We cannot be grateful for all that a given moment brings us; yet, in any given moment, we can be grateful for something. The gift within the gift of any given moment is opportunity. – Brother David Steindl-Rast Have you ever thought of the difference between gratitude and gratefulness? The rhythmic cliché “an attitude of …
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There is a wonderful promise found in the Bible that God knows the plans that He has for us and they are good plans, for He has designed for us a future full of hope, peace and well-being (Jeremiah 29:11). This promise was first spoken to the Jewish people who were suffering in Babylon, God …
As I write, I’ve just completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching Creative Writing. I used to be an English teacher and I know how to teach creative writing, but in this course, I focused on my work as a writing mentor. The last few years have seen me develop workshops for beginning writers who …
When I set aside working on the next book in my Roman-era Light in the Empire series to write this ACW blog post, I found myself thinking about the gifts God gives us so we can serve Him well. Like many Christian writers, I know in my heart that this is a calling from God, …
Stan and Donna Crow 1963 This year my husband and I celebrate our sixtieth wedding anniversary. Yes—that’s 60! We are observing this milestone with a family reunion in Scotland this summer. Our whole family romping for a week on the shores of the Firth of Forth. With such jolly times in the offing I have …
Continue reading “Writers Life: Scotland on My Mind, the Influence of Heritage”
To legitimise his very existence, 17th Century philosopher, Rene Descartes said, ‘I think, therefore I am’. It’s indisputable that books make us think, and applying Descartes philosophy makes reading more than a pastime. We ‘are’, by our encounters with words, existing in the worlds of the texts, and so are our audience. From this perspective, …
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Every year various survey results are published about ‘authors’. Prompted by this one, I thought it would be great to start surveying our own Australasian Christian authors (Australia/New Zealand and the Pacific). I came up with the list of questions and then in consultation with other authors, we tweaked them to make them more useful. …
Characters, setting, plot―these are the three main building blocks of a great story. In my last blog post here, I shared how I find the characters for my next story. Today, I’d like to share some things I do to create memorable settings for my historical novels. Some of these tips could work just as …
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Narelle here. I’m excited to introduce my upcoming release – Her Cowboy Blind Date – in the Easter in Gilead contemporary Christian romance (CCR) series. I’ve always wanted to write a romance story with a cowboy hero. The opportunity to join a group project with a few of my American author friends included a small …
Being faithful and committed to the calling in my life hasn’t always been easy as I have watched others land their dream jobs and get promoted. Although I am in my final year of study and I’m excited to finish, there is one thing I’ve learned over the past five years of being a college …
