My Blog Tour

Starting with a bang right on the 1st of February, I'll be touring a number of blogs, talking about my upcoming release, Goldeneyes. I hope you'll all follow me from blog to blog - and be sure to leave comments, as that's where I'll get the entries for the giveaway of a Goldeneyes T-shirt and an electronic copy of the book!

Here's my schedule so far:

1. Feb. 1 – Cecelia Dowdy - http://www.ceceliadowdy.blogspot.com/
2. Feb. 2 – Diane Wylie - http://www.dianewylie.blogspot.com/
3. Feb. 4 – Tyora Moody – http://www.faithwebbin.net/share/authors
4. Feb. 5 – Jill Elizabeth Nelson - www.jillelizabethnelson.com/artisticblogger.shtml
5. Feb. 7 – Toni V. Lee - http://www.tonivlee.blogspot.com/
6. Feb. 11 – Joe Prentis – http://www.prentisatpickwick.blogspot.com/
7. Feb. 13 – Grace Bridges – http://www.gracebridges.blogspot.com/
8. Feb. 14 – Teresa Slack - http://www.teresaslack.blogspot.com/
9. Feb. 15 – Angela Wilson - http://www.wickedwordsmith.com/
10. Feb. 18 – Suzanne Woods Fisher – http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.blogspot.com/
11. Feb. 20 – Cindy Bauer – http://www.cindybauer.blogspot.com/
12. Feb. 21 – Cindy Bauer – http://www.cindybauer.blogspot.com/
13. Feb. 24 – Shelagh Watkins –
http://uk.blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-YBhTm88ic6MDORhJ2w7ss1P4kF_DWA--?cq=1
http://shelaghs.blogspot.com/
14. Feb. 25 – Rhonda Clark – www.freewebs.com/rhondaclark
15. Feb. 26 – Cindy Bauer – http://www.cindybauer.blogspot.com/ (Guest Blog)
16. Feb. 28 – Julie Kornhausl – http://www.simplyromancereviews.com/
17. Mar. 2 – Mary Connealy – http://www.mconnealy.blogspot.com/
18. Mar. 4 – Dee Owen – http://www.marjo-mumswritings.blogspot.com/
19. Mar. 5 – Tabitha Robin – http://www.tabitha-robin.com/
20. Mar. 7 – Tori Close – http://www.toriclose.com/
21. Mar. 10 – Jennifer Hudson Taylor – http://www.jenniferswriting.blogspot.com/
22. Mar. 12 – Debra Ullrick - http://www.christianromancewriter.blogspot.com/
23. Mar. 17 – Miralee Ferrell – http://www.miraleesdesk.blogspot.com/
24. Mar. 19 – Bonnie Winters - http://360.yahoo.com/indianabon
25. Mar. 20 – Cynthia Hickey – http://www.cynthiahickey.blogspot.com/
26. Mar. 24 – Pamela James - http://www.pammer.blogspot.com/
27. Mar. 24 – 28 – Tracy Ruckman – http://www.pixnpens.blogspot.com/
28. Mar. 25 – Christa Allen - http://cballan.wordpress.com/
29. Mar. 31 – Gina Conroy - http://portraitofawriter.ginaconroy.com
30. April 20 – Marian Merritt – http://www.marianmerritt.com/
31. April 27 – Margaret Daley – http://www.margaretdaley.blogspot.com/
32. Throughout February and March – David G. Boggs –
http://www.freewebs.com/davidgboggs/delialathamsnewbook.htm
http://www.davidgboggs.blogspot.com/

Counting Hairs

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.(Luke 12:7)

Today's "Daily Snippets from the Word" (see right-hand column) is such a familiar scripture. Anyone who's been around a Christian home or church for any length of time has read this one, had it read to them, heard someone quote it, or quoted it themselves. It has become so familiar that I fear we don't really hear what it's saying any more.

Never in a million years could any human being accurately count the number of hairs on someone's head - not unless there are none there to count! And even if we could, who would? No matter how much we love another human being - including even our own children - why would we need to know how many hairs they have?

The answer, of course, is that we don't need to know. There is no earthly reason to know. It makes absolutely no difference.

And yet ... God loves you and me enough to know even that about us.

I read somewhere that the average person loses 50-100 hairs every day. And here's a few other little unimportant facts. Each individual hair lives approximately three to seven years. Ninety percent of them are growing, 10 percent are at rest. After a few months of just hanging around your face doing nothing at all, that 10 percent will fall out.

Talk about constant change! In your lifetime, what are the chances that on any two days, you'll have exactly the same number of hairs on your head? And yet ... from day to day, from hour to hour, from second to second, God knows how many are there. He cares about you that much.

Doesn't it feel wonderful to know you are of such infinite value to your heavenly Father? Yes, He sees even the sparrows that fall. He cares about those little birds. But you and I ... we are the apple of His eye! We are his precious jewels, His treasure, His beloved children.

Now read that scripture again, and think about it; really think about it.

Don't let anybody tell you you're worthless. Don't you dare believe your existence is pointless and unnoted. That's a hellish lie, not worthy of a moment's consideration.

You are of great value to Jesus. He loves you so much that He would die for you.

Oh, yeah .. He already did.

It's a Blog Book Tour!

This post is for readers and writers (as always), and also targets all you blog owners out there.

In preparation for the release of Goldeneyes on March 30, I've been very busy scheduling a blog book tour for Feb. 1 - March 31. (More info about this inspirational romance novel on my website.) What's a blog book tour? Well ...

It is extremely expensive and time consuming (to say nothing of physically taxing ... ugh!) to do a "physical" tour, in which an author travels from town to town and bookstore to bookstore to promote her work. Fortunately, the Internet offers a nice alternate!

Through the courtesy of kind-hearted, generous, wonderful blog owners, an author can simply tour from blog to blog, and be featured in interviews, reviews of and/or excerpts from the upcoming book, synopsis of the upcoming book, etc. This allows the author to reach different readers, get his/her name "out there" and plant the upcoming book and its cover in the minds of those readers, so they're eagerly awaiting its release.

I hope all of my readers will follow me from blog to blog, and tell all your friends about it, too - there will be a fun giveaway, so be sure to post comments to each blog you visit! That's how your name will be entered in the drawing. I'll be posting a schedule here on The Melody Within in the near future.

Blog owners ... I still have dates to fill, so if you're interested in hosting an inspirational romance author, please notify me as soon as possible ... let's get your blog on my schedule!

Hai-O, Goldeneyes ... awaaaay! (Okay, that was corny. What can I say? I'm soooo excited!)

Happy Birthday, Honey

Yesterday was my husband's 55th birthday. He's now officially a senior citizen. I don't think it's bothering him even a little bit - he's just glad he can eat out less expensively.

It doesn't bother me, either ... because I cannot wrap my mind around the idea that the tall, handsome, blue-eyed cutie I fell in love with all those years ago isn't still a young man. Did 34 years really fly by while I wasn't looking?

I've heard so many elderly people make the statement that in their minds they still feel the same way they did at 18 ... or 21 ... or 30 .... Their bodies made a bunch of unwelcome changes, but mentally they hadn't aged - other than to grow wiser via a lifetime of lessons learned.

When I turned 50 on my last birthday, I realized how truly those old folks had spoken. In my mind, I'm not this old. Inside my head, I'm still the girl who fell head over heels in love with the skinny, long-legged farm boy with blue eyes and a head full of wavy hair.

Johnny still has those beautiful waves, and I still love them, though they're threaded now with white. His legs are still long, though not quite so noticeably so, now that he's no longer the rail he was at 21. His face (still handsome, in my admittedly biased opinion) has laid claim to a few wrinkles over the years, and he tires more quickly than he once did.

But this senior citizen, double-nickel grandpa is still my honey. I'm no longer the starry-eyed girl I was when I married him, either - at least, not on the outside. But she's still there, hidden away somewhere in this unfamiliar, "older woman's" body. And she still loves that same good-looking farm boy - forever and a day.

Happy Birthday, honey ...

The Bookshelf (for Readers and Writers)

Just a quick announcement: My January newsletter has been posted on my website. It's got a new look, a new name (see post title), and a bunch of great "stuff" inside. Hop on over and have a look!

Daily Muse for Writers

So ... I've joined a small group of writers in setting up a blog - by writers, for writers and readers. We'll be posting about our books as well as the works of others, among other things. We'll also be doing GIVEAWAYS and CONTESTS. Our very first giveaway is posted now. The prize is a beautiful Footprints bracelet (see photo). If you like it, zip on over to Daily Muse for Writers, find my post and leave a comment. That's all you need to do to be entered! (Do be sure to leave your name and an e-mail address, so we can contact you if you're the winner ...)

See ya there ...

If you'd like to meet my "partners in crime," they are:

DeLyn Fisher
Kassy Paris
Linda Strawn
Tamelia Tumlin

I know they'd love it if you'd pay a visit to their sites.

New Year ... New Goals ... New Determination

I so hope the holidays were wonderful for all of you ... that you spent them with good friends and family ... and that you remembered the Reason for the season!

Here it is January 4, and I'm only now sitting down to write my HAPPY NEW YEAR blog. Pitiful, isn't it? So, shall we say my New Year's resolution is to stop procrastinating, get my rear in gear, and do something, already?

I will count on you, Dear Readers, to keep me accountable. When you check back here and find I haven't blogged in a week or more, it's perfectly acceptable - even the "right thing to do" - to call me on it! Drop a comment and demand a new entry. Send me an e-mail and remind me that I have a blog. Tell me to get off my duff and give you something to read. Make me deliver! Come the end of the year, I will thank you when I don't have to make the SAME resolution all over again. :)

I'm looking forward to the release of my novel, Goldeneyes, at the end of March. It seems like it's been forever since it was accepted by Vintage Romance Publishing (in reality, by publication time it will only have been about a year), and I'm so excited that it's actually going to happen. For some reason, just entering 2008 has made it seem more real. (If you haven't read the first chapter, scoot on over to my website and do it now. You're gonna like it - guaranteed!)

Sign up for my newsletter to read interviews with other authors, wonderful devotions by various writers, writing tips and book reviews on a monthly basis. You'll also find fun puzzles and games, and CONTESTS to win copies of Goldeneyes and/or books by other authors, Goldeneyes T-shirts, etc. Once you're subscribed, all of this just magically appears in your inbox once a month! How's that for fun stuff?

Whatever your resolution for the new year, I wish you great success. Remember, you are special! God made you unique and perfect, just the way you are, however and whoever you are. There's only one YOU ... and you're it, so be YOU with all you've got.

Chin up, chest out, eyes on the goal ... we can do this - yes, we can!

Abandoned Identity

Happy New Year! It is January 1st, time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and his/her latest book' chapter!

This month's feature author is:

TAMARA TILLEY

and her book:

Abandoned Identity

Evergreen Press (AL) (August 1, 2007)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hooray! Tamara is one of our very own FIRST members!
She resides with her husband, Walter, and their children, John, Christopher, and Jennifer, at Hume Lake Christian Camps in the Sequoia National Forest. They have served on full-time staff and ministered at Hume for 13 years.

Tamara manages one of the retail stores at Hume Lake, which serves thousands of kids visiting the conference center on a daily basis.
Not only does she write, she is also an avid reader and enjoys other hobbies such as scrapbooking, designing greeting cards and invitations, and enjoying God's creation from her from porch.

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

The young, blond woman stepped off the elevator, rushed past the receptionist, and quickly headed down the hallway.

“Jennifer, Mr. Lynch is looking for you,” Doris called after her.

Jennifer didn’t stop to acknowledge the message. She didn’t have time. She could hear the warning in Doris’ tone. Mr. Lynch was looking for her, knowing she was late returning from lunch. This could very well be her last day at Weissler and Schuler.

She glanced at her watch as she threaded her way through the multitude of workstations. She moved as quickly as she could, even though she knew her efforts were probably for nothing—after all, late was late. He would assume she had done it on purpose and would make good on his threat from the previous week. Lynch had given her two weeks to change her attitude or she would be fired.

She hurried past his office door, hoping against hope that she would be able to slip by without being noticed. A sideways glance told her otherwise. She continued towards her own office, knowing he would be quick on her heels. She had struggled all morning, trying to do her work, trying to keep it together, but with the way she was feeling, her resolve was beginning to crumble. She’d only had enough time to slip off her jacket before she heard his booming voice in the hallway.

“Ms. Patterson, you of all people should not be abusing time restrictions. A one-hour lunch is a one-hour lunch, not an hour and 25 minutes,” he scolded her loud enough so everyone could hear him as he made his way down the hall toward her office.

Jennifer hung up her coat and purse on the rack behind her door and slumped in the overstuffed sofa that filled her office. She braced herself for the inevitable.

“You knew we needed to get started on the Yomahama account first thing after lunch,” he said as he entered her office and firmly shut the door. “Obviously you don’t care about this account as much as you say you do.” He was poised for her counterattack but was surprised instead to hear her soft apology.“I’m sorry. I thought I could make it home and back again. But with the snow, and the traffic, and the way I’m . . .”

What’s the use explaining, she thought to herself. He doesn’t care. She had just given him the excuse he was looking for. She figured she would be packing up her personal items in less than an hour. She took a deep breath, her eyes focused downward. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional.”

Harrison was taken aback. In the short time he’d known Jennifer, she had never apologized for her actions. Everything she did was intentionally antagonistic toward him. But somehow he sensed a difference in her mood.

“What’s wrong?” he bristled, not really wanting to hear her excuse.

She glanced up at his imposing figure but lowered her eyes to the floor as she spoke. “I tried to kick something all weekend. I guess I’m just not feeling up to par.”

He said nothing, waiting for her to make eye contact with him. She stiffened her back, sighed and said, “It won’t happen again.”

Had she brushed a tear from her cheek? Not possible, he thought to himself. Jennifer Patterson was tough as nails. She would never lower herself to tears in the workplace . . . that was unless she really was ill.

He waited again for her to look up at him, and when she did, he was met with vacant eyes, pallid skin, and beads of sweat that were starting to form on her brow. Just then, the intercom system went off.

“Mr. Lynch, Mr. Yomahama is on the line. Shall I put him through to Miss Patterson’s office or your own?”

Obviously Doris knew where to find him because of the scene he had just made. He walked around to the front of Jennifer’s desk and cleared his voice before pushing the intercom button. “I’ll take it in my office, Doris. Give me a minute to get there.”

Lynch gave Jennifer one last stern look and then marched from her office, shutting her door with a little more force than necessary.

She collapsed against the cushions, her strong exterior completely dissolving. She had done everything she could to hold back her tears in his presence, but his quick exit allowed her to unleash the torrent she had been suppressing.

She had never felt this horrible before in her life. She would’ve called in sick if it weren’t for the fact that she knew her job was in jeopardy. It isn’t fair, she thought to herself. I should have Lynch’s job. For the hundredth time Jennifer went over in her mind the scenario that had taken her completely by surprise.

She had been groomed for the director’s position by Meg, long before Meg left to start a family. Jennifer had put in countless hours on different accounts to make sure her and Meg’s statistics had been well researched and presented in a polished manner. She had done the bulk of Meg’s work, along with her own, as Meg progressed into her third trimester. It simply wasn’t fair!

The day corporate brought in Harrison Lynch and announced he would be the new director, instead of her, she was livid. She felt demeaned and unappreciated. Everyone in the office knew she had worked hard for the job and had deserved it. But corporate behaved in their typical chauvinistic manner and took the opportunity to replace Meg with a man instead of another woman. Testosterone was the only asset that Harrison Lynch had that she did not.

While the other women in the office were quick to overlook the injustice of the situation because of Harrison’s availability, good looks, and charismatic personality, she only saw him as a thorn in her side.

Read the rest of this chapter.