Pray for America

It seems that, more and more, people in the public eye -- politicians (left, right and center), celebrities, even just average Joes with an internet connection -- seem to think that they somehow "win" a disagreement by being rude, uncivil and vulgar. The loudest, most savage voice wins, the more ad hominum attacks, the better. The self-proclaimed "tolerant" conveniently exempt those they disagree with from civil discourse or even the possibility of hearing because "they're [fill in the prejudice of choice], so they don't deserve a voice." They say it's wrong to mock someone or hurt someone's feelings, unless it's someone they don't like, in which case, it's okay because "that person deserves it." Those who claim the moral high ground excuse this behavior in themselves because "so-and-so acted that way first." The ability to exchange ideas and beliefs, to find comonality despite differences, to agree to disagree, seems to be rapidly vanishing. Acting like an adult seems to have fallen out of favor.

God loves us, every single one of us, more than we can possibly imagine. He so desires to heal us, to forgive us, to bind our wounds and use us to bind up the wounds of others, but until we humble ourselves before Him and cry out to Him for forgiveness and mercy, until we acknowledge our sin as sin and stop calling good evil and evil good, He will let us have our own way. He will let us sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. Even then, even then!, He will still be waiting for us, ready to run to us with open arms, ready to claim us as His sons and daughters, if we turn back to Him.

I am sorry if this offends anyone. It seems that taking offense has become our national pastime. This is not meant to be a political post. I am not a political person. I do love my country and I want her to continue to prosper, to be blessed, and to bless other nations as we have been blessed. All of that begins with 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Please pray for America.

Remembering Those Who Serve

Dad (back right) with some of his shipmates.

My dad, who’s 93 now, is a veteran of World War II. He volunteered for the navy in 1943 and spent the next three years in the Pacific. He was only seventeen at the time and had never been out of Texas before, except for a brief trip to Oklahoma City, so even though he didn’t suffer the great trauma so many of our veterans of all wars have, suddenly being halfway around the world from home for three years was not easy for him. And, since he is the youngest of ten children, I’m sure it wasn’t easy for his worried mother.

These days, though, especially around Memorial Day, he gets a lot of handshakes and thank yous and sometimes an especially nice person will pay for lunch as a gesture of gratitude. He never says much about it, of course, but I can tell it makes him very happy to be remembered even in these small ways. But sometimes, for various reasons, some of ways people react when they notice his LST-118 WW II ball cap are more memorable than others.

One of the ships Dad was on. He was a gunner's mate.

This year, Dad and I went to a local steakhouse for lunch the day after Memorial Day. Not long after we were seated, a family with three or four boys in their mid-teens was seated a few tables away from us. I didn’t particularly notice them as we ate, but as we were leaving, I was helping Dad negotiate a path through the tables and out to the front door, and all of a sudden, one of the boys from the table near us bolted past. I steadied Dad and told him to look out. Not that the boy ran into us or anything, but Dad uses a cane and I wanted to make sure he didn’t lose his footing. For my part, I just figured the boy was in a hurry and didn’t have time or patience to wait for an old man to find his way out.

I was amazed when we finally rounded the corner into the foyer to find the boy waiting for us at the front door. He hadn’t finished his meal yet. His family was still at their table eating. But he had dashed past us not because he was in too much of a hurry or oblivious to anyone besides himself, but because, as he said, “Holding the door is the least I could do to show my gratitude for your service.”

Dad and I both thanked him. Dad shook his hand and told him how much he appreciated the gesture. We often hear how thoughtless and self-centered “young people today” are. And, yes, many of them are. Many of all of us are. But I’m still smiling when I think of this fine young man, and I’m grateful to whoever has raised him to be kind and respectful. I always try to thank police officers, fire fighters and veterans of all wars when I see them somewhere. This made me want to do it more. It means so much to those who sometimes wonder if their sacrifices go unnoticed. It reminds me how awful it would be if these brave men and women weren’t there during the most difficult times of our lives to do the hard jobs most of us don’t want to do.

On this 74th anniversary of D-Day (the June 6, 1944, invasion of Normandy which resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control), send up a prayer for those who have been willing to serve, suffer and even die so we can be free and safe. And for those of you who remember and who teach your children what service and sacrifice mean, God bless you!

Writerly Humor

A dangling participle walks into a bar. Enjoying a cocktail and chatting with the bartender, the evening passes pleasantly.

A bar was walked into by the passive voice.

An oxymoron walked into a bar, and the silence was deafening.

Two quotation marks walk into a “bar.”

A malapropism walks into a bar, looking for all intensive purposes like a wolf in cheap clothing, muttering epitaphs and casting dispersions on his magnificent other, who takes him for granite.

Hyperbole totally rips into this insane bar and absolutely destroys everything.

A question mark walks into a bar?

A non sequitur walks into a bar. In a strong wind, even turkeys can fly.

Papyrus and Comic Sans walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Get out -- we don't serve your type."

A mixed metaphor walks into a bar, seeing the handwriting on the wall but hoping to nip it in the bud.

A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves.

Three intransitive verbs walk into a bar. They sit. They converse. They depart.

A synonym strolls into a tavern.

At the end of the day, a cliché walks into a bar -- fresh as a daisy, cute as a button, and sharp as a tack.

A run-on sentence walks into a bar it starts flirting. With a cute little sentence fragment.

Falling slowly, softly falling, the chiasmus collapses to the bar floor.

A figure of speech literally walks into a bar and ends up getting figuratively hammered.

An allusion walks into a bar, despite the fact that alcohol is its Achilles heel.

The subjunctive would have walked into a bar, had it only known.

A misplaced modifier walks into a bar owned a man with a glass eye named Ralph.

The past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was tense.

A dyslexic walks into a bra..

A verb walks into a bar, sees a beautiful noun, and suggests they conjugate. The noun declines.

An Oxford comma walks into a bar, where it spends the evening watching the television getting drunk and smoking cigars.

A simile walks into a bar, as parched as a desert.

A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar, drinking to forget.

What do YOU say?

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:21 NKJV 

What are YOU telling yourself every day?

What Do Writers Do?

Comments?

What Inspired Me?

Top Ten Influences on the Creation of The Drew Farthering Mysteries

    I have been in love with the Golden Age of Crime Fiction for decades. I’ve also been a big fan of the great movies of the 1930s for about as long. Add to that my enjoyment of humorous wordplay, mix it all together, and you get The Drew Farthering Mysteries. I once had a review that said, “If Bertie Wooster and Jessica Fletcher had a love child, it would be Drew Farthering.” I love that quote. It’s hysterical and it’s absolutely true!  So, if you’d like to trace Drew back to his entertainment roots, here are the most influential ones.

1.    First and foremost and without a close second would be the works of Dame Agatha Christie. And first and foremost of these would be the delightful cases of Hercules Poirot. The books are wonderful, thought-provoking reads, and the inestimable David Suchet portrays him on television with humor, warmth, intelligence, and absolute perfection.

2.    A huge influence on the relationship between Drew and his beloved Madeline was the Thin Man series of movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy (beginning in 1934). They are a loving married couple who obviously enjoy each other’s company along with solving mysteries. The snappy banter between them is always a delight.

3.    P. G. Wodehouse’s hysterical Jeeves and Wooster, impeccably portrayed by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, had a definite impact on Drew’s sense of humor (and mine). The books and the television series are both well worth checking out.

4.    Albert Campion, the mild-mannered sleuth created by Margery Allingham, was a delightful surprise to me when I discovered him several years ago. I had never heard of this series (shame on me!), but I absolutely devoured it once it came to my attention. Allingham’s plots fit together like fine watchworks, and the television adaptation starring Peter Davison is brilliant. Brian Glover as his hardboiled valet (he was a cat burglar until he lost his figure) alone is worth the price of admission.

5.     Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None might be the most perfectly plotted mystery ever written. Unfortunately, I saw the 1945 film version before I read the book, so I didn’t get the joy of reading the story without already knowing the solution. It would certainly take a cleverer person than I am to read that book, having no knowledge of it beforehand, and be able to solve the mystery.

6.    I can never decide if And Then There Were None or Murder on the Orient Express is my favorite of Christie’s works. Again, if I hadn’t seen the 1974 film version of this story, I would have loved to try to solve the case as presented in the book. As with ATTWN, the plot is meticulously crafted. I’m not sure why the script writer for the 2017 film version found it necessary to make so many changes to the story and to the characters.

7.    Drew and Madeline’s relationship owes much to the romantic comedies of the 1930s. One of the greatest of these is My Man Godfrey, also starring the dapper William Powell as a blueblood who’s dropped out of society and who, quite by accident, becomes a butler in a rich but troubled home. It’s a screwball comedy with a warm heart, and it definitely inspired a character or two in Drew’s most recent adventure.

8.    Another of the great romantic comedies of the ‘30s is Bringing Up Baby. Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn are hilarious as a mild-mannered archeologist and the ditzy society girl who is determined to make him see they’re perfect for each other.

9.    One of Alfred Hitchcock’s early movies is the 1939 version of The 39 Steps. It features Robert Donat as an innocent man on the run from a ring of spies and, being one of Hitchcock’s, the film has plenty of suspense as well as romance and ironic humor.

10.    Last but certainly not least is Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey. Lord Peter’s adventures, besides being fabulously entertaining, provide an excellent and intelligent look into the life of a British aristocrat and the mysteries are always a challenge to solve. I’m sorry the television series with Edward Petherbridge covered only three of Sayers’ novels.

So there you have it, the ten things that most influenced the creation of Drew Farthering and his adventures. I have to commend the BBC for making such lushly beautiful television series for so many classic mysteries. More than just reading the books that inspired them, these series let me see and hear England of the 1930s. Similarly, movies made in America during the 30s let me see and hear what that time was like. They and the books of that time period have all inspired my series as well as British Drew and American Madeline.

Don't forget you can WIN ALL SIX of Drew's adventures! Check out the tour HERE:

 

[Please note that this list was also featured on the Forgotten Winds blog, but since it's my favorite, I thought I'd add it here, too.]

The Drew Farthering Mysteries

Death at Thorburn Hall - A Drew Farthering Mystery

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

Today is the official release of Book Six of my Drew Farthering Mysteries, Death at Thorburn Hall. I had so much fun writing this one. Poor Drew and Madeline never seem to get to go anywhere wihtout running into murder and mayhem.

This time they go up to Scotland for the 1935 British Open. Nick is along for the ride and, to his delight, his longtime, long-distance sweetheart, Carrie, will be back at his side. Ostensibly, she has come to spend some time with her best friend Madeline, though everyone knows it's Nick she's come to see. But when their host ends up dying in a not-so-accidental accident, she has second thoughts about accepting Nick's proposal.

Of course, Drew can't be in the middle of a mysterious situation and not see if he can figure it out. What exactly is the motive? Adultery? Embezzling? Nazi spies? Or is it something even more wicked? And will he live to tell the tale?

Death at Thorburn Hall is avalable right now!

Find out more HERE.

BUY DEATH AT THORBURN HALL

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

BOOKS-A-MILLION

CHRISTIANBOOK.COM

LIFEWAY

Best Book on Writing?

Okay, we all know it. There are a LOT of great books on how to write, how to be inspired, how to be organized, how to promote your book, how to research it, how to get an agent or publisher to notice it, and on and on and on.

But what if you want to have just one book? One that you can sink your teeth into and use over and over again with every book you write? I’m sure different people have different books they would deem essential, but for me there is only one: James Scott Bell’s Write Your Novel from the Middle.

Here’s what the description says:



A powerful secret, and a fresh approach to writing bestselling fiction!

What's the best way to write a "next level" novel? Some writers start at the beginning and let the story unfold without a plan. They are called "pantsers," because they write by the "seat of the pants."

Other writers plan and outline and know the ending before they start. These are the "plotters."

The two sides never seem to agree with each other on the best approach.

But what if it's not the beginning or the end that is the key to a successful book? What if, amazing as it may seem, the place to begin writing your novel is in the very middle of the story?

According to #1 bestselling writing teacher James Scott Bell, that's exactly where you'll find your story's heart and heat. Bell's "Mirror Moment" is the secret, and its power is available to any writer, at any stage of the writing process.

Bringing together years of craft study and personal discovery, Bell presents a truly unique approach to writing a novel, one that will stand the test of time and serve you all your writing life.

Now Mr. Bell has written many books on the craft of writing, and I have yet to find one that wasn’t excellent, but this one is my favorite. Here’s why:

1. It’s short. It doesn’t mess about with lots of filler. It gets right down to the how-to in easy-to-understand-and-implement instructions.

2. It works for any kind of writer, pantser, plotter or (like me) the hiker who knows where he’s going to start and where he’s going to end up and maybe three must-see sights along the way.

3. It assures me that my books will have good structure each and every time.

It took me eleven-and-a-half years (that’s years) to write my first book. Now I have commitments to write six books by March of 2019. I obviously have to have a plan and stick to it if I’m going to get everything done on time. My plan is to use Bell’s fourteen-point list from Write Your Novel from the Middle in order to plot my books quickly and efficiently. I have a blank template with each of the fourteen points on it. When I’m ready to start work on a plot, I start filling in that template and soon I have a story. Yes, there is still a lot of work to do and the story changes as I start uncovering more and more about it, but again, I end up with a supportable structure and don’t waste my time staring at my computer screen, wondering what to write.
    I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I’ve used it to plot my last five or six stories, and they have been faster and far less painful to write than the ten that preceded them.

Give it a try!

How about you? Do you have a favorite book or method for getting a story put together?

The Screwtape Letters

There are several stories I enjoy revisiting from time to time because, no matter how old they are or how many times I’ve read them or seen them acted out, they never fail to resonate with my spiritual self. The Christmas classics How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life are three of the best. I know them well. I could practically quote them, but they somehow always manage to work their way past the hardness of my heart to remind me what’s true and what’s important about this life. They aren’t technically Christian, but they do say a lot about the importance of love and grace and relationships rather than material successes, which is quite Christian indeed.

Another story at the top of my list is C. S. Lewis’s immortal The Screwtape Letters. Previously, I have listened to the audio version as narrated by John Cleese of Monty Python fame. He is a delicious reader and gives his Screwtape the ideal touch of bureaucratic sadism that makes the character come alive. But just recently I became aware of this audio-dramatization by Focus on the Family:

“From the award-winning audio drama team that brought you Radio Theatre’s Amazing Grace and The Chronicles of Narnia. In his enduringly popular masterpiece The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis re-imagines Hell as a gruesome bureaucracy. With spiritual insight and wry wit, Lewis suggests that demons, laboring in a vast enterprise, have horribly recognizable human attributes: competition, greed, and totalitarian punishment. Avoiding their own painful torture as well as a desire to dominate are what drive demons to torment their “patients.”
The style and unique dark humor of The Screwtape Letters are retained in this full-cast dramatization, as is the original setting of London during World War II. The story is carried by the senior demon Screwtape played magnificently by award-winning actor Andy Serkis (“Gollum” in Lord of the Rings) as he shares correspondence to his apprentice demon Wormwood. All 31 letters lead into dramatic scenes, set in either Hell or the real world with humans―aka “the patient,” as the demons say―along with his circle of friends and family.”

https://smile.amazon.com/Screwtape-Letters-Full-cast-Dramatization-Diabolical/dp/1589973240

Andy Serkis aka Screwtape

I’ve only had time to listen to two of the four discs, but I’ve enjoyed it tremendously. Not only is it full of dry and dark humor, the acting/reading from Screwtape down to the minor players is excellent. Serkis is clearly enjoying the part, and that makes it a treat to listen to. And, as always, I always find things in this epistolary novel that make me consider my own life and how I live it in light of God’s eternity.

Highly recommended.

Have you read or listened to The Screwtape Letters? What is your favorite of Lewis’s works? Why?

Man Plans, God Laughs

Just a few minutes ago, I turned in the first draft of a book I had written. It was number seventeen for me. Seventeen. It made me wonder how all this had happened.

When I was growing up, I thought I was going to be a teacher. When I was in high school, I realized that wasn’t for me, and I thought I would probably end up with some kind of office job. Practical. Respectable. Unremarkable.

But about that same time I also started writing. Nothing big. Certainly nothing memorable or worthy to be offered to the public. If I remember right, it was mostly “episodes” of TV shows I liked. Early fan fiction, I suppose.

I went on to get my degree in business and immediately found a job as an accountant. But still I wrote. I began writing on my lunch hour and at night and on the weekends. I didn’t plan to publish, I was just amusing myself, writing the book I wanted to read. Not books. Book. It took me eleven-and-a-half years and a lot of urging from the only friend I showed my story to, but I finally got it published. I thought that would be the only one. Forever and ever, amen.

Fast forward to a few minutes ago. I put the “The End” on Book Seventeen. How did this happen?

I’m so glad that, even when I don’t have a clue, God sees me and knows what He made me for and guides me the way He wants me to go.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

What have you looked back on, not seeing until then what God has done for you?

 

Cozy Mystery Giveaway Plus a Kindle Fire!

I'm so excited to let you all know that Booksweeps is including my new release, Murder on the Moor in their current giveaway!

For a limited time, you can enter to win my book plus more than 55 fantastic Cozy Mystery novels from an amazing collection of authors, PLUS A KINDLE FIRE! 

Two winners will each receive the bundle of 55+ books. One of them will also win the Kindle Fire.

Enter the contest by clicking here: bit.ly/cozy-mystery

When you’re done, leave a comment to let me know you’ve entered!

PLEASE NOTE:  The 55+ books offered in this giveaway were not chosen or endorsed by me or by Bethany House Publishers. I believe there is a mixture of secular and inspirational books included. You can investigate the books being offered on the contest site through the above link. 

Entry is free. Contest ends on April 10, 2017

CHOSEN

    Recently, I was offered a contract to write for a company I haven’t worked for before. I had been waiting to hear from them for a little while, was thrilled to know they wanted me, and immediately and happily accepted. After that, I was petrified.
    What had I just agreed to do?
    What if I couldn’t do it?
    What if they didn’t like me???
    Never mind that I have fourteen traditionally published books and three more coming out this year. Never mind that I’ve been writing professionally for more than twenty years. Never mind that this is something I very much want to do.
    Never mind.
    Never mind.
    Never mind.
    All I could hear was that accusing little voice in my ear telling me that I’m a fraud, and this time, this time, mind you, they were all going to realize it.
    By the time I went to bed that night, I had absolutely no joy in this wished-for news.
    How am I going to do this?
    What if something happens?
    Why would they want me?
    Before I went to sleep, I did my scheduled Bible reading. It’s something I do every night, and what I read was something I was quite familiar with, something I had read many, many times before:

Exodus 31:1-6

Then the Lord said to Moses,“See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you:

    When I read it this time, the words fairly shouted at me. God had chosen these men and fitted them to do what He had given them to do. God had chosen me and fitted me to do what He has given me to do.
    He, the Lord of Glory, the Immortal, Invisible God, the Alpha and Omega, had made me a writer, had called me to learn my craft and given me the ability to do what He made me for. No, what I do isn’t as grand and glorious as preparing His house of worship, but I wasn’t called to that. I wasn’t called to pastor a mega-church or have multi-million-selling gospel albums. I was called to do the work He sets before me to the best of my ability and in a way that brings Him glory.
    Just as we all are.
    I think my very favorite Bible verse in times like this is Isaiah 41:13: For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear. I will help you.”
    I went to sleep that night with a smile on my face, knowing He’s got this. And whatever you are called to do for Him, He’s got that, too.


Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Murder on the Moor is Now Available - GIVEAWAY

I'm thrilled to announce that, after what felt like years of waiting, Book Five in the Drew Farthering Mystery series, Murder on the Moor, is now available.

Here's the story:

    At the urgent request of Drew's old school friend, Hubert "Beaky" Bloodworth, Drew and Madeline Farthering come to Bloodworth Park Lodge in the midst of the Yorkshire moors, a place as moody and mysterious as a Brontë hero. According to Beaky, there have been several incidents of mischief making out on the moor, property destroyed, fires started, streams dammed up, sheep and cattle scattered and, if local gossip is to be believed, the sighting of the shadowy figure of a great black hound. Worst of all, the vicar has been found dead on the steps of the church, and no one can imagine who would want to kill him.
    Beaky is obviously smitten with his wife of eight months, the gorgeous and vivacious Sabrina Bloodworth, though it's hard to imagine what she sees in a man as awkward and plain as he. Drew can't help wondering if Sabrina's affections lie more with Beaky's money than himself and, just perhaps, with the fiery Welsh gamekeeper, Rhys Delwyn. Delwyn says poachers are to blame for the recent trouble, Sabrina claims the moor is haunted, and Beaky suspects that Carter Gray, a neighboring landowner with a longstanding grudge against the Bloodworths, is behind the episodes. But when someone else is murdered and the troubling incidents grow more threatening, Drew begins to suspect local ne'er-do-well Jack Midgley of more than poaching. But just how does Midgley fit into the scheme and who is paying him? It's up to Drew to look past his own prejudices, determine what is really going on, and find the killer before it's too late.


I had such fun writing this one. And, being the Anglophile that I am, I very much enjoyed researching the Yorkshire moors and some of the legends that are told even today. The tales of a huge spectral hound haunting the moors did not originate with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles but are far older and more deeply attached to the lonely moors and English legend.

I'm also very excited to say that I've seen the cover for Drew's sixth adventure, Death at Thorburn Hall, and it will be revealed exclusively in my next newsletter. Now's a great time to become a member of Drew's crew. You can sign up at http://www.juliannadeering.com

Here's a little glimpse:

 


 Death at Thorburn Hall is coming this fall from Bethany House.

Murder on the Moor is now available from these fine retailers or a bookstore near you:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Moor-Drew-Farthering-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01M7OXYPE

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-on-the-moor-julianna-deering/1123923501?ean=9780764218286

Christian Book: https://www.christianbook.com/murder-on-the-moor-5/julianna-deering/9780764218286/pd/218286?event=PR

Books-A-Million:  http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Murder-Moor/Julianna-Deering/9780764218286?id=6807173787270#overv

For a chance to win a copy of Murder on the Moor, answer at least one of the following questions in the comments:

What makes a good mystery great?

What is your favorite cozy mystery?

What would you like to see in Drew's next adventure?

GIVEAWAY IS LIMITED TO U.S. MAILING ADDRESSES ONLY AND VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO LEAVE CONTACT INFORMATION IF YOU WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE DRAWING.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED. THANKS FOR ENTERING!