IN BED WITH A KINDLE

My husband Ray and I have always had a lot of fun. He also writes great blog posts. Although...hmm...not sure about this one!

Oh, and don't miss the "special" photo of him at the end!










Mary loves to read in bed. That’s okay in daylight. Unfortunately house and other commitments make this rather difficult. So it is a night time feature. That requires a light. But we share the bed. That in turn means the light of her reading lamp to varying degrees casts its glow in my ‘realm’. Add to that the thunderous noise of turning pages and you understand my sleep deprivation.

Our children understood the pressure I was under due to lack of sleep. So their answer – buy mum a ‘Kindle’. They wanted me to enjoy a greater depth of slumber land and produce sweeter, richer tones to my snoring. Now Mary reads in bed with the kindle’s soft light and no crashing sound of turning pages. Bliss? I hoped so but it wasn’t so. Now every–time she touches the screen to turn the page a shadow flits across the ceiling and off the walls. Have you ever tried to sleep when light and shadow perform their weird dancing ritual? It might be silent. It is spooky. I once thought the room was haunted. This was due to a combination of her turning pages, she reads quickly, a storm outside and when she chuckled about something.

Still you can adapt to anything after a while and with cunning strategies. If you can’t beat them, and you can’t join them, confuse them is my suggestion. I now listen to my bedside radio either to the news or soft dreamy music. Then with a mind at ease and eyes unafraid I drift off to sleep. Guess who has to turn off the radio.

You may think this wildly exaggerated. It is! However it does reveal the peril of modern inventions seized upon by addicted writers and readers. Then bosses, managers and governments wonder why we have so many workers arriving half asleep to work and coffee sales soaring.

Still, if I had to be honest, I wish I could sustain reading in bed for more than a paragraph. I’d love to challenge Mary to a Kindle endurance readathon? O well, a man can dream can he not?

Ray (sleep deprived) Hawkins April 2013.

There it is! And we did have fun as he posed for the photo, but somehow I don't think he was quite prepared when the camera flashed as he acted out!

But here is a big, big, thank you my darling for all those nights you did let me read with that bedside lamp on.

And I have to add that of course the book on the photo is my own first Amazon e-book, Faith in the Great Southland.

And just been told Hope in the Great Southland and Love in the Great Southland should be released also by Truly Yours Digital Editions in June.
I can hardly wait.

ACRBA BLOG TOUR - ELLENVALE GOLD

I alway enjoy historical books set in our Australia. This book by one of my favourite Australian writers is one I really enjoyed and not to be missed. It is the first of three books and the next one, Black Forest Redemption, which is also now published is even better!

6 - 10 May

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Ellenvale Gold

(Even Before Publishing November 2012)

By

Amanda Deed

Available at Amazon

&

Light The Dark

About the Author 

Amanda Deed grew up in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a Christian home, and found faith at an early age. She has followed her passion to serve the Lord through music and literature since her teen years. Now married, with three children, Amanda enjoys the variety of being a mother, finance administrator, musician and historical romance writer. Her debut novel, The Game, won the 2010 CALEB Prize for fiction, and Ellenvale Gold was a finalist for the same prize in 2012. For more information go to

Website:  http://www.amandadeed.com.au/

About the Book:

It is the time of Australia’s harsh rogue-filled goldrush of the 1850’s when Miss Penelope Worthington suddenly finds herself orphaned, isolated and alone. With a large sheep station to run single-handedly, she has little option but to enlist the aid of a mysterious, but sinister stranger.
But who is the more treacherous? Gus—the scruffy, trespassing, ex-convict who co-incidentally shows up looking for work just when she desperately needs a farmhand or Rupert—the handsome, wealthy neighbour who would willingly marry her at the drop of a hat and solve her apparent dilemma?
Repeatedly, her faith is tested as she faces the unforgiving elements, deceit, lies and uncertainty. But where and how will it all end? But…is it the end? Will vengeance return or
will Penny’s faith prevail?

A Tutor For U3A

Would really appreciate any thoughts about my venture into this new role.

Never heard of U3A? I did a few years ago but even when I found out what it stood for, have to confess didn’t even occur to me to investigate U3A.

Wikipedia tells me, “The University of the Third Age is an international organisation whose aims are the education and stimulation of retired members of the community - those in the third 'age' of life. It is commonly referred to as U3A.”

I was curious enough to attend a special meeting to introduce U3A commencing early this year in my area and liked what I heard so much I am now a member of the Tamar Valley U3A. Then when I heard about the kind of six week courses already being offered ventured to put my name down as willing to be a tutor. After all, I’ve been learning a lot about story telling now for more years than I like to remember some times!

So now, I am on a new learning adventure about being a “tutor” since my submission on writing memoirs was accepted. Registrations for the second term courses are now being taken and they will commence on May 20th. My course will be from 2-4pm each Thursday.

U3A is an international organisation and I’d love to hear from anyone who has been, or is still a member.
I’ve now given many talks about writing, presented several workshops for writers but I’m wondering just how this may be different. I am planning on talking about using story-telling techniques to hook not only fond family readers but a wider readership.

What did you like the most about the tutor? What did you dislike the most?

And for those who have not been to U3A, what would you think those attending will need and also expect to learn about writing your life story so your ancestors will know who you are?

Winter is coming – Prepare!

My husband often smiles and tells me I still have too much “Queensland blood” in me because I feel the cold so much more than he does. While the Australian mainland has suffered high temperatures the past summer months, our part of Tasmania has enjoyed beautiful summer days right up until the last couple of days.  Now the bite of winter warns me to prepare for too many cold months, at least until only a few weeks before Christmas.

Spring cleaning? It is important to air the house, sort out cupboards after the house has been shut up all that long winter here. For me however, I’m discovering I need to prepare even more for Winter. Time to check the heating system, the clothes for increasingly colder days and nights.

 

I’ve been watching “my tree” as we now call it change colour again. Each winter it warns me the nights are colder even when the sunny days lull me into putting off preparing.

Our lives are like the seasons of the year. However, these kind of seasons may not come at the usual prescribed times like those of nature.  They vary from time to time and from age to age. In spring, no matter our number of birthdays we may feel young, full of life, getting ready more and more for new and exciting experiences. Summer comes and the heat of this season may slow us down but we enjoy fun in the sun, the maturity of years with warmth and joy. Autumn finds us realising we can’t always expect sunny days and those warm nights when sometimes we might find it even too hot to sleep. Then, sometimes before we are at all ready, the cold, biting winds and frosts of winter are with us.

Are we preparing ourselves during all seasons for those harsh spiritual winters when life goes haywire, when illness and sorry lash out at us?

This summer has seen devastating bush fires even here in our beautiful island and devastating floods in several parts elsewhere in Australia. The questions are now being asked like:

“Was enough hazard reduction burning done throughout the forests here to make controlling fires possible?”

“Were the huge dams and water systems administered correctly to minimise flooding.” Were houses in bushland and flood prone areas adequately warned and prepared?”

I want to ask the question, “When life is going well, when all is pleasant, enjoyable and satisfying, are we still preparing our hearts and faith for those very tough seasons we all have to face from time to time – those wintery seasons  in our live? No matter how much we may love God, we all have these seasons to some degree.

How do we prepare? My only answer is to make sure we do not neglect the building up of our faith. In my devotional time this morning I was reminded that Jesus Christ is the Living Bread. Only He can satisfy our spiritual hunger through the Living Word.  But am I feeding my spiritual life day by day even as I nourish my physical life day by day with regular, healthy eating and exercise?

During the pleasant, easy seasons, sometimes life becomes so full of “doing” life, it is far too easy to neglect each day my spiritual food. My physical body is neglected if only occasionally I enjoy a feast instead of a sensible, daily diet. This applies the same to my spiritual health. I need to feed on the Living Bread through His Living Word. It means regular, disciplined time with my Lord in prayer, delving into the scriptures alone as well as in the fellowship of other believers so that together we can encourage each other to prepare for those harsh, winter days. To ride triumphant through those seasons, our faith needs to be strong.

Sure, in those tough times we naturally turn more and more to the Lord, and if our spiritual beings are healthy it is easier to do just. We then realise that it is during those winter seasons we discover anew His faithfulness and our faith grows even stronger.

Blog tour: Tangled Secrets

Ray is away a few days so couldn't resist using this photo this evening. Being married for over 48 years and celebrating the anniversary this month of our meeting the first time 50 years ago means we miss each other more and more when apart these days.

Several folk recently have told me they are waiting for my next book and asked when it will be available. Sadly, as I've shared here before and elsewhere, I am still working on the first draft. Progress so far has been slow but after doing heaps and heaps of rewriting, the ideas and paragraphs are slowly startingto flow again. Stay tuned!

And one of the ways I procrastinate when those words won't come is to read. I recently managed to finish reading the novel on the ACRBA schedule for March. And here it is:

4 - 8 March

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Tangled Secrets

(Even Before Publishing Sept 2012)

by

Carol Preston

Available at Amazon for $1.99 for the month of March

About the Author

Carol lives in Wollongong, NSW with her husband, Neil. As well as writing novels based on her family history, Carol has a private counselling practice and enjoys reading, gardening, spending time with her four grandchildren and bushwalking. She has pursued with great admiration the lives of her ancestors in Australia and has greatly enjoyed writing novels based on their stories and the inspiring history of the Australian people. For more information about Carol's books and her other interests she can be contacted on her website: www.carolpreston.com.au

About the book

In tragic circumstances Beth and her brothers are left in England to grow up without their parents. When Beth's childhood dream to be reunited with her father in Australia finally eventuates she finds that dreams do not always come true.The reality she faces is a tangled web of disappointment, deceit and mistakes. Further abandonment follows. Will she ever find true love? And will she discover she doesn't have to be alone before it is too late?
Set in the early colonial days of New South Wales and based on real characters in the mid 1800s.
Revisit Charlotte and Thomas from Charlotte's Angel and Mary's Guardian, and meet new characters in this new novel by Carol Preston.
Mary's Guardian was a finalist in the fiction section of CALEB 2011.

More thoughts from Mary:
I love being able to read Christian historical books set in Australia and am delighted more are now being released. It was a delight to be able to buy this book at the Word Writers Fair in Queensland last year but unfortunately did not read it until.

Having read Charlotte's Angel and Mary's Guardian I did enjoy seeing characters again from those books and read more of their journeys over the years. Although all of the books are "Stand Alone" stories I think readers would enjoy this book that little bit more if they first read those books. Having said that, I have to say I enjoyed this book even more than the others.

This story continues showing some of the heartaches of convicts and the affect on their families over the years. It also reminds us that wrong choices to try and correct wrong mistakes should never be made.
The biggest problem I had with this story is that I thought it finished too abruptly. I immediately wanted to know "what happens next" and am happy to know the story of Philip and Beth will be continued in Carol's next book, Truly Free. 

Soul Friend

Jo-Anne Berthelsen and I met many years ago but it has only been since we have both become published authors we have really started to get to know each other and become friends.

I have enjoyed all Jo-Anne's Christian novels and it is a real privilege to feature her latest book, "Soul Friend." Although these days I personally read more fiction than non-fiction, this book is a compelling read. Jo-Anne shares from her heart with us the journey her mentor and "soul friend" has walked with her. She tells of her early struggles as she first of all prepares for ministry then some of the many challenges and decisions those in Christian ministry may face as well as her career as a published author. 

This is a very challenging book and shows so very clearly how our Lord would love His children to share His love and Word with each other, support each other, not only in prayer, and showing real love toward each other but in many and varied practical ways. The last chapter, "Passing the Baton" reminded me that as we ouselves are blessed by another, we have a responsibility when opportunities come to share with others what God has been teaching us over the years about Himself and the journey HE wants to take us on with others.

This is not a book to be read in one sitting. I found I had to ponder, meditate, pray over various sections and try to apply them to the journey I am on with my Lord. Do read the following information about this book and the author. 

18 - 22 February 2013

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

Is Introducing

Soul Friend: The Story of a shared Spiritual Journey

(Even Before Publishing October 2012)

By

Jo-Anne Berthelsen

Available at Light the Dark for $16.95

About the Book:

Soul Friend is an honest and intimate portrayal of the author's own journey with her wise, spiritual mentor and the warm, life-giving relationship that developed between them during their fifteen years of meeting together. This story is written in the hope that it will inspire many not only to seek out such a spiritual friendship for themselves but also to provide such a friendship for another.

Beautifully written, this honest and insightful memoir is an inspiring celebration of the ancient art of spiritual companionship. Dr Rick Lewis

Soul friendship is a very under-emphasised resource of Christian discipleship, particularly for Christian leaders. Jo-Anne has written honestly, beautifully, sensitively and powerfully. Dr Keith Farmer

About the Author

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne loves communicating through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of five published novels – Heléna, All the Days of My Life, Laura, Jenna andHeléna’s Legacy, with a sixth, The Inheritance, due for release in 2013. Her first non-fiction work Soul Friend: The story of a shared spiritual journey was released in October 2012. Jo-Anne loves music, reading, mentoring younger women, and sharing with community groups about writing. She is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren.

Four Writers Collaborate and write The Greenfield Legacy

It is a privilege to be a member of the ACRBA. This new novel written by four of my favourite Australian writers is a new concept and yet the story flows so well with each character well defined. Although there are a few slang words that some readers may find a little difficult to cope with, it was a real page turner for me.

I highly recommend this book. IT IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK

4 - 8 February, 2013

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Greenfield Legacy

(Even Before Publishing October 2012)

by

Rose Dee, Amanda Deed, Meredith Resce and Paula Vince

Available from Light the Dark With a contest which ends

14 February 2013.

About the Book:

Mattie was in love with Billy, but she was too young to wed. When Billy was conscripted to fight in Vietnam, they made a decision that affected their lives and their future. But so much pain resulted that Mattie never really healed. Every turn Mattie made affected her daughter and her granddaughter in ways she didn't even realise. But forty-six years later, is it time for things to be set right?

Navy is a young woman who has never known her family. But what could be a wonderful opportunity is met with jealousy and apprehension from her cousin Brooke and her aunt Connie, especially with handsome Aidan around. Each must look past their struggles and find forgiveness and trust and perhaps even love.

This absorbing family drama, set in South Australia's beautiful McLaren Vale wine region, is written by four of Australia's outstanding Christian fiction authors who have brought you best-selling and award-winning novels.

About the Authors

Left to Right: Rose, Meredith, Paula, Amanda.

Award winning Australian author, PAULA VINCE, loves to evoke tears and laughter through writing fiction. She has a passion to provide inspiring stories that highlight her own beautiful country.http://www.appleleafbooks.com

ROSE DEE was born in Ingham, North Queensland, Australia. Her childhood experiences growing up in a small beach community would later provide inspiration for her first novel. Rose, who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, decided to try her hand at writing two years ago. The result of that attempt is her first novel, 'Back to Resolution'. Her novels are inspired by the love of her coastal home and desire to produce exciting and contemporary stories of faith for women. 'Beyond Resolution', and ‘A New Resolution’ are the second and third books in the 'Resolution' series. Rose resides in Mackay, North Queensland with her husband, young son, and mischievous pup, Noodle. http://rosedee.com

AMANDA DEED grew up in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a Christian home, and found faith at an early age. She has followed her passion to serve the Lord through music and literature since her teen years. Now married, with three children, Amanda enjoys the variety of being a mother, finance administrator, musician and historical romance writer. Her debut novel, The Game, won the 2010 CALEB Prize for fiction, and Ellenvale Gold was a finalist for the same prize in 2012.http://www.amandadeed.com.au

South Australian Author, MEREDITH RESCE, has been writing since 1991, and has had books in the Australian market since 1997. Following the Australian success of her “Heart of Green Valley” series, an English Publisher has taken the first three books in this series, and has released them to the British and American markets. ‘The Greenfield Legacy’ is her 15th novel published. Apart from writing, Meredith also takes the opportunity to speak to groups on issues relevant to relationships and emotional and spiritual growth. Meredith has also been co-writer and co-producer in the 2007 feature film production, “Twin Rivers”. With her husband, Nick, Meredith has worked in the ministry since 1983. Meredith and Nick have one daughter and two sons.