Updates on my books and other projects

Update: New stuff

Just quick update post:

The blog has a new look. I'd love to hear your comments. I think it's a little easier on the eyes. Not sure how I feel about the pink, though
The April newsletter went out Wednesday. If you didn't get one, you can read it here. (Sign up in that blue box on the site, or send me a note, if you'd like to get the next one.)
You can now receive these posts by email. That's what the other email box is for on the left is for. (Or you can sign up here.)

On a personal note: Sunday is my anniversary. Jon and I married eighteen years ago. It has gone by SO fast. Jon figured out in 2000 that if you add the numbers for the date of our anniversary, you get the number of years we've been married. (April 4, 2010 means 4+4+10=18) Runs ten-ish miles every Saturday morning, even when its frigid cold. He has a deep, life-governing faith. He is a tremendous father and example. I cannot communicate what he means to me and he becomes more precious to me each passing day. What a gift God gave me in Jon!

Now I'm taking the rest of this weekend off!

Celebrate the hope and joy that is the resurrection. Remember, not matter how things look right now… Sunday's coming!

Working While Waiting

By Paula Wiseman

Techie stuff – No new stuff this week except that links to my posts are not getting shortened when they post to Twitter. I haven’t figured out why yet.

What I’m reading – Justinian’s Flea. It’s a history of the Plague that hit during the reign of the Emperor Justinian and nearly wiped out Europe. More devastating than the Great Plague, but yet it receives less attention. I love histories that focus on the personalities and the interconnectedness of the events. Next up for school, The Golden Compass.

What God has taught me – I blogged Monday about getting out of the boat, about being where Jesus is and not relying on what seems to me to be the best course of action. Now that I’ve been made aware of that in theory, in abstract, I expect a ‘practical’ test soon.

Writing update – I am holding my breath right now. The publisher asked for the full manuscript, and he should receive it tomorrow. It’s anybody guess how much time he will need to read and decide whether he wants the book. (He’s read it before, but I made several revisions, and tightened it up a bit.) I will certainly let you know. Should he offer to buy the book (and hopefully its follow-ups!) we will be ordering a new laptop, a Blackberry and a Lego Death Star (fulfilling a promise made to a little boy years ago). Just for the record, I started working on the book July 28, 2005, the date the story opens. However, I had to drop the year from the text as later books have put us some twenty years in the future. I’m not into writing future stories.

Other stuff – Jon was gone this week, but made it back safe last night. SPRING! It is warm enough to run again. I was so sore after Monday’s run that I didn’t get back out til this morning. Such a wimp. Picking up my bifocals today and we’re closing on the refinancing of our house. Even when I’m not busy, I’m busy.

Techie stuff – No new stuff this week except that links to my posts are not getting shortened when they post to Twitter. I haven’t figured out why yet.

What I’m reading – Justinian’s Flea. It’s a history of the Plague that hit during the reign of the Emperor Justinian and nearly wiped out Europe. More devastating than the Great Plague, but yet it receives less attention. I love histories that focus on the personalities and the interconnectedness of the events. Next up for school, The Golden Compass.

Writing Update: Proofreading

By Paula Wiseman

Writing this week: I made all the adjustments and corrections to Contingency and just completed what I hope I the last read-through. Proofreading. I hate it. Probably because I’m not very good at it. Part of the problem is I know what it’s supposed to say, so that’s how my brain reads it- with a built-in auto-correct. I don’t catch my mistakes.

The reader doesn’t have that advantage of reading my mind. (Except Amanda- She’s worked with me on this for so long, she reads what I ‘meant’ not what I typed.) To all of you who have read for me in these early stages, I can’t thank you enough for helping me out. You assured me that the ideas were coming across, that the emotions were being touched and connections were being made.

My plan is to submit it all on Monday. (The 8th. It’s a good day- divisible by 4. Yeah- it’s my biggest superstition. Born on 8-24, married on 4-4… The manuscript is 428 pages… Monk has 10. I have 4.)

Reading: Finished Doubting by Alister McGrath. Quick easy read, but some profound statements and observations. I also read Jacob Have I Loved for school.

No nerd stuff this week. Jon has a plan to scan ALL (yes, ALL) his mother’s family photos so we’ll have a digital record of everything. He got a kickin’ hi-res scanner to do the job. I’ll let you know how that progresses.

Other lessons: God IS there. He DOES listen. I knew that anyway, but I LOVE it when He shows Himself.

Writing this week: I made all the adjustments and corrections to Contingency and just completed what I hope I the last read-through. Proofreading. I hate it. Probably because I’m not very good at it. Part of the problem is I know what it’s supposed to say, so that’s how my brain reads it- with a built-in auto-correct. I don’t catch my mistakes.

Reading: Finished Doubting by Alister McGrath. Quick easy read, but some profound statements and observations. I need to go back through it and soak it in a little more. I also read Jacob Have I Loved for school.

Other lessons: God IS there. He DOES listen. I knew that anyway, but I LOVE it when He shows Himself.

The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

PS: My mother got home from the hospital yesterday evening. Amazing.

Divine Intervention

By Paula Wiseman

If you had been with us Friday evening, standing in this spot, you would have been looking at the back end of our car after it slid off the road. The car came to rest at a 60 degree angle with all five of us (and the dog) in it. God worked a series of miracles for us that evening, not because we are extra special, but because He has a purpose in them. When Jesus performed miracles in the Gospels, it was always to underscore His deity and power over the natural world.

God showed His power over physics Friday night in several ways. Our car should have flipped on over. (Jon even felt the driver’s side wheels leave the ground.) It didn’t. We had cell phone service- four bars! Jon’s brother, Steve, came to help rescue us. The big diesel truck that stopped to check on us quit sliding before it bumped into our precariously perched vehicle. (We didn’t stop sliding. He did. Hmmm.) The car didn’t flip over when the tow truck pulled it out. There was not a scratch on it. We even had the extra money to pay the tow truck driver.

So what was the purpose in all that? Hard to say at this point. However, my kids all understand that it means something to ask God for protection when we travel. It’s not just a silly routine to pray before we leave our driveway. It reminded me that God is there, in every situation. What could have been a devastating wreck was only mildly annoying. Even my little laptop was safe. (I had just finished the latest round of edits on Contingency. I’m almost ready to submit it. And the computer was on the downhill side. If the car had flipped, all the luggage would have landed on it.)

All safe. All sound. God is good.

In last Friday’s post, I mentioned that it had begun ‘raining’ as my mom was rushed to the ER. She’s out of ICU now, but each test result gives us additional issue to deal with- pulmonary edema, bilateral pneumonia, congestive heart failure, gastritis, colitis and on and on. A heart cath yesterday revealed two additional blockages. (She had triple bypass surgery a year ago.) Yesterday afternoon, they found an abdominal aoritic aneurysm.

I still trust God’s goodness. Especially when it rains.

100_8712 If you had been with us Friday evening, standing in this spot, you would have been looking at the back end of our car after it slid off the road. The car came to rest at a 60 degree angle with all five of us (and the dog) in it. God worked a series of miracles for us that evening, not because we are extra special, but because He has a purpose in them. When Jesus performed miracles in the Gospels, it was always to underscore His deity and power over the natural world.

So what was the purpose in all that? Hard to say at this point. However, my kids all understand that it means something to ask God for protection when we travel. It’s not just a silly routine to pray before we leave our driveway. It reminded me that God is there, in every situation. What could have been a devastating wreck was only mildly annoying. Even my little laptop was safe. (I had just finished the latest round of edits on Contingency. I’m almost ready to submit it. And the computer was on the downhill side. If the car had flipped, all the luggage would have landed on it.)

All safe. All sound. God is good.

I still trust God’s goodness. Especially when it rains.

Friday Update: It’s Raining

By Paula Wiseman

water drops Earlier this week, I noticed that things seemed to be clicking along well. I was working on a query letter. My income taxes were filed. I got a great report from a doctor’s visit. I thought to myself, “This can’t last.” I’m not especially pessimistic, but I know things run in cycles.

Sure enough- My mom is in the hospital with what may be another heart attack. The doctors are still evaluating what type pf damage was done and how much. We were supposed to head out to visit today, but Jon was up sick all night. He thinks he can still make the 8 hour trip. We’ll see.

No matter what happens in life, it comes along because God has determined He can use that situation for my good and His glory. He’s never surprised and He’s beside me, not waiting on the other side.

Hebrews is my favorite book in the Bible. I’ll close out this quick post with some verses from chapter 13. “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

He himself said… I will NEVER leave you… Never…

Have a great weekend- I’ll be back Tuesday.

Trusting God is not for Wimps

By Paula Wiseman

(I was sick the last couple of days, so this is an edited, updated repost. Thanks for understanding!)

In Psalm 11, David begins with an affirmation– I trust God. Then he goes on- So why do you expect me to run around in circles like the sky is falling? God knows what’s going on here. He knows all our true, deep motivations and I trust Him to judge us all. I’m not worried.

As I’m putting what I hope are the [final] finishing touches on Contingency, I’m seeing how much my characters wrestle with trusting God, Bobbi especially. She’s a capable, confident woman, and figures she can handle almost everything. When her husband cheats on her, she reaches her limit. She struggles with how God could let that happen. Isn’t He supposed to protect His own? It causes her to reevaluate the box she had kept God in.

Do I have God in a box that limits His freedom to work in my life, to use me? Do I trust God to the point of being at complete peace with my situation? Even if that situation is another rejection or another closed door?

(I was sick the last couple of days, so this is an edited, updated repost. Thanks for understanding!)

j0438625 In Psalm 11, David begins with an affirmation– I trust God. Then he goes on- So why do you expect me to run around in circles like the sky is falling? God knows what’s going on here. He knows all our true, deep motivations and I trust Him to judge us all. I’m not worried.

As I’m putting what I hope are the [final] finishing touches on Contingency, I’m seeing how much my characters wrestle with trusting God, Bobbi especially. She’s a capable, confident woman, and figures she can handle almost everything. When her husband cheats on her, though, she reaches her limit. How could God let that happen? Isn’t He supposed to protect His own? It causes her to reevaluate the box she had kept God in.

It also led me to some questions of my own. Do I have God in a box that limits His freedom to work in my life, to use me? Do I trust God’s heart- His love for me? Do I trust God to the point of being at complete peace with my situation? Even if that situation is another rejection or another closed door?

Trusting God is relinquishing control. I like control (even though I’ve proven that I’m not very good at it).

Trusting God is trusting ALL of God. I trust His goodness and His sovereignty. I have a little more trouble with trusting that He delights in me, or that He’ll answer when I call. We’re working on those.

Trusting God takes practice. That means more situations that require trust. Great.

Trusting God is NOT for wimps. If it was easy, God wouldn’t have to encourage us to do it so often.

What about you? Where has God challenged you to trust Him? In what areas have you grown? Where do you still need a little work?