Book: Little Copper Pennies

As you are undoubtedly aware, the Royal Canadian Mint ceased distribution of the penny as of February 4, 2013. Although pennies will still be valid Canadian tender, they will no longer be returned to circulation.

To commemorate the end of the penny, Canadian author Susan Harris has gathered stories, facts, and fun ideas into a book entitled Little Copper Pennies: Celebrating the Life of the Canadian One-Cent Piece.

Bonnie Way recently interviewed Ms. Harris about the story behind the book, which also has a companion book Little Copper Pennies for Kids.

For the complete interview,  visit the Maranatha News website as Susan shares her inspiration behind the books and a little about her other writing projects.


~ Posted by Brenda Leyland

How Can I Build a Love Relationship with God? - Janis Cox

I knew my time to write for Inscribe was fast approaching. However, I didn't feel pressured to sit and write ...

 yet.

Yesterday morning I prayed for help to put into my mind thoughts for February's topic of LOVE.

And guess what? The first thing I read was my prayer bulletin and in it I read:

"To fear is to expect punishment. To love is to know we are immersed, not in darkness, but in light" ~ Mother Teresa.

I remember being told that the opposite of fear is love and this quote confirmed that memory.

And I recalled a Scripture:

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18, ESV).

So turning to my Bible study, Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby, what did I read for that day?
 

A Love Relationship with God

Now how awesome is that? Ask God and He gives me the answers.

What have I learned about a love relationship with God? Most importantly:

I need to make my time with God my priority every day.

Time with Him enriches and deepens the relationship I already have with Him.

There have been many times I have been redirected to remember this. The Holy Spirit nudges me often if I forget. God wants our time.

Think about any relationship you have had. How did you build that relationship?

You spent time with that person.

How can we expect to know God if we don't spend time with Him?

Sometimes I think I need to "do" something for God to be loved by Him. That's wrong.

"God did not create you for time; He created you for eternity. Time - your lifetime on earth - provides the opportunity for you to become acquainted with Him." (Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby)

What do you think? Are you trying to "do" for God or are you working to build a love relationship with Him?

I invite you, as writers, to join other Christian writers in reading and writing for Him; let's build a community.

• Under the Cover of Prayer - We are always looking for writers who would write about prayer as guest bloggers or contributors. Email me to find out more.
• Wednesday's Word at He Cares For Us - Link your posts about God on Wednesdays.
• Sunday Stillness at He Cares For Us - Link your posts and/or pictures about a Scripture on Sundays.

My memory verse for this week has been:

"Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is first and greatest commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38, NIV)

Janis, a former school teacher and small business owner, found a new passion in writing in her retirement. She has published a couple of devotionals and a number of articles.

As owner of Under the Cover of Prayer she writes often.

Her children's book, Tadeo Turtle, is now available. An accompanying curriculum can be obtained as well.

Email her at Janis or visit her at www. janiscox.com.

A Good Question - M. Laycock

"I'm writing a book. I've been writing it for years and I know it will probably never be published. There are a lot of people in this same boat. So my question is, how do we justify the time we're spending on these works in progress when there are so many other things deserving of our time and energy?"

It was a good question and the other writers on the panel tried hard to answer it, to give the woman hope and the courage to carry on. I was one of them. This is what I said:

1 - Never say never. When I wrote my first book I was pretty sure it would not go beyond my home-town audience. God had other plans and He is still amazing me with what He's been doing with it. You don't know what God intends for that manuscript and He may surprise you.

2 - Writing is one of the primary ways I learn about myself, others and God. I learn about my relationship with Him, where it's good and where it's not. I learn compassion for others and forgiveness of my own failings.  Remember that God is doing something in you as you write. If the manuscript never sees the light of a wider audience than your own heart, maybe that's what God intends. If He is calling you to write it, don't stop.

As I chatted with two of the other authors on that panel afterward, another thought was broached - this time we have on earth may be just a training ground for what is yet to come. Maybe all the "scribbling" we do falls into that category as well. Maybe all that we will write here on earth is preparation for what we will do in eternity. That thought encourages me, gives me hope and makes me want to continue to hone my skills and keep learning. I know I am called to write and I know God does not waste His efforts or mine.

"May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us, yes, establish the work of our hands" (Psalm 90:17).

******

Marcia is an award-winning author and Christian speaker.

Her devotional ebook for authors of faith is available on Amazon and Amazon.ca

 Learn more about Marcia's writing and speaking ministry on her website

Duke's Big Oops! - Donna Fawcett

 
We're pleased to have Donna Fawcett, with Duke the Chihuahua, as our Guest Blogger today on InScribe Writers Online.


It started out as a simple writing contract. Duke would put his words to someone else’s idea. He thought it was a win-win situation. He would get paid and get a bit more exposure as a writer. He didn’t count on the kind of exposure that ended up in the story.

See, it all goes back to contracts. Duke signed one—and he didn’t clarify some of the key points because in his puritan puppy mind, he didn’t think that he would be called upon to write what wasn’t exactly his bowl of kibble. The writing began. The plot summary arrived and Duke formed his scenes and characters. All was going well until Duke’s hero, Curtis the Corgi fell in love with his counterpart, Andrea Afghan. What followed was a somewhat descriptive and steamy scene in outline format.

Duke swallowed hard and dove into the writing, all the while asking himself how far he could carry this scene without revealing all and marring his reputation. Words jockeyed back and forth between contractor and contractee. A compromise was made. Duke wrote the scene without setting his scruples aside. Somewhere between the writing of and the publishing of this particular story, a stage of editing took place and Duke is reading the final product with an expression of mortification plastered on his mug.

It appears that the contract allowed for one final edit by the contractor. Duke took this to mean that any spelling and grammar mistakes would be cleaned up. The contractor took it to mean that she had poetic license. Her poetry and Duke’s poetry don’t quite line up. So now, there is a story drifting through literary circles with Duke’s name below the contractor’s name and this particular story is more than a little spicy.

I have received a copy of the story, the contract and a plea for help. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do but cool my blushing cheeks and pray that the story will disappear into the literary fog. Duke is upset to say the least, especially since he just finished writing a blog post about the importance of integrity in writing.

We must remember to keep focus on what we write and why we write it. That is the only way to avoid crossing boundaries we have set down for ourselves. If we don't feel comfortable writing that graphic murder scene then we need to remind ourselves of that before committing to doing so. If we are writing for the Christian market, we must always consider that Christianity will be our central theme and compromise has no place in our writing. If we write gentle romance we need to make certain that we remember our readers who expect to read gentle romance and we keep delicate issues vague in their description. It is too easy to conform to writing which overlaps into other writing markets and shouldn’t.

So now Duke thinks he looks like a hypocrite. I have tried my best to soothe his ruffled soul with platitudes to the effect that we all blunder from time to time and for the most part the human—and canine—race is forgiving. I suggested he follow up with a blog post about making certain you understand the parameters of jobs for which you hire yourself out. He could include the pitfalls of not asking enough questions. He could finish with the suggestion that a writer leave themselves a way to ease out of a contract if it is pushing boundaries.

From there, I suggested Duke just sit tight and hope time will ease the humiliation.

© Donna Fawcett

www.donnafawcett.com
www.dukeandbeewrite.com

Duke and Donna have recently published their fun, new book entitled Duke the Chihuahua Writes! A Tutorial for Beginning Writers.

It's available on smashwords.com and can be purchased for $.99 US.