Christian Writers' Market Guide 2009

Mia is so excited today she is nearly leaping right out of her skin. Tomorrow is her sixth birthday, and she gets to celebrate it at school today. Last night we baked cupcakes for her class today, and I let her dress up in a fancy dress for the occasion. Add to that that Friday is her show and tell day, and she gets to wear a crown all day today, and she's a very happy little girl. She was singing "Today is my birthday, and I am the birthday girl" all the way to school this morning. It was a long eight miles, but I can't help but smile at her exuberance. We're not having her party tomorrow because of Molly's cheerleading competition, but she will get to pick out a Build-a-Bear on the way home. This time she's going to make a ballerina bear in honor of her dance classes. Sunday is the real big day with the party at Chuck E. Cheese.

I went to see Howard at the hospital yesterday. He's deteriorated rapidly this week. On Monday he was sitting in a chair and sipping broth. On Wednesday when Mom and Aunt Audrey went to see him, they thought they had walked into the wrong room because they didn't recognize him. He's lost much of his hair and turned a ghastly shade of yellow. He's also back on the ventilator. I'm really glad I had to chance to spend some time with him alone yesterday. I talked about the kids, and he reacted as much as he could by moving his eyes and forehead. I read some passages from the Bible to him too. I had to leave to pick up Mia from the bus, and when I said good-bye, he mouthed bye-bye to me and puckered his lips as much as he could to blow a kiss. I know that I will treasure those kinds of moments in the days to come.

Christian Writers' Market Guide 2009 by Sally E. Stuart is another outstanding update to an essential annual work. Stuart has been releasing these guides for several years, and they just seem to get better and better. There are literally thousands of contacts broken down into subcategories for easy searching to help just about any writer find a market. The CD-ROM has additional contacts for even quicker results. Stuart is constantly finding new contacts for writers while weeding out old ones, and this edition offers readers the opportunity to get regular updates from Stuart's website. This is one book that Christian writers can't do without. I love reading my copy each year, because I always find new ideas and inspiration.

I'm starting a new book contest on Monday, and February will be filled with contests here, so you'd better come back soon! Have a terrific weekend!

Christian Writer's Market Guide 2008

I've come across a few really nifty websites you should check out. First up, is Mr. Cheap Stuff. He has online deals and freebies almost every day. Want a subscription to Golf Digest or Business Weekly? There are free ones you can sign up for there right now.

FoxNews had a link to several webcams yesterday on their main page. Mia and I watched Old Faithful erupt in Yosemite and saw birds on the African savannah. We looked at the Great Pyramids and the Eiffel Tower. You can visit the whole world through these webcams. It's now on my favorites list.

Last, and most important, please check out this father's blog. His wife, Tricia, has cystic fibrosis, and just when she made it on the transplant list, they discovered she was pregnant. Last week, she gave birth to their daughter Gwyneth at 25 weeks. Tricia is having trouble breathing and communicating. Gwyneth has all of the predictable troubles of a preemie. He's updating his blog several times a day with pictures of the baby. Please check out the blog and say some prayers for the family. I am moved by their strength and faith, and you will be too.

Christian Writer's Market Guide 2008 by Sally Stuart is an amazing resource for Christian writers. With lists of agents, publishing houses, periodicals, writers' groups and conferences, this is a book that can and should change the life of any writer reading it. I found several magazines I intend to submit articles and reviews to, plus several agents who are willing to look at unpublished authors. The book is arranged in an easy to understand fashion with TONS of info packed on every page. A CD is included with the listings, so you can search through them on your computer as well. Stuart has provided a unique and vital help for any Christian writer either well established or just getting started. Don't pass this one up!

I originally made my New Year's resolution to be more patient. I'm changing it now to use this book throughout the entire year. Every month I'm going to submit something to somebody, whether it's an article, review, or query.

Christian Writers' Market Guide 2007

Remember the Fuel song Bad Day? It's felt like my theme song this week. "She said I'm sorry I, I had a bad day again." The RA is beating me up again, and I'm tired. I feel like I'm not taking good care of my family when I can't keep the house up. Mia and I spend a lot of time cuddling on the couch, and I work on genealogy on Ancestry.com and reading books to review. I'm being productive in some form if I'm at least keeping my mind busy.

We're getting new neighbors, possibly this weekend. Jesse's cousin John and his family just bought the house down the road. I'm so excited! John and his wife Tina are good friends of ours, and their six-year-old son Tyler is one of Mia's best friends. I forsee lots of summer bonfires and game nights in our futures.

We've been watching Animaniacs Vol. 1, the complete first season. I had forgotten just how clever and hilarious this show was. How come there is nothing on there's nothing on TV like this today? I believe that the collective family favorite is Bumbie's Mom. The parody of Bambi is razor sharp with subtle commentary on the wide gap between actors and their roles and the impact movies with traumatic themes have on children. All of these sly observations tucked in a short cartoon that has left the whole family walking around saying, "Bumbie's mom's AHHHHHH!" To see some classic Animaniacs humor check out this clip.

I ordered some purses and totes from Freesetbags on Monday, and they arrived yesterday. I love them! Christianity Today wrote an article about the creators of the company. They sell jute purses, gift bags and totes made by women in India. The women are former prostitutes who have been taught how to make these bags to earn a living for themselves and break free form the slavery of sexual abuse. You can buy the bags at Better Way Imports, they are reasonably priced and look terrific. And you know that your money is going to help someone make a better life for themselves. Jesse liked my messenger bag so much I had to order one for him too!

Christian Writers' MarketGuide 2007 by Sally E. Stuart is an amazing resource for Christian writers and wanna-be writers. The sub-title The Essential Reference Tool for the Christian Writer is absolutely true. It has publishers, periodicals, agents, conferences, groups and more for the aspiriing writer. Each listing has a brief summary of the important details, and the lists include secular markets as well as Christian ones, offering considerable opportunities for everyone. Stuart also summarizes the information in most categories to help writers find the right market for them. A DVD with the complete text is included with the book for easy searching. I'm impressed with the quantity and quality of information offered here. There's also a list of websites for help with more topics than I could ever think of listing, including my personal bogeyman: writing a query letter. Writing that one letter is more intimidating to me that the last 100 pages of my book I have yet to write. But with the recommendations in here and all of the helpful sites, I think I'm be off the writer's block in no time. This is not a book to be used once and set aside; this is a book of lasting value to be used again and again, at least until next year's edition comes out.

Have a wonderful weekend! It's supposed to be warmer this next week, thank God!