Fishing and Camping

Terry and I went with our oldest son and family on a weekend camping trip into the mountains of Colorado. We were tent camping! Yay! I love it. We purchased some cheap little fishing rods for the grandkids and all the stuff that goes with fishing. (We aren't that practiced at fishing...or would that be: We aren't that good!) Anyway, I love the mountains and the kids so we had fun!
The only problem was...We had visitors!
Terry had taken the kids to the bathrooms in the car and my son and his wife were sitting with me around the campfire. We had just finished dinner (chicken fajitas cooked on a plow disc with a propane flame...I am so thankful for that gift from my nephew-in-law, Clifford!...) anyway, we were drinking campfire coffee and sitting around the campfire. My son very quietly said, "Mom, there is a bear."
I responded, "Stevie, you are not funny."
He said, "For real!"
I turned my head and a medium sized black bear with a tan muzzle casually walked about 12 feet from us. He maneuvered the length of our campsite. I then remembered what my mid-kid's wife told me about bears and stood up with one hand over my head. (the other hand held my coffee) and said, "Git outta here."
He turned his head and walked on into the dark.
We went to the van (my door was locked) and watched him as he came back and looked through the high cabinet at the table. Terry and the kids came at that time and the bear walked to the other side of the table and stretched his neck and stared at Terry. He then walked into the darkness.
Terry and Steve took a pitiful little flashlight and searched for him. He came and went off and on to the cabinet thingy.
I went to the tent and went to sleep. They said that the bear walked next to the tent....I didn't know it and he didn't care that I was there. We discovered that he had swiped our bread and marshmallows and bitten through Steve's deodorant and eclipse gum.
The next night about 2 or 3 a.m. we heard a racket that sounded like a train wreck. Two or so bears were dumping our cast iron pots and pans out of the box. Then we heard the sound of bubble wrap busting...They found Terry's jug of tea in the stream and were drinking it!

By the way, we fished a bunch and caught no fishes, but had a ball with the grandkids. Terry and the little boys biked around the lake a couple of times and all over the campground. We still love camping.

I am continuing with featuring Tate Publishing and Enterprise Authors. I have "met" most of them through facebook and the Tate Publishing fan page. In the following weeks you will have the opportunity so see the dedication and heart each person puts in their writing. This week I am interviewing Caroline Alden.


1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)? My name is Caroline Alden and the names of my books are "Blended" and "Unspoken Story".

2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
When my youngest child was in kindergarten. I began writing at age 32 as a hobby and became hooked.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
My main characters develop
so easily because I feel passionate about them once they are created.

5. Are you a reader?
I enjoy reading a lot.

6. What are you reading right now?
I am currently reading a Nora Roberts book.

7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication?
Tell about it. I am working on my third book. The title has not been determined yet. The main idea of the book is learning to trust. Like my first and second novel (Unspoken Story) my third work is also family fiction.

8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
My biggest obstacle has been in choosing the perfect settings for my story's.

9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
Blended is about a New Hampshire family. The main character Sarah will capture your heart, with her cheerful outlook on life. Sarah is full of passion and warmth for her not so functional family. Sarah can handle the worst situations, while wearing a smile. You will laugh at Sarah's not so typical mother. You will cry when you learn why Sarah's nephew Ryan doesn't like being alone. As you journey through many of life's twist and turns with the Benson family.
Unspoken story is about a boy named Danny who has never spoken a single word. Danny has no voice but can communicate better without words than most able to speak can. You will feel a strong connection to Danny as his world crumbles around him. Danny shows us how one small mistake can have years of consequences. He also shows us that time is a healer and that actions definitely speak louder than words.

10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here. I can be contacted at shancar3@hotmail.com My book can be purchased through Tate publishing, or at Amazon, Target, Borders books and Barnes and Noble.


http://nansjourney.blogspot.com

See you next week. I hope you enjoyed this.

Surrender All by Joni Lamb

Before reading “Surrender All Your Answer to Living with Peace, Power, & Purpose” by Joni Lamb, I was not aware of how the Daystar Television Network began. Joni describes the humble beginnings of the life of starting a television station from scratch along with the miracles that made it possible. I developed a deep respect for the Lambs.

Daystar Television Network is now the second largest global Christian television network and is available in every city in America and most every country in the world. Joni has her own original show which showcases expert guests who speak on a variety of topics.

Published by Waterbrook Press in 2008, “Surrender All” details the lives of various people who have learned that peace of mind and soul comes from total surrender to God. The lives of Russell Shorty, Betty Baxter, Suzy Richardson, Brian Houston, Bunny Wilson, and Pat Summerall are just a few of the examples of people who have learned this valuable lesson of life. Surrender to God is not the end of life. It is just the beginning.
Elaine Littau
Author of “Nan’s Journey” & “Elk’s Resolve”

Variety is the Fun of Life!

I am always amazed when I meet other authors. We are such a varied bunch of people. I used to worry about so many people writing books. I was afraid that they would take the dollars from my sales. I don't worry about that any more because the authors and their books are as different as the readers who purchase them. I have had a ball getting to know authors and readers via the internet and book signings. Everyone has a story. God can use any genre to get His message to the people whether it be Bible study material, non-fiction, fiction, or poetry.
The next author I want to introduce you to is David Hurst. I met him through a mutual friend on face book. He is also a Tate Publishing and Enterprises author.

David I am so happy that you are taking the time to join me here on my blog and newsletter.

1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
My name is David L. Hurst. The name of my book is: "a Daily Walk with the Lord"

2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I would like for the readers to know what my relationship to God is. I am a Christian, a child of the King,
a born-again believer. Jesus is my Lord and Savior.


3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
After my father passed away in 2004 I started writing poems. My poems gave me strength, comfort, & peace. In the process God was drawing me closer to Him.
I knew that I wanted to be a writer when I shared some of my poems with my family and co-workers and I knew that God was using me to be a blessing to someone else.


4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods? I guess my strong points in my writing is that I speak from the heart. I go to the deep emotional places
where we meet with Jesus and he walks with us. I go to the places where we have a fresh encounter with
the heavenly Father.

5. Are you a reader? What are you reading right now? I like to read the Bible and I enjoy other devotional books. I love to read inspirational poetry. The book I am presently reading is the Bible.

6. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.I would love to write another devotional book. In the near future I hope I can write another inspirational book--if the Lord is willing and I have the time.

7.What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them? I believe my biggest obstacle is overcoming writers block. I like what one author said: it was something like this, inspiration does not come before writing but after the writing has begun. Many times God has blessed
me with a poem when I began to write.
My book is for encouragement, to help people draw close to God by taking a Daily Walk with the Lord.
I write about time. I would like for everyone to understand the day of our departure is at hand. Loved ones will be called. Death will come knocking at the door. My deep desire is that God will use the poems in my book to bring that loved one to Christ before the midnight hour.

8. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
The readers can contact me dailywalk4u@aol.com
I have a web site www.christiandevotions4u.com I will share some of my poems on line.
my book can be purchased at Tate Publishing & Enterprises
www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore This is the link that will take you directly to my book.
http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?=978-1-60799-080-2


Thank you so much David.

A Sample of "Elk's Resolve" Audio Was Sent To Me!

The Audio department of Tate Publishing and Enterprises sent me a sample of a portion of the first chapter of "Elk's Resolve" on Friday. I believe that everyone who takes advantage of the free download with the purchase of the paper version will really appreciate the work involved in voicing the book.
With the sample the man doing the voice for the book asked for any corrections or input from me for the audio version. He kindly accepted my instructions and we are to speak on the phone soon to be certain that certain words are pronounced correctly. (Would you believe that people have trouble figuring out how to pronounce 'Littau'? Hint: it rhymes with Utah...smile)
Things are moving along... I hope you are getting ready to get your hands on a copy of "Elk's Resolve".

Free Audio with Purchase of "Elk's Resolve"

Free Audio with Purchase of "Elk's Resolve"
When I printed off the finished copy of "Elk's Resolve" to proof it one more time there was a notice on the back page. I will print it word for word here:E LIVElisten-imagine-view-experienceAUDIO BOOK DOWNLOAD INCLUDED WITH THIS BOOK!In your hands you hold a complete digital entertainment package. Besides purchasing the paper version of this book, this book includes a free download of the audio version of this book. Simply use the code listed below when visiting our website. Once downloaded to your computer, you can listen to the book through your computer's speakers, burn it to an audio CD or save the file to your portable music device (such as Apple's popular iPod) and listen on the go!This will make "Elk's Resolve" a great value to the readers.Let me know what you think!!!

Narrator Choices, Cover Choices

Today I made the final choices for narrator of "Elk's Resolve". For this book we decided to go with a male voice because of the main charactor being male. We were asked to give our first, second, and third choice of narrator. My second choice was the woman who voiced "Nan's Journey". She did a great job and we were very pleased with her work. The narrative voices we chose from were very good and it was a difficult decision.

I also sent in our choice for the cover. It will be a sepia tone-similar to "Nan's Journey" with a tepee on it in place of the railroad tracks. I wanted the "flavor" of the books to be similar since they are in the same series. The official name of the series is "Nan's Heritage Series".

The next step will be layout and design. That will be paper choice, font and size. We will go with the same format as "Nan's Journey". I think that things are going very well. They will send me a mach up of the finished product for us to proofread. After that the audio team will send us the audio book to listen to and proof. When they sent us the proof of "Nan's Journey" I had to laugh. The narrator said, "Nan and Elmer put the dishes in the dishwasher." It should have been: "Nan and Elmer put the dishes in the dish water." I noted the change and they gladly fixed it. I have wondered what listeners would have thought if we hadn't changed it. I wonder if they would have noticed? That was a very fun process.

They offered to do a book trailer for me in lieu of the audio book, but we chose the audio cds. The reason for our decision is that we have about a half dozen close friends who depend on books presented audibly. They have been patiently waiting for "Elk's Resolve" to be made available on cd for them and we couldn't disappoint them. We have sold a number of the audio version and know that there is definitely a market for them. We will make a book trailer for it also. It will be somewhat like the one we have of "Nan's Journey".

Progress Continues on "Elk's Resolve" the Sequel to "Nan's Journey"

I am happy to say that the progress on the sequel to "Nan's Journey" is moving along steadily. At this time the script for the "Elk's Resolve" audio book is completed. Terry and I have made our selections on the voice to deliver the story. Also, the book cover selections have been sent to me and I polled our family and some of our friends about their opinion on them. Tate does such a good job that is it difficult to make the selection. Soon I will post the finished product selection for the book cover of "Elk's Resolve"."Elk's Resolve" is the continuation of the story begun in "Nan's Journey". The question of "What happened to the baby?" is answered and more issues are addressed. The main thought behind this book is dealing with depression, prejudice and demonic attack. Hopefully, the reader will be encouraged and uplifted after finishing the last page of this book.I don't want to write for the sake of writing. I want to bring hope and help to people who read my stuff. I have been in prayer for everyone who reads these stories, praying that they will find the help they need through our Lord.