Tuesday, August 22, 2017

 
We enjoyed our Pens of Praise meeting last night! Plenty of laughter and
friendship and celebration!

 
Rebecca McLafferty will be moving too far away to attend our
writers group with her physical presence, so she will instead
attend via Face Time!

 
There was some mystery as to if this was REAL paper
on top of the cake or not? What is your guess?
Mine is yes!
 
 


PENS OF PRAISE
CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP

August 21, 2017

Monday 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Faith Church

2201  42nd Street, Manitowoc, WI  54220

   Faith Church is located next to Festival Foods

   Not far from the Manitowoc exit off Interstate 43

The BIG Q is our topic this month. Becky McLafferty and Susan Marlene will teach the class. Bring your paper and pens and be ready to take notes. Quicken your imagination and spin those plots, while deepening the unique elements for your story and your writing journey.

We are a safe place to share. We invite you to bring your WIP (Work in progress!) for a five-minute read.

The prompt for this August is…
“What have you been doing?”  Don’t be shy, consider what you are involved in, stop, take a breath, and look at your life. You may just astound yourself as you inspire us. We don’t always realize how involved we are in this, that, and the other thing!

We will share a few book titles for researching a novel and how to write!
 
Bring your favorite coffee or tea with you!  

As always, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact Becky McLafferty @ rebeccamclafferty@gmail.com or


 

 

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Deadly Encounter by DiAnn Mills

 

Deadly Encounter by DiAnn Mills
 
If your looking for a read that delivers mystery, page turning suspense, and characters you come to know and want to know, well then, “Deadly Encounter” is a novel I would advise. My favorite characters—there are more than a few—Stacy Broussard, Alex LeBlanc as well as Whitt and Ric too. Yes, there is a bit of Cajun culture and delicious cooking mentioned. I enjoyed the demonstrations of unselfish courage and love. It is wonderful to read a novel where the hero and heroine are imperfect, yet truly heroic.
 DiAnn thinks out-of-the-box with story. She kept me wondering at each turn of events. Sometimes, I was right and sometimes I was wrong when figuring out the new possibilities that arose. Once, I even wanted to throw the book, how could she let this happen??? DiAnn Mills is such an excellent story teller and one who leaves me feeling that I truly benefited from the read, yet was completely entertained the whole way through. This is a highly recommended novel!
Questions for DiAnn Mills:
1)      Were you honoring anyone by using their personality for this novel. (I couldn’t help thinking of a student or two I’d had in my class room when you introduced Whitt!) I have four sons, and I used some traits from each one. I loved Whitt. He was determined to be a survivor and overcome the obstacles in his life. I have a good friend named Stacy who rides for the airport rangers and works with animals. She helped me tremendously. So, I guess you were right!
2)      How do you come up with a new plot idea? (Your story is on the cutting edge!)That’s a good question! My ideas come from dreams, movies, TV shows, media reports, and a whole lot of what-if. :)
3)      What do you wish for your reader to takeaway from this excellent novel and topic?        I always have forgiveness somewhere in my books, whether it’s forgiveness of self or others. Another takeaway for the reader is that of adoption. Love is conceived in the heart. 
4)      What are your future plans for future novels? (Thank you for your excellence in writing, what a wonderful gift you share.) Deep Extraction is book #2 in the FBI Task Force series, and it was released April 2017. High Treason is book #3 and the final book in the series. It’s a February 2018 release. Super excited about this one. I’ve started a new series titled  FBI Rapid Response. I’m in the middle of book #2.
5)      How do you wish your followers to connect with you?



CHRISTY AWARD WINNER
DEADLY ENCOUNTER - Tyndale August 2016
DEEP EXTRACTION - Tyndale April 2017
HIGH TREASON - Tyndale February 2018

 - diannmills.com
 - facebook.com/diannmills   - twitter.com/diannmills -  diannmills.com/feed
       
 
 
       
 

 

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

 
Sunrise Horse Farm hosted their yearly event. I'm so glad that
I was able to attend!  I met this donkey there and we became fast
friends! Who couldn't just love that face. :)
 
 
As Mary Ann is spinning, she told me about the interesting history of this craft.
Her yarn threads were so even--what skill! She has even made items
for friends who have lost a beloved dog. (All that spinning
takes place out side, because dog hair will end up all over the house. Unlike sheep's wool.)

 
These men are working the crafts that would be forgotten except for those
with respect and interest in such skills. They were very
interesting and knowledgeable!

 
No, the man to the left is not Mario!

 
Thank you Second Chance Ranch Rescue for bringing your petting zoo.
The animals were sweet and very comfortable with us human types!

 
You should have heard these two grunting with pleasure as their tummies were
bring rubbed! Very funny!

 
This one is friendly - just don't wear anything shiny. Shiny stuff is fair game!

 
Sheep and goats just mingling together! Everyone enjoyed.
 

 
This was one of the several groups or singers who preformed throughout the day. 
Also, very talented!

 
People were having fun all over the place! Some bought bunnies too.

 
Well, there is from right to left: Marry Ellen Kiel and Rosie Cyr and myself.
I hope you are able to attend next year. It helps to fund the Sunrise Horse Farm which offers community service to those in need of a touch of love from horses.
She even has a blind horse there! If you desire to
do any community service-- this would be an excellent place
to offer your time and attention!
Thanks much!