Saturday, January 17, 2015

Writing With Music

Once upon a time, long ago, I was a singer in a rock band and did worship in a little church on Sunday mornings. Music has always had a huge impact on my life. I don't cry during movies because of subject matter, I cry because of the music. I can hear a song from a specific time of my life and be instantly transported to that memory in my mind. Therefore, it completely makes sense that music would influence my writing. A song (or even a video) will spark an idea, and off they go, running hand in hand together. Sometimes it will take years for the idea to germinate, growing more and more every time I hear the song, and sometimes I must dash madly off and find a pen the first time I hear a song on the radio. 
My latest project is a story set in the 1880's. It's the story of a 17 year old girl who is faced with raising her baby brother and taking care of her family farm with the help of a few friends. As I've been writing the story, I've been thinking about how hard it is for me, even with all my modern conveniences and a caring husband, to run a household and care for three children. I've been thinking of all the single moms and dads out there who are faced with taking care of things all alone. 
I heard this song yesterday. I have always thought of it as my song, but now I realize I will have to share it with Zillia, my main character. And now I will share it with you. Know God cares about you today. 

What songs have been your musical inspiration? Please feel free to share stories below. 
For more about how music has inspired my books, go to http://tobythetrilby.weebly.com/musical-inspiration.html

Saturday, January 3, 2015

The Ultimate Reading Quest

Inviting you on an exciting journey! Please feel free to share with any kids who love to read! Toby the Trilby is a part of this quest, including lots of other wonderful books!

[caption id="attachment_1081" align="aligncenter" width="500"]jointhereadingquestsmall CLICK ON THIS BUTTON TO START YOUR QUEST![/caption]

WATCH THE VIDEO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE READING QUEST.

Happy New Year from all the Authors in the Ultimate Reading Quest! This year myself, and all the Quest authors, want you to enjoy your reading experiences more than ever! So in 2015, the Ultimate Reading Quest has more, more, more! More authors and more books, means more mystery, more danger, more intrigue and more edge-of-your-seat adventure awaits you! We want you, our readers, to be able to fill that Kindle, tablet or E-reader you got for Christmas, with fabulous reads to take you through 2015. The Quest is so much fun! Who doesn't love searching for treasure? The ULTIMATE READING QUEST is about finding books that are “perfectly” suited to your reading taste by clicking on choices. To thank you for participating, the authors have decided to give away oodles of prizes for free! Enter your name to win Amazon cards and free books from authors! Plus a whole store of treasured books are just waiting to be discovered by you!

Enjoy your journey as you travel through the QUEST! Don't forget to enter the raffle on the first page of the Quest. And please leave comments or questions for the authors of the Quest. We would love to hear from you. What are you waiting for? Click on the button above or below to get started on your QUEST for the next ULTIMATE READ! [caption id="attachment_1081" align="aligncenter" width="500"]jointhereadingquestsmall CLICK ON THE BUTTON TO START YOUR QUEST![/caption]