Book Marketing Week

This week is book marketing week for me. I want to finish September out with a bang. I'll be back soon with more posts to make you think.

A Bad Economy: What Will You Focus On?

Everyday brings more bad news about a failing economy and major companies threatened by bankruptcy. In the beginning, I tried to keep up with it all. I found myself worrying like most people today, but then I realized one day that I'm not missing any meals. I'm not in danger of being homeless. I'm not naked or without any necessity. While my disposable income is zilch, that's nothing to complain about or become fearful of. Luckily, I managed not to rack up an astronomical amount of debt so that I don't have a whole lot to fear.

Secondly, I love the job I have. As a writer, I can make as much money as I desire to make within reason. I'm going to have slower days, but because I've established myself as a professional in several fields, which took time and perseverance, I'm not in jeopardy of being without a job. I thank God for those things.

I encourage everyone to manage your surroundings. When we're afraid of anything, we give it power over us. If we fear a failing economy, we can't think or adequately plan to endure a time as tough as this. Be grateful for what you have. Focus on the good and the good will multiply. That's always worked for me and I know it will work for you.

Do You Understand Grace and Mercy?

In my recent journey with God, I've had to relearn the things I thought I knew. I had to redefine things that I thought I knew. Two of those things were grace and mercy, specifically God's form of grace and mercy which the human mind is sometimes to constrained to understand.

As a holiness or hell believer, I've always preached and pushed holiness, even when I wasn't living it. I knew holiness was right, even if I could never or chose to never live it. I likened myself to a crack addict warning their children to stray from crack. I had a good grip on the definition of holiness, but not a clue as to how important grace and mercy are to attaining that right standard of living.

After the last few severe trials of my faith and my character, I found myself wallowing in self-pity, doubt, fear, downright panic actually, and I was rendered ineffective in all that I was doing. It wasn't long before I began to slip away from God, bit by bit, inch by inch. I could feel myself slipping, but fear of judgment and fear of punishment from God only further alienated me from Him. I suppose I could have stayed in that destructive cycle if it had not been for a few friends who needed godly counsel. And as God spoke through me to them, He also spoke to me about me.

If you're anything like me, you've probably heard so many interpretations of grace and mercy that you're sometimes confused on the very things you need to understand most. There are three parts of the Bible every believer must fully understand to have a successful walk with Christ. The first is love. The second and third are grace and mercy. You're going to need all three and you'll need them daily.

The love of God is boundless, which means it doesn't end regardless of what you do. That's pretty easy to understand, even when you can't fully grasp it. The grace of God is much more than unmerited favor. That definition doesn't nothing for the huge entity grace is in the lives of believers. If you can remember hall passes when you were in school, they gave you permission to go here or there and come back without getting into trouble. Grace is like a hall pass from God to exist as a human within specific boundaries. Now, someone will probably be mad at me defining it as such, but the definition is Biblically sound. What does that mean?

Grace is like your own movie script. Inside the bounds of that script, God understands you'll make certain mistakes, that you're going to fall, that you're going to get fearful at times, etc. But, that script has been completed and He also knows how to make every little thing most people pay no attention to work together for a glorious end. God is the script writer. It's a done deal and thus when an actor (you or me) make certain mistakes, He's already accounted for that... it's called justification. He has the right to say, "Hey, this is my script, my movie, my actors. I run all of this and if I say it's okay, then it is okay."

Mercy is different. It exists for the purpose of covering those who venture outside the script and go astray. The Bible records that a just man will fall seven times and get back up. That's grace. The Bible also says that God rains on the just as well as the unjust. That's mercy. It tells us that the mercy of God is new every morning. Mercy is when God in all his infinite wisdom gives His children a pardon for blatant and not-so-blatant acts of rebellion or disobedience. Mercy is God, according to Psalm 103, remembering our frame and knowing that we're only dust. It happens when Jesus stands up and says, "That's paid for. It's covered."

We'll revisit these important entities regularly. We all need to understand it so that we don't miss what God has for us.

Finding Your Voice in Your Writing

Over the last three months, I've outlined more than ten new books that I hope to have written over the next two years. It's amazing how life can get your creative juices flowing. I don't have to look much further than the mirror to find a million and one great ideas for a book.

I have an extensive network of other authors and publishing friends, editors and ghostwriters, freelancers and marketers. I also have the pleasure of being a part of several reader groups. I hear people talk about how books trend. Everything is the same within a season. Most authors won't venture too far outside the box of what is acceptable or selling at the moment. The question is how many books does a person need on any one topic? What happens when they have their fill of that topic? They move on and leave your books behind. That's why authors must write, write well, and use variety, the spice of life.

Most of the time when I read a book, I can tell if an author is being authentic or if they are simply writing cheap knock offs for the sake of profit. Believe it or not, most readers can discern the difference. That's why you'll find the next seven books I release won't be anything like the last seven. Having the extra time to write, I was able to tap into my own voice as an author and expand upon the gift God has given me. What about you?

Woes of the Uninsured

Medical issues are nothing new. Most of us will at some point battle an illnesses that take their toll on us. The problem is the expense on those who are uninsured, like myself. Most doctors don't have a sliding pay scale. Even those who do normally don't account for the prescriptions they put you on. Last month, had I filled every prescription written for me, I'd have spent well over $600. That raises several issues.

First, medical costs are rising almost unchecked. Doctors fees are getting more expensive. Medication is getting more expensive. Technology has always been expensive and there's no change there. The costs of specialists are astronomical. Even those with insurance can sometimes find themselves in a serious bind just covering their co-pay and deductibles.

Second, the cost of insurance for those whose job don't provide it can be an even bigger burden, and can still leave such a huge gap in coverage that a person would do better without it. I know the government is working on the healthcare crisis fervently, but I believe they are attacking it from the wrong angle. I believe it has to be attacked from the perspective of cutting core costs all around the board.

There are a lot of issues the uninsured will face, quality of care being the biggest and cost coming in a close second. I will probably revisit the issue of healthcare quite frequently as I endure this battle on the frontline.

Back to My Roots

It's ironic how sometimes the very place you don't want to be can be the best place for you. That was the case with me. When I finally "escaped" home, I never wanted to return. Oh, sometimes the nostalgia would come and I'd imagine moving home after I've retired, but even that was a passing fancy.

As most of you know, the past few years have been up and down with my health, from thyroid and heart problems to anemia and most everything in between. This last health crisis brought me home to my family. The severe headaches made it almost impossible to drive many days. The spontaneous nose bleeds and temporary paralysis on the left side of my body made me afraid to keep living so far from people who I knew could help my son.

Two months ago, I relocated back to my hometown. At first, I was reluctant and fearful. Without my husband, I felt very vulnerable and the burden of an ill loved one can be ridiculously expensive and time-consuming. I didn't want to be a burden on anyone. Lo and behold, God had a ram in the bush. Moving home has been one of the better decisions I've made in recent times. It has relieved the stress of day to day living. While I've not made a complete recovery, some of the more debilitating symptoms have all but ceased. So, I'm back to my roots and enjoying it, challenges and all.

A Heck of a "Vacation"

As most of you know, my blog went idle for awhile during my battle with illness. Today is my first day back at work in over a month. But a long vacation caused by health problems is no vacation at all. I have a million things to share with you all. But, instead of putting it all out there in one post, I'm going to give you something to read all week long. There's been a ton of changes, both personally and professionally, all of which will appear right here on this blog within the coming two weeks.

I promise to have something up for you every morning, just like before. I appreciate all the prayers each of you have prayed. They were what kept me going when I felt like quitting. Now, don't forget to get your morning java or hot cocoa when you come by and be prepared to leave comments.