not known to be God loving men?

Surprisingly, None. The three book series was picked up only a month after my agent submitted it. Yes, I see your mouth hanging open. I was just as shocked. That’s why I really believe it was a God thing. The timing, the movies just coming out.. everything just fell into place.

Thank you for spending time here today. Is there anything you would like to share with my readers?

I pray you do not let the “pirate” theme dissuade you from picking up my books. Though there are indeed some nasty pirates, there are wonderful swashbuckling heroes and daring, alluring heroines. These stories are filled with romance and adventure, all interwoven with a strong message of God’s love and His power to changes lives. My one and only purpose in this life is to glorify God in whatever I do—to show others that He is on the throne and He loves us and has a grand adventure planned for every one of His children.

Thanks to all of you, and God Bless!

Weclome to my blog, MaryLu. I just finished reading The Restitution. It's great. Will there be another book following this one?

Hi Diana! Thanks for having me on. No, I’m sorry to say, there will not be another book in the pirate series at this time. I do get a ton of emails asking for more books, so perhaps in the future, there will be another “Legacy of the King’s Pirates.”

Pirates are fascinating to read about but how do you do your research?

Not being able to go back in time and join a pirate crew really limited my research! LOL. Although I doubt I would have made a good pirate (I still have all my teethl) and they would have probably made me walk the plank or something else equally hideous! I use a variety of research methods. I read many books, both fiction and non-fiction, watched as many pirate movies as I could get my hands on (Go Errol Flynn!) and made a trip to the Florida keys to sail aboard a real pirate vessel. I love this job!

I've always wanted to know what really happens to pirate treasure. After it's taken and they store it in massive trunks in the bottom of the ship how do they turn their spoils into money?

Aye, the treasure! It all be about the treasure! Pirates did what all thieves do, even to this day, they spent what they could easily spend (the Spanish doubloons, the Pieces of Eight, the gold and silver coins) and they sold the rest of the things (jewels, coffee, tobacco, pearls) for money—which they promptly turned around and spent!. Pirates were notorious for spending every penny they stole. Rarely did they ever bury their treasure anywhere, as most of us have heard in pirate stories.

How does the captain keep his crew from taking from the stolen treasure? Do they each have a trunk and it gets filled from the spoils each time?

When any man joins a pirate crew, he must sign the Pirate Articles for that ship. These are rules made up by the captain and enforced on penalty of death. One of those rules would always be that any man caught stealing more than his share of the plunder would be killed (in some heinous way which I won’t describe here). Normally that was enough to deter any of the pirates from stealing treasure that wasn’t theirs—especially since not only just the captain would be angry but the whole crew of violent miscreants would be after him as well.

I think of pirates as homeless but in Redemption you mention the ships must be taken out of the water every few months to scrape the sides and bottom so were there pirate safety islands were everyone gets along while the ships are cleaned? Did pirates during this time period have a home besides their ships?

Normally, the ships were the only homes the pirates knew. They spent so much time at sea, that they didn’t feel “at home” on land. Many of the pirates had a “home” port that they would return to where they were usually welcomed among fellow pirates and where they could spend their “hard-earned” money on food, rum and women. The careening of a ship only took a few days and was often preformed on some secluded island away from any civilization. This was a very vulnerable time for any pirate because if he was caught during this time, he would lose his ship, and possibly his life as well.

What difficulties have you had in getting your books published since pirates are not known to be God loving men?

Surprisingly, None. The three book series was picked up only a month after my agent submitted it. Yes, I see your mouth hanging open. I was just as shocked. That’s why I really believe it was a God thing. The timing, the movies just coming out.. everything just fell into place.

Thank you for spending time here today. Is there anything you would like to share with my readers?

I pray you do not let the “pirate” theme dissuade you from picking up my books. Though there are indeed some nasty pirates, there are wonderful swashbuckling heroes and daring, alluring heroines. These stories are filled with romance and adventure, all interwoven with a strong message of God’s love and His power to changes lives. My one and only purpose in this life is to glorify God in whatever I do—to show others that He is on the throne and He loves us and has a grand adventure planned for every one of His children.

Thanks to all of you, and God Bless!

New Month

2007-09-17T09:44:00.000-05:00

New beginnings, send the last child back to school and start creating me again. Sounds great doesn't it? So in order to do that I thought I should review the top seven things I might have done differently this past year. Why seven? I'm not David Lettermen!
7. Spent more time learning one thing well instead of ten things a little bit.
6. Started exercising in Jan. instead of August.
5. Continued in my efforts to eliminate clutter from my house.
4. Taught my cat how to retrieve Diet. Dr. Pepper bottles from the fridge and bring it to me.
3. Made more meals for my family this summer instead of doing take out.
2. Learned how to drive the bob cat.
1. Not ask God for a big storm note to self: next time ask for sprinkles