For my first post of 2019, I thought it might be fun to share some of my “what worked/what didn’t work” list with you. 

I got this idea several years ago from Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy). It’s simple and filled with grace. This isn’t a “beat yourself up over your mistakes” method, but a calm approach to evaluating what is or isn’t working so that you can work to eliminate the negatives and repeat the positives. I like to use this method of reflection to help me think well about everything from vacations to book launches. (If you’re a writer, you might find this post interesting- it’s about how I use this method for my writing life). 

Here are a few things that made my lists for 2018.

What worked, and what didn’t work for me in 2018. #NewYear #DiveTeamInvestigations Share on X

What Didn’t Work for Me in 2018

Scrolling. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but my phone and I have an unhealthy relationship. It’s just so easy to scroll—when I’m tired, when I’m frustrated, when I’m bored. How many hours of my life have been lost to … what? The latest Instagram post? Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy social media and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting your mind disconnect and scrolling aimlessly. For a little while. But I found that it was becoming my default—standing in line at Costco, waiting on my kids’ during sports practices, at the end of a long day. There are much better ways I can spend that time. 

Not Reading Enough. I love to read. I was a reader before I became a writer. Books are my first love and best friends. Oh sure, I read my own words over and over and over again, but I didn’t spend enough time reading other people’s words. 

Traveling. I love to travel. But this fall I scheduled too many trips in too short a period of time. It wasn’t good for me or my family. Lesson learned. 

Running on Empty. I’m a very task-oriented person and it’s hard for me to give myself permission to relax when there’s work to be done. But when I don’t take the time to recharge my tanks—creatively, emotionally, spiritually, physically—I can’t do anything well. 

What Worked for Me in 2018

Audiobooks. I’m a visual learner and audiobooks are not my favorite way to consume stories and information, but they totally count as reading, and in the last half of 2018 I finally jumped on the Audible bandwagon. I’m so glad I did. Not only did my kids and I enjoy listening to books as we ran errands and zipped back and forth from ballgames, but I was able to “read” while I did laundry and cooked dinner. 

Saying No. I hate to say no to people. Truly hate it. But 2018 was the year I learned to say No more than I said Yes. Finally. There’s something very freeing about knowing your calling and knowing when saying no is the right thing. 

Learning New Things. I learned to scuba dive (barely – you can read my thoughts on the beginner life here) and I learned to crochet (you can read about that here). There’s something both terrifying and frustrating about being a beginner, but it’s also so rewarding. 

Choosing to Fuel My Creativity. My sister and I purchased season tickets to the Broadway series at our local performing arts center. It was a splurge and it felt very indulgent, but three shows in (and five more waiting on me in 2019) and I’m already planning for next year. I know that live performances are one of the best ways to recharge my creative well. Having set times to do that, already on the calendar and paid for, has already proven to be a true investment in my career. Plus, it’s just a lot of fun! 

As we dive into the new year, I’m contemplating all of these things (and many more) as I prayerfully consider what 2019 needs to look like.

I hope you’ll continue to join me on this journey! It’s going to be fun!

Grace and peace,

In Too Deep is here!

You can purchase In Too Deep in paper, ebook, and audio formats.

In Too Deep is Book 2 in the Dive Team Investigations series. I’m thrilled for you to get to know Adam and Sabrina in a whole new way. You met them in Beneath the Surface, but there is so much more to them than you’ve probably guessed. They are unique and so perfect for each other…I really hope they figure that out! 😉

In Too Deep tackles the very real issue of labor trafficking in the Carolinas. I wish I could tell you I’d made that all up, but unfortunately it is a pervasive tragedy taking place all around us. My prayer is that eyes will be opened and hearts will be stirred to pursue freedom for those trapped in modern day slavery.

I will be chatting live on Facebook at 9PM Eastern and I’d love for you to join me! (Click HERE to be taken to the event page) You can ask questions prior to or during the event and I will try to answer as many as possible. 

 

 

It's release day for In Too Deep, Book 2 in the Dive Team Investigations series. #InTooDeep #DiveTeamInvestigations #AdamandSabrina #romanticsuspense Share on X

 

I hope many of you were able to participate in the Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt over the weekend! Over 1000 readers made their way through the entire hunt!

If you signed up for my blog posts or newsletter or liked my author page, followed me on Twitter or Instagram, commented on the post – whatever you did, I am truly thankful and I’m so glad you’re here!

I wanted to pop into your inboxes and feeds to let you know that I’ve drawn the winners for the giveaway I held on my site during the scavenger hunt.

The winners are:

  • T. Kzoe – First prize! A copy of Beneath the Surface and In Too Deep as well a $20 Amazon gift card.
  • Natasha E. – Second prize! A $15 Amazon gift card.
  • Karen M. – Third prize! A $10 Amazon gift card!

The winners have been notified by email and prizes will be headed their way this week!

Grace and peace,

 

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’re just joining us, the hunt begins at www.LisaBergren.com, with Stop #1. If you complete the loop of 26 stops, writing down the clue on each author’s site, you can enter to win all 25 books as well as Amazon gift cards, an iPad and more!

Without further ado, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my guest for the Scavenger Hunt, Cara Putman.

I was thrilled to join Cara on a panel at ACFW this past September. She is outgoing and kind and possibly the most energetic woman I’ve ever met!

Cara’s romantic legal suspense is gripping–you don’t want to miss it!

Here’s her professional bio: Cara Putman is the award-winning, best-selling author of more than 30 books. Her current novels are ripped from the headlines romantic supsense. You can read first chapters at www.caraputman.com/books.

Here’s the summary of her latest book: 

She had long given up the desire to be loved. Now she only needed to be heard. Jaime Nichols went to law school to find the voice she never had as a child, and her determination to protect girls and women in the path of harm drives her in ways both spoken and unspoken. As Jaime, now a criminal defense attorney, prepares to press charges against someone who wronged her long ago, she must face not only her demons but also the unimaginable forces that protect the powerful man who tore her childhood apart.

You can purchase this book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook or your local bookstore.

And here’s her EXCLUSIVE content that you’ll only find in this hunt!

Building Deep Characters

Writing is hard work. To give readers an emotional experience I have to dig deep. I’ll need to cry. I’ll want to chortle. For any emotion to resonate, I have to be willing to go there.

For some books that’s relatively easy. I’m writing a book set in WWII on the home front. There’s rationing. There’s boys going to war. But there’s also dances. And games. And the importance of family.

Then there are the books that require deep things from me. Delayed Justice was one of those books. Jaime Nichols was a character who was shy to make her story known. In Beyond Justice, she said a few snarky lines and gratefully slid into the shadows. In Imperfect Justice, she hinted at darker secrets, but kept her difference. But in Delayed Justice her story erupted. It oozed with pain and angst…and to get her to a point of healing and hope, I had to walk through the pain, too.

That meant I had to research the lingering effects of childhood abuse on adults. I had to explore the trauma’s impacts in emotional and physical ways. I had to talk with survivors and read their stories, so I could honor their experience in the telling of Jaime’s. I also wanted to write the story in a way that conveys hope without triggering those who may have experienced the painful realities.

 

To do that I balanced Jaime’s journey with her stand-offish cat Simba and a lovable Golden Retriever named Aslan. The two of them provided comic relief and a mirror for the growing friendship between Jaime and Chandler Bolton. The animals also reflect the shifting nature of Jaime’s spiritual journey. I also surrounded Jaime with friends, and made sure she couldn’t escape one. It was impossible for her to continue to hide behind a mask when Caroline is around. We all need friends like that, don’t we?

 

Thanks for stopping by the hunt! Before you go, make sure you WRITE DOWN THIS CLUE: 

Secret Word: those

Got it down?? Great! Your next stop is #22, Cara Putman’s site!

But before you go, I’d love for you to take a moment to enter the giveaway I’m doing! You can win one of three great prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Too Deep

is a Fall 2018 Okra Pick!

 

What’s an Okra Pick? 

Here’s the description from the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) website:

Okra Picks are a bushel of fresh titles chosen each season that SIBA Indie Bookstores want to handsell. These books should be southern in nature but can cover any genre, not just fiction. 

I’m thrilled that In Too Deep was chosen! I was able to attend #SIBA18 and had the chance to chat with booksellers and they were all just lovely. I adore independent bookstores and I can’t wait to see In Too Deep on store shelves! 

You can see all the amazing Okra Picks for Fall 2018 here! 

Grace and peace,

Hey y’all!

I’ve been gone a LONG time – but I’m back!

I can’t imagine a better way to get things rolling for the release of In Too Deep than by sharing this fabulous book trailer with you!

The team at Revell did an awesome job!

I can’t wait to hear what you think!

 

There’s going to be a lot more to talk about over the next few weeks!

Stay tuned!

Grace & peace,

March 2018

Wow. What a crazy month!

From time to time (in theory monthly but we’ll see about that) I’m going to be sharing a list of some of the thing I’ve learned in the past month.

This idea came from two of my favorite podcasters/authors, Emily P. Freeman and Anne Bogel (aka Modern Mrs. Darcy). I find it personally fulfilling to pause at the end of the month and record the big and small and weird things I’ve learned.

1. Having the right chair is a game changer. 

When my editor accepted In Too Deep, Book 2 in the Dive Team Investigations series, I celebrated.

By buying a chair.

I know. I know. I really should try not to be so wild. 🙂

Since we turned a storage area into an office last summer, I’ve been sitting in a folding chair from a card table set and it has been killing my legs and back.

But y’all. This chair makes me insanely happy. I went to several stores and sat in a lot of chairs. I knew as soon as I sat in it that this chair was going to make my office time much more pleasant.

And it has.

2. Sometimes you need to be willing to say “yes” but say “no” anyway.

I hate to see a need that I could meet and not volunteer for the job.

Of course, I’m also insanely busy and operating at the edge of my abilities. So lately, my default answer has been an emphatic “no.” But I’m learning that sometimes I need to be truly willing to say yes, even if I don’t know how I would manage it, and then wait for God to provide clarity and direction. Because sometimes in the waiting, He shows us more about Himself and His love for us than we ever would have seen if we’d jumped to the “no” without seeking Him first.

3. Sometimes you need to be willing to say “no” but say “yes” anyway. 

Regardless of how much I have going on, there are still things I really want to say “yes” to but I have to be willing to pass on. I have work to do. Books to write. Children to love and teach. A husband who puts up with an awful lot in order for me to do what I do. I need to eat and exercise and do ALL.THE.THINGS and even though it’s hard, I say “no” to a lot of stuff that I would really enjoy.

But sometimes, even though I’m willing to say “no,”  I get to say “yes” anyway. In March, I said “yes” and purchased plane tickets for a quick trip in April with my husband to Catalina Island. I will be doing a lot of writing on the plane, but I’m thrilled not to have to pass on the chance for some kid-free time with my husband.

4. Some advice is hard to follow.

There’s a general rule for writers when it comes to reviews.

“Don’t let the good reviews go to your head. Don’t let the bad reviews go to your heart.”

I haven’t figured out how to do that yet so I’ve decided the best approach to is to avoid the reviews as much as possible.

5. I cannot function without a written planner.

My love for my bullet journal is well-documented, but as much as I love it, sometimes I start thinking it will be okay if I don’t write things down for the next week.

WRONG!

I typically think through the coming week sometime during the weekend before. At least by Sunday night. But I spent Saturday and Sunday in SCUBA class and I was exhausted and crashed early. Then I tried to wing it for the next couple of days and, well, that wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had. If I had paused on Friday to makes *sure* I remembered what I was committed to the next week it would have saved me from a couple of close calls (and I’m still not 100% sure I haven’t forgotten something). Needless to say, it’s Friday night and I have already planned out next week.

6. I was completely unprepared for #TeamGabe.

Have you read Beneath the Surface yet? Since its release in early March, one of the things that completely caught me off guard has been the love for Homicide Investigator Gabe Chavez. I’ve received emails, Facebook messages, and in-person questions about Gabe. Always the same question.

Does Gabe get his own book?

Answer: Yes. He does. I’m writing it now. And I love that y’all love Gabe!

7. Favorite quote of the month.

“Faith is acting like it is so,

even when it is not so,

so that it might be so,

simply because God said so.”

— Tony Evans

(quoted by Priscilla Shirer in her study, The Armor of God).

What did you learn in March? I’d love for you to share it with us in the comments!

Grace and peace,

Since the release of Beneath the Surface, I have fielded a ton of questions.

For example . . . “Why doesn’t more of the book take place underwater?”

Well . . . here’s the thing. Some people enjoy lots of details about regulators and buoyancy and diving techniques. But I have to tell you that when I’m reading a book and the author goes into a lot of specifics about something that is very cool but that I don’t know anything about, guess what I do? I SKIM—or even (gasp!) SKIP—THAT PARAGRAPH.

As a writer, I try to avoid writing paragraphs people will skip! If the information proves I did my research but doesn’t do anything to move the story forward, I make every effort to cut it.

Here’s another one  . . . “How do you pronounce (___)?”

  • Leigh is pronounced Lee, not Leah.

  • The “i” in Anissa is a long “e” sound. As in Lisa. Not a short “i” like Melissa. I realize it’s confusing.

  • Oh, and apparently I like the long “e” sound, because we also have Sabrina, another “i” with the long “e” sound.

  • No, I did NOT do this on purpose. 🙂

But this is the one question I’ve gotten the most.

Do YOU dive?

Until this weekend the answer to that question was no. Not because I didn’t want to. But because this series sold a lot faster than I ever dreamed it would, and instead of getting my SCUBA certification last spring, I was crazy busy writing Beneath the Surface.

This spring, I’m still crazy busy writing the third book in the series (#GabeandAnissa) but I’m carving out time to get my certification in advance of a family vacation this summer to the Florida Keys.

Saturday and Sunday I’ll be in class and then in the pool learning how to dive safely. Then in a couple of weeks I’ll do my open water dive.

I have to tell you this though . . . I am terrified. 

Truly. I’m not worried about the sessions in the pool (much). And I’m not worried about the physics and chemistry in the homework. I have a degree chemical engineering—I understand pressure and volume and density. I get it.

I am worried that I will panic fifty feet underwater. Or that I’ll do something really stupid and be put in a database of people who should never be allowed to dive. (I feel sure this exists!)

The instructor told me in all the years he’s been doing this he can count on one hand how many people have decided diving wasn’t for them after they finish the class.

What if I make him go to two hands? The shame!

Mostly, I’m afraid I will stink at it. I’m not the most coordinated person in the world. And I’m a little worried that they don’t make wetsuits my size. (I’ll take that in a short/chubby?)

So, feel free to pray for me this weekend. And pray for my instructor. He’s gonna need it.

Grace and peace,

P.S. I’ll be documenting this (as much as I can) on social media. Check out my Instagram and Facebook feeds if you want to follow along. 🙂

Release Day is here! 

Some of you have already gotten your hands on a copy of Beneath the Surface.

Others are still waiting on preorders to hit their mailbox.

Still others are holding out for summer and sunshine before they dive in.

No matter how or when you’re planning to read Beneath the Surface, I want you to know that I am immeasurably thankful for your kindness and support.

It may look like a paperback (or a digital image!) to you, but that’s a piece of my heart you’re holding. 

The story, the characters, the lessons they learn, the issues they struggle with, and the choices they make—all that came from somewhere deep inside of me and that makes every book very personal.

I am not Leigh Weston. Or Ryan Parker. Or Adam or Sabrina or Gabe or Anissa.

But they are part me. 

As crazy as it may seem, the reality is that no one else could have come up with these characters. If you’d given their names, backgrounds, and occupations to another author, they—and the story they are in—would have been quite different.

My life experiences—the thousands of books I’ve read, the movies I’ve watched, the plays I’ve seen, the conversations I’ve had, the classes I’ve taken, the people who’ve come in and out of my world and left their mark, the sermons I’ve heard, the prayers that have been wrenched from my soul when I’ve been afraid or heartbroken, the places I’ve lived or visited—all emerge in the stories I write but rarely in ways that are recognizable, even to me! 

It’s like those dreams where you know all the people and the places but they’re all mixed up and you wake up wondering how your first grade teacher wound up on a cruise ship with your friend from college and your favorite barista (I hope I’m not the only one this happens to).

Somehow the creative spark takes everything I’ve ever done and every person I’ve ever known and swirls them into something—someone—completely new. 

The characters are new, but in some ways they are like longtime friends. . .  which sometime makes it hard to put them in the awful situations I put them in. But it has to happen, because it’s through their trials that they learn, they change, they grow.

And so do I. 

So yes, that book with my name on it is a piece of my heart. One I share with the world, despite the risk of it being trampled, because I believe God’s called me to write and share. I’ve written and revised and edited and tweaked and promoted. I’ve done all I can do.

Today, it’s out of my hands and into yours. What happens from here is up to Him. 

It gives a whole new meaning to the words “Release Day.”

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. ~ Psalm 19:14 (ESV)

It's Release Day for #BeneathTheSurface! #romanticsuspense Share on X

WELCOME to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt!

If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all 30 stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

  • The hunt BEGINS on 3/1 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.
  • Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
  • There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt – you have all weekend (until Sunday, 3/4 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way. Our hope is that you discover new authors/new books.
  • Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at Stop #30. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

 

I am delighted to be hosting the fabulous Mesu Andrews. She was exceptionally kind to me when we met last year at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and I can’t wait for you to get to know her and her beautiful writing!

Here’s a brief summary of her latest release, Isaiah’s Daughter . . .

Ishma comes to the prophet Isaiah’s home as a five-year-old orphan, devastated after watching her family destroyed and living as a captive. With tenderness and care, her lively spirit is revived, and the prophet and his wife adopt Ishma, giving her a new name—Zibah, delight of the Lord. As the years pass, Zibah wins Prince Hezekiah’s favor, a boy determined to rebuild the kingdom his father has nearly destroyed. But loving this man awakens Zibah’s painful past and calls into question the very foundation of her father’s prophecies. Can she learn to rely on only Yahweh, who gives life, calms fear, and conquers nations?

 

Holy Pigeons!

by Mesu Andrews

I love watching a mama bird with babies in her nest. Birds, in general, are beautiful creatures—at a distance. Up close, they creep me out a little, but have you ever noticed the gorgeous, iridescent colors on a pigeon’s feathers? Did you know pigeons and doves are kissin’ cousins?

During the third painful re-write of Isaiah’s Daughter, my editor suggested I give Zibah, the heroine, a “hobby.” What in the world does a six-year-old servant do for fun in 600 B.C. Jerusalem?

I had just read Alice Hoffman’s, The Dovekeepers, and was fascinated by the myriad uses of doves in ancient Israel. What if my traumatized little heroine found peace and solace in the ancient practice of dove-keeping? What if she and her little birds calmed each other?

As the story evolved, many opportunities for spiritual applications arose. This was one of my favorites from the lips of Isaiah’s wife, Aya:

She looked at me with glistening eyes. “Do you know why Master Isaiah calls me a prophetess?” I shook my head but was eager to hear. “It’s not because I proclaimed Yahweh’s words to kings or predicted future events that came to pass. Isaiah calls me prophetess because I speak with Yahweh as a friend—and He answers.”

My mind began to spin with questions, but the most important came out first. “How do you hear Yahweh’s voice?”

“How do you call a palm dove to light on your arm?”

Obedient but confused, I answered her question. “I become peaceful and then sing the dove’s song.” How could my call to the dove answer my interest in how Mistress heard Yahweh?

Her eyes sparkled as she helped me work it out. “If I became peaceful and tried to make dove noises, would your dove light on my arm?”

“Perhaps not.” I thought more about what made my dove come to me. “It’s the trust and familiarity between me and my dove that creates the bond. Only after the second year would the dove light on a platform and take food from my hand. It was the third summer before it actually landed on my arm.”

Mistress nodded. “Talk with Yahweh, Ishma. A bond will form, and He’ll become familiar, Someone you can trust.”

I hope Zibah, Aya, and their little doves have encouraged you today!

 

 

Biblical fiction is Mesu Andrews’ favorite genre to read and to write.

Her deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for her readers.

She and her husband, Roy, live in a log cabin snuggled into the beautiful Appalachian Mountains with their dog, Zeke.

 

 

HERE’S THE STOP #26 SKINNY:

You can order Mesu’s book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD, Lifeway, or at your local bookstore!

Clue to Write Down: you

Link to Stop #27, the Next Stop on the Loop: Mesu Andrews’s own site!

But hang on y’all!

Before you head over to Mesu’s site, I’m giving away a prize pack that includes all 3 of my books (Beneath the Surface, Hidden Legacy, and Covert Justice), some Dive Team Investigations goodies and a Starbucks gift card! All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter or note that you already subscribe. You can grab extra entries if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, or if you like my Facebook Author page or subscribe to my blog. (This giveaway is open to residents of the US only).

Click on the Rafflecopter form below to get started! All the links you need are in the contest entry form! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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