Reading Charolotte

I have a Nook and one of the best things about having a Nook is the access I have to Project Gutenberg. This is a website which offers classic books in e form. This means I can download, for free, my beloved Charlotte Bronte books!

I first became aware of the Bronte family after I read Jane Eyre while I was in Junior High. I'll never forget the impact the surprise "in the attic" had on me. Boy! Talk about conflict. Was there ever a better hook written?

Since then I can't count the number of times I've read that book, and I have also read all of Charlotte's novels. I am currently reading Shirley and I just finished The Professor, thanks to Project Gutenberg.

I highly recommend this site if you are a lover of classics and would like to download an ebook.

Ahem...now you'll have to excuse me while I turn on my Nook, curl up in my bed and go back to 1849 with Charlotte.

Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello

Looking for a good suspense novel? My writing friend, Tim George, is featuring author Sibella Giorello on his sites today. Check out her new book and watch for a chance to win an autographed copy of her suspense novel Mountains Bow Down.

Visit Tim's site here:

Unveiled

Or here:

Fiction That Dares to Look Beyond the Veil


Visit Sibella's site here:

Sibella Giorello

Thanks for the introduction to this new novel, Tim!

Jewels of Encouragement

Join me at Jewels of Encouragement today! If you've ever had trouble with self-image, then you'll know what I'm talking about in my post titled "My Big Ear!"

Vanilla Wafers of the World: Thank You!

I like to watch human behavior. Maybe that's why I'm a writer: several "units" of inspiration are walking around me constantly. One aspect of human behavior I notice is how much we're impressed by flash and glam.

We can't seem to help ourselves: the latest and greatest gets us revved up and ready to roll! We like to be the first to view the new fashions, drive the new cars, invest in the big house with the pool, buy the fancy cookie. But there is something that has consistently captured my thoughts through the years, and that is the everyday, boring, trust-worthy thing.

No one notices the white shirt. It's simply wearable. Every day.
Going ga-ga over the old plain Ford? Naw. It just starts. Every day.
We sure don't rush out to invest in that ordinary cottage. It's livable. Every day.
Vanilla wafer? It makes the banana pudding what it is. Every time.

None of these things are exciting. They each plod along...one step at a time...one year passing into the next...showing up...being responsible...and getting ignored.

Reminds me of some people. I like to look around in a church service, school event, or social gathering and try to guess who the quiet, responsible vanilla wafers are in the crowd. It's easy to spot the double chocolate nut-filled raspberry confections: they're usually at the front--at a podium or a pulpit or a microphone. But those vanilla wafers, they blend right into the gray linoleum.

Servants. Encouragers. Busy bees. They're the ones who get called at the last minute because you know they'll say yes and jump in to help. The ones who find out, somehow, that someone needs a hug. Someone needs a loan. Someone needs...and they try to fill the hole of that need. Every time. Every day.

Without these vanilla wafers, ministries would fail, school events would be cancelled, and social gatherings would be filled with self-seeking bores who wouldn't lift a pinky to clean-up.

So this post is for you, Vanilla Wafers! Keep up the good work...and remember this:

"Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” Luke 13:30, NIV