Celebrate His Birth

Wednesday’s Spotlight: Celebrate His Birth

I came across this little book while I was at Lifeway Bookstore, and it really is a gem. It’s a combination of quotes, verses, songs, various things. I found it to be charming, and exactly what I needed to help me calm myself during this season. Some of my favorite were —

When I think of Christmas Eves, Christmas feasts, Christmas songs, and Christmas stories, I know it was not a short and transient gladness. It was–and is–a joy unspeakable and full of glory. ~Corrie ten Boom

We recall the special Christmases that are like little landmarks in a life of a family. ~Marjorie Holmes

If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: “God with us.” ~John MacArthur

May these bring you a tiny bit of the Christmas spirit this week.

V~

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

Last Book Signings for 2010

I seldom use this page for blatant self promotion, but I wanted to take a chance to thank everyone who has come out for my book signings which began back on October 1. There have been somewhere around 30 of them, and you all have been wonderfully supportive. I’ve been amazed at how many people are willing to give a BRAND NEW WRITER from a little town in central Texas a try.

My last book signings for 2010 will be in the Dallas area this weekend. If you live nearby and can make it by, I’d love to see you. I always offer a newsletter sign-up, and give away a basket of goodies, but I’m going to raid the goody closet this time … in celebration of Christmas and as a big thank you. 

This weekend’s SPECIAL BOX of goodies will include an Amish quilted hot pad and 3 autographed books by some of my fav writers–Never Far from Home (by Mary Ellis), A River Walk Christmas (Barbour collection, including Lynette Sowell), and A Friend in the Storm (Cheryl Ricker). Stop by and sign up to win. I’ll draw a name Sunday! Can’t be there? Leave a comment with your email addy to sign up for my newsletter. THAT will enter you in the drawing. But you have to leave your email address.  It’s best to leave it like this.  “I’d love to be added to your newsletter list! Send it to JoeSmith (at) gmail.com.”

Easy, right? Or you could come and see me!

12.10.10 Lifeway Christian Store. Mesquite, TX. 5:30-7:30

12.11.10 Lifeway Christian Store. Hurst, TX. 10:00-11:30

12.11.10 Barnes & Noble Bookstore. Arlington, TX. 1:00-4:00

Everyone have a safe weekend and Feliz Navidad! (I just enjoy saying that a bit early.)

V~

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

Keeping it Simple

The Amish View:  Keeping it Simple

SOMETIMES I’m a minimalist. I guess by that I mean that sometimes, much of the time, I think less is better. So when I began researching how the Amish celebrate Christmas, a lot of what I found resonated with my heart.

I wanted to jump and shout YES. Finally, I’d found people I could relate to, at least in some ways.

It should come as no surprise to you that my family enjoys mocking me. I take ribbing well, so that’s okay. But at Christmas it’s especially fun for them. I put up a 3 foot tree. I put cranberry candles around the house. I make sure there’s ONE piece of Christmas in each room. That’s it.

Don’t get me wrong. I ADORE Christmas, but I’m sometimes overwhelmed by the STUFF. Do you know what I mean? I like the smell of cinnamon, and I love to pull out music that celebrates the birth of The Child. Twinkly lights are my favorite … the rest? I don’t know. The guy down the road teases me every year because I don’t have Christmas lights outside. Truth is, the deer EAT our Christmas lights, and that’s not really good for them.

Also all of that STUFF makes me a little nervous. I want to go and look for pine cones. I want to walk downtown and wave at my friends in the Christmas parade. I want to snuggle and watch It’s a Wonderful Life one more time. And I want to troop to church and stand together with my family and sing “Oh Come All Ye Faithful.” THOSE are the things that make me love Christmas.

I think I’ll keep my 3 foot tree. It looks nice in the corner. I put it on top of a wooden box, and then we can put a few gifts under it. Nice and simple.

 V~

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

ps – The virtual book signing continues through December 7th. You can go to http://www.christianreviewofbooks.com/ for details. Also, my last IN-PERSON signings in 2010 will be in the Dallas area next weekend. See the JOIN ME tab for details.

Mailbox Monday

There seems to be a theme to my mail this week — folks wanting to know if I’m going to continue the story of Annie and Samuel. The answer is YES, I’d like to. But I’m waiting to hear if Abingdon has a slot in their line-up. Feel free to send your requests directly to Abingdon. You can find them on Facebook or email them directly at mroper@abingdonpress.com.  Now to the mail —

• I enjoyed reading “A Simple Amish Christmas” and look forward to reading more of your books as they are published.  God Bless you as a Christian writer.   In His love, Dorothy (11.21.10)
• I just bought a Kindle, and the first book I read was “A Simple Amish Christmas.” I wanted to tell you I really enjoyed the book and hope to read more of your work. I was surprised you are from Texas. On a side note: we have an Amish community here in Bee County, and one of the main families here carries the name of the man who bought the store in your book – Borntrager. You left that little story unfinished. I wondered what happened to those people who sold their wares. Are there more books in the Annie/Samuel saga? ~Carol (11.19.10)
• I just finished reading “A Simple Amish Christmas.” I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was a great read.  Annie and Samuel are very endearing characters.  I loved them and their journey. I decided to write to see if you plan another book set in Mifflin County, PA.  As it seemed to me that there was a hint there might be, in that the storyline for Annie’s Uncle Eli and her sister Charity, as well as Samuel’s sister-n-law Rachel were left up in the air. I’ll look forward to your next book wherever it is set. God bless you.  ~Debbie (11.16.10)
• Dear Ms. Chapman, What a wonderful and inspirational story.  I couldn’t stop reading.  I do hope you will write sequels to it as you have developed so many wonderful characters and their messages are so potent. God Bless you and may you have many happy days of writing. Sincerely, ~Sara (11.16.10)
• Read “A Simple Amish Christmas” & like it very much. I’ll be looking forward to your next book. ~Wilma (11.15.10)
• I just finished A Simple Amish Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Please write more books like this one and please add me to the newsletter.  Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving. ~Sheila (11.15.10)
• I started A SIMPLE AMISH CHRISTMAS tonight and I love it already! It caught my attention right away and love the character Annie already! I am sure I will be reading it way into the night ! I really love the scripture verses you add to the story too, the word always speaks to my heart especially when I need it the most. Lets me know no matter where we are or what we are dealing with in our journey called life; our God holds us in the palm of his hand and will always take care of us. I love the little boy Kiptyn and I can’t wait to see what happens with him as well. Now, I am really happy my husband bought your book went to your book signing for me! I am going to have to get another one and have you sign it for my mom, she loves these stories too and it will make a great gift for her. ~Teresa (11.09.10)

Thank you so much for the letters. You’re a huge encouragement to me.

~V

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

Almost Forever

Wednesday’s Spotlight: Almost Forever

I had the thrill of meeting Deb Raney at ACFW this year. Actually our conference fee included an agent or editor appointment. Since I already have both, I chose a mentor appointment … and I was assigned to Deb Raney. Truthfully I didn’t know much about Deb, so I did my homework before our scheduled time. I also asked around.

Wow! Deb had quite the reputation for being an amazing woman and author. Still, I wasn’t sure what I could learn from her in 15 minutes. Well, you would be surprised. I learned a lot, and I was impressed by her kindness and genuine friendliness.

I know I’m going to love her writing as well. I purchased this book at ACFW, rushed to her table and had her sign it–and I can’t wait to read it! But you can’t always BE at an author’s signing. The reason I’m highlighting her book this week is because 75 Christian authors are participating in The Christmas Book Signing Bash. It begins on Friday, November 26th and runs through December 7th. For 10 days, you can click over, choose your book, and have it autographed. The book will be shipped to your doorstep. What a great Christmas present! Think of it as a virtual book signing.

And yes, I’ll be right there, virtually signing beside my mentor, Deb Raney. What an honor for me.

V~

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

God Came Near

Wednesday’s Spotlight: God Came Near

I was thinking about Christmas books and what books have influenced me the most. I went to my bookshelf and what did I pull out, but the book that I read every Christmas — Max Lucado’s “God Came Near.”

I could go on and on about this book. My copy is older, a big ragged, dog-eared. It also has a note written in the front dated September 1998 … so instead of telling you why I like this book, I’m just going to read you the note that I wrote over 12 years ago.

This book helped me at a time when I was struggling with how “high and deep and wide” the love of God is, when I was struggling with “grace.” Read it a little at a time. Let it soak in slowly. And try to listen — I am sure you will hear God’s voice in these pages. He will show you what you need to know.

V~

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

Harvest

The Amish View:  Harvest

As October gave way to November, I travelled home from a weekend in the Dallas area back to my small town in central Texas. As I left the city behind me, I noticed more signs of fall than I had seen the previous week — trees that had lost their leaves, fall sunshine bouncing off bales of hay, native grasses seeding, produce stands by the side of the road offering pumpkins and fall squash.

It was as if the seasons had changed in the 3 days I’d been gone, but of course they hadn’t. I was the one who had changed. I’d been to the city, and on my return trip things looked different.

That happens when we’ve been away–whether it’s for a day or a month. We see things from a new viewpoint. Since it is the first of November, it’s easy for me to make new resolutions. (I don’t need the new year for that–a new month will do fine). As I traveled down our two lane county road, toward home, toward cooler days, I vowed to spend more time with my family, more time noticing God’s gifts, and more time appreciating his grace. Surely those are 3 things I’ve learned from my Amish friends–3 things even a busy gal from a small town in Texas can manage to do.

V~

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

Listening

The Amish View: Listening

I’m convinced one of the things we all admire about Amish folk is the fact that they remain in touch with nature. They haven’t lost that connection with the land. So as my husband and I were packing up from a book signing in Austin last weekend, headed home to our small town, to another day of work on a SUNDAY (it’s true, and I’m ashamed) . . . something in my mind and heart kicked in. Perhaps it was last week’s blog. Maybe it was the Lord’s gentle nudge (more like a kick in the seat of the pants).

Whatever it was, I turned to my hubby and asked if we could go to the local state park instead of going home. “Don’t you need to work?” he asked. He’s grown used to my late night hours, and he didn’t want another all-nighter popping up. “Not today,” I said. “Let’s go for a walk. Like we used to.” And so we did. Today instead of sharing POINTS, I’m going to share a few pictures. Amazing what God can show you though, when you listen. Maybe that’s what I’ve learned from the Amish in the last year.

 

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

ps – I’m signing books in the DALLAS, TX area all weekend. Simply click on the JOIN ME tab above, for locations.

Ends of the Earth

Wednesday’s Spotlight: Ends of the Earth

A few days ago I started reading my first Tim Downs book, my first BUG MAN book, Ends of the Earth.

Tim Downs was our keynote speaker at ACFW this year, and I was so impressed with and blessed by what he had to say. Tim challenged me in many ways — which is saying quite a bit. I’m a hard sale. I’m a bad listener. I tend to exhibit poor attention skills when in a workshop setting. I don’t mean to, and I always vow to do better, but I’m being honest here. With Tim it was different. Each time Tim spoke, I found myself drawn into a conversation about Christian fiction, faith, and writing. It was worth the cost of attending the conference.

But what about his writing? I’m on chapter 3, and so far I’ve been a bit disgusted, laughed, and been charmed. I’d say he’s accomplished quite a bit in a very few pages. Tim Downs–if you haven’t read him yet, check him out. Now I need to go. If I finish my work, I’ll have some reading time tonight.

V~

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

ps – after I wrote this post, I received a note from my friend, Suzanne Woods Fisher that her lovely book, THE CHOICE was free on Kindle for a limited time. I’m not sure how long this special lasts, but I wanted to let you know! Suzanne is a wonderful writer. I have her latest book, The Waiting, and I’m definitely going to downlod this one . . . Remember, you can download any Kindle book to your iPad, Kindle or pc.

NOT The Amish View

NOT The Amish View: Exhaustion

It occurred to me this week that EXHAUSTION is probably not the Amish way of life. They’re hard workers, to be sure. When I was in Shipshewana, Indiana, researching for my next book, I was a bit embarrassed, because the Amish folk I met work so hard. I felt like a bit of a slug by comparison. And I’M a hard worker. But these people don’t pause to check their FaceBook page.

It occurs to me now though, 9 weeks into my school year and with another writing project deadline looming, that the Amish I met in Shipshe weren’t EXHAUSTED. Why was that? Did I visit on a good week? It was mid-summer. Lots of tourism. Lots of work on the farm. No, I think it was something else. Perhaps some good common sense, that I’ve forgotten.

• Most work stops at dark, of necessity (remember, no electricity)
• Early to bed . . .
• Good meals (little fast food)
• Sunday is completely a day of worship and rest
• Families are close and support one another. There’s less of this “I can do it by myself” mentality – – I said that in my best two-year-old voice
• Social commitments are limited. We talked about this last week.
• Lots of good, healthy exercise

I’m not one to hold a person, or a group of people, up on a pedestal. That would be foolish. But I do think we read Amish books, in part, because there’s something there that works, and we’d like to find a way to apply it to our lives.

Amish families work hard. Can you even imagine farming without modern tools? Going to school each day without a car? Shuttling your large family around via a horse and buggy? Hanging laundry out on a line because you had to instead of because you liked the smell of fresh sheets? Yes, they work very hard, as do you and I. But I’m not sure they work their self to exhaustion. They might have a little more common sense than I do! Might be time for me to stop researching and start applying what I’ve learned.

By the way, I’ve included a picture of BIG BUCK, because he ate my pumpkin display this week. I thought he deserved to be highlighted a bit. Have a wonderful week–and here’s to hard work and common sense!

V~

VannettaChapman@gmail.com

ps – I’m signing books at the public library in Buda, TX today from 1-3. I’d love to see you there if you’re in the Austin area.