So, it’s Tuesday.

Not Monday.

I could tell you that I planned it this way and just skip over the fact that I enjoyed, spent, wasted most of the day yesterday as I searched through box after box for the missing Wii games.

(Which were eventually found right where I left them eight months ago. Since, apparently, while the movers unpacked a trash can and put the trash in a box, they did not feel inclined to unpack that drawer and instead, moved it and all of it’s contents in place. But I digress.)

And, just so you know, watching James squeal with delight and fall to the floor whenever his Mii got knocked down in Wii Boxing – made it all worthwhile.

But now it’s Tuesday. And the timing couldn’t be better because this week is all about guest blogs and giveaways!

First, the guest blogs. It is my privilege and delight to be guest blogging twice this week on the blogs of two of my favorite people, Vonda Skelton and Edie Melson. I told you about them earlier this month and I am still gobsmacked that they are brave enough to turn me loose on their readers.

Today, I’m over at The Christian Writer’s Den, the newly revamped blog of Vonda Skelton. Please come by and say hello. The post is written for writers, but if you use your imagination (and don’t tell me you don’t have one just because you aren’t a writer), I think you’ll find a little application for your own life.

Thursday – and please don’t panic about this – but Thursday is DECEMBER 1st. (Breathe. There’s plenty of time. Okay, I feel better now.) And since it’s the first Thursday of the month, it’s time for my monthly review over at Edie Melson’s The Write Conversation. I’ll be talking about the holidays, family dysfunction dynamics, and birth order and how we can put this crazy time of year to good use in our novels. (Or, how we can discover new and exciting ways to torture our characters, but the other way sounds kinder (or is it more kind), doesn’t it?)

And this week, is my very first blog giveaway. I’m insanely excited about this because Christmas makes me smile. And I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite!

The very nice people over at Baker Publishing offered to give one of my readers a My Favorite Bible. Free. No strings attached. I’m sure there’s a little in your life (or perhaps, the parent of a little) who would love this. It would make a fantastic gift or, if your home is inhabited, occupied, overtaken by tiny people, a lovely addition to your bookshelf.

Here’s the blurb…

With the vibrant illustrations and engaging text in this Bible storybook, you can enjoy sharing the best-loved stories of the Bible with the children in your life and encourage a life-long love for the Word of God. My Favorite Bible is a book of exciting Bible stories and activity pages that guide children through the foundational truths of Scripture.

The colorful illustrations will capture the imaginations of children ages 4–8, and the stories will help adults to pass along the most important truth in life—the Gospel. Families will cherish this time as they read, listen, learn, and love, growing closer to one another even as they grow closer to God.

So, here’s how you enter. Leave me a comment (here, not on Facebook, and you have to leave a name because I can’t give a book to “anonymous”!) between now and Friday, December 2, and tell me which Bible story is your favorite. (And if your answer is “Jesus” or “God” I’m going to know your account has been hacked by a five-year-old who wants this book!)

Over the weekend, I will choose a comment at random and will announce the winner here on Monday! Then the lovely folks at Baker will put your very own copy of My Favorite Bible in the mail. So easy. Why are you still reading? Start commenting people!

The post Guest Blogs and Giveaways! appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

I plan to spend November sharing a random assortment of things I am thankful for. Today, I want to tell you a little story.

Once upon a time, there was a girl whose parents insisted she go to bed at a reasonable hour, even though she wasn’t sleepy. So she would dream up elaborate stories to occupy her time. As a general rule, she was the heroine of the tales. There was a long stretch where she was a famous teenage spy. Then several years where she was a cancer curing doctor. And of course, a ridiculous number of stories where she wound up married to a wealthy man and had servants and jetted around the world to attend opening night at the opera.

The girl never told anyone these stories because she thought there was something wrong with her. She tried to stop herself but sooner or later, another story would emerge.

Then one day, the girl (who was now quite grown up) wondered what would happen if she tried to write the story down. How hard could it be? The story in her head would make a great book. The kind of book she would like to read.

So she did.

But she didn’t tell anyone. Except her very own Prince Charming who didn’t think she was crazy and encouraged her to finish the tale. When she typed “The End” she realized she had a choice. Keep the secret, or share it.

The girl was afraid. Afraid people would laugh. Afraid people would think she was crazy. After all, Prince Charming was biased so she couldn’t assume others would share his opinion.

The girl chose to share. First with her sister. Then her parents. Then a few friends. And to her relief, they didn’t just like it. They loved it.

So she took a class.

Then signed up for a writers conference.

And that’s when things got really interesting. Because two people who did not know her at all emailed her and said, “Hey, you’re a writer. We’re writers. Come hang out with us.”

The girl was afraid. What if they didn’t like her? Or worse, what if they didn’t like her writing? (Which is not the same thing, but feels like it is). The girl didn’t think of herself as a writer, but she wanted to. So she went to meet the writers.

And the rest . . . well, the rest is unfolding right before your eyes. Edie Melson (@EdieMelson) and Vonda Skelton (@VondaSkelton) welcomed the girl into their circle of writers. They encouraged, instructed, and critiqued. They introduced the girl to other writers. And they continue to remind her that successful writers write and some of them get published. And while she may be a little wierd, there’s nothing wrong with her that isn’t wrong with them, too.

You may be wondering why I chose to tell that story today and what it has to do with thankfulness.

Today, as I do every first Thursday of the month, I have a guest post on Edie’s blog, The Write Conversation. Later this month, I’ll have a guest post on Vonda’s blog, The Christian Writer’s Den. These women have chosen to be encouragers and cheerleaders to a bunch of newbie (and not so newbie) writers. They are some of the busiest women I know, but they make time because they don’t want to see new writers make any of the mistakes they made early in their careers.

Not every new writer manages to fall in with people who only want the best for them.

But this girl did.

And I will forever be thankful.

*************

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