Take-away Value

What is "Take-away Value?" And what happens when your life is full of TAKEN away, and it's hard to find the value?

Today I'm sharing a few thoughts over at Faithchicks.

Please pop by!

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

Three Books Final - and my weird realizations

I was deeply touched yesterday to find out that my three novels that released in 2008 were each named finalists in the ACFW Book of the Year Awards. I felt so warm and grateful that the judges appreciated the stories, and that my books were in the company of so many amazing authors.

It also spurred a few realizations.

First, I had to shake my head at myself - because the books are nominated in three different categories. It just reminded me how totally inept I am at doing things the way you're supposed to. It really isn't practical to write in different genres while trying to build a reading audience. It wasn't my plan. I just wrote the stories I cared about, and they were very diverse stories. I hope one day to figure out where I best fit, but in the meantime I'm so grateful for each of the stories and that there even EXISTS such a variety of genres in Christian fiction.

Another realization I had was that a lot of my warm happy feeling about this honor came from being happy for my characters. I fell in love with the characters in these three books (Stepping Into Sunlight, Symphony of Secrets, and Restorer's Journey) - and I'm happy for those characters to get to stand up and wave and say "hi!" - for them to have a moment of recognition. Is that weird?

Oh, well.

At any rate, I'm also thankful for ACFW - an organization that is doing so much to support, educate, and NOURISH writers. If you aren't familiar with them, be sure to check them out here! Honors come and go (or often don't come at all) but the fellowship of other Christian writers is a treasure that remains on all the hard slogging days.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

All Quiet on the Western Blog

Writers probably don't say "Thank you" often enough to our readers.
I've treasured each person who has read one of my books, followed my blog, received my Book Buddy newsletter, or even wanted to follow my occasional Twitter updates.

I'm so sorry I haven't been able to keep up with this blog in recent months.
I have LOVED communicating with you through this forum. But sometimes life takes turns we don't expect.

Until I'm able to get back to sharing devotional musings here, if you miss hearing from me, please feel free to explore various posts from the past several years, and dig around on my website.

For those who have followed this blog - THANK YOU. Just wanted to let you know, I'm still here, God is faithful, and I hope to get back to this one day. :-)

HUGE blessings on your day! Thank you so much for visiting!

His,
Sharon Hinck

A Challenging Question

I love chatting with various bloggers about the writing life. Blogger Annette Irby just posted a new interview she did with me at her site.

You can find a question no one has asked me before, that I found very challenging . . . and see how I answered it by visiting her post.

Thanks for letting me visit, Annette!

Blessings,
Sharon Hinck

Why I Love Lent

Many of my Christian friends don't come from a tradition that follows a church-year calendar, but in my denominational background I always loved the special seasons of Advent and Lent.

Over the years, my husband and I have prompted things to give up as a family during Lent, or other times encouraged our children to each chose something individual. (The kids sometimes offered to give up broccoli or homework, but I digress).

We've given up television, pop, candy, shopping (only buying necessary groceries and nothing else), and various other things...and added disciplines of more Bible reading time, prayer, and giving.

I find I'm so easily distracted by the bright shiny things of life, that I need times where I can focus more effort and attention toward my walk with God. Fasting of various kinds can really help.

This year, I decided on Ash Wednesday to give up something that I enjoyed daily - Facebook and Twitter. I had no idea that many folk around the country where doing this, too. After I posted my note saying "Stepping back from Twitter and Facebook for Lent - see you after Easter" I received a call from Molly Millet, who was working on an article for the St. Paul Pioneer Press on this topic. You can read it here:

Pioneer Press Article

I love knowing that so many people are interested in putting God about some of the treats or distractions of life.

And that's truly why I've always loved Lent. Because no matter how uncomfortable some days become (whether I'm longing for a can of pop, chocolate, or a game of Scramble on Facebook) there are so many blessings. The thing I'm missing becomes a trigger to remember all Jesus suffered on my behalf, and I learn that while I thought I was totally committed to God, He can draw closer still as I focus more time and energy on Him each day.

Anyone else giving up something during Lent?

Blessings,
Sharon

Unemployment

Job loss is hitting several of my friends and their families. It stirs fears I've tried to bury - of the challenge our family has gone through several times with long stretches of unemployment. The experience is so potentially isolating and frightening, that when I wrote my first contemporary women's fiction story a few years ago, I chose unemployment as the major dramatic conflict for the family.

The Secret Life of Becky Miller is full of Becky's whimsical day dreams and desire to do something big for God as she tries to hold together her "super mom" ideal. But some of her bravest scenes involve quiet choices to support her husband after his job loss, instead of give way to panic.

If you have friends who have been "downsized" or are fearing lay-offs, or if you are job-searching and wondering if this journey means you've "missed God's will" somewhere, I suspect that The Secret Life of Becky Miller might provide some encouragement, and a fictional character you can relate to.

Right now, Christian Book Distributors is offering copies of the novel at their site for $2.99! Now that's a great gift in a time of tight family budgets.

Here's an excerpt:

We continued to pray as December moved along. I'd always been good at pinching pennies, but now I had to squeeze them and wring them out.

Selling the van brought in some money and lowered our car insurance. Kevin swallowed his pride and admitted to broader circles of friends that he needed a job. He called it networking, but I knew he believed it was begging. I saw the strain growing in him as each day passed.

My fear grew at the same pace as our pile of bills. Kevin swung between honest discouragement and a more frightening self-containment and withdrawal.

My attempts at cheerleading sometimes slipped into nagging. "Have you checked the bulletin board at the unemployment office again? Did you go through today's paper? What about the Internet? Did you submit your resume to companies that way?" No wonder he seemed more irritable every day. I hadn't realized how much strain his job loss could put on our marriage.

No matter how much I reassured him, he admitted he felt like less of a man.

No matter how confident his swagger as he headed out for another interview, I worried we'd lose the house and end up in a cardboard box on skid row.

We both put our best faces on for each other, but the effort was pushing us apart.

---
Whatever job situation you are facing today, I pray that God will send you reassurance that He cares about you deeply and is absolutely capable of providing for you.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

Minnesota Readers and Writers...

...Come chat with me!

Saturday, February 21st, 11:00 a.m.
I'll be signing Stepping Into Sunlight at the
Northwestern Bookstore
Cobblestone Court, Burnsville, MN

I love visiting with readers and other writers, answering questions, talking about good books, sharing ideas, and connecting one-on-one. I'd love to see you!

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck


The Secret Life of Becky Miller (2007 ACFW Book of the Year - 2nd place, Lit category)
Renovating Becky Miller (2008 Audie Award Finalist, ACFW BOTY finalist)
The Restorer (2008 Christy Award Finalist, ACFW BOTY finalist)
The Restorer's Son (ACFW Book of the Year Winner, Romantic Times 4.5 stars, Reviewer's Choice Award - Road to Romance)
New Releases:
The Restorer's Journey
Symphony of Secrets
Now Available:
Stepping Into Sunlight

A Spoonful of Empathy

Lately I've had a few challenges in my life. I've tried to be brave and patient, and I work on focusing on things I'm grateful for.

But today I mentioned my struggles in an email to a friend. When she emailed back she said, "I can't imagine how frustrating that must be!" Her empathy literally reached out of the email and hugged me.

As much as I have tried not to be a big sympathy-seeker, I confess I was about a quart low and needed a good infusion of compassion. Her words were exactly what I needed.

Lord, help me offer precious spoonfuls of empathy to my hurting friends today, as this precious friend gave to me. Help me stop myself before offering advice, explanations, or empty comparisons, ("at least your problem isn't as bad as XYZ. Could be worse.") Let me simply wrap my friends in love and say, "I can't imagine how painful that must be. I'm sorry it's so hard. I care." Thank you for my friend's example today, and how much it warmed me. Amen!

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

Opportunity for Three Free Books

I was very honored when Janna Ryan named The Restorer's Son and The Restorer's Journey as her Most Entertaining books of 2008. She is currently offering a contest to win a copy of The Restorer's Son. You can read all about it here.

My most recent novel is Stepping Into Sunlight. You can enter a drawing to win a free copy at the Penny's Project blog here. That contest ends February 1st, so stop by to leave a comment before time runs out.

And beginning on Friday, January 30, Cara Putman will post a contest at her blog for The Restorer (the first in the Sword of Lyric series) - so be sure to stop by and leave a comment there, as well.

Curious about any of the books? Just visit my website to read about my

Stand alone women's fiction titles
and
The Becky Miller mom-lit series
and
The Restorer and other Sword of Lyric series books


I hope you have fun with each of these opportunities! Happy reading!
Blessings,
Sharon Hinck

Free Book

Happy 2009!

I'm welcoming in the New Year by giving away a copy of Stepping Into Sunlight . . .

with a twist.

It's a copy for YOU to give away to someone you want to bless!

To enter, visit my Penny's Project blog and read the post "Many Penny's"

Then leave a comment after that post about a small act of kindness AND an accurate email where I can reach you if you win.

Easy, yes?

Oh, and I'm getting ready to mail out my free quarterly ezine. If you aren't already a subscriber, you can sign up in the right-hand column of my website for devotional thoughts, insider info, etc.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

The Lutheran Witness

More fun press. Oh, how I hope it helps people find out about my books!
The January, 2009 issue of The Lutheran Witness includes a blurb about me as part of an article on the various faces of Lutherans today. You can read the article here.

I love my reader mail, and got permission to share this one, because it was so inspiring to me:

Bernadette wrote:
Just wanted to say that I am currently reading (and enjoying) Stepping Into
Sunlight. I just had to stop and let you know that I just read one of the most
potent sentences of this year: "So your theory is that unless you can cure
cancer, you shouldn't bother holding the hand of the woman battling it?" What a wake up call to the Chrisian community. Those words are a powerful clarion call that I believe will combat our resistence to doing things at a grass roots level. Thanks so much! I will be sharing your words with everyone in my circle who uses the inability to do "great" things as an excuse to do nothing.

Thanks so much, Bernadette! We can all be encouraged by the way God uses our small, imperfect efforts to pour out His grace in big ways.

Blessings!
Sharon

Article in St. Paul Pioneer Press

Newspaper reviews are rare and precious gifts for a novelist, so I was delighted when a friend told me that the St. Paul Pioneer Press had featured an article about Stepping Into Sunlight, as well as Julie Klassen's book The Apothecary's Daughter.

I appreciated the integrity of the reviewer who admitted that in the past she avoided fiction from Christian publishers because of her assumptions of what it would be. And of course, I was delighted that our stories rang true for her.

I continue to marvel at God's kindness. This was a wonderful treat on a cold winter morning.

I've had some challenges in my life in recent months, and it has been a season that has made me especially grateful of tender gifts from God that come like sips of water in a desert.

Stepping Into Sunlight has gone into its third printing and received some truly affirming reviews. But even better, I've been so moved by the letters I've received - from a reader with PTSD, a young wife whose husband is on his first deployment, a woman battling anxiety who was never able to put words to the experience before and read scenes to her husband.

It reminds me again that God can work His grace through us, even when we feel the most "useless." :-)

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

Blessings in 2009

A dear friend who is already in heaven gave me a special birthday plaque the summer before she died. It says, "When we believe in God's plan for our lives, every age is the perfect age to be."

Seems like a good thought for a new calendar year, as well. God loves me. That means the coming year will hold something precious - even if it's woven among the painful challenges of life.

I'm grateful for the gift of a fresh New Year - and another new day, new hour.

May we all see more of Him in the coming days!

Blessings in 2009!
His,
Sharon

Cherry Street Books - Sharon on the Road

Saturday, December 13, 2008, I'll be at
Cherry Street Books
503 Broadway
Alexandria, MN
from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.


I'll be doing a "book talk" at 11:00 a.m., sharing about the writing journey and doing Q&A, then visiting and signing books the rest of the time.

Please come on out! It's a GREAT time to do a little Christmas shopping.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

A Visit from Eric Reinhold

Each week since the Motiv8 tour in early October, I've been highlighting one of the Christian authors of fantasy fiction that I toured with.

This week it's Eric's turn. Here's a photo of Eric and I signing our books for the staff at the TBN studios in Seattle, right before the taping of an interview.

Eric is the father of three who took the bedtime stories he told his children and developed them into the imaginative book, Ryann Watters and the King's Sword.

Eric is the president of a financial planning firm, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and an all-around cool guy. He had non-stop energy, carting in and setting up signs, unpacking boxes of books, loading up the van, and helping in every way. Be sure to visit his website to read about his
first book as well as the soon-to-be-released second book. He has book videos to watch, artwork to enjoy, and plenty to read at his site. And if you are looking for a Christmas gift for the "Tweeners" on your list, be sure to order a copy of Ryann Watters and the King's Sword!

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

A Visit from Donita K. Paul

Last September, I was part of a huge Christian fiction author's book signing at the Mall of America.

The photo shows my friend Vicki Tiedi (on the left) who hosted the panel discussions in the Bloomingdale Rotunda. On the right of the photo is Donita. She and I did a panel on the genre of fantasy, and took questions from the crowd. It was so fun to share the stage with her, and we knew we'd have a good time together on the Motiv8 Tour, as well.

On the tour, she kindly looked out for me when I was under the weather. It was fun watching throngs of children surround her at our events, bringing her pictures they'd drawn or sculptures of dragons they had made for her.

One day while riding in the car with a pile of stuffed animals for give-aways, her friend Penny said, "Donita, there are dragons blocking my line of vision." Not a sentence you hear in normal daily conversations. Just one example of the fun and adventure that is part of Donita's life.

Be sure to visit her website and learn about her books.

Now, in honor of Thanksgiving approaching, Donita shares ten things she's thankful for:

1.Jesus (of course!)
2.Family and Friends
3.Church
4.Business Associates—the WaterBrook Staff, the Alive Communications staff, especially my editors and my agent
5.American Christian Fiction Writers
6.The Internet social networks—Shoutlife, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkdIn
7.The Internet Read groups—GoodReads and Shelfari (Anytime I think everyone is watching Netflix and playing video games, I visit these reader spots and breathe a sigh of relief)
8.Living in USA
9.Finding my niche, professionally
10.The knowledge God has provided and still encourages me to pursue

Thanks, Donita! And blessings on all your upcoming projects!

His,
Sharon

A Little Too Busy

Saturday I did a book signing at the Twin Cities Christian Community Fair. I had a ball meeting people, chatting, talking about books. I helped one fellow with info on where to find armor when he saw my sword on the table next to the Restorer books. And I got to visit with Susie May Warren whom I admire and always learn from. And I met the owners of ShoutLife and have a great chat with all they are doing to build the Christian online community. It was a fun event at the end of a string of events that have been spooling out since . . . well, probably July.

Preparing for the release of Stepping Into Sunlight, I began doing more speaking events, more store visits, more interviews, more teaching . . . so many events I had no time to update the events page of my website or blog about them all.

For someone who is a blend of extrovert/introvert like me, years of writing alone in my office take a toll, and I truly treasure the opportunities to spend time with real people instead of fictional characters. On the other hand, I always underestimate how much energy and time each event takes to prepare for and recover from. And how difficult it is to get back into the fictional world and actually WRITE during these too-busy stretches.

This Thursday I'm doing a workshop at the Minnesota Library conference, but that is the last in my long string of events. (Well, except for a December signing, some radio and blog interviews, and writing retreats that I host at my home . . . but those are spread out with plenty of open days between). I'm determined to be better about keeping margins in my life. I loved the book of that title (Margins) and have a whole library of books on simplicity, balance, rest. Yet somehow I've just gone through several months that got a little too busy.

It sneaks up on me. What about you? Are you a little too busy? Besides the problem of exhaustion, when I'm too busy plowing through my "to do" list, it's harder for me to hear God's gentle prompts to serve in an unexpected way that wasn't on my list. I'm not as patient with people who need me. I don't have time to NOTICE the needs of others, much less meet them.

Lord, teach us to order our days. And thank you for today. If it's okay with You, I'll start my tasks--but I'm listening for You to steer me if there are new directions where You want me to go. Amen.

Blessings!
Sharon

A Visit from Christopher Hopper

I've always loved books. Growing up, authors were mysterious and amazing gifts to my little world. So once I became a novelist, one of my favorite perks was the opportunity to get to know other authors and spend time with them.

Each week I'm sharing a little about one of the authors from the Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour. I toured with these authors from October 3-12, 2008, all over the West Coast. You get to know a lot about an author when they get up at 4:00 a.m. to hit the road for another long day of events, or you see them sit beside a child in an oncology unit to share a book, or you teach an English class side-by-side with them. I hope whatever genres you read, you'll enjoy hearing about the HEART of each of these authors.

Today I'm giving a shout out to Christopher Hopper. I got to know him on the first tour, and marveled at his ability to meet new people in the aisles of stores and within minutes be sharing God's love with them. He has a passion for worship, for youth (he's a youth pastor) and for making his life count. When I was a teen, I was blessed by a radio ministry and Christian community in upstate New York who were excited about using all the arts in worship and outreach. We discovered that he grew up in that community--which made us feel like spiritual siblings (a generation apart) :-)

If you haven't yet discovered his books, be sure to look for his White Lion Chronicles. You can learn about that at his website.

Blessings!
Sharon

Christian Community Fair Signing

For anyone in the Twin Cities, MN area, I'll be at the Christian Community Fair
at RiverCentre in St. Paul on Saturday November 15th, 2008.
Sounds like a fun event, and admission is free!

I'll be signing books at the Northwestern Bookstore booth from 2-4 p.m.

Please stop by to chat! I'd love to see you!

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

Twitterpated

I own the music book from Bambi, which includes the song "Everything is Twitterpated in the Spring."

I'm humming it this morning, because I'm feeling twitterpated.

I follow quite a few blogs, especially those related to the Christian publishing industry, writing craft, or lives of friends. My hubby tends to avoid blogs. But there is one he really enjoys: Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.

He'll often mention a topic that Michael blogged about.

So when my hubby said that Michael encouraged authors to Twitter, I finally stopped digging in my heels and signed up. I enjoy Facebook, and try to stop by ShoutLife from time to time. I've recently blogged about my decision to continue "half-baked blogging." So why yet another internet "connection tool"?

I'm not entirely sure. I like that I could connect my Twitter with my Facebook. (I also am figuring out how to upload my blog posts to Facebook.) And Twitter forces me to be brief (a useful skill I still haven't mastered). And PERHAPS Twitter will be a bit more immediate and helpful if I'm doing an event and want to let friends know about it, or if I plan to run a contest at my website. We'll see.

So, if you are also twitterpated, you are welcome to "follow" me . . . (my oh-so-creative code name at Twitter is SharonHinck) although I have no idea where I'm going. I may yet decide to swing back toward my Luddite tendencies and unplug everything. But for now, Twitter is another part of the world of cyber-connection I'm willing to explore. I'll let you know how it goes.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck