Friday, September 29, 2006
Shopping with the Girls
 Stop the presses! I totally forgot that I *did* take pictures when the girls and I went shopping in Dallas (see yesterday's post). It's just that I used my daughter's camera and so I had to wait until she sent the photos to me.
 The girls had both picked up the same outfit--unbeknownst to each other. So, I made them pose for a picture in the dressing room. They resisted and were totally embarrassed, but much to their dismay, I insisted. Neither one of them decided to purchase the outfit. The skirt was just a wee bit too short. But don't they look cute??
Btw, I have *one more* trip at the beginning of next week, then I should be through with the traveling until next spring. So, I won't be posting on Monday, but will be back on Wednesday. Meanwhile, have a great weekend!
posted by Deeanne at 10:45 AM
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The Case of the Ignored Camera
 I have this great little digital camera and I bring it to these conferences ... and never take any photos. Why is that? I confess to feeling a bit awkward when I whip out the camera and ask folks to "look here!" or "smile!" And part of it is follow-through. I think to myself that I ought to take a picture, then I sit there and don't do it. So ... I have no pics of all the great people I met face-to-face at ACFW. I managed to snap one of Mark Bertrand while he was toasting my editor (with water, no less) and I have a photo of my new friends, D'Ann Mateer and Mary DeMuth. But I hung out with so many other folks and never took a photo and now I really wish I had.
 My daughters even drove up to go shopping with me and I didn't get a pic of them either! What kind of mom does that??
Anyhoo, I am posting the two lonely photos I took that entire time. Mary (DeMuth) took a group photo of those of us who went out after the Book of the Year ceremony. When she emails it to me, I'll post it for you. But she lives in France, so I'm not sure when I'll get it. Another online buddy and author, Deborah Gyapong, took that same photo. So, maybe she'll send it to me sooner. In any event, there will be names and faces you recognize in that photo, so I'll be sure to share.
Meanwhile, I will try and do better next year!
posted by Deeanne at 12:29 PM
Monday, September 25, 2006
Book of the Year
 I'm back and, boy, am I glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed!!
The American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Conference in Dallas this weekend was so much fun. My editor, Dave Long, was there. Two of my critique partners, Meg Moseley and Mark Bertrand, were there. I made lots of new friends and connected with several internet-buddies. We worked, we dined, we played. Liz Curtis Higgs was our keynote speaker and she was delightful.
Bride didn't win the Book of the Year for Best Long Historical, but it came in second place. I was very thrilled and received a really nice certificate. The other nominees in my category were:
- Color My Soul, by Tracey Bateman
- Joy For Mourning, by Dorothy Clark
- Oksana, by Susan Downs & Susan May Warren
- Dawn of a Thousand Nights, by Tricia Goyer
The winner was: Dawn of a Thousand Nights by Tricia Goyer. Congratulations, Tricia!!
Here's a photo of the winners and finalists that were present (I'm first row, 2nd from the right. Tricia wasn't there.):
I'm glad to be back and I've missed you!
posted by Deeanne at 2:35 PM
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Under the Weather
 Hey, there. I'm back home, but not feeling too great. When I went to North Carolina last week, I didn't realize I would be at 3200 feet and was totally unprepared for the cold temperatures. I had brought my flip-flops and tank tops. Not the best choice for temperatures in the 50s.
In any event, I drug in late Sunday night, collapsed into bed and haven't ventured much further than that. I'm trying to recouperate before heading to Dallas on Thursday. So, I didn't even turn on my computer yesterday and as soon as I finish here, I plan to crawl back under the covers and only come out for chicken noodle soup and bottled water.
Sorry I've been such a slacker. I should be back in full swing next week when I return from Dallas.
posted by Deeanne at 10:37 AM
Friday, September 08, 2006
Dodgeball Queens
 My daughter (last one on the right) emailed these pics to us from college. The girls had signed up for an intramural dodgeball tournament. The teams were supposed to wear costumes. One of the girls on the team was a *serious* speed skater (she was even on the USA team) and had all these uniforms. Each game was five minutes long and you played the best out of three.
Our daughter said their team was for sure the "most intimidating looking." And not only that ... but they were "really good, too!" They totally dominated the first team they played and were told their next game was at 10:00pm.  They showed up only to find out their game had been at 6:00pm and were forfeited!! The girls were so disappointed because their team "was amazing."
Her next paragraph went on to say sand volleyball is next and her sorority formed coed teams with her boyfriend's fraternity, so they will be on the same team. Guess alls well that ends well! But aren't those girls cute? Here they are with their "game faces on." ;-)
P.S. I am off to North Carolina all next week for an intensive writers retreat where I plan to plot out my 2008 release. (Just finished and turned in to the publisher my 2007 summer release, Courting Trouble. Woo-hoo!!) See ya when I get back!
posted by Deeanne at 2:41 PM
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Scary
 We had a family get together over Labor Day and heard all about the big rattlesnake that jumped out at my brother-in-law while he was in his shed. The snake had been injured previously and had lost most of its buttons, so it wasn't rattling. But my brother is always watching for the black-and-white striped pattern of the rattles. (The snake blends in really well, but the rattles are very distinctive.)
Anyway, he saw the rattles just as the snake jumped out. Grabbing a metal fence post that was close at hand, he bludgeoned the snake to death, then told his wife he wanted to take a picture of it with her to show how big it was.
Well, the snake was still twitching and flopping a bit. Even though my brother assured her it was just nerves, my sister-in-law was having none of it. She made my brother run over the snake with the tractor a few times and pull out its "teeth" before she finally consented to pose. Ha!
Would you look at that thing, though? He was as big around as a tetherball pole and as tall as my sister-in-law. We asked if they cooked it up for supper, but they said "somethin' got it" during the night. Probably coyotes.
Made for exciting table talk, though. Hope your holiday weekend was fun and restful.
posted by Deeanne at 11:27 AM
Friday, September 01, 2006
Hakuna Matata
 Open House at the high school was last night. Greg went to our daughter's classes, I went to our son's (the eyeball on the left). In English, the teacher had asked the kids to do a poster collage that represented who they were. One of the requirements was to incorporate into the collage 5 mottos the child lived by.
The teacher had lined the walls with these works of art and as I sat there reading the ones closest to my desk, I was surprised and pleased at how many of the kids included Scriptures, along with inspirational quotes--some made up, others from well known sources like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Mark Twain and more.
Here are a few of them:
"Without faith, nothing is possible.
With it, nothing is impossible."
"Try not to become a man of success,
But rather a man of value."
"To succeed, we must first believe that we can."
"It is easier to excise letters cut into stone,
Than to unsay what has been said."
So, after the teacher's presentation was over, I browsed the room looking for my son's poster, anxious to see what mottos he lived by. This is what he wrote down:
"Youth wastes away,
But immaturity can last a lifetime."
"They say hard work never hurts anybody,
But why take the chance?"
"I don't have an attitude problem,
You have a perception problem."
"May the force be with you."
"Hakuna Matata"
In retrospect, I suppose one of two things was happening here. Either, horror of horrors, he was serious. Or ... he knew there could be no wrong answers and the class clown in him took over. Truthfully, I think it was most likely a combination of both.
Still, I had to chuckle. Who says Open House at the high school level is boring or a waste of time?
posted by Deeanne at 10:08 AM
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