My youngest child is obsessed with McDonald's. She's tried to convince me that she loves the food, but my mama sense knows better. She really just wants the toy. Every time our family goes out to eat, she refuses to enjoy the restaurant food along with us. She wants McD's. And I cave because I don't want to fight the battle. At least she's eating, right? Yeah, I know. Ba da ba bad mom. Today, though, was a special treat. I was going to my big girl's school to have lunch with her. (Although I had the wrong schedule, so my timing was off...but that's another story.) Her choice? Of course. McDonald's. I couldn't bring myself to eat there, so I packed a salad before heading off to the drive-thru. Now...my child's obsession means many trips through the drive-thru lanes. I've become familiar with some of the regular workers. One of them is a sweet German lady who is missing some teeth. She always has a smile and a quippy little saying for me. We love her. The smile wasn't there today. Instead, when she saw me, her shoulders slumped and her face fell. She looked sad and tired. She told me her husband is ill, that he has a pacemaker and he's not well. She said she's scared for him and for herself. I promised to pray. I even took hold of her hand before driving off...kind of a hand hug. The best one can do in a crowded drive-thru. I don't know her, but in that moment, I felt so close. As I headed to my girl's school, I prayed for this couple. Then the ugly human side of me bubbled to the surface. I started thinking about the people who approach me to tell me their problems. Me. Just one of the millions of people on this earth who may look like she has it all together, but I really, really don't. In fact, I'm a total mess. Why would anyone want to come to me? And then God spoke these words into my heart: "They're not coming to you. They're coming because they see Jesus in you." Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not claiming any greatness. But He reminded me that His love reaches through me (and you) to others. Through a shy smile. Through a kind word. Through a gentle hug. 1 John 4:19 tells us, "We love because he first loved us." That thought blew me away. That God might be able to use this craziness named Ashley to give others peace just by allowing them to unload their troubles. And all I have to do is listen and love (even though my heart may want to fix). All I have to do is be open and willing. And in doing so, I'm sharing God with others who truly need Him. I hope you'll join me in praying for this sweet lady and her beloved husband. And I hope you'll be encouraged the next time someone comes to you with their problems. They aren't coming to you...they're coming because they see Jesus in you. Be the light, people.
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Wow! Five years ago today, Asylum was released for the very first time. I can't believe it! So much has happened since then...and here, I am, six books later. Isn't that crazy?
I'll never forget that moment in July of 2012, when I read my name as the grand prize winner of the WestBow Press/Munce writers' contest. Someone actually considered my story worthwhile! What a feeling! It's been quite the ride to get from that point to where I am now. I've also been given a strong dose of reality. From dealing with a vanity press (who traditionally published my book, but still tried to suck me into their "package deals". Um...no.) to contracting with a super unprofessional small press (that is thankfully now defunct, saving other writers from heartache) to venturing into self-publishing... I wouldn't trade it for anything. Well, except a twenty book contract with a major house and corresponding movie deals. But that's where the dose of reality comes in. While I have a handful of dedicated and loyal fans, I've learned that I really write for my own enjoyment. I love exploring the worlds in my head. I love learning the ins and outs of the characters that live there. And the stories...while I may not have a movie deal, I can see them all in my head on the big screen. It's just my job to translate that to paper (or the computer as the case may be). I'm proud of Asylum and its five years. I released an updated version under my own imprint a couple years ago. If you haven't read it, I recommend it! It's a face-paced medical sci-fi thriller. Grab it from Amazon today by clicking here. A while back, my Twitter feed was trending #TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter. I had to jump on that one! We hear things all the time that drive us crazy, but truly...only other writers understand.
1. "You know, I've been thinking about writing a book..." ANSWER: Great. Awesome. Do it. 2. "It can't be that hard." ANSWER: (after much laughter) Wait. 3. "So, I've written a book/story/memoir/fill-in-the-blank. Would you mind looking at it for me?" ANSWER: You're my friend, so I'll try to be kind, but my time is very limited as it is. While I would love to read your stuff and give you knowledgeable feedback, unless you pay me, I just can't. 4. "You're a writer. Wow. You're like a millionaire, right?." ANSWER: (again, much laughter) 5. "I have a friend who wrote a book in five days. She got an agent like that *snap*, and a publisher picked it up right away." ANSWER: Go away before I kick you. 6. "Where do you get all those ideas?" ANSWER: Honestly, I don't know. Characters pop into my head, and they won't leave me alone until I write their story. 7. "How do you find the time to write with all the other stuff you have to do?" ANSWER: It's my passion. I find the time. 8. "Can I have a free copy of your book?" ANSWER: While I'm honored you want to read my work, this helps pay my bills. It's my intellectual property, blood, sweat, tears, and all the other cliches you want to throw in there. If you give me a free doctor's appointment, legal representation, dance lesson, etc...perhaps we'll talk. 9. "It must be exciting to see your books on the shelves at Barnes & Noble." ANSWER: It must be! I don't know. I self-publish and B&N won't touch self-published books. 10. "When does the movie come out?" ANSWER: Grr. There's a lot that goes into writing a book. Time, thought, heart, and so much more. If you want to support an author, buy their book. Write a review. Encourage them. We are artists, and we need the love. We appreciate our fans because without you, our work is meaningless. You breathe life into who we are. So keep reading! Last night, I took my nine-year-old daughter to see a local production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. We saw the live-action movie a couple weeks ago, which I enjoyed, but I was a little disappointed that they didn't include more songs from the stage show. So when this opportunity arose to see it on stage, I knew we'd have to go.
I'm not going to critique the production. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it immensely. Yes, there were some things I'd do differently, but overall, it was lovely. The best part was watching the delight on my little girl's face and hearing her giggling at the appropriate moments. It made me realize (again) why I enjoy creating stage magic, whether through performance or backstage. There was an element, though, that raised a bit of concern, but it allowed me to teach my little girl a valuable lesson. Both Gaston and the Beast manhandled Belle. And at one point, Gaston stole a rather drawn-out kiss from her. I'm not usually one to look for those type of things, but Belle is one of the more liberated Disney characters, and it kind of stood out to me. I used these examples to tell my little girl that no man (or woman for that matter) should ever treat her in that manner. That is abuse, and it's not to be tolerated. Whether it's pulling or shoving or slapping or even getting in her face to yell, that's not okay. I told her her to walk away and tell someone. And to never, ever feel like it was her fault, because the abuser is the one with the problem. And oh, how I hope to God that she never has to face a situation like that. We also talked about stolen kisses. I've had more than one taken from me. And that's not okay, either. The man God has intended for her will ask her permission before he kisses her. He will respect her and treat her kindly. Lovingly. Otherwise, he'll have to face me. And Mama Bear will not play nice. I'm not sure why this struck me as it did, but I felt it was super important to share these thoughts with my precious girl. I'm grateful for a beautiful night with her where we could enjoy a magical performance and a late dinner...and meaningful conversation. A perfect night in my book. Last night, I took my kids to see a show in a theater I hadn't been in for a very long time. As we sat there, the memories came back. It was such a neat parenting moment.
When I was about the age of my youngest child, my mom took me to see a ballet production of Cinderella there. I don't remember much other than pretty costumes and dancers holding numbers forming the clock, but that's enough for me. Then, the summer before my seventh grade year, I auditioned to be in a production of The Wizard of Oz put on by the Missoula Children's Theatre. It was like a day camp where we rehearsed for a full week, then put on the show. I wasn't cast. Devastating! My younger brother got to play a winged monkey. (They called them Winkies...Oz fans will know how wrong that was!) Somehow, I was given the opportunity to work backstage. My assignment was pulling the curtain. This began my love affair with stage crew work! In high school, we had to participate in a mentorship program. I connected with some people at the performing arts center and became a sort of intern with the lighting crew. I went up in a cherry picker (wouldn't do that today...too afraid of heights!) and helped focus lights. I learned all about fresnels, lekos, and parcans (this was WAY before Intellibeams and other technology came into play). It was a fun way to learn. And finally, I was cast in a show there. Just after I graduated high school, I played Lucinda (one of Cinderella's wicked stepsisters) in Into the Woods. I even was paid for my performance. My first professional acting gig! It was fabulous! I'm sure I've been in that theater since then, but I don't remember. It was so neat to go back last night and enjoy a show there with my children. And to whisper the stories...the memories. And as I pass on the torch--my love of theatre--to them, I can envision a future when they will do the same with their children. The circle of life. It moves us all. (Extra points if you can name the musical that title is from and/or composer who wrote it!) If you're in Colorado Springs, you simply MUST come see this show... It's a wonderful family production based on the first few stories in the Biblical book of Genesis. Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the ark. The cast is amazingly talented! The overall design will whisk you away to a time long ago. The beautiful songs and moments between the characters will tug on your heartstrings.
I'm playing Noah's wife (Mama). She is spunky and fun, while also helping Noah make wise decisions. Her favorite animal is the anteater! Who knew, right? Come see the show! We'd love to entertain you! And be sure to say hi afterward! Long ago, when I got married, I quit my career, left my family of origin, moved across country, and took on my role as a pastor's wife. Shortly after that, I learned I was going to be a mom. I was a mess. (My poor husband had to deal with nightly emotional breakdowns.) Talk about an identity crisis.
I settled into the mom thing pretty quickly. Sure, it was new and confusing at times, but it quickly became who I was. Without a job to balance out the equation, I started looking for other things to do. That's when I picked up writing. For the longest time, I couldn't call myself writer, much less an author. I was just doing it to keep myself grounded and sane. But once I had a couple novels under my belt, I realized I needed to face facts and call myself a writer. An author. I'm now in the same boat with singing. My background is in theatre. I always thought I was the backstage type, but I'm coming to realize I've spent more years onstage than off. I did a few performance pieces for friends in college while I was getting my degree in stage management. Several years ago, I was quite active with a small town community performance troupe. And more recently, I've auditioned for and was cast in several productions in our city. Funny how life works out, isn't it? What's brought this about is a battle with a never-ending cold. As I've been rehearsing for my latest show (which is going to be AH-mazing!!), I've been having to clear my throat a lot. In a performance just the other day, I forced myself to sing through it, but I didn't feel it was my strongest work. And I've started to grow concerned. It's never really occurred to me that I need to take care of my voice. I sang for years without paying the slightest bit of attention. In the face of this struggle, however, I've come to the conclusion that, yes, I AM a singer, and yes, I need to take care of the talent God's given me. I'm now taking action to better care for my voice. What are you reluctant to accept about yourself? What's holding you back? Well, it's been an exciting year so far! And there's more on the horizon, so I thought I'd give you a bit of an update. I participated in COSine in January. This is a great conference in Colorado Springs that focuses on the literary side of sci-fi. Great group of people. I sold and signed a few books and spoke on a panel. I will be at GalaxyFest at the end of the month and Mountain of Authors in April. Both these events are in Colorado Springs. So if you're around, come say hi! I'm also performing with a great theatre group called Sunrise Players. We're in rehearsals for a beautiful musical titled Children of Eden. (If you're not familiar with it, you should be!) We just finished a fun Valentine's dinner theatre event, too--set at a southwestern dude ranch! Can you believe sweet li'l ol' me played the villain? Yeah, you better watch out! It's the quiet ones you have to keep an eye on... Back to the books, I'm hoping to have something new out by the Mountain of Authors event. Not sure what yet, but I'm leaning toward Reconciled. I need to finish out that story. And interestingly, a small part of it is inspired by Children of Eden. So perhaps by immersing myself fully in my character will motivate me to get crackin'! Well, my friends, the time has come. With the new year comes new discipline. Or at least the hope of such. And with that in mind, I'm returning to Facebook Fridays. That means I won't be checking Facebook until Friday. I probably won't be doing much scrolling, liking, or reacting. It's nothing personal, but I'm finding I need to be more mindful of my time and pour that energy into things that really matter.
So if you want to get in touch with me, feel free to email...or even send me a message on Facebook. I have easy access to Messenger, so that will get to me quickly. Social media isn't the only realm I'm am hoping to discipline. I have other aspects of my life that I'm working on as well. Perhaps I'll be able to share more as I find those victories. 2017 will be a life-changing year, and I'm very excited about what lies ahead! Happy New Year to all!
I've been mulling over what to do with this blog. It's either time to delete it...or time to use it. So I'm getting back in the groove of regular blogging. If I miss a day here or there, I'm not going to punish myself. (I have very few dedicated readers, anyway! And I'm SO glad you're here!!) I've been trying to finish Book 3 (Reconciled). It's just not happening. I still don't know why, but I know someday I will get to it. Those floodgates will open up, and the words will come. But in the meantime, I've been entrusted with yet another story. This one is super cool. Where The Crown's Call is my Star Wars-esque series, Star Sailors is my Star Trek-esque series. And while it's futuristic, it also hearkens back to my favorite time period--the Victorian era. Yeah, I know how weird that sounds, but once I get it written, it will make sense. Right now, I have five books planned for the series. It also provides the opportunity for future and spin-off stories--short or otherwise. And I haven't given up entirely on The Crown's Call. I am working diligently to finish those as time allows. And the many other non-sci-fi stories I have spinning in my head. May 2017 be our year, folks! |
Duchess WriterAward-winning sci-fi author * Christ follower, wife, and mom * broadcast content producer. And yes, I am a real duchess. http://amzn.to/2eLTlH3 Archives
March 2023
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