LeBlog--The Blog about life…writing, raising kids, chasing dogs, handling life and all its bit parts.

June 29, 2007

 

Where were you?


While I was in Nashville, I was able to unveil the Elvis bust my publisher, B&H Publishing Group, purchased. They found a place in Ohio that actually makes these and paints them to your specifications. The shape of the bust is identical to the one I based mine on. But B&H had the scarf painted red to go with the red Cadillac on the cover.

Did you know trunks of scarves were purchased for Elvis' tours? That way he could toss them to his screaming fans!

All things being Elvis, I was having a discussion this week with some friends about where we were when Elvis died. It's been almost 30 years since his death. Thirty years! But everyone remembered what they were doing. Obviously, we'd all been born by 1977!

The summer before Elvis died, my big brother came back from his first year in college. He had an album of Elvis' greatest hits and kept playing it over and over. That was my first introduction to Elvis. And it was love at first note. But as the summer was winding down, I was outside cleaning our pool (boy, I hated that job!). I had the radio on. It was announced that Elvis had died. At the age of 42. It was unbelievable. I remember crying, feeling so bad for him and his family and his little girl Lisa Marie. Later that afternoon, I had band practice at school. All the kids my age seemed oblivious to the importance of that day, to the impact Elvis had, to the loss of such an amazing artist.

Do you remember where you were, what you were doing, the day Elvis died?

June 28, 2007

 

Weird and Wacky


One of the weird and wacky, but fun and fabulous, things about my trip to Nashville was the Elvis impersonator. Oh, excuse me! I believe they like to be called tribute artists. The associate publisher of B&H Publishing took off his publishing hat and donned Elvis' pompadour! He did a FANTASTIC job! It was so much fun. You know, they say in show biz never to follow a child or a dog act. Well, I think they should add, never follow an Elvis tribute artist either. Thanks, Ricky, for that Rock-a-hula Baby performance!

A little bit of housekeeping now... I've had some folks email with problems commenting. So here's how you do it. When you click on 'comments' below each day's blog, if you don't have a google or blogger account then click on 'anonymous.' Type your comment (and name!), then you'll have to type in the squiggly letters which keeps spammers at bay. Then click 'publish comment.' It's that simple. If you do it that way, then please type your name at the end of your comment so we know who you are. Otherwise, you can go to blogger.com and set up a free account. Then you'll have a 'name' and a 'password.' Because I monitor the comments, your comment won't show up immediately. When it hits my inbox, then I'll okay it. If you have any trouble or any more questions, just email me.

It's raining and pouring here, so I'm thinking we need to start building an ark. Has anyone seen Evan Almighty? We saw it this past weekend with the kiddoes. It was a lot of fun! Good family fun! Seen any other good movies lately?

June 27, 2007

 

And the winner is...


When I was in Nashville last week, the B&H Publishing Group really made me feel like a winner. This is a picture of some of the folks that made it such a special, fun time. From left to right is Bonnie Batey, David Webb, Robin Patterson, Rebeca Seitz, Leanna (me!) and Julie Gwinn. Behind us you can see a bunch of the decorations for the sales conference. Obviously, it's a jungle out in the publishing world.

Some days it really feels like a jungle. But other days, like yesterday, the work-in-progress flowed and another idea landed smackdab in my lap. Love those days!

The winner of Diva NashVegas by Rachel Hauck is Elizabeth! Email me with your snail mail info and I'll get that out to you. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

Tomorrow, I'll show you the fabulous picture of the Elvis bust B&H Publishing bought to go with my book.

June 26, 2007

 

Free book giveaway!


Last week when I was going to Nashville, I grabbed Diva NashVegas by Rachel Hauck. The story takes place in Nashville. It's a romance, which I don't read a lot of romances anymore, but it was fun and different. Here's the backcover blurb:

What do you do when the past you've been skirting shows up at your door with cameras rolling? Aubrey James ruled the charts as the queen of country for over a decade. She'd rocketed to fame in the shadow of her parents' death--both of them pioneers in Gospel music. But while her public life, high profile romances, and fights with Music Row execs made for juicy tabloid headlines, the real and private Aubrey has remained a media mystery. When a former band member betrays Aubrey's trust and sells an 'exclusive' to a tabloid, the star knows she must go public with her story. But Aubrey's private world is rocked when the Inside NashVegas interviewer is someone from her past--someone she'd hoped to forget. All the moxie in the world won't let this Diva run any longer.

Pick up a copy and enjoy a good read this summer. Also, if you want to try to win a free copy, post a comment and I'll draw one name for a winner!

June 25, 2007

 

A Merry Heart


Recently I was in Nashville and was given a tour of Lifeway. It's an amazing complex. And Lifeway has done so much in helping teach about Jesus. Many of the original pieces of art were on the walls and I recognized the pictures my mother used when I helped her in her Sunday School room. It wasn't until someone sent me this pencil drawing of Jesus smiling that I realized what a serious Jesus all the other pictures portray. Of course they are all just figments of the artists' imagination. No one knows really what Jesus looked like. But seeing this smiling one gave me a new glimpse. There's a glimpse of a carefree, playful Jesus in the movie Passion of the Christ. It makes him more human and yet more godlike at the same time. What do you think of this smiling Jesus?

June 22, 2007

 

On the turntable

Does anyone have a turntable anymore? My mother does. I only have cd players now. Every morning while I'm fixing breakfast, I put on some music. It helps me to get moving almost more than the coffee. Often in the summer, I turn on Christmas music. It somehow cools me off, makes me hopeful that the 100 degree days will end soon. But it hasn't been that hot this summer. I can't believe we're almost all the way through June and it's still in the low 90s. We've had so much rain, which we're so grateful for! Anyway, not to get off on the weather, lately I've been listening to Casting Crowns, Michael Buble and U2. What are y'all listening to these days?

June 21, 2007

 

A Grasshopper's Tale

A few years ago, I was writing stories in category romance. But then the story ideas dried up like grass under the blazing Texas sun. Other stories, however, were taking root and growing in my mind. Maybe the grass just seemed greener over the hill in mainstream fiction. Whatever the reason, I decided to hop off to explore these different stories and quirky characters.

But the weeds became thicker and the plants taller along the way, and of course that made me (a little grasshopper) feel smaller and pretty insignificant. If you have ever been published and then suddenly aren’t selling, you know what I mean. Numbers 13: 33 says, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

For three years, I prayed and watched for signs or some kind of an answer. During that time, I continued to write, but I wasn’t sending out any proposals. I was growing my writing. I kept hearing messages at church or in other places and felt God wanted me to write. Me! So, I finally got the message and said, “Okay.”

But nothing miraculous happened. No editor showed up at my little patch of grass and demanded to publish my book. I continued to feel smaller and smaller in the big scary world of publishing. I was like the Israelites in Numbers 13 who had left Egypt. When they got to the Promised Land, it looked good, but giants were living there, giant publishing houses, giant authors who had giant platforms that I couldn’t compete against. The Israelites felt like grasshoppers. Only Caleb believed they could take the land God had promised them. The Israelites grumbled and complained and wished they were back in Egypt! Many times, I grumbled along my journey. I complained. I often wished I were back in category romance, safe and sound (yeah, right!). Fear and negativity had the Israelites wanting to be slaves again.

So here’s the question: are you a Caleb? Or are you a grasshopper Israelite? I think most writers start out in their career as optimists. After all you have to be an optimist to think you can write a whole book, much less sell it! But the difficulties and realities of this business beat us down, frighten us, make us doubt and feel small and insignificant, just like a little grasshopper. But the truth is: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

So you see, I’m still a grasshopper, unknown, small and pretty insignificant, just nibbling away at my stories. But I have a great God. One who sees all. One who knows all things. Nothing is impossible for Him.

June 20, 2007

 

Music City

I'm back from Nashville. It was a whirlwind trip. Thank you God, I didn't have any hiccups with flying. Even though there was a terrible storm the night before I left and one when I got back. And it rained in Nashville Tuesday. Amazing that it didn't affect my flights. A lot of people were praying for me, and I so appreciated the prayers!

The trip to Nashville was to visit my publisher, B&H Publishing. They were fabulous! The first night several folks who've been working so hard on my book took me to dinner. David Webb, my editor extraordinaire, Robin Patterson, Julie Gwinn, Kim Overcash and Mary Beth Shaw. We had a lot of fun and a delicious dinner.

Tuesday morning, I was up early and taken to B&H Publishing offices in downtown Nashville. They're actually a part of Lifeway. It was a huge place, very impressive. The Winter 2008 Sales Conference was going on. So lots of the sales staff who will be introducing my book to retailers and booksellers were there. Let me just say, I was NERVOUS! But one of the best things for nerves is laughter. Right before I spoke, 'Elvis' entered the building and entertained us with a couple of songs. It was fabulous! I loved it! Then I spoke. I admit, I got choked up at one point. But I got control of the tears. It's not easy sharing your heart with a roomful of folks you don't know. I'll post my speech on my newsletter. So if you haven't joined my newsletter, you might want to do so now. I'll be sending that out in the next couple of weeks. I had a lot of wonderful heartfelt responses to my journey going from ABA to CBA fiction and my story in comparison to my book.

Tuesday afternoon, a video was shot of me talking about my book and my career. They're planning on using that on the B&H Publishing website and also at the ICRS convention coming up in Atlanta where I'll be signing galleys of my book.

It was an exciting, nerve-wracking, fun-filled trip. I loved hearing about all the exciting things B&H Publishing is planning for the launch of their new fiction line along with Elvis Takes a Back Seat. I'll be telling you more here, so keep watching. One of the most exciting things is the contest B&H Publishing is going to run to give away a trip to Graceland! So be watching for that.

I'll have pictures in a few days of some of the fun from Nashville.

June 18, 2007

 

Monday, Monday

Today I leave for Nashville. I'm excited about it. I've never been to Music City. I don't think I'll get to see much as I'm only going to be there one night. I'm going to my publisher's for the sales conference. They're doing a whole day around my book, Elvis Takes a Back Seat. I'll get to speak to the sales staff and tell them a little about me and about my book. Don't tell, but I'm surprising them with a few things. I'll tell you about it when I get back!

I'm also excited because I'll get to see my critique buddies, Jane and Hock. I won't get to see them for long but even a short visit will be wonderful. Then I get to meet my editor, David Webb, and some of the people who have been working so hard on my book.

I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day! We went to my folks on Saturday to see my dad and also celebrate my niece's 19th birthday! 19! How did that happen? But yesterday we spent at home. We made breakfast in bed for my husband and celebrated that he is such a terrific father. Then when we were praying right before lunch, my daughter said, "God is the best father!" Out of the mouths of babes! But what a powerful understanding she has at such a young age. If we could all grasp that...

I won't post tomorrow, but I'll be back Wednesday!

June 15, 2007

 

Happy Father's Day!

My Dad recently celebrated his birthday. He's 76. That seems unbelievable to me. My grandparents are 76. And I am 12 years old, right? Wrong. Time goes so quickly, even faster as we get older.

When our parents reach a certain age, we begin to wonder if each birthday, each holiday will be their last. It is especially so when they have been ill. My dad has had a rough time. Cancer returned to his bones. So he has been on and off chemo for a couple of years. He's now on radiation. Please pray for him, for healing, for peace, for grace to accept whatever God's plan is. It is not easy being a strong and capable man, then being humbled by something eating away at your strength.

Hope y'all are able to spend time with your dads this weekend to celebrate their importance and your gratitude.

June 14, 2007

 

Grandmas

One of the joys of going to Kansas City this past weekend was seeing my husband's grandmother. She is 94 and is so precious. I still remember her coming to see us when our son was born. While she held my newborn, cradling him in her arms, she told me how she'd taken care of her husband who had Alzheimers for several years. Almost the week he died, her daughter took to her bed with bone cancer. What an amazing woman.

When she learned she too had Alzheimers, she was angry at herself. Not God. Nobody knew better the difficulties she faced in the coming months and years. But her faith never wavered. She is a lesson in faith, courage and endurance. Do you have someone in your life who is a walking testimony?

June 13, 2007

 

Pricetag of a thousand words

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then videos/dvds are priceless. Last night, we pulled out some family dvds of my children when they were small. My son as a toddler played hide and seek with my niece by covering his head with a pillow, his bottom sticking up in the air. My daughter as a toddler saying, "Uppie, pease." Such sweet memories. I miss those simpler days. I miss our bounding white lab puppy as she hopped across the yard because her legs were so short. She's full grown now and lazy. I miss the kitten days, when our kitten chewed on my fingers and chased her mother's tail.

Not that I don't enjoy today. I do. I like being able to have conversations with my kids. I like that they're more self-sufficient, potty trained, believers, reading books on their own. But sometimes I just miss those simple, uncomplicated days, when we could loll in bed singing songs and cuddling together.

Yesterday, I got up early as I usually do to work, about 7:30, my son came into my office with his hair mussed, sleepy-eyed. He looked as I felt. So I left the computer and went and cuddled with him. Together, we slept until 9:30. We both needed the rest. We've been going, going, going.

Last night, watching those videos, I asked myself if I enjoyed my children when they were little. And I did. Some days were exhausting. Some days I wanted to pull my hair out. Somedays were slow and never ending. But I enjoyed them. I still do. They are a precious gift from God.

June 12, 2007

 

Bouquets and garters

This past weekend we went to a wedding in Kansas City. Now, they do things differently in KC. The most important difference is there is no groom's cake! This is a serious oversight. Maybe they don't know what a groom's cake is. I thought everything was up-to-date in Kansas City, according to Rogers and Hammerstein anyway. In Texas we have a bride's cake which is the traditional white cake and we also have the most sought after groom's cake. Which is chocolate. 'Nuf said.

This was my kids' first wedding. My seven year old daughter was excited. My nine year old son was not. When we reached the reception, my son was busy playing with a friend and not paying attention to any wedding festivities. I tried to get my daughter to go onto the dance floor and catch the bouquet but she was in her shy mode. But when it came time to catch the garter, I said to my son, "Hurry! Go catch the garter." Now, he's 9 and has no idea what a garter is. In fact, that was the first question when we were in the car headed back to the hotel. Anyway, I encouraged him more by saying, "Hurry! Everyone is trying to catch the garter. Go get it." And my very shy but highly competitive son was on the dance floor in a flash. He was jockeying for position in the front, his jaw set at that competitive angle. And yes, you guessed it, he caught it. Very proud of himself, he came back to the table, and I explained, "The person who catches the garter is supposed to be the next one to get married." His victorious expression scrunched down into a serious frown. Priceless.

Do you remember your first wedding to attend?

June 11, 2007

 

Weekends and winners!

Here's a clue: if you walk up to your hotel room and there's a bowl of melted ice cream outside the door, then...
--either someone's camped out in your room,
--or your teenager called room service while you were out,
--or you're at the wrong room.

We were in Kansas City this weekend for a wedding and staying in a hotel. Seeing we'd only been out of the room for 45 minutes to have omelets-made-to-order (and pancakes for the kids!), the first option was not much of a possibility. Since we don't have a teenager, the 2nd option wasn't the answer. So as my husband kept sticking the key card into the lock and jiggling the handle, I glanced at the room number. The room number was 510. We were staying in 528. Oops! Have you done anything like that before?

Thankfully, no one came to the door. I hope we didn't scare anyone. So if you were that person in room 510 wondering what lunatic was trying to break in, please forgive us.

Now, drum roll, please! The winner of the $25 gift card from Amazon.com for mentioning me on her blog is Jennifer Archer! Congrats! Please contact me with your information and I'll get that to you ASAP. Thanks for everyone participating!

June 8, 2007

 

Friday!


What a fun week it’s been! I hope you’ve had fun too. I hope you’ll come back and visit over the coming weeks and months. I’ll be blogging weekdays and will discuss anything from writing to kids. If you have a question, then contact me and I’ll post about it. Also, be watching as I’ll continue to have giveaways periodically. I’ll also post news about my book, Elvis Takes a Back Seat. A lot of fun happenings will be taking place this summer and I’ll post about those here, too. In the coming months, I'll be adding games and other things to the website.

Monday, I’ll post the blog winner of the $25 gift card from Amazon.com. It's still not too late to post on your personal blog about my website. Let me know and I'll add you to the drawing!

Yesterday's winner is Carol M! This must be your lucky week! Congratulations! You were right on with the Blue Hawaii movie. The 'froggie' movie was Sound of Music. Remember the scene in the movie where the Von Trapp children place a frog in Maria's pocket. It made quite an impact on my daughter.

Have a great weekend and see you Monday!

June 7, 2007

 

On the Big Screen


When my daughter was little she had a favorite movie that she referred to as ‘the froggie movie!’ The first time she asked for it, we couldn’t figure out what movie she was wanting. After a week or two, it finally dawned on us. (I’m not telling yet which movie it was because I want you to guess!) Anyway, later my daughter fell in love with her first Elvis movie. But she never called it by its name either. She always called it the ‘spanking movie.’ Can you guess which Elvis movie this was? Guess as many times as you want. I’ll put the names of those who guess correctly in a drawing and one lucky person will win a dvd of the movie! Just for fun, see if you can guess the ‘froggie movie’ too. And no, it’s not Kermit.

Don’t forget if you mention me and my website on your blog (and let me know!), I’ll put your name in a drawing for Friday. The prize is a $25 gift card to Amazon.com. You can find me mentioned here: www.annetteirby.blogspot.com

Yesterday's winner (drum roll please!) is Carol M! Congrats! Yes, Elvis loved gospel music! Please contact me with your snail mail address and I'll send you your prize which is this (pictured) fabulous deck of cards. I just love that picture of Elvis!

June 6, 2007

 

Contributions of sorts


Once Elvis was asked the question, “Have you made any contributions to culture?” Elvis answered, “Like income taxes, you mean?”

I'm sure my new blog is contributing to the blogosphere! ;) Next week I'll blog about other things more personal. Soon I'll also blog about our recent trip to Graceland.

Here’s a question for today: what was Elvis’ favorite style of music? Guess as many times as you’d like. I’ll draw for a winner.

Don’t forget if you mention me and my website on your blog (and let me know!), I’ll put your name in a drawing for $25 amazon gift!
Check out http://jenniferarcher.net She mentioned me on her blog.

Yesterday's winner is Billie Jo! Congrats! See the cool picture you won! Billie Jo go to the contact page, send me your snail mail address and I'll ship it to you.

Have a great day!

June 5, 2007

 

Elvis is in the building?


Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments yesterday! I received even more in my email box!

I can’t seem to go anywhere without seeing Elvis. He’s in the news, on T-shirts, handbags, calendars … everywhere! When we went to Memphis several weeks ago, we saw Elvis paraphernalia from Elvis impersonator outfits to a statue of a frog wearing a pompadour and Elvis-esque jumpsuit. Elvis also made an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. It was Ian’s best performance. Some friends told me recently they saw a huge statue of Elvis in Nashville. Then I was walking along Main Street in downtown Grapevine and saw a big Elvis statue in the movie theater’s window. It’s even larger than the bust I wrote about in my book. So, where have you seen Elvis lately?

There’s no correct answer to this question. Just post an answer and I’ll draw a number from those listed.

Yesterday's winner is Donna Caubarreaux! Congrats, Donna! If you'll go to my contact page and send me your snail mail address, I'll send you this fabulous cd of Elvis #1 hits!

Don’t forget if you mention me and my website on your blog (and let me know!), I’ll put your name in a drawing for Friday. The prize is a $25 gift card to Amazon.com.
Here's a couple of places my name popped up yesterday:
http://pammeyerswrites.com
http://themelodywithin.blogspot.com
Thanks for posting about my new website!

Now, tell me where you've seen Elvis lately.

June 4, 2007

 

Welcome!


I'm so glad you're here! This week (and also in coming weeks), I’ll be giving away prizes to celebrate my new website and the upcoming release of my book, Elvis Takes a Back Seat. So, of course, you’ll notice a few Elvis flavors throughout the website in honor of the king.

The first Elvis song I ever remember hearing was Hound Dog. But I think I fell in love with Elvis when he sang Teddy Bear, Love Me Tender and Crying in a Chapel. Today’s quiz: what’s your favorite Elvis song?

There is no correct answer for this one. Just chime in! I’ll draw one name from those who post a comment. Maybe you’ll be the one to win a cd of Elvis’ Number One Hits!

If you mention me on your blog (and let me know!), then I’ll place your name in a drawing for a special prize to be given away on Friday, June 8, 2007! You won’t want to miss this one!

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