These are actually pictures of Ft. Davis, a little town at the base of the Davis Mountains where I ended up setting most of the book. It's a little retirement village as well as filled with tourists. The views are lovely. For being in far west Texas at the end of summer, it was often cool. We really enjoyed this little town.

Life is a series of peaks and valleys. Tonight, watching the Olympics, I saw three ice dancing couples reach a mountain peak of success as they won gold, silver, and bronze medals--life long dreams. All of us have those mountain peak experiences. But they are momentary and infrequent. Think of how many days and weeks and months and years those ice dancers worked and struggled on their way to that mountain peak. The fact is, most of living is done in the valley. I love this verse from Ps. 104: 18 "The high mountains are for the wild goats." Sounds like it's not where we do the majority of our living, right? So we live in the valleys. Now that doesn't mean it has to be depressing but it can be a struggle as he attempt to climb a mountain. What's your mountain? Raising kids? Work? Writing? Homeschooling? Teaching? Going for an Olympic gold? Whatever it is, I know there is a struggle. There are days that are difficult. I had one of those today. One of those where you don't seem to have gotten very far in your journey. One of those days when you look up, squint against the bright sun, feel the perspiration on your forehead, feel your muscles ache. One of those days when you just want to give up.

I felt that tonight as I crawled into bed. And I heard God whisper in that quiet voice of His that only His children hear…"Read My word." So I crawled back out of bed and climbed the stairs to our guest bedroom where I like to have my quiet times. God met me there, listened to my complaints and struggles and tears. He led me to Ps. 104:10 "He sends forth springs in the valleys…" That's what I needed--to refresh my soul with Living Water…His word. So I drank deep of His word. Only His word satisfies, restores and quenches the thirst in the spirit.

All of Ps. 104 is beautiful. Read it. I did. Several times. And then reach Ps. 104:27 "They all wait for You to give them their food in due season." It occurred to me that it takes patience to wait for the right season. How many of us are aching for spring to be finished with all this snow? In due season, right? So if you're in that valley…waiting…hurting…drink of the Living Water. Drink Deep. Drink often. Your season will come.

Labels: difficulties, mountain peaks, Olympics, perseverence, ups and downs, valleys

Researching Once in a Blue Moon, my family drove to Marfa, Texas during the Marfa Lights Festival. This is a picture of the MacDonald Observatory where we visited. It's also mentioned in the book. It's a very cool place to visit set up in the hills of the Davis Mountains, just beyond Ft. Davis.

Today I'm visiting Sharon Ball's website for an interview. I hope you'll check it out! http://sharonball.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/in-the-visitor’s-chair-today-–-author-leanna-ellis/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ABreakFromTheNorm+%28A+Break+From+The+Norm%29&utm_content=FaceBook Please leave a comment for me!

Also, I'm doing a TV interview today for a local cable show. Prayers are definitely appreciated!

And if you're on Facebook, we're counting down to the launch of Once in a Blue Moon with ten days of book giveaways! Come join in the fun on my fan page!

I'm going to be adding something new here in a few weeks! I am soooooooo looking forward to it! So keep checking back. It's going to be a ton of fun! In the mean time I'm putting all the pieces together. I hope you'll like it as much as I'm enjoying it. Oooh! I can't wait!

Blessings,

Leanna

Do you ever feel like you're scrambling, so far behind that you'll never catch up? Boy, I do. My life is a huge juggle with husband, kids, home, writing. I'm forever behind on reading the latest about the publishing business. I'm always behind on laundry and just when I catch up…one of my kids brings down another load. I'm behind on books I need to read. It feels like I'm a gerbil running on one of those wire wheels where the little rodent never quite gets ahead, never crosses the finish line, never finishes the race. But life isn't a wheel. There is a beginning and an end. And sometimes I have to look at the big picture and realize that when my life is over I won't be regretting not getting that last bit of laundry folded or one more article on writing written or read. But I will regret not spending those extra moments hugging my husband or children or friends. Looking toward that finish line can often put our priorities in perspective and help us to refocus. It's one thing that my character, Bryn, in Once in a Blue Moon does. She considers her own obituary and what will be said about her one day. We should all do that more often. It's a great way to focus on the goals that are truly important to us. Give it a try. What do you want said about you one day when you've gone to heaven? Now, how does that translate into prioritizing your day?

Do you watch the Olympics? I do. I've been watching the Olympics since I was a little girl. I actually love that it's every two years now rather than every four years. I'm not necessarily a sports fanatic. During any ol' regular year I'll maybe catch one or two football games. The most regular sports I watch are my kids' basketball games and fencing tournaments. (I'm the one yelling on the sideline cheering and hollering at the refs. Yep, that's me.) Anyway, what I love about the Olympics are the up close and personal profiles, learning about the struggles and the heartaches of someone reaching for a dream.

Do you remember that speed skater, Dan Jensen? Back in 1988 in Calgary, he was about to skate for gold in the 500 meter and he learned his sister had died. Then he fell during the race wiping out his dream. But four years later in 1992, he was back. Four years sounds like nothing until you think of the dedication it takes to get up every day for 1,460 days to practice when no one is cheering, when others might be saying, "Why are you doing this?" "Get a real life!" "Get a real job!", when forgetting your dream makes more sense than pursuing it. But he did it anyway. And in 1992 in Albertville, he again fell, dashing his dreams once more. Then two years later in Norway, he missed winning the gold again and came in 4th place during the 500 meter which was his specialty. But he had one more race left. The 1000 meter. It was to be his last race at the Olympics. He not only won the gold medal but he set a world record. He didn't give up. He persevered.

That's what winners do. They run the race set before them. They keep going, they pick themselves up after falling or get back on track after a devastating injury. Elite athletes often have injuries that would destroy most of us. Did you see the Canadian skier, Alexandre Bilodeau, this week and his older brother? He won a gold medal but his brother is battling something bigger and tougher than any mountain.

Amazing stories. Impossible dreams. And yet…they keep trying, they keep going. Last night I was watching the pairs figure skating. The Chinese team, Pang and Tong, were in 4th place and skated to The Impossible Dream. And yet, their dream came true. They skated beautifully and they won a silver medal. They were thrilled. They'd been in 4th place many times and never made it to the podium.

So what does watching the Olympics have to do with me or you? These are elite athletes. They are gifted. But so are you. So am I. Maybe not in sports. Maybe in something else. What is your gift? I believe each of us has a dream. What's yours? Does it seem impossible? Does it feel impossible? What is the obstacle in your way? Dare to dream and then dare to reach for it! With God, nothing is impossible.

Beneath A Southern Sky
by Deborah Raney
WaterBrook Press

First released in 2001, Beneath a Southern Sky, has been reissued with a new cover as part of WaterBrook Press's new value line fiction.

SYNOPSIS:
Her Second Husband Healed the Sorrow of a Tragic Loss.
Her First Has Just Returned from the Dead.
Which Man Has the Right to Claim Daria's Heart?
After two years of serving as a missionary in a remote area of South America, Daria Camfield has returned to the States to mourn her husband, reportedly killed while providing medical aid to a neighboring Colombian village.
One family discovers how God can redeem any tragedy.
At first, Daria finds comfort only in the daughter born to her after Nate's tragic death. As she begins to heal, she also finds a listening ear and a tender heart in her new boss, veterinarian Colson Hunter. Determined to move forward with life, Daria ignores the still small voice calling her to wait and accepts Cole's marriage proposal. But after the wedding, Daria's new dream life turns into a nightmare with the arrival of an unbelievable
telegram:"Nathan Camfield found alive. Flying into K.C. Int'l. via Bogota…"
Now two men have the right to her daughter, her life, and her love. Will Daria return to her beloved first
husband, abandoning Cole? Or will she reject Nate and choose the only man her daughter has ever called "Daddy"--a man she has come to cherish with all her heart?

AWARDS:
• 2002 RITA Award from RWA
• 2002 FH&L Inspirational Readers' Choice Award
• Book of the Year for American Christian Romance Writers (now ACFW)
• 2001 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award
• 2002 HOLT Medallion Finalist
• 2002 Aspen Gold Award, 2nd place
• Named one of christianbook.com's Top 10 Fiction book of 2001

BIO: DEBORAH RANEY is at work on her 20th novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Almost Forever, first in her new Hanover Falls Novels series, will release in May from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. They are new empty nesters with four grown children and two precious grandsons, all of whom live much too far away.

WEBSITE: http://www.deborahraney.com

PURCHASE THIS BOOK: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?event=AFF&p=1142383&page=561314&sp=67484

Here's Hilo standing at the gate, dying to go play with the kids out front.

12.5 inches has been reported being dumped on the DFW area. Amazing. I don't ever remember it snowing this much and I've lived here my entire life.

I'll post a few pictures here. The Hilo Monster totally loved the snow. She would stay out in it all day if I would have let her.

I've got a new blog about high concept on CAN! blog. Hope you'll check it out if you're a writer of fiction.

http://canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/2010/02/what-we-can-learn-from-hallmark.html

On such a cold day as today, I wanted something warm and toasty. This is the ultimate in that! It is a great dip for parties, like the Super Bowl, and Oscars celebration, New Years or just any old time you need something yummy and gooey and delicious! Enjoy!

Baked Cheese Dip

1 Cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shred
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 small onion, chopped fine (sautéed if desired)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can artichokes, chopped
1 10’ round sourdough bread, hollowed out

Mix all the ingredients together and hollow out a round loaf of French bread. Put the mixture into the bread, put lid back on and bake for 1-1/4 hours at 350 degrees.

Tear the bread from hollowing out the round, into bite sized pieces. Serve the dip while it is still warm, but not hot. You can also serve with crackers or Fritos. Delicious!

FATAL BURN
Roxanne Rustand
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
Isbn 978-0-373-44380-2
February, 2010



Smoke and mirrors...


Someone's after Kris Donaldson. and they don't just want her hurt--they want her ruined. First, an arsonist tries to destroy her cabin, and evidence points to Kris as possible insurance fraud. Then an injured deputy is found at her place...with ballistics proof that he was shot with her rifle. Even Trace Randall, the arson investigator who's helped her before, seems to doubt her now. She has to prove her innocence, but how? Her reputation, her life--and her chance for happiness with Trace--are all on the line.


Roxanne Rustand is the author of twenty-eight romantic suspense and heart-warming relationship novels, including eleven inspirational titles. Her 2010 releases include two books in her Big Sky Secrets series for Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense: Fatal Burn in February and End Game in June. In November, 2010, Winter Reunion will be released, the first book in her Aspen Creek Crossroads series for Love Inspired. She lives in the country with her family, and a menagerie of pets that frequently find their way into her books. For information, visit her blogs and website at:

www.roxannerustand.com
www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand
http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com (The All Creatures Great and Small Place)

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

Chapter One

Here lies Obit writer Bryn
She should have stayed home
Instead of jumping in.

It’s the story of my life. I often jump before looking, much less thinking. But there it is. My life is an obituary-in-the-making. Scary, huh? It keeps things in perspective. But it’s not just me. I see others as potential obits, too. Professional hazard, I suppose.





That’s the beginning of Once in a Blue Moon. The rest of chapter one can be found here:

http://leannaellis.com/onceinabluemoon.html

Once in a Blue Moon releases on March 1st! It is already available for pre-order here:

http://www.amazon.com/Once-Blue-Moon-Leanna-Ellis/dp/0805449884/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_4

Labels: chapter, epitaphs, excerpt, moon, obituaries, Once in a Blue Moon

A huge box of books arrived at my house yesterday. Once in a Blue Moon, my new release, just arrived! And I'm so excited! I loved writing this book. I'm giving away two copies today on my Facebook fan page. So come on over and comment. I'll draw two names this evening!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leanna-Ellis/49487472434?ref=mf

Come join me THIS Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 for appearances at Ft. Worth's East Regional Library at 1pm and at East Berry Library at 3pm.

East Regional Library
6301 Bridge Street
Ft. Worth, TX 76112

East Berry Library
4300 E. Berry St.
Ft. Worth, TX 76105

Groom In Training

by Gail Gaymer Martin
Second book in the Man's Best Friend Series from Steeple Hill Love Inspired


Friends, Four-legged Friends and Love.

A widow with a sad past, Steph Wright, finds comfort in her faith and her adorable Border Collie, Fred. When Fred becomes enamored with the neighbor's pedigreed Bouvier, Steph meets Nick. With a broken engagement and a busy job, Nick isn't open to love and romance. But when Nick steps in to defend Steph, long talks ensue during dog walking, and both begin to learn that God has plans for each of them, especially Steph who sees some unexpected "groom-in-training" going on.

Endorsements from readers:
Had a hard time putting this book down. I highly recommend Groom In Training, and look forward to reading more from Gail Gaymer Martin.
Rikki Lee Howland, Reader

A delightful story of two hearts discovering where they belong.
Jo Huddleston, Reader

Bio:
Multi-award-winning author, Gail Gaymer Martin writes fiction for Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing, where she was recently honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has written forty-four contracted novels with three million books in print. She is the author of Writing the Christian Romance, a Writers Digest Books release. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations and also presents workshops at conference across the US. Gail has a Masters degree and post-master’s classes from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and is a licensed counselor. She lives in Michigan with her husband.
Links:
Website: www.gailmartin.com
Gail's Thoughts: www.gailmartin.blogspot.com
Writing Fiction Right: www.writingright-martin.blogspot.com
Facebook:: http://www.facebook.com/people/Gail-Gaymer-Martin/1429640580
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GailGMartin

Groom In Training available where books are sold or click below
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373875794?ie=UTF8&tag=novgaigaymar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0373875794

You can find this book and the first book in the series, Dad In Training, at
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373875509?ie=UTF8&tag=novgaigaymar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0373875509