Who Knew???

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I hate when interesting things come up on the rotating AOL news feed! Because it takes so long to read it and get to the point but every now and then I can’t resist clicking on an interesting topic. Today, I saw a lady holding a peeled clove of garlic between her lips. I just had to check it out.

Turns out the article was about ways to get rid of cold sores-which I get from time to time. So I waded through all the advertisements and here’s some of the treatments:

  1. Dab milk on the sore and leave it on–do several times a day.
  2. Peroxide instead of milk–same idea.
  3. Peppermint oil instead of milk or peroxide. Can also use Tea Tree Oil or vanilla.
  4. Eat licorice. (Yuck–I don’t like it.)
  5. And hold a clove of garlic on it for 5 minutes.

They also recommend holding ice on it to reduce the swelling and the pain. I wonder what would happen if I combined all the ingredients together to make one super-duper treatment! I can’t say I want to get another cold sore but the next time I do, I hope I remember these treatments!

WHO KNEW???

YOUR TURN: Got any old family remedies for whatever ails you that you’d like to share?

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

 

Got Foot Pain?

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This is going to be one of my stranger blog posts but… I feel compelled to share this. In case it could help someone else.  I want to share something that changed my life. Yes, I said changed my life! If you don’t have foot problems or foot pain, then there’s no way to explain that statement to you that will make sense.

On the other hand if you foot problems or foot pain, then there’s no explanation needed. You understand. I’ve had foot problems and foot pain for most of my life. The earliest I can remember it I was about 19 and now I’m 61. That’s a long time and a lot of foot pain.

I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and had surgery for it on both my feet. And it did nothing! Except have even more foot pain during the recovery from the surgery. It was something I learned to live with as best I could.

Shopping? Not much fun after about the first ten to fifteen minutes. Zoos? Museums? Same thing. Because of my brain tumors, I developed severe balance problems. So now I had foot pain and balance problems. Not a good combination!

Anyway one day as I was praying, I told God that if He’d only take my foot pain away I thought a lot of my mobility problems would improve.

He gave me my miracle! And I’m still praising HIM for that.

My miracle came in the form of THREE little words that my brother told me and he was told by his daughter-in-law. Yes I said THREE words. I started doing those THREE little words and almost immediately my foot pain started going away.

A miracle? It is for me. Most days I have NO foot pain. On days when I’m on my feet a lot more like when I shop I may have some pain but nothing like before.

Want to know what those THREE little words are?

Before I tell you, I must throw in a disclaimer. I’m NOT giving medical advice because I’m NOT a doctor. And, of course, you should talk to your doctor before trying it. I’m simply telling you what I started doing that seemed to make most of my foot pain disappear.

Once I tell you the THREE little words, you’re going to say NO WAY. That’s exactly what I said–it seemed too easy not to mention strange! But I gave it a try anyway! I’m going to tell you those THREE little words in just a minute. And it won’t cost you a penny but…if you want to give me thank you gift, feel free to buy one (or more) of my books on Amazon.

Like I said at the beginning, this is one of the stranger posts I’ve written. Maybe the strangest! In fact, probably the strangest. Anyway, I want to hear what you have to say about these THREE little words. Are you ready?

Here they are:  wiggle your toes! Every morning before I get out of a bed I take about a minute to wiggle my toes. That’s it. I’ve been doing it for about four or five months now and like I said almost all of my foot pain has disappeared.

Let me know what happens!

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

One Sentence Plot Game!

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One of the things a writer should be able to do is give what’s called an elevator pitch for their novel. In other words if you had only 30 seconds to describe the plot of your story, what would you say?

A few examples;

A young girl is stuck in a far away land and doesn’t know how to get home. What’s the book?

OR

In a war-ravaged world, a young woman fights to save her childhood home. Whats the book?

OR

A very ordinary boy discovers he’s not ordinary at all on his 11th birthday and life will never be the same. What’s the book?

Now, it’s your turn to play! Give us the story plot in 1 or 2 sentences and see if we can figure it out.

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

THAT’S A LIE!

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OK, maybe lie is too strong of a word. Misconception–Misguided idea–Incorrect idea. Those sound nicer, don’t you think?

What’s the lie? It’s a lie that so many of us tell ourselves–I’M NOT CREATIVE! Usually followed by I WISH I WERE BUT I’M JUST NOT.

Not true! Not true! Not true!

How do I know that it’s not true? Because we were all created in God’s image and God is the ultra-creator, right. So…if we’re created in his image then that means we must be creative as well!

I used to say those very same words! And now if you check my Amazon page, you’ll see lots of books with my name on them. If you walk around my house or family’s houses there’s several paintings with my name on them.

So you see, I was wrong and so are you if you say those words. We often limit our idea of creativity to the “arts,” meaning music, literature or art. But that’s also a lie! There’s all sorts of ways to be creative.

YOUR TURN: Please share some ways you’re creative with my readers. Thanks!

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

 

What I Write…and

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WHAT DO YOU WRITE?

My tagline says I write stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem! In short, that means I write Christian suspense. Some may doubt that suspense/mystery novels can actually be Christian fiction but…there’s a lot of Christian suspense writers out there who would disagree.

Christian fiction has changed so much over the last few decades and continues to change all the time. If you love to read but think Christian fiction isn’t right for you, you’re wrong. So today, I’m inviting other writers to leave a comment telling who they are, what they write, and can even include their website address so you can  check out some new writers.

So writers this is your chance to get some new readers, go for it!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

The Battle For Easter

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Easter– the most holy and most precious of our Christian holidays. Without Easter, there would be no Christianity. Easter is the cornerstone of our faith.

We all love Christmas, the celebration surrounding the birth of the baby Jesus. We love that He was born in a manger on a star-filled night. We love that the angels announced the Good News of his birth first to the humble shepherds that kept watch over their flocks. We love that the magi came bearing gifts for the newborn king.

But Jesus was born a man. Just as God gives each of us free will to choose or not to choose Him, Jesus had that same right. He didn’t have to go to the cross for us. At any time he could have said no. He could have called 10,000 angels.

He didn’t.

Instead, He made the ultimate sacrifice. For us. He chose love.

Have you ever wondered what happened during those three long days between Jesus’s crucifixion on the cross and His resurrection, the first Easter?

I have.

And the result is my first-ever short story–THE BATTLE FOR EASTER.

battle

It’s available now on Amazon.  CLICK HERE: Amazon Link

When I say short story, I mean short so if you buy it don’t be shocked. It’s around 4000 words. A short story. It is, of course, a complete work of fiction since we have no idea what happened during those three days Jesus lay in a tomb.

If you buy it and you like it, please leave a review on Amazon as well as a comment here. THANKS and…

UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

 

 

It’s here… DEADLY INTENT!

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GIVEAWAY!!

Today’s the day! DEADLY INTENT is finally here!

To celebrate the release of Deadly Intent, I’m having a giveaway.  Grand prize is a $25 Amazon gift cards but that’s not all! Five more winners will get a $5 Amazon gift card. How’s that for a celebration? To enter, leave a comment!

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AMAZON LINK

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Everyone belongs somewhere. The key to happiness is recognizing that place when you get there.

Maven Morris can’t seem to find that place. A childless widow, she has no immediate family. Forced into a medical leave, she has no career. At loose ends, she hasn’t a clue what’s next for her.

 Her neighbor, Paul Jordan knows what he wants—to move their friendship to a new level. Maven may not know what’s next, but she does know she has no interest in romance with anyone— not even her handsome neighbor.

When a young boy is abandoned in the city park, he touches her heart. In spite of his obvious special needs, she agrees to provide a temporary foster home for him. She has no idea the impact he will have on her life—or the danger he brings to her doorstep.

Remember, leave a comment if you want to be entered in the drawing for the Amazon gift cards! All you have to do is leave a comment at the end of this post. The contest ends September 26.

PS. Be sure to check back to see if you’re a winner! I’ll contact you if I have an email address, but if I don’t have your email address, you’ll need to check back. Thanks!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

DEADLY INTENT EXCERPT

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As promised, today I’m giving a sneak preview of DEADLY INTENT, which releases tomorrow. So without further ado, here is chapter 1 of DEADLY INTENT…

 

DEADLY INTENT  CHAPTER 1

 

No, you can’t have him.” She clasped the boy closer, her arms tightening around her son. This wasn’t fair. She had so little. All she wanted was her child. She wouldn’t let him take her son.

The man looked down with what seemed to be compassion in his eyes, though she knew it wasn’t real. “Sorry, it has to be done. The sooner, the better.”His voice was soft, almost kind. “We can’t keep him any longer. He’s just too disruptive. It’s not going to work out.”

Mustering all her courage, she glared at the boy’s father. “No. I won’t let you take him. I’ll make him be good. Please, give me another chance. I’ll make him listen. He’ll be good. I promise.”

He shook his head. “It’s not your fault. Something’s wrong with him. He’s too much to handle.” His arms reached out and grabbed the boy. The child yelled and struggled to stay with his mother. His arms clung to her neck as she clutched him.

In spite of her best efforts, the man pulled her son from her grip. No words came from the boy, only a shrill keening sound—like that of a wounded animal.

She reached up and put her hands on each of his precious cheeks. He stopped screaming as her lips pressed against his for a moment. “Remember, I love you, baby. I love you. I’m so sorry.”  Her heart broke as the boy’s father dragged him across the room. ‚Give him back to me.”

How much more could she bear?

The wordless screaming continued.

The father opened the door.

Heartbroken, she crumpled to the floor, unable to follow them.

The man closed the door without another word.

Too soon, her son’s screams faded. And then all she had was a memory.

 

So…what do you think? Deadly Intent releases tomorrow and so I’ll have announcement than about Amazon gift cards and a giveaway!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

Maven’s back…

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What do you get when you cross a speech pathologist with a suspense writer? DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS, of course! My Deadly Communications series features Maven Morris, a speech pathologist who can’t seem to stay out of trouble!

In book 2 of the series, DEADLY INTENT, Maven finds herself as a foster mother for an abandoned child who can’t or won’t communicate with anyone.  She has lots of questions…What’s his story…Why would someone abandon him… Why won’t he communicate? Will she find the answers?

One thing we know about Maven is she won’t stop until she does!

Tomorrow, I’ll have an excerpt from DEADLY INTENT.

UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

 

 

 

I’m so excited….

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It’s that time again! Book release time–Book 2 in my DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS series will be released later this week, DEADLY INTENT.

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What do you think of the cover? STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION as the week continues…

UNTIL NEXT TIME..GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!