Laughter the Best Medicine

This joyful video has been making its way around the interwebs and has garnered millions of views. With, in my opinion, good reason. It's hysterical. And if there is any language that is truly universal it is laughter. What is it about laughter that makes us join in? I don't know, but what I do know is that we can all use a little more laughter in our days.



Influenced by books like The Secret Garden and The Little Princess, Lisa Karon Richardson’s early stories were heavy on boarding schools and creepy houses. Now, even though she’s (mostly) grown-up she still loves a healthy dash of adventure in any story she creates, even her real-life story. She’s been a missionary to the Seychelles and Gabon. And now that she and her husband are back in America they are tackling a new adventure, pastoring a home missions church in a new city while raising their family. Lisa is the author of several novels and novellas. Her most recent release is The Peacock Throne, a story where Jane Austen sensibilities meet Indiana Jones style adventure.    

What's in a Name?

Several months ago, I heard a Civil War movie was going to be coming to theaters this year. And I thought, “Cool!” I love historical movies, and the Civil War-era is a favorite of mine. It is filled with complex stories of loyalty and prejudice, of honor and brutality, and of tragedy and triumph. With more American casualties than all other American wars combined, the Civil War is a watershed event in American history and deserving of periodic treatment on film.

American dead at Antietam, Maryland. After the battle, Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which paved the way for the abolition of slavery.

By 1861, Ulysses S. Grant had failed as a soldier, farmer, and shopkeeper, but the Civil War would be the making of him. Seven years later, he was elected the 18th president of the United States.

So, imagine my disappointment when I learned it was a Captain America Civil War flick. Um, okay. I’m not really much for superheroes, but I did once humor my husband and watch the first Captain America movie with him (and thus, proved to him that I really do love him), so I supposed that could work. I mean, the last few years have seen the Big Screen invaded by this.

And this.

Why not a time traveling Captain America who journeys back to the 1860’s?

But no. Turns out the movie isn't historical at all. It's just Superhero vs. Superhero. (And my husband said that while it was darker than the previous ones, he liked it more than he thought he would.)

Color me disappointed. Surely there's some kind of truth-in-advertising claim I can make?

And then it got me to thinking how many times a word or phrase misleads. Worse, oftentimes, it's not an innocent mistake but a deliberate act. People with an agenda redefine words because there is power in redefining a word, the power to shape a response.

Indeed, the ethos of our post-modern era is that all things are relative and there is no absolute truth. Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass seems almost prescient.

“When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’

’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’

’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all.”

God has a lot to say about truth. Indeed, Jesus tells us he is the Truth, and he expects truth from us.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Wildlife Watch: Fox and Grouse

by Anita Mae Draper

A few weeks ago my husband mentioned that he'd like to have a camera with a zoom lens like mine in case he saw something interesting while he was out and about. Since I'd upgraded to a Nikon CoolPix P520, I gave him my P500 to try out. It's a great camera, but not quite the same zoom length.

I really like the images he's bringing back. So between the two of us we're cataloging quite an array of Saskatchewan wildlife. We've even started a little photo competition where we post what we consider our best shots of the day. (They're posted on my Draper's Acres blog as well as Facebook.)

Along with our photos, we made some videos and that's what I'd like to show you today... like the morning I looked out my living room window and saw a Red Fox on my lawn. If you don't see it below, check it out on YouTube. (Squeamish? Note: Fox eats small animal)

Red Fox Visit Apr 18, 2016:



Now that I'm having my morning coffee on my front patio, I'm seeing all kinds of birds that I recognize, and many tweets, chirps, and tunes that I don't.

This next video was a real surprise however, because I'd never see anything like it. The farmer who rents our undulating land had only planted the field yesterday and while I was sitting there enjoying the sun this morning, I saw 3 white spots come barreling over one of the hills. I zoomed in and saw a Sharp-Tailed Grouse trio with the two females being chasing a male if full display mode, ie with his head down, wings out, and his yellow eye patches and purple neck sac flaring. You see, he's courting the ladies and when he beats his feet on the ground and runs after them he reminds me of a crab. You can see it below or on YouTube.

Sharp-tailed Grouse Stalking Sequence

The male in my video looks like the one in this photo that I found on Wikipedia. Can you see the flared yellow eye patches and the purple neck sac? His pointed tail confirms he's a Sharp-Tailed Grouse.

Sharp-Tailed Grouse. Photo Credit: Rick Bohn. Courtesy of Wikipedia

On May 3rd Nelson managed to capture this great shot of a male Sharp-Tailed Grouse who wasn't displaying...



















Grouse are territorial and along with the males displaying to attract females, they also do it to scare/fight off challengers.

This next video of 3 males facing off was taken by Nelson on a windy day. The grouse are kind of hard to see, but it's a great example of them challenging for the top grouse position. If you can't see it below, check YouTube.

Sharp-Tailed Grouse Males Displaying



When I first watched the completed videos of these grouse, I was very disappointed because of the blocky quality. However, my teenager showed me that my YouTube setting was on Auto and that I could change the quality. When I put it on 480p I had to wait longer for it to load, but the video was much better. So very glad he told me that because I've since found out that I can see so much better on websites that have birdcams and animalcams when I change the quality setting.

I wish the videos were better, but if we tried to get closer to the grouse they would have flown, so we're thankful for what we did get. This year is the first time I've witnessed these birds in action and I think they're very fun to watch.

Do you have any memories or thoughts on the Sharp-Trailed Grouse and it's display? What about an encounter with a fox or other wildlife?

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Anita Mae Draper's stories are written under the western skies where she lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. When she's not writing, Anita enjoys photography, research, and travel, and is especially happy when she can combine the three in one trip. Anita's current release is Romantic Refinements, a novella in Austen in Austin Volume 1, WhiteFire Publishing, January 2016.  Anita is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at  www.anitamaedraper.com

Book “Babies” Need Lots of Prenatal/Prepublication Care! ~And a Giveaway!

Welcome Carrie Fancett Pagels to the Inkwell!

First of all, thanks for having me on again, Susie!

I have an upcoming release, Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter, that had so much help given to it that it feels like a seven to eight year birthing process for this novel!

I got started on the book eight years ago when I did some genealogical research and discovered an interesting ancestor, Johan Adam Rousch, who had a memorial from the Sons of the American Revolution dedicated to him because nine of his sons fought in the war. I asked myself, what would compel a young man from the Palatinate of Germany to come to the colonies? And I began researching. For a year or two I got assistance from my wonderful local librarians at Yorktown Library, including a special reference desk librarian who steered me toward a huge volume of European history that addressed the impact of the Hundred Years War on Europe and in particular the Palatinate/Germany. I also got to spend a special afternoon at the University of Virginia Rare Books collection, a climate controlled environment where the librarians wore gloves to handle the books. I was able to read from some volumes that were specifically about Johan and his descendants and felt I got to “know” him better. I was also blessed to be able to spend many hours visiting a real Palatinate house at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia, and was able to discuss mid-18^th century Palatinate with some of the staff there.  It allowed me to actually visit what would become Johan’s house and farm in the Palatinate! 

Besides researching, I spent a great deal of time on improving my writing craft. So I took every class that ACFW offered! Thank you to all the authors who have volunteered their time over the years! I “found” Camy Tang’s wonderful blog and began reading all her posts on writing and I took several classes from her for synopsis development. That was extremely helpful in getting a newbie ready to have the framework for writing the story. And I had my first experience with critique partners. I had some great help from my very first critique partner, and then joined a group that regrettably included primarily contemporary writers. Don’t believe people if they tell you although they don’t read or enjoy historical romance they can critique your work. It isn’t that you won’t get constructive feedback, but you won’t get the encouragement you’ll need from folks who enjoy reading your genre. Best to stick with writers in your own genre. 

But that experience gave me the impetus to join another critique group through the Fellowship of Christian Writers, which I belonged to for a few years. There I found critiquers who gave me the encouragement to begin submitting my work! So I went from little to no impetus from others that I was doing much right to being told I needed to start looking for an agent! And, thankfully, I soon met Joyce Hart, who later became my agent after Lena Nelson Dooley gave me my second professional critique, one during the ACFW conference and another later, and Lena offered an endorsement to Joyce. I was floored!

Then the realization hit. I had to have my manuscript all completed and polished before I submitted it to Joyce. My FCW critiquers, in particular Vicki McCollum and Lynn Squire, helped me get started on organizing myself.Then God sent me Kimberly D. Taylor, a petite spitfire from out west who was in the Tidewater, Virginia, area for a few years while her husband completed some studies at Regent University. Every week we’d exchange chapters and return them to each other. Later, I agreed to also work with Sarah E. Ladd, Kim’s critique partner, who was entering the Genesis with a story that had already won accolades but, like mine, needed to be finished. The three of us tended my book baby as well as each others’!  Then came the time I needed an editor’s help, and once again God blessed me by sending Susan Lohrer to help. She was an amazing editor and gave me so much insight into the more subtle, and some not-so-subtle, things I was doing wrong that my fellow newbie critique partners and I weren’t seeing. It was like having someone point out that your child shouldn’t really be dressed in mustard yellow nor would people caring for the child want to know certain “things.”  I learned a lot and we all shared our thoughts on how to use the feedback for each of our stories. 

There is so much MORE that went into the creation of this upcoming release, but I hope this little bit is helpful to someone who is new to writing and wonders what it takes. Some people may tell you they read a ton of books in their genre and then sat down and wrote. That didn’t work for me, nor does it for most authors in my opinion. Working on my own isn’t my style, so I am very grateful God has brought me a lot of helpers and I hope I’ve been able to return the assistance, too!

Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter releases in ebook in early June (Pelican Books) and is available for pre-order now!  The paperback will be available in July. Bloggers, please note the PDF will be available from NetGalley during the month of July for download for reviews.

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Giveaway: Winners choice of any one of Carrie's currently released books, choice of format (Kindle, Nook, or paperback). Answer the question to enter. Question: What experiences have helped your “book babies” along the most?

Please leave a way to contact you (email address). Winner will be drawn at random at 12:59 pm EDT Thursday, May 19, 2016, and announced the following day. Void where prohibited.

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Bio – Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D.

Carrie Fancett Pagels is a multi-published award-winning author of Christian historical romance. All three of her Christy Lumber Camp books were finalists for Family Fiction’s Book of the Year. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn't "cure" her overactive imagination! She resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia, which is perfect for her love of history. Carrie loves to read, bake, bead, and travel – but not all at the same time!

Website: www.carriefancettpagels.com

Blogs: Overcoming With God and Colonial Quills

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Links to purchase:

“Requilted with Love” in The Blue Ribbon Brides Collection (Barbour, November 2016)

Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter (White Rose/Pelican Book Group, June 2016)

Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance (2^nd edition, January 2016)

The Steeplechase (Forget-Me-Not Romances, February 2016)

The Substitute Bride: A Novella (October 2015)

“The Fruitcake Challenge” in the Christmas Traditions Collection (Forget Me Not Romances, July 2015)

The Christy Lumber Camp Series: Lilacs for Juliana (August, 2016), The Lumberjacks’ Ball (April, 2015), The Fruitcake Challenge (2014)

“Snowed In”, in A Cup of Christmas Cheer, (Guidepost Books, 2013)

Contributor to God’s Provision in Tough Times (Lighthouse of the Carolinas, 2013)