Got Your Goat is Here!

The fourth book in the Idioms & Cliches series, Got Your Goat, is finally here. Set on an Appalachian farm just after the Civil War, when Emily Rose Howard takes in four goats, she didn't know what she was getting into. Nero is about as ornery a creature as she's ever seen. However, life gets even more complicated when her neighbor's son brings his army friend home from the war and her art professor from college shows up not long afterward. Life in the Appalachian Mountains has never been easy, but Emily Rose is determined to face her problems with faith and fortitude the way she always has. But this time, will she come away with her heart?

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It's a long trip from Georgia to Kansas, and Robert Johnson agrees to go home with Lomax Greer to rest up before he continues on to see his sister and her family. He hadn't expected the Appalachians or Lomax's neighbor to be so lovely. He likes the small, mountain farm, even with all its complications, but he knows there'll come a time when he must return to Kansas. What will happen then if part of his heart will always remain in these mountains?

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All three versions, including the Audible, are now ready. My go-to team of dual narrators, Douglas Birk and Jennifer Groberg worked hard and fast on this one, and I think you will love their production. Some of Nero's antics are definitely amusing, and Emily Rose and Robert are heart-stealers. You may remember Robert from A Few Bumps in the Road where he's Robbie, Judith's little brother. Got Your Goat can also be read as a standalone, but either way, you won't want to miss this one.

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The Pharisees

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

The word "pharisee" means either "separate" or "interpret" in Hebrew. The group of men known as the Pharisees came about around one hundred years before the birth of Christ. The historian Josephus said they functioned as advisors on matters of law. They set themselves apart to carefully interpret and observe Jewish law and became theological policemen for the people. They mainly focused on keeping the dietary laws, ritual purity, and the holiness of the Sabbath. They took responsibility for passing on the oral traditions that came from Moses. 

Although some of the Pharisees were faithful and sincere, many of them enforced the letter of the law so strictly that they had little sympathy or care for people. They'd become legalists and entirely missed the intent of the law. This is what Jesus tried to point out. However, the Pharisees were responsible for setting the standards of Judaism in the first century, and they kept score. To them, Jesus and His disciples just didn't measure up.

Some churches still have Pharisee-like members. These are the people that judge others and ostracize those who don't meet their standards. They usually have a self-righteous attitude just like many of the Pharisees did during Jesus' day. But Jesus teaches that we shouldn't judge others and the condition of our hearts is more important than our performance. That's why righteousness wasn't something that could just be added up on a scorecard. It was a matter of the heart first.

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Editors Don't Catch Everything

I'm still struggling with the task of trying to put out a book without a single error. It has turned out to be a much harder job than I thought it would be. I self-edit each manuscript at least five times, have beta readers, and have had up to three professional editors for one book, but a few mistakes still slip through no matter what I do. It's frustrating. I have never published a book I've written without a professional editor and wouldn't dream of doing so. I use the very best I can find.

Admittedly, most readers don't seem as concerned about it as I am. In fact, most of them tell me they don't find a mistake in mine. However, I see them, and it bothers me. It also bothers me when I read and find too many mistakes in other authors' works. I have probably only read about two books in the last ten years where I found no mistakes, but I still want mine to be one of them.

Making the Audible books has helped. It's like the final filtering system where I'm given one last chance to catch any remaining mistakes. I usually find under five and correct them. I hope that's all, but I can never be sure. They have a way of appearing later sometimes. I am consoled somewhat by the fact that I've gotten rid of most of them, but I won't be happy until I can put out a mistake-free book every time.

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 Offended

With all the evil in the world, it's easy to become offended -- offended by injustice, offended by the pain we suffer, or offended by the sufferings of those we love. It's also easy to get offended at people who have different opinions or who don't agree with us. If he can, Satan will taunt us to keep us offended.

Offenses are a stumbling block that can cause us to falter in our faith and keep us from seeing the truth. Offenses can cause bitterness which can hurt our relationship with God. Feeling offended pulls our focus from God and puts it on ourselves. It is a selfish reaction that will steal our joy fast.

"Drop your offenses at the foot of the cross. Let Jesus have anything that has offended you and anything that causes bitterness. ...trust God. ...Don't let your abundant life be choked off by ingratitude, anger, or bitterness."  You won't let offenses get the upper hand if you stay grounded in your faith and put more value on spiritual matters than worldly matters.

Parts from Flying on His Wings by Lisa Buffaloe

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Some Downsides to Maps

I am pleased to be a part of seven upcoming MAPs (multiple-author projects) through 2023. I have blogged on and discussed the many advantages of MAPs for authors and readers. However, like most things, there are also some negative aspects.

For one thing, KDP, the publishing arm of Amazon, is not user-friendly when it comes to Maps. It takes some effort to get them to connect the books on a series page when there are multiple authors involved. And sometimes, there can be errors in the process.

Then, I am locked into the dates, schedules, formatting, cover designer, and all the elements prescribed by the administrator of the project when I sign up to write one of the books. All the organizers I have encountered have been easy to work with, but publishing MAPs doesn't have the flexibility that self-publishing does.

The worst problem I have encountered is that some members of a team tend to be selfish, domineering, and want their own way. This makes it harder than it should be for everyone involved. I have had two minor incidents that brought this home. In the latest one, the author thought it was unfair that I had two fifteen-minute timeslots in a cover reveal party. Two of us had this because we had two books in the series, and the administrator told me it was fine. However, in order to keep the peace, I removed my name from one of the time slots. Then I had to try to squeeze two books with bio, descriptions, and activities into one fifteen-minute timeslot, and there were still about five empty slots left.

Despite the downsides, however, I plan to continue to write in MAPs. I've come to the conclusion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and they have energized my writing even more. It's fun to write and promote in a team where we support each other, and I look forward to what is to come.

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Clinging to Faith

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

Faith goes deeper than believing because it also includes the element of trust. It has to be more than what we've been taught, a religious affiliation, an emotional experience, or what someone else believes and shares. We must have faith on a personal level, where it means something to us.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11).

With faith, we know that God always wants the best for us because we know God and who He is. That doesn't mean that things will always be easy for us because we live in a fallen world where Satan has yet to be fully contained. Even when we make the right choices, others might not. But it does mean that God is always with us and, therefore, we can deal with what comes.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

With faith and knowing God personally, we can put our complete trust in Him and rely on Him. When we make Him the top priority in our lives, far above everything else, worldly problems shrink in comparison. This is how God intended for His people to live!

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 Writing Like Real Life

I often hear readers complaining that a book doesn't read like real life, especially the ones that have a happy ending after overcoming a multitude of problems. Of course, readers are diverse and read for different reasons, expecting different things. Personally, I don't care if a story reflects real life. I want a good novel that pulls me in, makes me care, presents me with some thought-provoking situations that teach an important truth, and gives me a happy ending. I'd rather it not be so realistic that it's gut-wrenching. Many read to escape real life, and romance readers expect a happy ending.

No one would like a book that truly reads like real life. Think of your mundane tasks and routine days. How much of what happens would draw readers in and make them want to keep reading. If you're like most people, not much.  I agree that a story needs to be believable; however, that's different than being like real life. Fiction sorts through what might have happened, keeping the important parts that move the story and discarding the rest. The best authors do this well. I hope I'm one of them.

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