JC Lamont

Publication Date Mania

2012-01-30T08:52:00.004-05:00

Building hype about your upcoming novel is a major part of marketing, but when should you start? Experts say 4 to 6 months before your book's release.

All pre-orders of your book count towards the publication date's sales. So if 50, 100, or 500 people have your book on reserve, the day your book is officially published you've sold that many copies, before you even have time to pour your first cup of coffee. So how do you get pre-orders? Publication Date Mania.

A Press Release (the story behind your novel written in 3rd person with a journalistic tone) needs to be sent several months in advance. Self-publishing? Check out PW Select; Publishers Weekly now offers self-published authors a chance at an online review.

Weeks before the big day, contact bloggers who do reviews of books in your genre. Off them a free PDF or even a free paperback from POD publishers like Lulu. Tell them why their followers would be interested in hearing about your book. Be sure they include a link to pre-order a copy on Amazon.com. And the day they post your review, link it to Facebook. Not only will this let people you know read the review, but it will pay back the generous owner of the blog by sending new readers his way.

Nowhere near publishing? It's never to late to start building a database of people to send a review or press release to. Google blogs, organizations, and groups whose theme relates to your book.

Got marketing tips? Share them in the comments, and thanks for checking out my blog!

Feel Your Sweetie's Heartbeat from Overseas

2012-01-27T08:45:00.008-05:00

The romantic in me wishes I had this "magical" pillow back when my husband and I were dating 2000 miles apart.

Joanna Montgomery, a recent college graduate from Scotland, designed Pillow Talk -- a pillow that allows you to feel your significant other's heartbeat.

I remember those days, cuddled up with my cell phone, listening to his breathing slow, finally falling asleep, and then whoever woke first the next morning would call the other one. In those days, we literally spent the weekend on the phone. From the time we awoke till the time we fell asleep.

Anyone who's ever been in a long distance relationship or is separated from their spouse regularly such as those in the military are going to find this pillow a Godsend.

For the full article or to see the video, click here.

Makeover Complete!

2012-01-27T00:34:00.005-05:00

So my blog has grown up abit..in preperation for publication. The millions of adoring fans lining up in breathless anticiaption of each day's post read, hanging on to every sterling word, only to anxiously await the next's day's entry.

Ok, so the blog has gown up, but I have not. ;)

Seriously though, I really like the new look. I will be working on the Tabs across the top of the page over the next few days. If there is anyone out there waiting with baited breath, I thank thee for your patience.

Blog Makeover

2012-01-26T13:48:00.003-05:00

As you may have noticed, I am in the middle of makingover my blog. I've deleted alot of posts, esp those not relevant to my book. The mss has been revised (again!) and so the old excerpts are gone, etc.

The new blog layout will look very typical and trendy rather than flashy with graphics.

3 Other Projects I'm Currently Working On:

1) My book will be reviewed/edited by a published author mid-February

2) Marketing strategies, including sending bound copies to a few influencial people

3) A secret submission that I'm waiting to hear back on. :)

Stay tuned!

Dove's Evolution

2010-02-17T21:41:00.003-05:00

You all may have seen this, but I never did. And coming from a background with a low self-esteem and body image, it never hurts to have a defense against the onslaught of images we are consistently bombarded with.

Hope you enjoy!

Worthlessness and Grace: A Rant

2009-12-01T12:40:00.004-05:00

I've come to the realization of a deep-rooted belief I hold: everyone else lives under God’s blessing and grace – except me. I’m held to a higher standard. I’m not allowed the same grace to make mistakes as others. Others can make mistakes, but I can’t.

My father showed grace to everyone – his congregation, strangers, friends and family, excusing their mistakes or behavior (sin) due to lack of understanding, the lack of Christ, etc., etc.

But not to me.

I must be perfect or I will be rejected. I must earn love and forgiveness. They might be freely offered gifts to others, but they are not for me. In essence, I am inherently worthless.

I have come to the conclusion that almost every time I hurt, every time I feel defensive or attacked, every time I feel not good enough, or that I have to defend my position on something, or a decision I’ve made, etc., it’s because I am overwhelmed by an intense fear that my complete and utter worthlessness is about to be exposed for all to see.

I’m so afraid that the mask of self-worth I so desperately try to keep in place will slip, and that the world will be, “ aha, we knew it all along. She is worthless.” And then I shall be emotionally abandoned by everyone one final time and for all of time.

I had a very emotionally draining weekend, and to top it off, Sunday morning attended a different church akin to the strict fundamental kind my father was pastor of. It’s been several years since I’ve been in a church where I (and the entire congregation) has been judged and condemned from the pulpit. Among other things, the pastor told them that he was personally embarrassed that only 80 people attended the evening service (basically he told 3/4ths of his congregation they were an embarrassment to him.)

He went on and on about this for awhile and I just sat there thinking: do we feel bad enough to be a Christian yet? Do we feel shamed enough, er, I mean, convicted enough to attend Sunday night service? How motivated do you feel to attend that church let alone the night service? Do you feel Christ’s love? Do you feel Him wooing you and drawing you to Him?

I kept my mouth shut. Why? Because I know the type of responses I would get: Well, if you are uncomfortable with the message, that’s because the truth hurts / Your discomfort stems from feeling guilty and that means the Holy Spirit’s convicting you. (I.e. -- the Pastor is right; you are wrong.) Why can’t you just open your heart and allow God to speak to you through the words of this Godly man? (Again, he is right and I am wrong.)

There were several other similar aspects of the sermon, and biblical interpretation stated dogmatically as truth, and other denominations criticized for their fallible interpretation of scripture, but all that aside, he ends the sermon by asking a man to pray who he then “jokingly” and publically refers to as fat and lazy.

Let me tell you how tempted I was to confront him at the end of the sermon as he stood by the doors and shook hands with his exiting parishioners. To inform him that I hoped he realized how hurtful his comment was, that he was in the wrong, that he needed to repent to God, and apologize and seek forgiveness from the man in question.

But I didn’t. And here’s the ironic part: the reason I didn’t confront him was because I would feel shame and worthless.

This is what led me to the realization of all that I wrote before this about worthlessness and grace. Why in the world does someone else’s mistake and/or sin make ME worthless??? I know why my own sins and mistakes make me feel that way, but how in the world does someone else’s sin make me worthless? Why do I feel shame if I called him on it?

Because somehow I would be in the wrong. I rocked the boat. It’s not my place to say anything. Why couldn’t I just let it go? Once again, other’s faults are excused and I am condemned.

I can imagine being criticized had I accosted him and told him he was in the wrong. Because I am not free and at liberty to point out his wrong; and others also don’t see the need or feel free or at liberty to point out his wrong. (His actions are excused). But…others feel completely comfortable to point out my wrong in approaching him (if that would even be wrong, I am not sure it would have been). But anyway, they are free and at liberty to tell me where I am wrong. So once again, everyone gets grace. I get condemned. I am worthless.

I hesitate to post this. Even now, I struggle with feelings of worthlessness. I feel it might be noticed and read and I will be chastised or given a “talking to” or the pastor will be defended and I will be in the wrong, and I think, is it even worth it – why am even bothering to post this? Well, to the quote the pastor, because “this is my heart”.

This injustice and judgmental, critical view of God that he shouts from the pulpit drove me so far from Christianity that it burdens me to think about the other young innocents it will do the same to. Not to mention the lack of intimacy his flock are being taught to have with their Father or Lover due to not realizing how passionately He wants to draw them to Him, but rather feeling they are an embarrassment to God because they don’t go to church often enough or two times on a Sunday. That God is not pleased with them, they are not good enough. How many times on a Sunday you attend church is what pleases God, or has Him approve of you, or has Him smiling on you.

Pastors condemn. People are led astray. And Jesus weeps.

Bigfoot and Publishers

2009-09-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

Well, as you read this, I am waking up in Colorado and off to hunt Bigfoot (or at least sightseeking Bigfoot) with a cryptozoologist friend of mine whom you may have seen on MonsterQuest a few weeks back (i did post about it -- he went to Africa looking for a living dinosaur the natives call Mokele M'bembe).

Anyway, then I will be dropping in at the ACFW conference held in Denver to meet my Phoenix girls (at last and hooray!!!!) -- 3 online girlfriends who adopted me into their Arizona writer's group and who all read my entire mss and loved it, bless their hearts! (Plus many other Christian writer friends I've met along the years.)

So, a big thanks to my friend Rick for flying me out there to meet my online friends! Wish me luck that I can snag a pic of Bigfoot. And say a prayer that a publisher walks by and decides I look like someone whose book he/she needs to publish!

:)

PS -- Check this out for a list of Colorado Bigfoot Sightings

Who is the Main Character of your life?

2009-08-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

I'm not looking for the answer "God", lol. I'm speaking humanly, here.

I would think that for most of us, the answer is, our self. It is, after all, our life. But it could be a spouse, a child/ren, the cat.

I have to admit, I am the main character in my life. However, I honestly believe/feel that I could be quite content as the supporting actress/love interest to the main character -- if I had a spouse with an awesome God-given calling on his life.

There's a part of me that honestly craves that.

I also realize that it would make quite an adjustment, having been the main character for so long. I tend to be an incredibly selfish person, and am quite immature to boot, lol. Yet at times, I imagine growing up (finally!) and finding fulfillment in being what God created me to be.

I think somewhere over the years, women (and men) have lost their God-given roles, and felt that headship/leadership is superior. I've noticed a pattern among today's married Christian couples -- they seem to be practicing role-reversal, with the woman as the spiritual leader....and the marriages are rocky/in trouble. Not surprising if you really think about. If we askew the balance God created, no wonder there are problems.

For years I assumed it was the man's fault, that men refused to stand up and be the spiritual leader of their house, ensuring their home was a safe haven and not a spiritual battlefield for their families, forcing the woman to into that role if she desired to raise Godly children. And this may be the case many times. But, recently I've noticed that many women have snatched the role away from their husbands, and for some strange reason, the men submitted their leadership -- willing yielded it away.

But regardless of why (refusal or yielding), it would not surprise me if the high % of Christian divorces do not stem back from this balance problem.

Anyway, sorry for my rant/rabbit trail -- so who is the Main Character in your life? Even if it's the cat, go ahead and admit it, lol.

Your life as a movie tagline

2009-08-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

Wow...i thought up this blog topic, and am now struggling to come up with something witty, lol.

The best I can come up with as tired as I am at the moment is: Trapped in Time

Actually that sounds more like a movie/book title....lol, it's giving me ideas for a story.

Ok, so if my life movie was called Trapped in Time (there'd best be a sequel!), what would my tagline be?

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

Lol, I really am tired.

So what would be the title and tagline of your life?

What Genre is your life?

2009-08-18T11:00:00.001-04:00

So far mine is definitely a drama. *sigh*

I'd like to be an action flick with a romance subplot -- that would be way cool, lol.

But what about you? What genre is your life? What genre would you like your life to be, if different? Why?

I can see souls

2009-08-14T11:00:00.001-04:00

I know, it sounds like a line from the Sixth Sense -- "I see dead people." But apparently it's true. I can see souls. *sigh*

I'm told it's a gift. Ha!

I guess it is. But up until now, it usually just gets me in trouble. Combine compassion and empathy with the ability to see deep into someone within minutes of meeting them (sometimes even just talking online), and imagine the possibilities that can go awry -- esp when Satan intentionally tries to pervert the gifts God gives us. That would basically sum up the story of my life.

But as they say, knowledge is power. So hopefully I can learn to see some one's soul (and their pain) without feeling compelled to take on their pain or rescue them or heal them, etc.

So what is your particular 6th sense? It's not necessarily intuitive; it could be anything that combined with your spiritual gift and personal experiences makes you unique for God's kingdom and allows you to reach someone or accomplish something no one else could.

Please share!

Who is the Villian in YOUR life?

2009-08-13T11:00:00.002-04:00

Not necessarily evil incarnate, through I guess it could be, lol. Not even a full-fledged antagonist, but someone (or even something) that tempts you to stray from the path God has for you. It may not even be a sin, in and of itself, but it is for you, because it's not what God has planned for you. A certain type of behavior that keeps cropping up, something you feel compelled to do, or drawn to.

I'm struggling with something like this right now. I've even started counseling over it. *sigh*

(Blah, blah, blah it all comes down to my father, there's still holes in my soul, I have to learn to accept him as a person, forgiveness isn't enough, blah, blah, blah.)

Sorry, I'll stop whining now, lol. It's just that I thought all this was behind me, but it turns out it's not, or I wouldn't be struggling so much with this spirit-versus-the-flesh war.

I'm thinking I am my own, villain, lol. Crucify the flesh, crucify the flesh! Much easier said than done. Grrr.

So anyway, who or what is the villain in your life? What is it that keeps cropping up in your life, that perhaps isn't even a sin, but that tempts you to stray from God's path, or even just take a brief detour?

Has God ever asked you to sacrifice YOUR Isaac?

2009-08-12T11:00:00.001-04:00

You know, that something you worked so hard for, toiling sweat, blood, and tears.

Or maybe you waited months, or even years for something, trusting in God's timing, exuding all the patience you could muster.

And after all that, God asks you to give it up and sacrifice it to Him.

God asked me to wait 5 years for something (and no, this is not about my book). During that 5 years, He tweaked what I was waiting for (rather, he aligned my heart more with His will). After the 5 years, I thought I had my Isaac...after all, wasn't that what I waited all this time for? Yet, it seems I didn't. The desire of my heart, my Isaac, was not what I was "given". But I felt what I was given is what was God's will, and so I was ready to sacrifice my Isaac for Him.

(I'm being insanely vague here, forgive me.)

It's now been almost 7 years....but God showed me not to sacrifice the desires of my heart. I'm wondering if He was testing me, to see if I was truly willing too.

And now, He is showing me glimpses of the ram. Glimpses that everything I've waited for, He will provide -- far exceedingly above all that I could ask or desire.

Either that, or I'm running circles in the dark thinking I see a light, lol.

Anyway, what Isaac has God asked you to sacrifice? Did you? If yes, was it worth it? If not, do you have regrets?

Kenny

2009-07-09T12:07:00.001-04:00

Please keep in mind that my son gets his morbid sense of humor from his father. Thanks. :)

Richard Dawkins Strikes Again

2009-07-02T00:00:00.001-04:00

Excerpt from the blog of Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis:

The Hypocrisy of it All

Atheist Richard Dawkins, according to the press in the United Kingdom, is helping to subsidize a summer retreat on atheism and evolution for children (such retreats already take place in the USA). The headline for the article in the Mail Online states:

Richard Dawkins Launches Children’s Summer Camp for Atheists

So what is the hypocrisy in regard to this?

After the group of around 70–80 secular paleontologists visited the Creation Museum recently, some comments were made to the press (several media outlets were here that day) concerning the Creation Museum attracting so many children and how terrible this was—that we were educating children this way. Recently I wrote a blog item about a person who was complaining about the new Creation Museum billboards, stating:

I hate that the Creation Museum has dinosaurs ripping at their billboards, an obvious ploy to attract more kids to brainwash to Christianity.

Yesterday we came across a blog entry by an associate professor of mathematics in Harrisonburg, Virginia,who visited with the group of paleontologists. He blogged:

I have made several visits to the museum, and it has been crowded each time. But even I was taken aback by the mob scene that greeted us. Things were so clogged it was sometimes hard to work your way through the labyrinth of exhibits. Very depressing. Even more depressing was the ubiquity of small children from various camps and schools: Well isn’t that charming. Getting ‘em while their young is a big thing with creationists.

Of course, what he means is that Christians shouldn’t be teaching children—that it needs to be left up to the atheists/evolutionists. If this professor agreed with what we teach, it would be okay to teach children—but he doesn’t agree; so, it is not okay for us to teach children.

The utter hypocrisy of such a position (which we hear from these very emotional and religious zealot secularists) can be seen so clearly in what is reported about Richard Dawkins and the summer camp on atheism for children. The Mail Online report continues:

The author of controversial book The God Delusion is helping to launch Britain’s first summer retreat for non-believers.

Richard Dawkins is subsidising the camp which will offer children aged eight to 17 the chance to sing along to John Lennon’s Imagine [sic] and have lessons in evolution.

The five-day camp, based in Somerset, promises to be ‘beyond belief’—the event’s motto—and will rival traditional faith-based breaks run by the Scouts and church groups.

. . . And instead of finishing up the day with a toasted marshmallow and round of Kim-bi-ya budding atheists will belt out ‘Imagine there’s no heaven . . . and no religion too.’ Dawkins said the camp was designed to ‘encourage children to think for themselves sceptically and rationally.’

The camp will enable “children to think for themselves skeptically and rationally.” In other words, these children will be trained to think the way Richard Dawkins wants them to—to think his atheistic way! Talk about brainwashing children in atheism!

NY Times article on Creation Museum

2009-07-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Excerpts from the NY Times article -- published yesterday, June 29th

PETERSBURG, Ky. — Tamaki Sato was confused by the dinosaur exhibit. The placards described the various dinosaurs as originating from different geological periods — the stegosaurus from the Upper Jurassic, the heterodontosaurus from the Lower Jurassic, the velociraptor from the Upper Cretaceous — yet in each case, the date of demise was the same: around 2348 B.C.

For paleontologists...layers of bedrock represent an accumulation over hundreds of millions of years, and the Lower Jurassic is much older than the Upper Cretaceous.

But here in the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky, Earth and the universe are just over 6,000 years old, created in six days by God. The museum preaches, “Same facts, different conclusions” and is unequivocal in viewing paleontological and geological data in light of a literal reading of the Bible.

In the creationist interpretation, the layers were laid down in one event — the worldwide flood when God wiped the land clean except for the creatures on Noah’s ark — and these dinosaurs died in 2348 B.C., the year of the flood.

The worlds of academic paleontology and creationism rarely collide, but the former paid a visit to the latter last Wednesday. Since the museum opened two years ago, this was the first large group of paleontologists to drop by. The museum welcomed the atypical guests with the typical hospitality. “Praise God, we’re excited to have you here,” said Bonnie Mills, a guest service employee.

Near the entrance to the exhibits is an animatronic display that includes a girl feeding a carrot to a squirrel as two dinosaurs stand nearby, a stark departure from natural history museums that say the first humans lived 65 million years after the last dinosaurs.

“I’m speechless,” said Derek E.G. Briggs, director of the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale, who walked around with crossed arms and a grimace. “It’s rather scary.”

[Creationsits] look at the same rocks and fossils as the visiting scientists, but because of different starting assumptions they arrive at different answers. For example, they say the biblical flood set off huge turmoil inside the Earth that broke apart the continents and pushed them to their current locations, not that the continents have moved over a few billion years.

“Everyone has presuppositions what they will consider, what questions they will ask,” said Dr. Mortenson, a lecturer and researcher for Answers in Genesis who holds a doctorate in the history of geology from Coventry University in England. “The very first two rooms of our museum talk about this issue of starting points and assumptions. We will very strongly contest an evolutionist position that they are letting facts speak for themselves.”

Click HERE for the full article

Welcome!

2009-06-30T11:25:00.000-04:00

If you're here because you watched the book trailer and came to check out more,

thank you and welcome!

If the trailer is the first you ever heard of the book, you may have no idea what it's about save for a fantasy about some dude named Michael who is trying to stop an evil villain named Hashatan who is attempting to kill off the ancestral line of an Heir foretold in prophecy in order to prevent his birth.

So here are a few details:

Michael is none other than the biblical archangel, or in my book, the Commander of the Malakim army. First off, there is a definite fantasy spin on everything -- from swords and "sorcery" to Centaurs to winged-horses to fire-breathing dragons (amazingly enough -- all from a biblical standpoint. Don't believe me? Lol, then you'll have to read it and see).

Second, the biblical events unfold in the background, while the main story focuses on Michael (the more familiar a bible story, the more fictional aspects of the plot come into play to "distract" from it.)

Third, it reads more like allegory than a bible story (so much so, that its often called allegory even though it's not). This is due to the Hebrew names/terms, such as:

Shamayim = Heaven

Malakim = angels

Shaityrim = demons

King Elyon = God the Father

The Prince = the preincarnate Christ

Hashatan = Satan

This is so the reader "forgets" he is reading about the Bible and loses himself in the story, absorbing much more truth then he normally would attempting to read through the biblical narrative.

But whereas Aslan is a type of Christ, the Prince is the preincarnate Christ.

And fourth brings us to Michael himself.

One, he has anger issues. Two, he doesn't get long at all with his second--in-command Gavriel. And three, he ends up turning vigilante.

Michael is almost constantly under emotional and psychological duress -- whether placed there by Gavriel; Hashatan, his former mentor; Marduk, his ex-best friend, now a demon and who wants revenge; a host of others; and even himself.

The point of all this? Quite simply, it is to reach the the lost, but it also will strengthen the faith of any believer as well as give him/her the answers to defend their faith. So send a link to friends and family, tell people in your church (esp youth group kids), and any LOTR and/or fantasy fans of any age. Anyone you think would be interested in an angels and demons novel.

Thanks again for coming. Hope you enjoyed!

On Schedule!

2009-06-26T11:01:00.003-04:00

Ha! The music is done. My brother has it and if all goes as planned, Monday is definitely launch day. Woo-hoo! I am soooo excited. Go Michael! Go Michael!

The trailer is very YEC supportive, so if you have YEC friends, let them know to keep an eye out on it, and to feel free to tell others about it!

I may never have shared this before, but AiG allowed me to use some photos I took at the Creation Museum, which is why you'll see their logo in the credits. Very, very cool! I'm so psyched. :)

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for your patience!

MonsterQuest

2009-06-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Tonight, on History Channel, a friend of mine is going to on MonsterQuest. Tonight's episode is entitled The Last Dinosaur. The expedition is in search of a dinosaur the natives call Mokele M'bembe. This is the third time my friend has gone to Africa in search of this dinosaur. So any and all of my YEC friends -- ya gotta watch it!

Scheduled Launch Day

2009-06-23T00:00:00.004-04:00

If nothing goes wrong, Launch Day is this Monday -- June 29th! Hurrah!

So far, on Launch Day:

The book trailer will be posted on my blog
My blog will start updating on FaceBook and Twitter
The trailer will be posted on Facebook
It will be posted on My Fan Page on Facebook
It will be posted on YouTube
It will be posted on a myriad of other Christian writing forums I belong too (that I'm too lazy to list here) and,
It will be the first day of the 12 Chapters in 12 Weeks

And....I'm going to pay for a Facebook ad specifically targeting Christians who read fantasy (as well as a few other keywords). I already designed the ad, which has an estimate of reaching 8,500,000+ people (based on my keywords).

If I understand FB properly, due to my paying the minimum for a period of 3 weeks, it will be viewed appox 3,000 time a day for a total of 77,000 people.

The ad will link them directly to my blog which has a hit counter, so I will be able to see how many people actually watch it. (Right now my average is 8 -- of course, I haven't been blogging lately either -- so I will keep you all informed!)

Anybody interested in posting the trailer on the blog on Launch Day, please let me know, and of course I will return the favor!

Please keep launch day in prayer as this book is primarily for evangelism and I will need interested Christians to help promote it by word of mouth (thus the point of the FB ad). Thanks!

JC

A Scathingly Brilliant Idea

2009-06-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

For those who don't recognize the post title, it's a line from the Haley Mills movie Trouble With Angels.

But anyway, I've been contemplating the futility of launching a book trailer before I even have a publisher, let alone a publishing date. And you've all probably heard me gripe about marketing, and how I was called to be a writer, not a marketer blah blah blah, but....

I have decided that when I launch my trailer, I am also going to start posting the first 12 chapters of my book on a weekly basis. So 12 chapters in 12 weeks -- which ironically ends with the prophecy being foretold.

If anyone knows of the highest blogging day, please let me know.

When I started this blog, I explained that it was a behind the scenes look at an aspiring author trying to break in....and now, (though I've yet to break in), I am going to try out different marketing strategies and you can all walk through the process with me, seeing what succeeds and what fails.

So....more of my ideas tomorrow.

Music

2009-06-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

*sigh*

Ok, I think I mentioned that I'm going to have the music for my book trailer professionally written -- so the pace will match and the music will swell/bang during certain scenes, etc.

Well, I sent my cousin the link so he could watch the final version (it looks awesome, btw!) and he sent me a text telling me to give him a few weeks to come up with the music.

Patience. I need patience. I'm so stoked, yet must wait, not a day, not a few days, but weeks. I can do this. I really can.

But I would like to take this opportunity to thank both my brother and my cousin for all their hard work thus far, for doing all of this free of charge, and for supporting my book and its purpose. You both are awesome!

BTW -- stay tuned for blog posts next week on marketing strategies (yes, I will actually be blogging all week!)

Welcome!

2009-06-18T19:28:00.004-04:00

If you're here because you watched the book trailer and came to check out more,

thank you and welcome!

But whereas Aslan is a type of Christ, the Prince is the preincarnate Christ.

And fourth brings us to Michael himself.

One, he has anger issues. Two, he doesn't get long at all with his second--in-command Gavriel. And three, he ends up turning vigilante.

trailer update

2009-06-15T10:42:00.003-04:00

Well, the latest version of the book trailer looks awesome! All the graphic changes have been made, the voice over is on....all were waiting on is the music. So hopefully within the week.

I'm really stoked. It came out really well. As a rule, I don't like book trailers. It may just be because I'm used to the fast pace of movie trailers, but bt's often seem corny to me.

While I don't think mine is corny, I am wondering if anyone will know what my book is about after viewing the trailer. I'm not even sure if the book looks Christian, lol.

Between the fact that Michael doesn't have wings and calling the Messiah the Heir, I'm pretty doubtful that even Christians will realize its about the Old Testament. But we shall see. A friend told me none of that matters as long as it gathers interest for the book.

So anyway, hopefully it will be out very shortly.

Coming Along

2009-06-05T11:16:00.003-04:00

Last night, I went to my cousin's and recorded the voice over for the book trailer. Amazingly, it went really well. I wasn't sure, because I tend not to like my voice, but I've listened to the opening of Fellowship for days, and practiced and practiced trying to sound like Lady Galadriel, and while I didn't end up sounding like her....it def sounded feminine and ominous.

We recorded it multiple times and overlaid it, so it has an echo-y sound to it. Plus my idea for a whipsery prologue came out well too.

My cousin is going to do a few edits and play around with it, then it will be sent back to my brother who pace it and sway around a few graphics. Then it will go back to my cousin for the music, then back to my brother one last touch....and then finally, I should be able to launch it.

It's really coming out well...I'm pretty excited.

Other than that, my life is hectic and crazy, I'm on an emotional roller coaster, not just with life, but even concerning the book. I will post more on that later....right now, I'm still trying to recover.

Please keep me in your prayer. Specifically, I need prayer for strength, patience, and clarity to make the right decisions both in regards to my book and something else.

And I want to give a special thanks to all of you who are still hanging in there with me, despite me erratic blogging.

Have a great weekend!

Another Delay

2009-06-01T11:18:00.003-04:00

It seems the VO is not coming out well, so now the plan is instead of trying to imitate movie trailer voice guy, I am going to do it -- in my best Lady Galadriel voice, very similar to the opening prologue of Fellowship.

So as soon as I can record the VO at my cousin's, it will be sent to my brother, who will pace the graphics to my voice, then the whole thing will be sent back to my cousin so he can write the music for it. Then it will be sent back to my brother one last time (hopefully!), who will put it all together, and then I can finally launch it.

I really hope all this time and aggravation are worth it, lol. Sometimes I fear after all this, no one will have any idea what the book is even about (it never mentions angels, Michael obviously doesn't have wings, and since I say Heir instead of Messiah, I've no idea if anyone will even realize it's a Christian book let alone one about the entire OT.)

But I guess the main point is: does it make the book look worth buying/reading?

*sigh*

Only time will tell.

Slight delay

2009-05-27T09:24:00.004-04:00

All good things in life are worth waiting for.

Grrr -- there are some things I've waiting 7 years for, but we won't go there right now. :)

Anyway, as for the book trailer, there is a slight delay. Demonic-Michael is getting cut, and a few other things adjusted. (Click HERE to join my Facebook page and see demonic Michael).

Then I'm sending it to my cousin who already wrote and recorded LOTRsih music for me so he can time it to the scenes for dramatic emphasis.

I can't wait!

Did I mention that Answers in Genesis gave me copyright permission to use some photos I took at the Creation Museum? So cool.

Stay tuned!

Book Trailer Almost Done

2009-05-25T00:00:00.003-04:00

My awesome, computer-whiz brother is almost finished with the book trailer. I should be posting it both here and on Facebook early this week. I am so excited. I haven't seen any more graphics than you have -- due to my brother wanting to keep it a surprise.

Of course I know the script since I wrote that, but most of the scenes have been dramatically changed due to an expensive animation program he bought. So stay tuned!

New Blog Design!!!

2009-05-22T12:32:00.004-04:00

Very late for work (of course!), but just finished the new design.

What do you think???

Missing Link Found!!!!

2009-05-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to say how grateful I am to secular scientists and Charles Darwin! At last we have proof of evolution and have found the missing link. I feel so much better knowing that I evolved from slime and that my life is meaningless. And just look at the proof -- I mean, come on -- it has opposing toes -- therefore anyone who doesn't see the FACT that humans evolved from this lemur monkey are just unenlightened, blind, literal-Bible interpreting idiots.

I hope you caught my sarcasm. If I was too subtle, I apologize.

The president of Answers in Genesis says an alleged new "missing link" found by scientists is nothing more than an extinct primate.

From One News Now: On Tuesday, scientists in New York unveiled what they described as the missing link in human evolution, a fossilized skeleton reportedly 47 million years old. They said the creature -- nicknamed "Ida" -- had four legs and a long tail, was about the size of a small cat, and had human-like nails instead of claws, along with a bone in her foot that is similar to humans.

According to Associated Press, scientists said while the creature is not a direct ancestor of monkeys and humans, it provides a good indication of what that ancestor may have looked like.

Ken Ham, president of the apologetics ministry Answers in Genesis, finds it ironic that the same scientists, in a research paper detailing their findings, toned down their pronouncements after pressure from colleagues in the scientific community.

"One of those reviewers said that...whether or not it's going to be a transitional form, or missing link, is a judgment for the scientific community," Ham states. "And he's quoted as saying that [issue] will be sorted out, or at least debated extensively in the community for years, once the paper is published."

Ham says the fossil is similar to a modern lemur, and in no way resembles a human skeleton.

The ministry has stated: "Because the fossil is similar to a modern lemur (a small, tailed, tree-climbing primate), it's unlikely that creationists need any interpretation of the 'missing link' other than that it was a small, tailed, probably tree-climbing, and now extinct primate -- from a kind created on Day 6 of Creation Week."

Where Will I Meet Mr. Right?

2009-05-04T11:52:00.003-04:00

So I took this quiz on facebook and the results are hilarious becuase the guys I'm suppossed to avoid are usually the ones I like.

Lol -- Even on line quizzes are telling me it's time to grow up and be "normal" and more clean cut.

Result University/College Campus. (this is because I said I was a student on the career question, since it didn't have an option of in the middle of launching career -- just well-established, etc.) Basically, my "studying/research/school" is online.

So anyway....

Comments: You are most likely to meet your "Mr.Right" at your local University or College campus. Avoid guys with torn clothing, t-shirts with slogans and backwards ball caps. Instead, look for a guy who carries himself with pride, is sitting outside with his lap top but gazing around or a guy who always arrives to class early. Consider it a bonus if he is in his graduate year or is in a medical program (he'll be too busy to have another girl) or if he has his own apartment off campus and vehicle (that he pays for himself). Also consider it important to find the man who also has a job while attending college/university- this shows a level of motivation.

This particular breed of man needs you to share in common goals. Striking up a conversation based on mutual interests or program interests is always the way to go....Smile and let the journey begin!

Too funny....and ironic. :)

Is drinking a sin?

2009-04-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

I think not.

At the wedding in Cana, Jesus had the servants fill six stone jars with water, each jar holding 20 - 30 gallons. (John 2:6) That's a total of at least 120 gallons, and as much as 180 gallons.

Now, the best wine was always served first, and the cheaper, watered-down versions served after every one's palate was a blur (ie - too drunk to notice).

Anyway, three five-ounce glasses of table wine -- a total of 15 ounces -- can raise the blood alcohol content of an average-sized person well beyond the .08% used today as a measure of impairment.

Thus -- Jesus miraculously produced enough wine to render at least 1,024 people unfit to drive an donkey cart.

Sex and the Law

2009-04-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Obviously I have not been blogging lately, as

1) my life is very stressful(financially)

2)to escape that stress, I've buried myself in research for the 2nd book

However, it occurred to me, that I'm discovering lots of little tidbits that are fascinating but will never be in my book, so I think I will begin to share them here.

That being said, here is a hilarious story from the Talmud, in the chapter of a book I'm reading on how odd it was for Jesus to chose his disciples because usually it was the disciple who choose the Rabbi he wished to study under.

Once you found the Rabbi, you basically followed him around as much as possible, learning from his words and actions.

[One story in the Talmud -- a collection of sacred Jewish commentary and history about Jewish law -- tells of an eager disciple hiding under his master's bed. The student said he wanted to learn how the Law applied to sex:

Kahana snaked into Rabbi Abba's bedroom and hid under the bed. There Kahana heard the rabbi and his wife engage in happy, intimate pillow talk--followed by exuberant sex.

Afterward, Kahana spoke from under the bed. "You sound like a man who's never had sex before."

Shocked, the rabbi replied, "Kahana, what are you doing here? Get out! You're being rude!"

"No, I'm not," Kahana answered. "This is a matter of Law. And I have to study it."

Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 62a]

Silent Tribute to Christ

2009-04-10T09:11:00.005-04:00

America's God is Dead?

2009-04-08T11:39:00.003-04:00

Hi. Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile, life has been quite stressful and complicated. Anyway, below is an article by Jon Meacham in NEWSWEEK, based on a poll that shows the dramatic decline in the percentage of self-identified Christians.

The End of Christian America

The number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 8 to 15 percent.

This is not to say that the Christian God is dead, but that he is less of a force in American politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory. To the surprise of liberals who fear the advent of an evangelical theocracy and to the dismay of religious conservatives who long to see their faith more fully expressed in public life, Christians are now making up a declining percentage of the American population.

Many conservative Christians believe they have lost the battles over issues such as abortion, school prayer and even same-sex marriage, and that the country has now entered a post-Christian phase. R. Albert Mohler Jr.—president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary –writes, “The so-called Judeo-Christian consensus of the last millennium has given way to a post-modern, post-Christian, post-Western cultural crisis which threatens the very heart of our culture."

According to the new NEWSWEEK Poll:

Fewer people now think of the United States as a "Christian nation" than did so when George W. Bush was president (62 percent in 2009 versus 69 percent in 2008).

Two thirds of the public (68 percent) now say religion is "losing influence" in American society, while just 19 percent say religion's influence is on the rise.

The proportion of Americans who think religion "can answer all or most of today's problems" is now at a historic low of 48 percent.

Fearing the coming of a Europe-like secular state, the right longed to engineer a return to what it believed was a Christian America of yore...but has failed, at least for now:

For more than 40 years, the debate that began with the Supreme Court's decision to end mandatory school prayer in 1962...has been ferocious.

In Texas, authorities have decided to side with science, not theology, in a dispute over the teaching of evolution.

The terrible economic times have not led to an increase in church attendance.
In Iowa last Friday, the state Supreme Court ruled against a ban on same-sex marriage, a defeat for religious conservatives.

Such evidence is what has believers fretting about the possibility of an age dominated by a newly muscular secularism.

Mohler concludes, "What we are seeing now is the evidence of a pattern that began a very long time ago of intellectual and cultural and political changes in thought and mind. The conditions have changed. Hard to pinpoint where, but whatever came after the Enlightenment was going to be very different than what came before."

And what comes next here, with the ranks of professing Christians in decline, is going to be different, too.

Pro-life doctors forced to perform abortions

2009-04-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't heard, this week is the deadline so speak out against President Obama's plan to rescind the ''Conscience Clause'' - an act that protects pro-life doctors from participating in abortion procedures.

If Obama's plan goes through, it will force pro-life doctors to act against their convictions by participating in abortion-related procedures. All you need to do is click HERE to add your name to the ACLJ's online petition.

Please join them fighting to protect the right of conscience for pro-life doctors and nurses and keep them from being forced to participate in abortions.

Thanks.

Great Scot!

2009-03-27T00:25:00.006-04:00

You gotta watch this video -- it's hilarious! You've all heard me talk about my Knight friend (who by the way is the one I txted for 8 hours on Sunday). He's in full-time children's ministry in his church and a truer JesusFreak you will not find.

Anyway, here's a video he and his friends from church put together. And of course, my friend is the one with the sword.

And with that, I wish you all a great weekend!

Potholes and Blessings

2009-03-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

Most of you know my finiancial situation is pretty dire at the moment, which only makes this story all the more interesting.

Yesterday I hit a huge pothole while driving around in Philly. I knew instantly something was wrong with my front passenger tire becuase of the strange noise it was making. "Coincidently" I hit this pothole about 500 feet from a Tire Place.

Not only was my tire flat, but it was flat becuase the steel rim was now smashed replete with a 5 inch crack. The owner of the tire place didn't have a rim for me, but put my spare on. I carry know cash on me and he didn't take credit, so he told me it was ok to bring him the $5 for putting on the spare the following day.

All that night and the next morning, I'm calling used auto parts places and junkyards trying to find a rim that would fit my car for under the 150 -- 200+ price everyone was quoting me. I finally found a place that had one for $75. The only problem -- I have $8 in my checking account, and even after I get paid this Friday, after normal bills, will barely have enough money to buy food.

I called my boss, and the wonderful man that he is, said he would write out my check for an additional $75 to pay for the rim. When I got there, it came to $80 with tax. Then I had to drive to a mechanic who took the tire from the smashed rim and put it on the new rim and then put in on my car for $10.

The total for all this entire ordeal came to $95.10.

While the mechanic was putting the tire on -- a tire that blesssedly survived all this and was still in good condition -- I thanked God that all this only cost me $20.

So anyway, when I went to my other job and told that boss all that happened (who the night before told me he would go to a junkyard and pick up a rim for me, then told me he was too busy) must have felt bad that my other boss was will to pay for it, so he handed me a $20.

So in the end, I paid $0.10. About 1% of the total cost.

God is so VERY good!

Text Mania

2009-03-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm just curious, but I spent the better part of Sunday (8+ hours) texting a friend. And it was a lot of fun. It came to about 150 texts in my Inbox.

So my question is -- has anyone else ever done that? What's the most you ever txted? What do you like about txting? What do you dislike?

2009-03-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's been really hard for me to stay on top of blogging, due to life being so...what it is.

I'm either out of my lair (usually having fun -- actually working on building a real social life) or I'm at home burying myself in research for Book 2 to keep my mind off how up in the air my life is. Today was particularly discouraging, emotionally.

A verse that God has really laid on my heart is this: The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still (Exodus 14:14). That's what I'm trying to do, to be still, but it's not that easy.

I thank everyone for their prayers during this difficult time, I really appreciate them.

The Red Envelope Project

2009-03-18T00:00:00.002-04:00

Sorry I haven't been all that consistent with blogging lately (I've not been in my liar lately -- I know, shocking!) But this is really important, and I hope you participate.

Vision America: What started out as an email request to 120 ministry friends has grown into hundreds of thousands of small red envelopes being sent to President Obama at the White House, in protest of his pro-abortion policies and in an effort to speak out on behalf of the rights of millions of aborted pre-born babies. As the man who started it, while praying during his devotions, says, "This is not about politics; it's about changing one man's heart."

So get a red envelope and on the back print:

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

Then just mail to:

President Barack Obama
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington, D.C. 20500.

This is a crusade to change President Obama's heart.

President Obama may be the most pro-abortion President in history. For three consecutive years as a Senator in Illinois he voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (S.B. 1095, S.B. 1662, S.B. 1082), legislation designed to protect babies who survived an abortion attempt.

Action America hopes 50 million Red Envelopes are sent by March 31st. Click HERE to let them know you sent one!

I'm sleeping

2009-03-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm sleeping as I write this post. I was sleeping yesterday while running 6.5 mph on the treadmill wearing my Jesus Freak t-shirt. And I will continue to happily sleep.

Not sure if you've all heard this song, but it's really cool. It's called Average Girl and it's by Barlow Girl:

So what I"m not your average girl
I don't meet the standards of this world
Chasing after boys is not my thing
See I'm waiting for a wedding ring

No more dating
I'm just waiting
Like sleeping beauty
My prince will come for me
No more dating I'm just waiting
'Cause God is writing my love story

Boys are bad that's certainly not true
'Cause God's preparing one for you
If you get tired waiting till he comes
Gods arms are the perfect place to run

Sleep that's the only thing
For me 'cause when I sleep Gods
Preparing one for me

No more dating
I'm just waiting
Like sleeping beauty
My prince will come for me
No more dating I'm just waiting
'Cause God is writing my love story
My love story

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Global Warming: Truth or Fiction?

2009-03-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK CITY - Speakers at a conference on climate change are making the case that the alarmism behind the global-warming bandwagon is politically motivated, has nothing to do with science, and could affect the sovereignty of the U.S.

The second annual International Conference on Climate Change hosted by The Heartland Institute is well under way in New York City. More than 700 registrants have gathered in the Big Apple to hear more than 70 scientists -- representing the views of tens of thousands of their colleagues -- make the argument that media and environmental advocacy groups have it all wrong, that global warming is not a crisis.

One of the headlining speakers to open the event Sunday evening was European Union and Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus, who was welcomed with a standing ovation. Klaus, one of the most outspoken critics of manmade global warming in Europe, says those who propagate global-warming hysteria are like the communists of old Europe. Like global-warming alarmists, he stated, the communists did not listen to opposing views.

"They didn't even try to argue back," said Klaus. "They considered you a naïve, uninformed and confused person, an eccentric complainer....It is very similar now."

Klaus believes that politicians who propagate global warming hysteria only have one goal in mind: control of the public. "It is evident that the environmentalists don't want to change the climate," he said. "They want to change our behavior...to control and manipulate us."

And he warns that those same politicians wish to engage in energy rationing -- all because of a problem that he believes does not exist. Klaus concluded his speech with this remark.

"The environmentalists speak about saving the planet. We have to ask -- From what? And from whom?" said the EU leader. "I think I know [those answers] for sure. We have to save the planet, and us, from them."

To read the rest of the article, click HERE.

This Made My Week

2009-03-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Remember I told you I filled out a profile on a Christian dating thing, which the express intention of seeing how many guys I could scare away? Well, I got the coolest response yesterday and have to share with everyone!!!

Subject Line: The beauty of a drawn sword...

Message: Yes, that is absolutely why I'm writing to you. That, and your appreciation for all things medieval, gothic, literary and Spiritual. As you've noticed, it's rare to encounter someone who loves both God and large, pointy weapons. It's also refreshing to see one embracing the uniqueness and creativity that God has placed deep within the heart.

Thank you for the brief glimpse into your realm, m'lady. May you have a wonderful, blessed week.

Is that the coolest thing ever??? That guy made my week. :)

A CS Lewis Thing

2009-03-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

I'm seriously considering writing as in depth a plot synopsis as I can for books 2 and 3, and then going on as many Bible smuggling trips as I can. It's not really a death-wish thing, it's much more like a CS Lewis thing -- "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."

My life is so up in the air right now, I have no idea what God's plan is for me (outside this trilogy).

I've called everywhere looking for a job and filled out online applications for everywhere that is open 24 hours or stocks overnight (since I have to work 3rd shift).

No one is hiring. Not Shoprite, not Walmart, not even Wawa (a convenient store located on almost every corner -- they have a local store closing so all employees are be relocated to all the other stores in the area).

For the last two weeks, God has provided for me (I was a fraud victim and got reimbursed all the money stolen from my account over the last 8 months -- miraculously it's been near exact the amount that paychecks were short to cover bills). And it's not that I'm saying God's not going to provide for me through other means, but I don't see 175 dollars showing up at my door every week (the amount needed to pay bills and not lose my house and live in a box). If He does though -- I will certainly tell you, because that would be truly amazing. I'm already amazed at the perfectly-timed fraud thing. And I'd love to be such an example of his provision...

Though I'm thinking, if I become a best-selling author someday, I will certainly be the rags-to-riches story. I'll be the Christian JK Rowling, lol.

I know you all say you're praying for me, but I am asking again....please pray (grovel if necessary) that God will provide a job for me. Thanks!

Help Keep "In God We Trust" on our currency

2009-03-07T23:24:00.002-05:00

NBC is presently taking a poll on "In God We Trust"
to stay on our American currency.

Click HERE for the link -- only takes about 2 seconds.

Please do it right away before NBC takes this off
their web page. Poll is still open so you can vote!

Thanks!

PS -- Don't forget about Daylight Savings!

PPS -- Set clock forward :)

Conversations with God

2009-03-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

The following is an email passed onto me from a friend concerning the NY bestselling books Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens by Neale D. Walsch.

The author purports to answer various questions asked by kids using the "voice of God". However, the "answers" that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God. For instance (and I paraphrase), When a girl asks the question "Why am I a lesbian?" God's answer is that she was 'born that way' because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed, with brown eyes, etc.). Then He tells her to go out and "celebrate" her differences.

Another girls poses the question "I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?"

His reply is, "Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong."

Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin. His reply "I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is "'judge not lest ye be judged."

Not only are these books the false doctrine of the devil, but in some instances quote (in error) the Word of God.

And the list goes on. These books (and others like it) are being sold to schoolchildren through (The Scholastic Book Club), and we need to be aware of what is being fed to our children.

The children of our nation are under attack. So I pray that you be sober and vigilant about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to worldly mediums, because our adversary, the devil, roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We know that lions usually hunt for the slowest, weakest and YOUNGEST of its prey.

2009-03-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm running out of things to blog about.

I wish that I was working on my book, but alas it is finished, except for critique changes that I have absolutely no interest in doing.

I wish I desired to start on the 2nd one, but no motivation there either.

I find myself with all this time on my hands -- being single is good for that, lol. I'm up to wave 74 on Chicken Invaders, my house looks beautiful, and so I do nothing but sit and watch old episodes of Profiler.

I went to the gym today, and considering my new diet that works wonders, (called the "I don't have enough money to go food shopping diet") I should be quite skinny by the time for the ACFW conference. Of course, that's if I can afford to go.

All kidding aside, if you all would please, please pray that I can find a 3rd job (I have 2 part-time jobs that I work simultaneously in the afternoons -- delivering teeth for two separate dental labs). I am looking for a 3rd job, working 3rd shift (which will eliminate my inability to sleep at night -- I lay there for hours, and even after I fall asleep I wake up repeatedly throughout the night).

So anyway, I need this 3rd job. I don't make enough money to even pay my bills (FFH was supplementing my income). I need to become financially self-sufficient. I've filled out quite a few applications, but no calls as of yet. So if you could all please keep my financial situation in your prayers, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Pepsi Boycott

2009-03-03T08:58:00.003-05:00

I've never boycotted anything before. Growing up, my mother boycotted Disney (i forget why) and more recently McDonald's (who stopped doing whatever the Christians boycotted them for - so it does work!) but I'm officially doing a boycott with Pepsi because they are really getting out of hand.

Pepsi is promoting the gay agenda by making gay commercial -- commercials with blatant homosexual people in it.

This is the 2nd time they've done a commercial like that. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to explain to my child why a man is flirting with another man because he saw it in a commercial.

Anyway, Pepsi has made no effort to hide their support for the homosexual agenda. Here is some more of what your money goes to when you buy a Pepsi product:

Pepsi gave a total of $1,000,000 to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to promote the homosexual lifestyle in the workplace.

Both HRC and PFLAG supported efforts in California to defeat Proposition 8 which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. HRC, which received $500,000 from Pepsi, gave $2.3 million to defeat Proposition 8.

Pepsi forces employees to attend sexual orientation and gender diversity training where the employees are taught to accept homosexuality.

Pepsi is a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

So if you want to see the ads and/or join me in boycotting Pepsi, click HERE (brought to you by American Family Association).

What I Want

2009-03-01T23:15:00.003-05:00

In playing the "Market Yourself as an Author" game, I've joined tons of online communities, forums, groups, etc (facebook, Godlinked, Shoutlife, etc). Well, I stumbled across a site called MeetChristians.com and thought it was another one, so I joined. Turns out it's a Christian Online Dating thing. Anyway, I decided to fill out the profile just for the fun of it, and see how many guys I could scare away.

So far, it seems to be working. I've gotten 50 profile views in only a week, and only 2 people have sent me messages -- one is a messianic Jew from Canada, the other is writer from Michigan. Anyway, here's an excerpt from my profile:

What field of employment are you engaged in? Do you enjoy it? Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? I deliver teeth. Do I enjoy it?

Not particularly, though it gives me time to listen to sermons throughout the day or CCM radio or come up with plot scenes. Do I see myself delivering teeth in 5 or 10 years? I certainly hope not. I'd like to graduate to some other body part -- maybe toes or hearts, something really gothic sounding, so when I make the delivery in my wicked-cool, spiked goth trench, it seems more in character.

Preferences in a Partner (or friend):

Not really looking here for a partner, just friends, but this seemed fun as I've never so specifically thought about it before.

JesusFreak -- I can't even fall in love if not

creationist -- I'd end up killing him if he wasn't

needs to be able to tolerate loud rock music

needs to be passionate about a relationship with Christ

compassion in the top 3 spiritual gifts (I'm what's called "high mercy", and they don't fare well with non-compassionate people. Beware the sword -- you have been warned.

likes medieval stuff -- wouldn't blink an eye if I asked him to dress up for a Renaissance fair. Even better, he would pull out his elf ears and say, like you even have to ask?

evangelism in the top 3 gifts, or atleast someone who realizes the Great Commission was a mandate for all Christians and takes the opportunities to share his faith as they come

isn't against contemporary worship music in church

isn't against CCM

is NOT a King James only person

is concerned about the moral decline of America and is somewhat active in taking a stand

he can't hate or be allergic to cats -- I have a year old kitten whom I'm in love with, and who I call baby, and who still cuddles in my arms -- belly up -- like he did when I bottle fed him. So I say this up front, because if a guy ever were to say, it's me or the cat, then I'd say -- see ya!

likes to read (likes to write would be even better)

enjoys discussing theology and apologetics

likes to cuddle

is a die-hard LOTR fan -- this is a MUST

would be nice if he likes to rock climb, or atleast would be interested in trying

would be VERY cool if he had a bike (and a biker jacket) but alas, I won't make this a requirement

a tattoo of a cross or some other Christian symbol would also be cool, but again, not a requirement

does not think America has replaced Israel or that Christians have replaced Jews -- realizes that we (gentiles) have merely been "grafted in". Is aware of and supports the Messianic Jewish movement

would go a on bible-smuggling mission trip with me to a captive nation

he would understand that being with a writer means weeks/months of being "ignored" especially if there is a deadline involved

he would understand and be agreeable to hearing tangents and plot twists involving the same characters day in and day out for years to come, possibly for the rest of his life, and would ALWAYS listen with eager interest and NEVER with glassed-over eyes

----So what do you think? Hehe -- Do I seem pretty scary?

Baby

2009-02-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try and post more personal stuff every now and then, seeing as how I realize I don't do that very often -- which I didn't even realize until I discovered none of you know about my cat -- Caviezel, aka Baby.

And yes, I named him Caviezel, after James Caviezel, but that's better than naming him Jesus, lol.

Baby came to me as a stray who was being beat up by his brothers and sisters and not fed by his mother. He was very tiny, as you can see by the pictures, and needed to be bottle fed. Because he was so little, and too young to be away from his mother (had she been feeding him), I took him everywhere I went (except for work).

So anyway, when I bottle fed him, I held him like a baby -- belly up, in the crook of my arm. To this day -- over a year later -- he must have cuddles the moment I walk in the door. He wants to be scooped up, and held like a baby, and the top of his head rubbed.

Soon I will try to remember to post a video of this -- he is so adorable. He never gets called Caviezel, unless at the vet. He's always Baby -- he even answers to Baby. I've never known a cat to answer by his name. But if I call out "Baby" where ever he was in the house, he comes running.

Go Marines!

2009-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan . One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class. When he came in the professor looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, “God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I’ll give you exactly 15 minutes.”

The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, “Here I am God. I’m still waiting.”

It was down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him, knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold in a heap on the floor.

The Marine calmly went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked, stunned, and sat there looking on in silence.

The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, “What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"

The Marine calmly replied, “God was too busy today protecting American soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So, He sent me.”

Pre-teen speaks out on Abortion

2009-02-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

The mother of a 12-year-old girl whose pro-life speech has become a hit YouTube video says her daughter's passion for the unborn is genuine.

Kimberly, Lia's mother, says Lia was told by school officials that if she chose the topic of abortion, she would not be allowed to participate in the speech contest. But both were surprised when Lia's pro-choice teacher had a change of heart.

"Her teacher was really impressed by this speech and perhaps moved by it, and therefore her teacher kind of was a real supporter of [Lia] winning for the class," Kimberly notes. "And she had to go through a couple of hoops and get clearance from a couple of other teachers before she could be declared winner of the class."

Another controversy erupted when the panel of judges had a supposed big disagreement and one stepped down. Initially Lia was disqualified, but later the panel declared her the winner. (quoted from One News Now)

This little girl is adorable and she is definately worth watching.

My Life

2009-02-24T00:00:00.003-05:00

Ok, I owe everyone an explanation for my dark mood last week. Well, here it is.

I broke up with FFH (Former & Future? Husband)

Supposedly (hopefully) it's only temporary. My reason is that I lowered my standards to date him because he is my son's father, and I believed (believe) he is God's will for me -- the reconciliation of my family. But....

I lowered my standards because he's not a JesusFreak at all. He's not Christ-first, or Christ-centered. And for the past year, I've tried ignoring the emptiness inside because I wasn't connecting spiritually with him, and therefore couldn't connect emotionally with him.

So, I told him I wanted to step back and slow way down and just be friends for about 7 months and see if he grew spiritually, and that I would be praying that he did.

It's only been a week, and I realize I am an impatient person, but he no longer calls me, doesn't text me (doesn't bother to answer my texts) and he didn't go to church on Sunday. And I'm feeling rather hurt....because if he really loved me, wouldn't he try and show it at all?

So anyway, I heard this song on the radio today and it broke my heart. Emotionally -- this is what I want from a man. And I fear I will never get it, not from him. It talks about the stakes (doesn't he realize the stakes?? -- our son!!!) I'd do anything for our son, so why is pursuing me emotionally and pursuing Christ spiritually not enough of a motivation for him?

Anyway, here's the lyrics:

A strangled smile fell from your face
It kills me that I hurt you this way
The worst part is that I didn't even know
Now there's a million reasons for you to go
But if you can find a reason to stay

I'll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what's at stake
I know that I've let you down
And if you give me a chance
Believe that I can change
I'll keep us together
Whatever it takes

She said if we're gonna make this work
You gotta let me inside even though it hurts
Don't hide the broken parts that I need to see
She said like it or not it's the way it's gotta be
You gotta love yourself if you can ever love me

I'll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what's at stake
I know that I've let you down
And if you give me a chance
And give me a break
I'll keep us together
I know you deserve much better

Remember the time I told you the way that I felt
And that I'd be lost without you and never find myself
Let's hold onto each other above everything else
Start over, start over

I'll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what's at stake
I know that I've let you down
And if you give me a chance
Believe that I can change
I'll keep us together
Whatever it takes

--LifeHouse (Who We Are)

Perecuted Christian's Attorney Kidnapped

2009-02-23T00:00:00.002-05:00

Gao Zhisheng, part of the ChinaAid Legal Defense Team, was kidnapped by more than a dozen police on February 4. He has not been seen or heard from since. Gao wrote an account in his own words which reveals the severe torture he suffered for more than 50 days when he was first abducted. He wrote how he was forced to lie naked on the floor for 13 days and nights:

"The electric shock baton was put all over me. And my full body; my heart, lungs and muscles began jumping under my skin uncontrollably. I was writhing on the ground in pain, trying to crawl away. Wang (one of the interrogators) then shocked me in my genitals.. Every time when I was tortured, I was always repeatedly threatened . 'Your death is sure if you share this with the outside world."

Gao's family is concerned that Gao may be experiencing the same abuse now. Because of his work defending underground Christians and others persecuted in China, the Chinese government has tried to silence him since 2005. His wife and two children have also been abused, tormented and cut off from the outside world during this time.

ChinaAid calls all Christians and those who value human dignity and justice around the world to act on Gao Zhisheng's behalf. Click HERE to see how you can help.

Crimson Moon

2009-02-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

I shall end this week on a more positive note. This is my first "Christian" poem, and where I came up with the screen name Crimson Moon:

In the graveyard
Under a blood red moon
The dead lay waiting
For it is soon

Rotting and decaying
Flesh and bones
Buried six feet deep
Under the tombstones

The curse for evil
All have earned
From dust you were made
To dust you’ll return

For the dead and the living
The blood of One
Whom we killed
Cried, “It is done”

The graves will open
The dead will rise
Those bought with Blood
Death, Blood will defy

The end of time
Is drawling near
Beware the sign
Of the blood red moon

Worshipping the Porcelain God

2009-02-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

This one I wrote as a teen:

I’m down on my knees
Worshipping the porcelain god
Biting my knuckles
My throat bleeding
In a vain attempt to attain
The perfect body

I’m a prisoner of my body
It’s taken over my life
Food is my enemy
Death is my friend
All I want is to attain
The Perfect Body

No one understands me
I’m dying inside
And no one can tell
I try to end the obsession
To break loose of these chains
All I want is to accept
My own body

(Oddly enough, though I did have severe body image problems, I wasn't bulimic)

Mountaintops and peaks of joy

2009-02-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

This one I wrote when I was somewhere between 10 -12 years old:

Mountaintops and peaks of joy,
Depressing valleys and streams of tears,
Life is nothing but a broken heart,
Robbed of love, destroyed by pain;
Scarred, unmended, suffering alone.

Deserted years and lonely hours,
Endless days that can’t be filled,
Life is nothing but a fathomless pit,
A desire to love; to be loved;
A desperate longing that always runs dry.

Bitter winds and heart burning rage,
An impossible tedious goal,
Life is nothing but a long lost war,
Still being fought; with a cry of hope to win;
Yet never to be conquered – never to be free.

Dancing rainbows and magic wishes,
Fantasies that never come true,
Life is nothing but an illusioned dream,
Filled with hope; instilled by fear;
Awakened by the gloom filled dawn of reality.

Tragic days and sleepless nights,
A wistful, never ending regret,
Life is nothing but an aching fear,
Guarding the soul; imprisoning the mind;
Withdrawing into a lifeless spirit.

Sparkling raindrops and wilted roses,
Shadows wrought in desolate silence,
Life is nothing but a grave of buried hopes,
Dark and empty; flowered with memories;
Yet after time is long forgotten.

The Hand of Fate

2009-02-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

Another that escaped the trash:

The hand of fate
Scrawls your bleeding heart
Upon time’s cruel slate
Caring not
For the burden of weight
It places on your soul
In its game to mutilate
As it plays with your mind
Wishing to desecrate
Dangling hope on a string
As you lie awake and wait
Haunting you with shadows of the past
Taunting as you contemplate
On a destiny worth living for
In lies, it saturates
As it laughs at your pain
Mocking as you fall prostrate
And beg for mercy
From the one you venerate

Life goes on...

2009-02-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

Grrr.

I've looked all over for this notebook I had when I was Goth, cuz I had some poetry in it that I wrote that I really wanted to read over -- something about being the dark angel of love and black widow spider who lures her prey with love and then kills them -- and it appears that I threw it away. And I don't seem to have ever saved a copy on my comp.

If I didn't give up cursing a few years ago, I'd be cursing up a storm right now.

I'll give you fair warning -- this week's going to be rather "dark" as I'm venting out alot of self-hatred and anger....and grief. I'll try and get back to playing the "market yourself as an author game" next week. And no, I don't want to talk about it. Sorry.

So anyway, if anyone's interested, here's a poem from my Goth days that escaped the trash:

Down on your knees
Begging God please
This heart can no longer bleed
This wretched soul
That burns itself
Self-inflicted pain
To mask the scars
That cannot heal

Life is nothing but a lie
All your beliefs
Just deceive
Love is a disease
Tortured nights
Haunted dreams
The mind that cannot sleep

The lies you tell
The lies you believe
Fill your heart one more time
With the bitterness that bleeds
Bathe your soul
In the blood
Your sin you cannot escape
The lies you told
Why do you believe
Open your eyes
Don’t be deceived

Academic Freedom Petition

2009-02-13T00:00:00.001-05:00

For anyone who didn't see Expelled -- the #1 documentary of 2008 -- teachers and professors all over the nation are being fired and losing tenure just for asking questions concerning flaws in the evolution theory. Students are being harassed by their professors in front of their classmates and publicly ridiculed for even questioning Darwinism - the persecution is even greater for those who are Christians.

Click HERE to sign the petition which states:

“We, the undersigned American citizens, urge the adoption of policies by our nation’s academic institutions to ensure teacher and student academic freedom to discuss the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution.

Teachers should be protected from being fired, harassed, intimidated, or discriminated against for objectively presenting the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian theory.

Students should be protected from being harassed, intimidated, or discriminated against for expressing their views about the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian theory in an appropriate manner.”

Thanks!

The Fight Against FOCA continues

2009-02-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

More than 650,000 people signed the Fight FOCA petition!

But now, Planned Parenthood and the pro-abortion agenda is trying to repeal the laws that prohibit federal funding of abortion. Often called pro-life "riders," the pro-abortion forces want House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to eliminate them and start using our tax dollars to pay for abortion-on-demand . . . nationwide.

Click HERE to send a pre-written letter to your state Representative. Just put in your state and it will send a letter telling your Representative that you don't want your taxes to support abortion!

As always, thanks for fighting with me and being a voice for the unborn!

Hamas' son converts to Christianity

2009-02-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Watch this short video and please pray for the safety and continued spiritual growth our brother, Mosab Hassan Yousef.

Failure

2009-02-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

If I could remove that word from our vocabulary I would. For those of us aspiring writers, we will inevitable be faced with rejection(s), which can easily lead to feeling like a big fat failure (for those of you who are thin, shut up!).

There will be tears to be shed, but then we have to scrape ourselves off the floor, and submit again. Or rewrite, and then submit again. And again, and again. All the while trying to quell that voice in our head that whispers (or screams): failure, failure, failure.

So, since we can't remove the word from our vocabulary, why not change the definition:

Evangelizing Bloopers

2009-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was in the theology section of borders (geek that I am), and this guy started talking to me. (I’ve had people witness to me – once particular, I think it was cuz I was wearing my black leather biker coat, lol) Anyway, we talked, but as the conversation went on, I was getting more and more confused.

I use the words Jesus and Christ synonymously, but finally figured out that he was not. He believed that Jesus was a manifestation of Christ. Christ existed before Time began, but Jesus didn't exist until his birth. I asked him if Jesus rose from the dead, he said Christ was alive.

So after he talked for abit, I started talking about why I believed Jesus was God.

Nothing I said was overtly preachy -- all I said was I believed Jesus was God based on an Old Testament verse (my beta-readers will know which one -- so no spoilers!) The man's answer to me was: that verse doesn't speak to me. He believed things based on the way he felt.

All the while I talked, he grew increasingly nervous, kept shifting back and forth, and seemed like he was looking for an escape.

Another gentleman interrupted us looking for a book, and the man I was talking to took this opportunity to bolt out of the aisle -- backwards. He literally ran away from me, with a quick nice to talk to you, while backing out of the isle.

I have had very few opportunities to evangelize, despite that I feel it is my calling. (That's what happens when you're a recluse.) And I found this episode very discouraging.

I left Borders feeling quite dumfounded. I am so often in the world of atheists and science/evolution adherents always shouting of evidence and proof, that this encounter really threw me for a loop, becuase I thought in today's "enlightened" society, no one based their eternal destiny on a feeling or emotion (which change daily).

Perhaps that’s why God allowed the encounter, so I would know there are other people out not so hate-filled, and scientific evidence demanding, but I still felt discouraged because this man initiated the conversation, and now I'm afraid he'll never again open his mouth to another person in the Christian section of a bookstore in his life.

Anyone have an evangelistic blooper they want to share?

Fight FOCA

2009-02-06T00:00:00.002-05:00

"The first thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That’s the first thing I’d do." -- President Obama

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) Will Wipe Away Every Restriction on Abortion Nationwide Eradicating State and Federal Laws such as:

1) Bans on Partial Birth Abortion

2) Requirements that women be given information about the risks of getting an abortion

3) Only licensed physicians can perform abortions

4) Parents must be informed and give consent to their minor daughter's abortion

FOCA will erase these laws and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future.

Please sign the petition to fight FOCA -- 600,000 have already signed. Your voice will make a difference!

22 Weeks Movie

2009-02-05T00:00:00.003-05:00

22 Weeks is a must-see movie! Watch the trailer, then click the Demand widget to request the movie is played in a theatre near you. Based on a true story of a woman locked in the bathroom of an abortion clinic after her aborted baby is born alive.

There is NOTHING graphic in this trailer.

The point of my showing it, is to promote the movie and hope that you will help ensure it plays in theatres nationwide!

Alot of girls who get abortions honestly don't know the tragic consequences that follow, or the horrors that sometimes occur, such as in this case.

Click the Demand it! widget above to enter your zipcode and request this movie to play in a theatre near you -- even if it's not something you wish to see, we have to send the message that we want it played in theatres everywhere. Thanks!

The following is news article about a similiar case (not the story above) but one that is practically hushed-up by America's liberal-biased media.

A lawsuit has been filed in the death of "Baby Shanice."

Baby Shanice was born alive at an abortion clinic in the Miami area in mid-2006. Tom Brechja of the Thomas More Society tells OneNewsNow he believes there was panic among the medical staff immediately after the baby's birth while the mother waited in the clinic's recovery room area.

"The owner of the clinic took the live baby who was gasping for air, cut the umbilical cord with a pair of shears, and immediately put the baby into a medical waste bag without tying up the cord so the baby would bleed to death and, of course, suffocate," he explains. Then, Brejcha continues, they tried to hide the evidence. "They put the baby's corpse up on the clinic roof under the hot Florida sun. This is July in Miami."

An informant called police and the body was found over a week after the incident. A funeral was finally held for the infant in October 2008. Thirteen defendants are named in the lawsuit, which alleges unlicensed and unauthorized medical practice, botched abortions, evasive tactics, false medical records, and the killing, hiding, and disposing of the baby.

The lawsuit, Brechja explains, was filed to obtain justice because after two-and-a-half years, criminal charges were never brought by the state attorneys' office. "This is an obvious attempt to cover up what clearly is a case of homicide," says the attorney. And the case, he says, will "trumpet to the world" that abortion clinics are places of "barbarism" where mothers and their babies are at serious risk.

Atheists on Christianity

2009-02-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

I’ve been a Christian since the age of 5, so I have no recollection of looking at Christianity from an unbeliever’s perspective – and certainly not one that is hateful or angry.

Atheists believe we are deluded and irrational to the core – yes, we know that, but here’s why:

"Christianity is: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat fruit from a magical tree…yeah, makes perfect sense."

The following video is of an atheist on judgment day – by an atheist. I’ll warn you that it’s done very comical – so don’t be surprised if you laugh at parts, despite the fact that it’s sad they believe this and that the Church has perpetrated much to their way of thinking.

Christians needs to wake up. We need to combat this – with reason and evidence, in gentleness and love. Christians are a dying breed, but I will die fighting.

For the record, I want to say that I really like Richard Dawkins – that’s why I’m so fascinated by him. And though he probably has no idea who I am, if I could say one thing to him right now, it would be this:

God loves you with all His heart.

Evangelism

2009-02-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

This video is powerful due to a huge twist at the end!

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read comments till AFTER you watch it!

Another Marketing Rant

2009-02-02T00:00:00.003-05:00

Yea, I know -- not another one. Why can't I just get with the program and be a good little girl, play by the rules, and market my name all over the Internet without complaining about it.

I'll tell you why.

Here and on other blogs, I've vented about the fakeness and the insincerity and the "friends" you make while networking and how they're not really your friends, and the whole bs of name dropping....but anyway....it wasn't till today, that I finally figured out precisely WHY I hate marketing.

It's all about ME.

I NEVER wrote this book for me. My novel is basically apologetics that reads like fiction. It's whole point is to reach the lost, to show the love of God the Father that pours off the pages of the OT (yes, you read that right), and to prove the deity of Jesus Christ.

I have no problem marketing the book, that part I understand. How is anyone going to read it (and get saved) if they don't know it exists. But all this email and url and screen name changing (which is all JC Lamont now) just so I can post my name all over the Internet so people know my name (instead of the book) is what I hate.

My devotions were on John the Baptist and how he said, "I must decrease so that He may increase."

But in this marketing game I'm forced to play, I feel like I'm saying, "Step aside God, it's time for me to seek all the glory, fame, renown; basically, You're going to have to decrease, so that I can increase. Sorry, that's just the way it is."

URGENT!!!

2009-01-31T01:40:00.002-05:00

NBC rejected this ad to run during the superbowl. Please watch -- it's only 41 seconds long. Then click HERE to send an already written email to NBC requesting they run this -- they still have spots open!

Emotional Pain

2009-01-30T16:06:00.003-05:00

The other day, we took the What Book of the Bible Are You Quiz. And it was fun, and I really liked my results, because it was so true, which was ironically funny. But this part here -- "Idealistic and romantic, you view your relationship with God and others as one big love story" -- really kind of sucks. Not the God part, mind you, that part is awesome, but the other part.

This post should probably never see the light of day. I very rarely talk about myself in a personal way here. Just business, marketing, stupid promoting of myself which as most of you know I hate, book stuff, etc.

But it's really hard being someone with "high mercy". That's what someone at church called me, a few weeks ago when I told her I didn't want to get to know anyone there due to my spiritual gift of compassion (I score almost equal with Compassion and Evangelism). Anyway, she prayed over me that I would learn how to hear but not carry other people's pain.

Easier said then done.

A friend put it this way, we either alienate or attract on a deep emotional level. Since God healed me of my own pain (2006), I must admit, it's getting much easier, and all I need to do is consciously remind myself -- so it's not that much of a struggle anymore.

I have this passion to save the whole world and take away everyone's pain. I struggle with the atheist argument -- an all-loving, all-powerful God would not allow the suffering we see, therefore He contradicts himself, therefore He doesn't exist.

I know God exists, but if ever I was going to stop believing in Him, it would be due this argument.

Why am I ranting about all this?

I don't know. It's just that having this gift seems more like a curse at times. I'm probably not making much sense.

I should go now.

The Mom Song

2009-01-30T00:14:00.004-05:00

A friend from church sent me this a few weeks ago, and I was saving it, but then yesterday started seeing it all over facebook, so BEFORE everyone sees it, I am posting it here. It's a riot.

By the way -- to my new followers -- thanks so much for liking my blog enough to keep coming back! And just to prove how neurotic I am, I decided to change my blog's url, so if you try to click on it from your blog, it won't come up. Sorry. I think all you have to do is change the link. I know, I'm stupid. I thought it would be easier this way, and all I ended up doing was making it more complicated. *sigh*

Quiz: What Book of the Bible are You?

2009-01-29T00:00:00.003-05:00

This is awesome. I was afraid at first, of what it would come up with for me, but my resutls were:

You are the book of Song of Solomon. Idealistic and romantic, you view your relationship with God and others as one big love story. Others view you as an eternally optimistic dreamer, and inclined to fantasy at times, but they admire your compassion and kindness!

For those who really know me, this is a riot. I guess I can't even hide my crush on Jesus from a computer quiz, lol.

To take the quiz, click HERE.

Top Theological Pick-Up Lines NOT to Use

2009-01-28T00:00:00.002-05:00

Top Theological Pick-Up Lines NOT to Use:

12. “I am not overweight. The word ‘glory’ in Hebrew means ‘heaviness.’ And since we are to reflect God’s glory, I'm just doing what the Bible says.”

11. “Looking at you makes me reconsider preterism, because you are heaven on earth.”

10. “I couldn't help noticing you were exegeting me instead of the text during the sermon.”

9. "Your name must be grace, because you are irresistible.”

8. "There are six things that motivate me to talk to you, yea, seven that turned my head.”

7. “Until this moment, I thought I had the gift of singleness.”

6. During communion say, “Can I get you another drink.”

5. “The Bible says I might be visited by angels unaware, but something must be wrong with my interpretation, because I am perfectly aware of you.”

4. “God may be the bread of life, but you are the butter.”

3. “The site of you leaves me aprophatic.”

2. “You must have missed The Fall line, because you are lookin’ righteous.”

1. Sing this to the tune of George Strait’s “Chair”: “Excuse me, but I think you’ve got my rib.”

Book of Lies

2009-01-27T09:01:00.003-05:00

You gotta watch this -- it's less than 3 minutes long. Really puts us as Americans in perspective.

A Response to Richard Dawkins

2009-01-26T00:00:00.004-05:00

This weekend, we went down to FFH's cabin, deep in the woods where Koontz would drool to be in for writing his next novel (very creepy looking in the winter -- esp at night). And FFH, being the great guy that he is, was once again adorned in the cloak as he is in my blog Title Picture, in the freezing cold, letting me take stills and footage for my book trailer.

Between me and Kenny, we also shot footage for "the making of" the book trailer. We're far from done, and as you all know me well enough by now, if I can't make it look professional, it won't be officially released -- but, I have high hopes. We have a long way to go, but I'll def keep you all informed -- and even if comes out really corny, I will at least post it here for you all to have a good laugh.

And now, on to the dark and creepy world of reality....

Last week I talked about standing up against atheism -- the following is one of my ideas:

This is a response to Richard Dawkins' now renowned, long-winded, loquaciously garrulous paragraph of insults against the Judeo-Christian God:

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most pleasant deity of the ancient world; protective and proud of it; a meticulous, just, forgiving, structure-advocate; a pragmatic, impartially-symbiotic ethnic creator; a women-avenging, sexuality-designing, orphan-protecting, child-defending, slave-respecting, justice-enforcing, empathetic, long-suffering guardian.

And, before Dawkins decides to attack Jesus with an equally long list of adjectives aimed at destroying Christ's character, I beat him to it:

The God of the New Testament is arguably the most sacrificial of religious founders; impartial and proud of it; a religious-hypocrisy intolerant; an ardent, prayer-engrossed temple cleanser; a women-dignifying, child-elevating, enemy-loving, torturer-forgiving, disease-healing, soul-saving, life-giving, death-conquering, sin-paying liberator.

Feel free to copy and paste this all over the Internet. My hopes is that every time someone tries to google Richard Dawkin's version, mine also will come up.

A Debate with One of the Four Horseman

2009-01-24T00:00:00.001-05:00

Here’s a debate between

Christian Dr. Frank Turek, author of the article Big Bang Evidence for God

and co-author of the book,

I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.

and

Athiest Chrsitopher Hitchens one of the four horseman and author of

god is NOT great

on

The scientific evidence that God created the world:

Blogging for Marketing

2009-01-23T00:00:00.002-05:00

Blogging for Marketing: leaving the writer’s circle

Thanks to everyone for your comments and feedback the last time I posted about what interests you about blogs.

I see an underlying theme....

All of you said you come to this blog and most any other blog mainly for writing tips.

Which leads me to ask, did you start blogging as a way to market your book?

If, like me, the only blogs you're hitting are about writing, then you also are only attracting other writers.....but our readership is WAY bigger than that. While it’s great to stay connected, IF the point of a blog is to market our book(s), we are missing the majority of our readers.

I call this the writer’s circle.

One of my good friends, Lynn Rush mentioned she gets an average of 50 daily hits. That's when I knew I was doing something wrong. (I get between 8 - 12.)

Here’s what Lynn says:

One of the biggest things is commenting on other people’s blogs. If they click your name, it goes right to you. You have to do it consistently, though. I post a blog six days a week on my site, and I visit tons daily.

What I’m proposing, is that we take Lynn’s winning strategy, and start marketing our books beyond the writer’s circle. If your book (like mine) isn’t going to hit shelves for 2+ years….then we need to find another way of attracting our readers.

It starts with narrowing down our target audience. Mine is:

Non-Christians

Christian Fantasy Readers

Christian Fiction Readers

Christians interested in apologetics and evangelism

The only one narrow enough to give me any direction is the last, because I don’t have a book to offer readers yet, and because most non-Christians are not going to be attracted to an overtly Christian blog.

Thus, I’m going to start following apologetic blogs and joining apologetic forums. The great thing about this is it’s real – it’s what I love. I’ll be meeting people who have the same interests as I do, and the same goals. It’s what I would do even if I wasn’t marketing! (I just didn’t know they were out there until I added "apologetics" to my Google alerts.)

But how can this strategy help you?

Actually, since you all probably have more normal, present day stories / characters – it will be even easier.

Here’s an example using the most brilliant, unique marketing strategy I’ve found:

Writer H. L. Dyer's MC wears a charm bracelet and likes to cook. Dyer is having her MC's charm bracelet designed and giving them away as promotional items, plus having recipes made up that her MC used in the book. To me, that is brilliant!

So, is there something you could add / organically weave into your WIP for such a purpose? Note: Pick something that genuinely interests you.

Example: Let’s say you enjoy photography -- can your MC take that up as a hobby? Take pics of stuff that your MC would, then incorporate them in your story. Visit blogs by other amateur photographers. Join a photography forum, make friends, show off your photos, all the while having your signature be a link to your blog. Then, when your book is published, use the photos as promotional items – signed by the author (or your MC)!

Blogging Rule #2, #3, #4 & #5

2009-01-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Last week, I asked you guys what attracted you to the blogs you visited. I got some great feedback...and tomorrow, I will be posting excellent strategites for how to market to your readers even when you have a book that's 2+ years away from hitting shelves -- so don't miss it.

For today:

Blogging Rule #2

Posts should be an average of 250 - 400 words. The absolute max is 700.

I am extremely guilty of long posts, esp this past Monday and Wednesday's, thus -- just to warn you -- I will be doing them over again, in shorter spurts, because I don't think they were completely read. Sorry to those who did read the whole thing. But the info in them is so incredibly important, that I feel compelled to do this.

Blogging Rule #3

Everything is very visual these days, so it's a good idea to add a pic to each blog post.

Blogging Rule #4

Respond to the comments your readers leave. It makes your blog much more interactive.

Blogging Rule #5

Leave LOTS of white space. As you can see I'm doing here. Break up long paragraphs. Add headers (Blogging Rule #__ ) so that the reader is assulted by lots of print.

This post comes in at a total of 239 words -- see, I can exercise brevity!

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for ideas on using your blog as a marketing strategy!

Soldiers of God

2009-01-21T00:00:00.005-05:00

The pen is mightier than the sword.

I want to be a soldier for God, NOT in a violent way, but to fight with words, with love, for the things that are right, and for the souls of all mankind.

A few months ago, I had to pass this billboard every day on I-95 in Philadelphia. I checked out their web page, discovered they showed videos, one called "Interviews with the Four Horseman" and that they had classes for children -- to indoctrinate them that there is no God. Of course, I added the latter, that's not what they claim to be doing in these classes. But what else are they doing in these classes called Sunday School (yes, the meet on Sundays.)

Anyway, after a few weeks the billboard was replaced by a Catholic one. That's far too coincidental -- I will assume a catholic priest or catholic parishioners were very upset about the billboard, and immediately tried to compensate with one about God. Good for them! More Christians should get off their bums and fight back.

Anyway, in England, atheists are not as subtle as in America, (but there's no doubt in my mind that this is where were headed.)

I want you to pay close attention to Ariane Sherine -- the 28-year old girl in this video. This whole thing was her idea, and this is what happened:

Talk about taking a stand! Talk about deciding something needs to be done and actually doing it, not just complaining! We should take a lesson from her!

Here's how she says it happened: "I suggested...all atheists donate £5 to fund a positive, rational counter-advert [to the Jesus add]. The response was phenomenal. Richard Dawkins offered to match the first £5,500 donated, the British Humanist Association offered to support the campaign and in October we launched officially. We expected to raise £5,500 and ended up raising £141,000 – and inspiring countries including the United States, Spain and Italy to launch their own atheist bus campaigns.

Inspired America to launch their own? Yes! Below is one of the buses that ran around Washington DC during the Christmas Season. Again sponsored by the Humanists Society which spent 40,000 for this ad campaign, because Atheists feel left out during the holidays.

In Italy: Buses with the slogan “The bad news is that God does not exist. The good news is that we do not need him.” will begin traversing the northern Italian city of Genoa on February 4. Um, hello? The Vatican is in Italy -- am I missing something here?

In Austrailia: Attempts to engineer a similar campaign in Australia have run into obstacles, with the country’s biggest outdoor advertising agency APN Outdoor REJECTED a bid by the Atheist Foundation of Australia for ad space. Good for Australia!!!

Back to the story in England -- the buses are there now, and will run from now until the end of February. But one man, Christian bus driver, Ron Heather, came to work and was shocked and horrified to see the Atheist ad on his bus and REFUSED to drive it. Another Christian making a stand!

As Christians, we can't just sit around and watch our country go to hell without at least trying to fight for it. Is that not what we are called to do?

I'm asking you, not your church, not a Christian organization, but YOU -- what are you going to do to make a stand for the God that bled to death for you?

I'm asking myself the same question. I'm not sure yet (other than my book, of course, which my beta-readers can attest that many athiest arguments are countered in). But I'm working on it. I feel very inspired by Ariane. I want something that will show God's love though, NOT an angry response like "all atheists or non-Christians are going to hell" type thing. Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved, and He left us here to show his love on earth. (John 3:17)

I'm open to any ideas or suggestions anyone has. I'm sick of doing nothing except blogging about stuff.

The atheist movement is seriously getting out of hand, and with evolution so saturated in our schools and universities, we need to realize that in another generation or two -- if we don't fight to stop it -- atheism will be the most popular "religion" in this country, as it already is in Europe.

Obama and Prayer

2009-01-20T00:00:00.007-05:00

If you haven’t already heard, Obama has lined up several people to pray at his inauguration today. Originally, he only asked Rick Warren, whose conservative, homosexuality-is-a-sin stance, led to an outcry by the gay community.

Now, to ensure all faiths are represented, Obama has added homosexual, Bishop Robinson, a Muslim woman, and three Rabbis to also pray.

Anyone else thinking of Solomon? All America is doing is repeating history -- Israel's history. Ironically, it was Solomon who said, "There's nothing new under the sun."

Culture Affairs Director, Matt Barber, responds: It's a shame that President-elect Obama apparently has so little regard for his Christian constituents that he would give such a high place of honor to a self-styled man of God whose only claim to fame is that he abandoned his wife and children to enter, ‘loudly and proudly,’ a sexually deviant lifestyle expressly condemned by the very Bible he’s ironically called ‘holy and sacred.’

To make matters worse, bishop Robinson wishes to assure Amercians that his prayer will NOT be Christian. Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they were.”

“I am very clear,” Robinson added, “that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel that this is their prayer.”

Um...ok.

We seem to forget that God sent Israel into captivity –- allowed them to be overtaken by a foreign nation.

And why did God allow this? Why didn’t he protect the nation dedicated to Him?

Because they allowed and embraced paganism and child sacrifice.

We are obviously (and unashamedly) guilty of both.

Yet America remains blind to the fact that she could be anything less than the World Power.

Yet no one seems to stop and ask themselves: why aren't we mentioned in Revelation?

Anyway -- speaking of Obama and Prayer, I've signed up to pray for Obama throughout the first 100 days of his presidency. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, we are "urged to make requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for kings and all those in authority."

Click on the picture if you too would like to sign up. And each day, an email will be sent with the words to pray based on whatever activities Obama will be faced with that day.

Major Rant

2009-01-19T00:05:00.004-05:00

Ok, I'm really really angry.

I signed up with Sprint as my cell-phone provider and had a 2-year contract from December 2nd '06 through Dec 2nd 2008. So December 15th, I switched over to FFH's plan since he was using up all his minutes talking to me.

Anyway, I get a letter from Sprint charging me an early termination fee of $200. So I call them up, and they say that because in November of 07 I added more minutes to my plan -- this was because my father died and I had to make so many phone calls all across the nation that my bill shot up a few hundred dollars. Well, supposedly, if you upgrade from a 300 minute plan to a 500 minute plan, that automatically renews your contract.

Thus, they refuse to waive the fee.

I asked to speak to a supervisor. He told me the same thing. They refuse to waive the fee because I extended my contract. I asked him again to waive the fee, he said I'll transfer you to finance, and then hung up on me.

I am so angry right now. And tomorrow I'm going into a store and talk to someone in person. And if they still refuse to waive the fee (because they will claim they are only store sales people and that I need to talk to finance at headquarters, then I will sign up for a $1 payment plan and they will get their $200 over a period of 200 months.

Anyway, sorry for my rant -- my real post for today is below this. And it's quite interesting, so please check it out.

Scientific Evidence for God

2009-01-19T00:00:00.003-05:00

The following is excerpts from the article Big Bang Evidence for God written by Frank Turek, co-author of I Don't have Enough Faith to Be and Atheist.

The article is awesome – a MUST read!

The evidence all points to the fact that the universe began from literally nothing physical or temporal. Once there was no time, no space, and no matter and then it all banged into existence out of nothing with great precision.

Based on scientific evidence, here are what agnostic, secular astronomers and cosmologists are saying:

Dr. Robert Jastrow, who reviewed the evidence, concluded in his book (God and the Astronomers), “Now we see how the astronomical evidence leads to a biblical view of the origin of the world. The details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same: the chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy.”

In an interview, Jastrow went even further, admitting that “Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. And they have found that all this happened as a product of forces they cannot hope to discover. . . . That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact.”

Arthur Eddington, General Relativity expert who finds it personally “repugnant” to need the supernatural to explain the beginning, admitted, “The beginning seems to present insuperable difficulties unless we agree to look on it as frankly supernatural.”

Robert Wilson—co-discoverer of the Radiation Afterglow, which won him a Noble Prize in Physics— observed, “Certainly there was something that set it off. Certainly, if you’re religious, I can’t think of a better theory of the origin of the universe to match with Genesis.”

George Smoot—co-discoverer of the Great Galaxy Seeds which won him a Nobel Prize as well—echoed Wilson’s assessment by saying, “There is no doubt that a parallel exists between the Big Bang as an event and the Christian notion of creation from nothing.”

Now why would scientists, despite their personal misgivings, admit that there are “supernatural” forces at work?

Why couldn't natural forces have produced the universe?

Because there was no nature and there were no natural forces ontologically prior to the Big Bang—nature itself was created at the Big Bang. That means the cause of the universe must be something beyond nature—something we would call supernatural. It also means that the supernatural cause of the universe must at least be:

• spaceless because it created space

• timeless because it created time

• immaterial because it created matter

• powerful because it created out of nothing

• intelligent because the creation event and the universe was precisely designed

• personal because it made a choice to convert a state of nothing into something (impersonal forces don’t make choices).

Those are the same attributes of the God of the Bible.

Jastrow wrote, “There is a kind of religion in science . . . every effect must have its cause; there is no First Cause. . . . This religious faith of the scientist is violated by the discovery that the world had a beginning under conditions in which the known laws of physics are not valid, and as a product of forces or circumstances we cannot discover. When that happens, the scientist has lost control. If the scientist really examined the implications, he would be traumatized. As usual when faced with trauma, the mind reacts by ignoring the implications—in science this is known as “refusing to speculate.”

Why do scientists refuse to speculate? Why do they find scientific evidence of the supernatural traumatizing?

Because to follow the evidence where it leads is to admit that since all space, time, and matter were created, the cause must be spaceless, timeless and immaterial. God.

Dr. Jastrow, despite his agnosticism, concludes his book this way: “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”

JC here: I feel very encouraged by this article. It gives me great hope that the evolutionary world of science (and the foundation of atheism) which is jammed down the throats of our children is slowly crumbling. Hopefully soon, we shall see a return to a belief in the God of Genesis (the foundation of Christianity) and more of our nation's youth will see a reason to believe in Christ!

BTW -- there is an organization getting Churches to celebreate Dawin's b-day in febuaary. So far, 12,000 Christian clergy have signed this letter and plan to have an Evolution Sunday celebration in thier churces. To counteract this, there is another group, asking any and all to sign a Creation Letter in support of Genesis. If you agree, please follow the link -- all you have to do is scroll down to the bottom and post your name in the comments section. (I will have a more detailed post on this shortly, and the devastating effects Evolution is having on our youth).

Book Trailers

2009-01-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm over the high of building my website...now I'm off to try and create a Book Trailer. I've watched so many that I think my brain is going to explode, but I see the basic idea of it, the panning over the photographs, I even found a free software called Photo Story 3 that helps you make it -- it even ads in royalty-free music.

I have a friend that can probably write the music for me (he's writing new music for my website, what's there now is just what came with the template.)

And I'm going to take my camcorder with me the next few days and try and shoot some footage that will hopefully end up looking cool.

I don't have my storyboard set up yet -- not sure what the dialogue is going to be. I have some ideas, my brother suggests the prophecy itself, which I guess would work, it'll just be hard getting the footage to match.

My main concern is that it doesn't look corny and cheap. I want it to look up to par with professional book trailers which cost 300 for one photo, text, and music (never seen one of them) and 750 for the typical ones you see with several still photos being panned over, or 1500 for those with film clips (like if your MC took a trip, they add in a quality film clip of a plane taking off).

Then I even found out you can have a book trailer that includes an author video -- meaning, you get interviewed on film, and the trailer keeps flipping back to you being interviewed and the scenes from the book trailer. Sounds pretty cool.

So, I'm trying to see if between my brother and I, we can come up with a professional, high-quality looking trailer. Hopefully. The one thing I refuse to do is be cheap/corny. I've seen way to much Christian stuff that makes me want to cringe. Stuff most people would be embarrassed to show their non-saved friends (preachy, corny books, low budget and/or cheesy movies).

Amazingly, there was only one book trailer I saw that made me want to read the book. It was awesome (the trailer) and a friend (Lynn Rush) said the book is even better. So I'm including that here. You gotta check it out! (PS -- I've already asked my brother if he can do the effect at the end -- he hasn't gotten back to me, but I'll def let you know.)

Successful Blogging: Rule #1

2009-01-15T00:00:00.005-05:00

The #1 tip on having a blog is to know your purpose.

What is my purpose?

I started blogging purely as a marketing strategy as that is crammed down the throats of us poor, unpublished writers who want to be authors not marketers.

I get about 12 - 15 hits daily, which I thought was pretty good seeing as how I rarely go on anyone else's blog, and my first reader -- possibly all my readers -- found me from commenting on Rachelle's blog.

I know approx 6 of these people (from leaving comments); the others are lurkers.

Anyway, here's the point:

Outside marketing my book, (which doesn't have a contract, and won't hit shelves till 18 months AFTER contract, so honestly I don't see the point of working up to 50 - 100 readers and make them wait in suspense for 2+ years), what is the purpose of my blog?

Why in the world do lurkers come here? Are they regular lurkers? (hint, hint - leave a comment, I'd love to meet you!) Or do I just on average have about 6 or so random people check out my blog and never return? If they do return, why? What do I offer? Surely not my charming personality.

I could make this an Apologetics blog. Add more how to defend your faith stuff -- which really is the point of all my Richard Dawkins rants and Don't Give Me That Sunday School Answer posts.) In which case, that would also be a marketing technique for my Christian audience, since the whole point of my book (outside saving souls) is to be an apologetics tool (1 Peter 3:15 - always be ready to give evidence of what you believe).

But would that really attract anyone?

So far, I've attracted other Christian aspiring authors. And that's great -- I love my friends, they're my only friends, but my would-be readers go far beyond the boundaries of other Christian writers.

So how do I try and gain the attention of a whole bunch of Christian fantasy readers when I don't yet have a product to deliver?

Obviously, I need to give them something in the meantime.

So tell me, what makes you read blogs? If you read blogs daily, why do you keep returning? What is the author offering you? (Please give examples that aren't writing resources blogs). Have people ever expressed to you why they return to your blog?

Blog Changes

2009-01-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's still my blog, but I had to change it because it was illegal.

*sigh*

As most of you probably recognized, my picture of Jesus was from the Passion of the Christ movie, and therefore a violation of copyright infringement. Not that it would really matter if this was purely a personal blog, but seeing as how I'm trying to market my book and have a link to this blog on my website, I figured I may as well take it down BEFORE I get in trouble for it.

On a good note, it does make it less complicated, because I can delete my other blog. Which I never updated anyway. So, it's all good....besides, I have that picture of Jesus sitting on my comp desk leaning against my moniter. It's the one that I talk to all the time when I'm sitting at my desk.

Thanks to everyone who checked out my site! After all that work, I was excited to show it off. And your comments were great!

Oohh, even Rachelle sent me an email about it: "WOW that website is awesome! That is some serious design there, girl! Nice work, I'm so excited."

That was cool.

Official Website Launch

2009-01-12T10:23:00.003-05:00

Ok -- I am so psyched. For the last 4 days, I've been building a professional looking author website since it's one of the things a serious author is supposed to have, blah, blah, blah.

So, after much frustration and tedious editing of HTML, I present to you, the official website of:

JC Lamont

Author Website

2009-01-09T00:53:00.002-05:00

Ok, if any ones noticed my rants on FB status lately, I've been having a lot of trouble coming up with a website that I can afford and that looks awesome.

Well, ranting and persistence pays off. It's under construction and it's going to look AWESOME. I am so psyched! It will take awhile -- it's EXTREMELY complicated and I fully understand why people pay thousands of dollars for a webmaster, lol.

But I can't wait till I can launch it and show it off. Right now, I've spent the last 2 hours getting 1 picture to be set up right. And now I have to wait till tomorrow to see if it even loaded (changes don't show up immediately -- very strange, but I guess that's what happens when you work with flash without having flash, hehe).

Anyway, it's now 1am and until the last 2 days, I haven't been staying up later than I'm supposed to. Have actually been going to bed around 11:30 - 12:00 like a good girl. So hopefully, I can get this website figured out and be back on schedule. Of course, I still have to finish up my book proposal, but the synopsis (the hardest part) is done, so I've been messing with the site.

So, goodnight! (well, it'll be morning when most of you read this, but anyway)

Stuff

2009-01-08T09:21:00.002-05:00

I'm still trying to finish up my proposal, plus now I'm working on building an author website. Last night I fell in love with an awesome template, only to discover that I need a 700 and a 400 software just to be able to customize it. That was frustrating to say the least!

So now I plan to spend the morning surfing the interent looking for some sort of flash template (the only way to look professional) that I can affor and edit/customize. I found a web hosting place that gives you flash templates but they are so pathetically boring and plain that I'm still hoping against hope to find something cooler -- dark, goth, and mysterious. Muhahahahah.

Naturally, as soon as I start on my site I will post a link.

Thanks again for all your prayers. They do seem to be working!

2009-01-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

Well, today was definitely better, sort of.

I started working on my book proposal, and am actually liking how the synopsis came out. I've written so many synopsis for this book that I've had a lot of practice, but never really liked them. This one I think I like, and the best part is that I don't think I'll have to do one for the ABA and one for the CBA. It doesn't sound like the bible, but it's not so controversial or bizarre sounding that the CBA would be like, "what in the world is this???"

So that's very cool.

Other than that, I've decided to stop studying/researching for the 2nd book. I'm not supposed to be working on it, I'm supposed to be taking a break, yet I've been burying myself in that to forget my emotional problems, etc....which apparently are still here to a degree, but were just repressed while working on the first book. And I can't possibly spend my life writing the next 2 books and then having to deal with them...whatever they are....cuz that's the part that's driving me insane...not knowing why I'm depressed, just that I am. Grrr.

Anyway, the wall is still there, but for now I'm just ignoring it, and hoping that it's prayed away by all my great friends who I can't thank enough for all their support and encouragement. I can't tell you how overwhelming it is, the first couple times (months ago) when one of you would say you were praying for me, it almost brought me to tears. So, thanks. This-- having friends and stuff -- is very new to me. And I can never express how much it means to me!

Back to Normal

2009-01-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm seriously going to try and get back into a normal routine...now that the holidays are over, my family is back in other states, and my son is done with Christmas break. The last few days have been esp hard...not sure why, can't really exlain it.

There is something very wrong inside me, I'm not sure what. It's affecting me both emotionally and mentally...if I even try for a moment to figure out what it i, to say what it feels like...it doesn't fit. Withdrawn? Yes, but that's not it. Not really. Depressed? Not really. Distant? Yes, very distant. I feel distant even from God which I've never felt in the entire 5+ years since I found Him. But at the same time, I don't feel like He's pulled away. It's more like there's a wall between us...but not one that He put up. But not one that I put up either. Almost like an invisible third party....

*sigh*

I probably sound like a nut case. It's just very strange. I've prayed and prayed that the "feeling" (whatever it is) goes away. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just a bit nuerotic. I already know I'm more neurotic than most people (which sucks, cuz I'm not neurotic in the cool, eccentic or eclectic way) I'm neurotic in the she's really messed up, I don't want to be around her type way. But that's why most people never get to see the real me. I can pull off sane VERY well...just ask the few people I've met at writer's conferences who actually like me. (which is very few for me too -- having people like me).

Anyway, if you could all just keep me in your prayers...that whatever this dark thing hanging over me or around me or whatever goes away or I break through it or Christ lifts it, I would gratefully appreciate it.

Hope everyone had a GREAT New Years!

Blah

2008-12-31T00:16:00.000-05:00

Holiday Complaints

2008-12-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Between my deadline and the holidays, I've put on 15 pounds since mid-November. What are my chances it will come off just as quick???

Probably not. *sigh*

Oh, and by the way, The 13th Soul did not win. All I received is a standard letter saying sorry, try again next time. I'm not sure if that means its definitely not an honorable mention (the blog says one more set of honorable mentions will soon be listed) so I'm still checking in there from time to time.

Anyway, my super cool brother who is the king of gifts (last year he got me WORD, so I didn't have to write any more drafts of Michael using works). This year he got me a camcorder -- so reader beware: I shall soon start video blogging. (That's the whole point I wanted one -- so instead of making you read my random rants on life, now you can see me rant).

I know I haven't been around. I haven't even bothered to turn on my comp to even check my email lately. I was sick for over a week, and then my brother flew in from CA and my mom and sis came up from Maryland so obviously I've been hanging with them lately.

Anyways, hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I will try and start blogging regularly again. It's hard figuring out what the heck to do --- lately I've been studying the gospels in prep for my next books which I'm NOT supposed to be doing, because I'm supposed to be taking a break but when you've lived with these characters for so many years it's hard to just stop thinking about them.

*sigh*

Well, hopefully tomorrow I will get off my lazy, bored-out-of-my-mind, don't feel like doing anything butt and videotape something so you can watch a video of me here. Until then....take care!

Just in from VOM

2008-12-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Lanlan is a young Chinese girl who will spend this Christmas without her father. Her dad, Pastor Lou Yuanqi is in the midst of a trial which started just days ago. This is the fourth time he has been imprisoned for his faith. From information ChinaAid has received, his sentence will likely be severe.

Lanlan, with her mother, brother and sister wait at home, knowing in just a few days, their lives will be changed by the verdict.

Even at the young age of 16, Lanlan has already paid a price for religious freedom. Police arrested her last February for teaching Sunday school. Police also arrested the 10 children who had gathered with Lanlan and kept them outside in the cold, walled-in courtyard of the police station without even a coat to keep them warm.

With this harsh treatment towards children, Lanlan knows that the treatment her father receives is much worse. This Christmas, would you consider helping Lanlan's family and others like them, by providing support for food, clothing and basic necessities in their hour of trial?

Agent's has my baby!

2008-12-15T10:04:00.003-05:00

Yup, my baby is gone.

May God's will be done.

My beta-readers are awesome!!! And I need your home addresses so I can mail you a real Christmas card. So please email with that and don't give me any "I don't need a real Christmas card, an e-card is good enough" crap!

Total pages: 941

Total word count: 198, 487

Total chapters: 194

Hopefully I don't give my agent a coronary attack.

And Avily, Lynn, and Kat M. -- I will be sure Phoenix is one of the cities on my book tour. :)

So now it's time to write book proposals (one for ABA, one for CBA). The synopsis will be the hardest part -- the book is soooo long. One time I did a synopsis that only covered the M & G subplot -- but I'm not too happy with that seeing as how it doesn't really tell what the story is about. Once, I did write a full synopsis for the book but it came to 17 pages.

I much prefer one-page synopsis' -- they are much easier to write. Which is what I'm going to do, but still that means I need to pull a subplot out of the story and write a synopsis based on that.

Then of course there is the marketing thing, which I almost think is ridiculous to start now...seeing as the book has 18 months AFTER I find a publisher before it hits shelves.

Oh, and by the way (to my beta-readers) if you ever leave specific comments about the book, please type SPOILER ALERT in all caps at the beginning of your post! Thanks.

Well, I think I'm going to go play around with proposal ideas. Thanks again!

I think I'm bored.....

2008-12-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

Um, yea....pathetic, aren't I?

I've been working on this story for 5 years....almost every single day, non-stop for five years. Now that it's done, I don't know what to do with myself. I do NOT want to start working on the second one...not quite yet. (I'm not that pathetic). Besides, with the second one, I plan to just spend the first year doing research for it. And I'm not in the mood to bury myself in a ton of non-fiction stuff text-book type volumes right now.

I think I miss my characters. When you fall asleep thinking about your main character, envisioning his thoughts and dreams and desires, every single night for 1,825 nights....well, let's just say old habits die hard.

I guess what I'm saying is....I need a life.

Any ideas?

YEA!!!!

2008-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Finally, it is done. Woo-hoo!

I can't describe how good it feels -- much like a relief though. I am so exhausted -- 3 weeks of 2am nights has really gotten to me. I've been living on coffee and caffeine pills, and if I forget to eat get really lightheaded....but it's all over now!

I'm so psyched. Of course, I still have to add in my beta-reader's comments over the weekend, but from now till then -- I'm doing anything but playing. (and cleaning my house so I can decorate it for Christmas, for some reason, it's a disaster as though the owner disappeared for 3 weeks, go figure).

La, la, la -- play, fun, relax....and most importantly, SLEEP!

Tonight

2008-12-08T01:38:00.002-05:00

It's almost 2 am, I tried to finish but not going to make. I know this doesn't leave my wonderful beta-readers much time, but it will be done tonight -- I swear. And I will send out it out tonight (Monday). Unfortunately, if any of your suggestions for the last 1/3 are going to make it in before my agent gets it, you're going to have to have read it in its entirety and send me comments by Friday, so that I can start incorporating them in Friday night. I realize that only leaves you four days. And I'm sorry -- for those of you on FB you know how many hours I spent working on this -- that I've basically done NOTHING but write this. I've written for 11 straight hours at times -- you've seen me.

Anyway, out of the 12 people who agreed or offered to read it, only 6 have actually started and only 3 of them have finished and gotten back to me with comments regarding the first 2/3.

I understand the book is long, I understand I didn't give much time to read it. But if you do plan to finish on time and/or are ready for the last 1/3 to be sent, please let me know.

And if anyone's stopped reading it, because they weren't enjoying it -- boring, confusing, whatever -- please let me know at what part you stopped reading it, and what about it made you stop.

And most of all, thanks so much!

Almost Done

2008-12-05T09:07:00.001-05:00

Hey all -- sorry I haven't been around. Have been writing furiously. My schedule is all messed up, my sleep is erratic (been going to bed between 2:00 - 2:30 on work nights!)

But -- I should be done this weekend, and have the the last 1/3 ready for my beta-readers!

To all those reading, and to all those who've already sent me their list of comments -- THANK YOU SO MUCH!

You're all awesome!