I'm pleased to welcome Sandra D Bricker back to the blog. This time her story is set in a place where I've been. I've read it and it brought back fond memories of Carmel. I love Sandra's quirky writing style, and I believe you will, too. Now, Sandra, please tell us about your salvation experience.
I was raised Catholic, so I knew about Jesus from a very young age. In fact, when I was very little, while all my little friends were playing housewife or bride, I was playing Virgin Mary with a blue pillowcase on my head. But it wasn’t until I was an adult in my twenties that I heard His call and hit my knees. That was in April of 1987, and I haven’t looked back once!
I love your answer, Sandie. That's how I feel. You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?
At this point today, they would be Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, Trish Perry and Debby Mayne. Those are my co-authors for my next Summerside devotional (Delight Yourself in the Lord… Even on Bad Hair Days), and they’re among my absolute favorite writer buds. We are really spread out across the country, so it would be awesome to have a whole weekend or so to just giggle and talk about the project, about each other, and about life in general.
I love those women, too. It would be great to spend a weekend with the five of you. Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.
It’s not a ministry, no. But I do speak to groups on occasion about writing and public relations, and about the effect of my faith on my life.
I would call that a ministry. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?
Oh, Lena, so many embarrassing things happen to me, it would be hard to pinpoint just one. LOL.
Knowing you, I've been waiting to see what interesting thing you were going to share with us. I'm a tiny bit disappointed. People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you, too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that?
I tell them pretty much the same thing every time: 1. If you’re thinking it will make you rich, it won’t. 2. Unless you have a ton of confidence and a very tough skin against rejection, it might just kill you. 3. If you don’t want to put in the time to learn and hone your craft, walk away now. And 4. If you still want to write a book after 1, 2, and 3, it might just be your calling!
Very good answer and all so true. Tell us about the featured book.
Drawing inspiration from Hollywood classics, Annie Gray decides to start living the life of her dreams. So she moves into a picturesque bungalow and becomes a private investigator's assistant. But her boss isn't Humphrey Bogart. And just when her screen-worthy plan starts to crumble, will she land in the arms of her own leading man?
Please give us the first page of the book.
“Fade in.”
“So did you ask him to make your day?”
“Of course,” Annie replied, mock-serious. “I stared him down with my steely Zoolander glare and I said, ‘Look here, Eastwood. The question is whether or not you feel lucky. Do ya, Clint? Well, do ya?’”
Zoey crackled with laughter as Annie put on her best Dirty Harry face.
“’Go ahead, Clint,’ I told him. ‘Make my day.’”
Annie’s grandmother shook her head as she left the parlor, making a clicking sound with her tongue.
“I can’t believe your Gram knows Clint Eastwood!” Zoey whispered.
Annie picked up the scrapbooks scattered on the sofa next to Zoey and stacked them on the coffee table before she sat down beside her friend.
“I know! And get this. He calls her Dori.”
Zoey grinned as Dot reappeared with a silver tray holding two tall crystal glasses of lemonade. Annie’s dog Sherman, a rounder-than-he-should-be Beagle with soulful brown eyes, followed close at her heels, his paws clickety-clacking on the mahogany floorboards.
“Dot,” Zoey exclaimed. “Clint Eastwood calls you Dori?”
“That’s what everyone called me back then, before the dinosaurs were extinct,” she replied, and she set the tray on the table in front of them. “Honestly, Annabelle. Are you dragging those old scrapbooks out again? Get out of the past or you’ll get cobwebs all over everything.”
Annie grinned and slid one of the leather-bound albums to her lap and turned over another page. “These books are impeccable, Gram. There’s no dust or webs anywhere near them.”
“I was speaking metaphorically.”
Readers, this is just a tiny taste of this delightful book. How can readers find you on the Internet?
http://www.sandradbricker.com/ and http://sandradbricker.blogspot.com/
Sandra, what fun to have you back. Looking forward to the next time.
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