Struggles with Uprooted by War

I have gotten so much positive feedback from my new release, Uprooted by War, that it's caused me to do some reflection. Many readers have already told me it's the best one yet, and the print version has only been out for a little over a week. I think one of the reasons it's being so well received is that it's set during the Civil War, a fascinating time period for those who like history.

Also, as the third book in the Appalachian Roots series, it has all the characters from the other two books and  many of my readers already know them. The main characters here are Luke and Leah Moretz; but secondary characters include, Emma, Hawk, Clifton, Ivy, Sam, and Patsy. Aaron and Moses are also new secondary characters.

However, I struggled more with writing Uprooted by War than with any I've written. I wanted to show what living through the Civil War felt like for both the soldier and those he left behind, but I didn't want it to become too dark or depressing. I wanted to make sure a cord of hope ran throughout, so I worked hard to give it a balance. I also wanted to make the events around the mountain farm specific to the Appalachian Mountains, where the war looked different than in other regions.

I also did a lot of extra research for this one. I made the events as accurate as I could. Coming from an educational background in history and English, I don't mind research. I had one reader tell me she never realized the war was so hard, and she felt like she was right there living it with Luke and Leah. She also told me how much her faith grew as she read about them relying on theirs.  How blessed this makes me feel!
(All my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children.)

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Extra-Special Deliveries

In January 1913 the U.S. Post Office started delivering heavier packages than a letter in the mail. Not long afterwards, a few parents got the idea of mailing their children to relatives for a visit. One newspaper reported that it cost parents fifty-three cents to mail their daughter to her grandparents for a visit. Although fifty-three cents could buy much more in 1913, it was still a cheap way for a youngster to travel.

From the very first, the postmaster general frowned on the idea. He didn't see that mailing children ranked with mailing plants, baby chicks or other small animals. However, there were several such mailings recorded before it was finally stopped. Parents would buy the postage, attach the stamps to their child's clothing, and mail him or her to the destination. Do you remember the children's story about Flat Stanley? Maybe this is where the author came up with the idea.

Although the idea is intriguing and a bit bizarre, not many parents chose to take advantage of the situation. Although railway or city carriers rode along with the children to their destination, not many parents felt comfortable sending their child off like this. Today it might even be considered child neglect or abuse. On June 13, 1920 the U.S. Post Office ruled that it would no longer be allowed. Mailing children came to an end.

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The End of Jonah's Story

Read Jonah 4

When Jonah finally decided to obey God and go to Nineveh, a miracle occurred. These hard-hearted, cruel Assyrians believed. They put on sack cloths, fasted, and repented from their wicked ways. But Jonah still wasn't happy. He still didn't believe God should have cared about the Ninevites. 

How many Christians today have gotten into the same boat as Jonah? They know Christ calls them to tell others His good news, but they've neglected that command. They want to serve God on their terms, not His. It's easy for us to judge Jonah, but there's too much of Jonah in us all. How compassionate, caring, and understanding are we for others, especially our enemies?

Jonah actually became angry that God allowed the Ninevites to repent instead of destroying them. In fact, he's so upset he tells God just to kill him. He goes off into the distance and pouts. God sends a plant to shade him, but then He sends a worm that eats into it and the plant withers and dies. Jonah mourns the plant, and God chides him for caring about a plant but not the Ninevites. The story ends with Jonah still unhappy. We don't know if he ever softened his heart with understanding, but we can choose the ending to our own stories. We can choose to obey God, to love everyone as He asks, and to carry His messages wherever He calls us. In the end, the story of Jonah is really God's story. It tells of His infinite love, patience, and understanding for His wayward children--for us.

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Inspiring 

I'm having an exhilarating week. I had book signings scheduled over the weekend, and my new novel, Uprooted by War, came the day before I left home. This one is causing a wave of renewed interest in all my books. This weekend, I sold quite a few sets of all four of the books I've published so far and many single copies of Uprooted by War.

I'm guessing that the fact this new novel is set during the Civil War appeals to readers. It seems to be a popular time period. In addition, it continues with the characters many of my readers have grown to love in the first two books in the Appalachian Roots series. However, each of the books in the series has a definite ending. I don't believe in writing cliffhangers at the end of novels. I believe readers deserve a finished product.

All this activity motivates and excites me. One reader has already told me how much her faith grew while reading Uprooted by War and how inspiring she found it. This is what I want to do -- not only entertain but also touch readers' lives so they feel they come away better because they read the book. If my books inspire others, it inspires me. It doesn't get much better than this for a writer.

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National Yo-Yo Day

June 6 is National Yo-Yo Day, and the toy may be older than you think. An ancient Greek vase from 500 BC shows a boy playing with a yo-yo. Greek records describe them as being made of wood; metal; or terra cotta, a fired clay. European children have played with them for ages.

They also came to the American colonies. The Blount House in Knoxville, Tennessee, built in the late 1700's has them on display. However, the toy really became popular in the 1920's. In 1928, Pedro Flores, an immigrant from the Philippines, opened a yo-yo factory in Santa Barbara, California. Before 1929 ended, he had opened addition factories in Los Angles and Hollywood.

Not long afterwards, another entrepreneur, Donald F. Duncan, bought the yo-yo manufacturing business from Flores. In 1932, Harvey Lowe won the first world yo-yo championship in London. Other yo-yo makers came upon the scene, but the Duncan yo-yo would remain the best known. The 1960's saw another resurgence of the yo-yo, and this continued until the end of the 1980's. Although less popular, they're still available today.

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Another Chance


Read Jonah 1:8 - 3:10

When the captain and sailors on the ship Jonah had boarded to go to Tarshish were about to perish, the captain went below to wake Jonah up and speak with him. Yes, Jonah had slept through this violent storm. Jonah explained who he was, and the captain asked him what he should do.

To Jonah's credit, he told them to throw him overboard. The prophet knew that he was the problem, and he was willing to be thrown overboard to save the others. Of course it looked like Jonah would perish either way. However, he didn't. God was still there, and He sent a big fish to swallow Jonah from the churning waters. Then the waters calmed, almost immediately, and the sailors were saved.

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason on mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried out I and thou heardest my voice" (Jonah 2: 1-2).

While in the dark belly of the fish, Jonah had plenty of time to think. He finally begins to see what he'd done in running and disobeying God. He cries out to the Lord in despair, and God has the fish spit Jonah out on dry land. God calls out to the prophet to go to Nineveh and deliver His message, giving Jonah another chance to obey. This time, Jonah goes to Nineveh.

The barbaric Ninevites listened, put on sack cloths, and fasted - everyone from the king to their livestock fasted. Because they repented God spared them and about 120,000 souls were saved. The prophet who had run from God became one of the most successful as far as the numbers go. This holds important lessons for us. If someone as cruel as the Assyrians can be forgiven and saved, so can all of us. And God never gives up on anyone. He wants all of His wayward children to come to Him. We serve an awesome God of many chances.

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Publishing My Next Book

Since I actually write faster than the books get through the publishing process, I always have a backlog of manuscripts. This is true whether the books are traditionally published or indies, although the indies are quicker. With the fourth and last book in my Appalachian Roots series with the editor at the publishing house now and my indie, When Winter Is Past, doing well, I'm looking at my writing files to see what's next.

Through the Wilderness, set on the Oregon Trail, is the manuscript most ready for publication. It's with its second beta reader now. But I'm still debating how I want to publish it. I've loved my current publisher, but they've been late on getting out my royalty checks every time. The contract says I will get them within 60 days of the closing date for that period. The last one closed on December 31, 2015, but I've still not received anything, despite my regular reminders to them. I do have a smaller publisher in mind that I met at a writers' conference as another option, and there's self-publishing also.

I'm not sure I'm fully satisfied with the title, Through the Wilderness, but my readers chose it. Here is a synopsis of the story:

Faith Allen had gone to the Kentucky mountains to live with her aunt and uncle after her parents died. They hadn’t been cruel, but they hadn’t been loving and kind either, and they expected her to work hard. When their son struck it rich in the California gold rush, they pack up to head to California via the Oregon Trail.

Jacob Parker had been astonished at the attention Lucille Staten had shown him at the party. She was the most sought-after woman around and beautiful beyond description. When she asks him to retrieve her wrap from her bedroom, he knew he shouldn’t go there, but he found he couldn’t refuse her. When she follows and they are caught, he’s forced to marry her. However, he still has hopes for a happy future together, as he and her father make plans for the young couple to head west on the Oregon Trail.

The trail holds many more dangers than either Faith or Jacob imagined, and tragic circumstances throw them together. Can Jacob accept his second chance at love and a family and can Faith move past the fact that hers was a marriage of convenience that crushed her childhood fantasies? On top of all that, will they survive the hardships and make it to Oregon?

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