Birthday Surprise, a labor of love by author David Tadlock and artist Kayla Landrum,  is almost done! Within the next week, the soft cover book will be available on Amazon, and soon after as an ebook; we are also looking at the possibility of a hard cover version. (Edited: the book can now be purchased here in paperback. Hardback copies will be available shortly.)

I think two of the reasons I’m so excited about this project is that David and Kayla are good friends of mine- it’s so good to see such a sweet book come to life. The other reason- David and Kayla both have donated their services so proceeds from the sale of the soft cover will support the efforts of the Crenshaw County Animal Society.  You just can’t ask for a better blessing than to be a part of such a great effort.

Be watching in the next few days for links to purchase the book!

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How have I not told you about this book already?! Seven Little Postmen is the story of a little boy who mails a letter to grandma. What happens to the letter along the way? You’ll need to get it to see what happens.

I had never heard of this book until my own kids were grown and I had grandkids. In fact, I happened across a copy in a bookstore soon after my husband started working at the post office. I bought that copy then, and I’ve purchased several more for other grands since then.

A cute story with wonderful illustrations; I’ve often wondered why the post office doesn’t market this book and sell in local post offices since they sell other merchandise… they’re missing a marketing idea!

In case you don’t know it by now, I absolutely love books- I am continuously finding books that I want to read, especially if I find a bargain bin somewhere.

So when my friend Judy gave me Fervent,  a book on prayer, I was so grateful. I’d had a rough week, and was beginning to think that the things I’m doing aren’t making a difference to anybody.

And then at our Bible study lunch, she gave me this lovely, strong book. Which was awesome.

Since we were studying I didn’t really get a chance to look at it until I got home, and then I found the real gift. Because Judy had inscribed it to me- she told me how much she appreciates the things I do for our study group, and that she loves me…

Isn’t that a great gift?

Inscribing a book is as wonderful a thing as a hand-written note. Try it- you’ll be surprised at how well it’s received!

Debbie and Me is one of the sweetest little books you could get anyone you consider a friend.

It tells the fictionalized account of the friendship between the two authors. It might seem like an unusual friendship but after you read it, you’ll see they have much more in common than they do differences- and aren’t we suppose to celebrate the differences anyway?

The book can be purchased on Amazon at this link; you can also purchased signed copies locally by contacting either of the authors on Facebook.

If you’re blessed to still have your mama, call her! She needs to hear from you. It’s OK to give her a gift for Mother’s Day, but the main thing she wants is to hear from you.

If she wants to give you something, let her. If she wants to buy your lunch, let her. If she just wants to talk to you, TALK to her.

Don’t be too busy…. because one day it will be too late.

Call ya mama.

 

Once upon a time there was a little boy who loved trucks, and he loved animals too. So one day his mama found a book called The Happy Dump Truck Man.  The man owned a truck and stopped to let some of his animal friends ride.

The little boy loved the book so much that his mama read it to him ‘most every day. She read it so much that she read it to pieces, and they had to buy another copy.

The little boy grew up and had little girls of his own. His mama still loved him very much, and now she had his sweet girls to love too.  One day while his mama was looking through some boxes, she found the copy of the book, so she took it to his house so he could see. Now he can read it to his little girls, who also love animals!

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As I’ve said before, books are a treasure- make sure you invest in your kids’ and grandkids’ lives by finding great books to share and build memories around…

What books are you sharing?

Sometimes people want to know how and when I got started in this business; and to be honest, it wasn’t where I originally wanted to go in my professional life. But I believe this is where God intended for me to be.

I lost my job at a local university, but while I was there, I had learned about writing code and designing webpages. In fact, the man who was the technical person for our department taught me and actually asked me to help him create and maintain webpages for each staff member and department.

Since I had enjoyed it so much- both the design and the coding itself – I decided to start my own business.

About a year after I started, Dimple McInvale called me – she’d been in a beginning computer class that my sister-in-law Joanne had taught. She had written some books and needed someone to set up a website for her, and Joanne pointed her to me.

She was faithful to refer new customers to me and she encouraged me greatly.

And then the day came when she called me and told me that she really felt like I needed to help her get her books straightened out. She had been working with a local print-on-demand company, and was not happy with the arrangements.

After much strong encouragement on her part (as in she dragged me kicking and screaming), I decided to begin helping authors publish their books.  This wasn’t something that I had ever felt I could do, but again, with her encouragement, I have slowly and gradually built up a clientele of authors who might not have been able to work with a traditional publishing company.

As I tell prospects all the time, I don’t work like a traditional publishing company. I work with my customers to see what services I can provide and I help them publicize and market their book. They pay me for the services I provide and when the work is done, they don’t have to pay me any more money. They receive all the proceeds from the sale of their book, and they have complete control over the entire process.  I think it’s a process that benefits everyone, mostly the author, and I’m blessed to be a part of it.

I’m very happy with the business I’ve built over the past ten years- I don’t think I’m through growing, of course, but I am pleased to be where I am. God has been faithful to lead me where I needed to, and one of the biggest blessings in my business has been Dimple McInvale.

Congratulations to David Tadlock on the release of his book, Mistaken Identity, on Smashwords. All eBook versions are available for purchase.

I think you’ll enjoy it! David has a very unique sense of humor and is a great story-teller.  You can also visit his blog to read more of his stories and poems.

Just a quick note to wish all of you a merry Christmas. I pray that you get to spend some times with people you love. If you’ve got family coming, consider inviting some of your neighbors as well- they may not have anyone to spend Christmas with.

And if you’re not spending time with family or friends this year, I pray you’ll find someone you can bless – take a meal to them, or invite them over for coffee and cake. In blessing them, you will be blessed yourself.

And for those of you who celebrate another holiday besides Christmas – I pray your holiday is as wonderful as you can imagine. I hope your arms are filled with family and friends who love you, and that you get to see joy on at least one child’s face. Children know how to celebrate the holidays and we could take a lesson from them.

 

A few years ago, one of our local churches’ kids’ group sang a song I wasn’t familiar with, called “When I think of Christmas“, (this video does not feature the kids I know, but it’s sweet just the same) with each verse building on the last, very much like the “Twelve Days of Christmas”. It’s become one of those songs that gets hung in my head – I find myself singing or humming it often, even when it’s not Christmas.

And while this little song talks about all the things that happened that first Christmas, it also reminds me of things from when I was a child.  Some of my favorite memories are peeping through the dining room room into the living room and seeing what Santa might have left. One year it was a tin doll house – the people were only about as big as my pointer finger; it had all kinds of furniture, as well as a stove and fridge, a tub and really everything you’d need to set up housekeeping.

Another year, I got a record player and some records  – one had musical fairy tales on it and my favorite was Rumpelstiltskin – spin, spin, spin straw into gold!

I think one of the best gifts I got as a teenager was a real stereo system – it had big speakers and you could play records: 45, 33, 16 and 78 rpm, so anything we had at the house would work. It also played cassette tapes and the newest thing – 8-tracks. I was really uptown! That year I got a Freddie Fender album and I think I wore it out.

I also have a lot of good memories of meals eaten together- my dad’s parents always pulled out the fine china and glassware and we ate at the dining table, squeezing in as close as possible so everyone fit; dessert was always layer cake and ambrosia- which took hours to make by hand and was delicious.  At  my mom’s parents there was also had a big crowd- we just ended up sitting wherever – living room sofa, den recliners, on the floor- just wherever we could “light” as my grandma used to say. Lane cake and fruit cake was a big thing at her house.

So – when you think of Christmas, what do you think of?

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