JB's June Writing Challenge: G is for ... Grace

"... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ..."
(Romans 3:23-24, New King James Version)

Grace
My sweet friend Lisa suggested today's topic, and it being Sunday I thought it was quite an excellent idea.

JB's June Writing Challenge: F is for ... Fun

Fun
Two of my illustrious coworkers at the day job decided that my topic today should be "fun". I'm not sure this isn't too broad a subject for a 200-300 word essay, but it's a concept with which I hope we are all acquainted. We seem to be keeping to a theme here in the Brooks on Books Library: distractions = entertainment = fun ...

JB's June Writing Challenge: E is for ... Entertainment

Today's topic suggestion came courtesy of my sister from another mister, the incomparable J.T. Ellison, thus proving yet again that she can read my mind.

Yesterday I was tickled by this wild hair to "organize" my Internet Favorites into some semblance of order. I have a lot of sites and pages "favorited," ones that I like to visit often, for research or relaxation or whatever. I created a few new folders in which to group my favorite sites so they would be easier for me to find without having to scroll down through the rather lengthy list--alphabetic or not, if I think categorically things are much simpler in my mind.

JB's June Writing Challenge: D is for ... Distractions

I started this post in the car, on my smartphone, as the WGH and I sat at Sonic waiting for our milkshakes, after having procrastinated making a decision about what we wanted for dinner. It's been that kind of a day. Which gives me the perfect topic for the 'D' post: Distractions.

I've been distracted all day. The storms that blasted through the area last night woke us at midnight with the genuine fear that the nearly 300-year-old oak tree in our front yard had been struck by lightning. It hadn't, fortunately, but the strike itself, wherever it landed, was loud enough to rouse the dead.

JB's June Writing Challenge: C is for ... Curiosity

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.
-- Dorothy Parker (attributed), US author, humorist, poet, & wit (1893 - 1967)

Curiosity [according to Webster's]: n., 1. a desire to learn 2. inquisitiveness

I love this word. Aren't we, as writers, always asking, What if ...? This is the stuff our stories are made of. It is our curiosity that makes us ask the questions, and then go and find the answers.

JB's June Writing Challenge: B is for ... Baseball*

Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.
-- Leo Durocher, US baseball manager (1906 - 1991)

Baseball
I will be the first person to admit I know practically nothing about baseball. I have a pretty good grasp of the basics, and I have my favorite teams (the Reds, the Cubs and the Dodgers, in case you were wondering). But the WGH is my go-to guy for details, the intricacies of the game, what all the numbers mean. I love watching games with him, because he usually offers his own commentary seconds before the announcers on TV say the exact same thing he just did. I keep telling him he's in the wrong business.

JB's June Writing Challenge: A is for ... Angels

Character is what God and the angels know of us;
reputation is what men and women think of us.
-- Horace Mann, US educator (1796 - 1859)

How fitting that the first person to suggest a topic for my June writing challenge was none other than my original first reader, a dear friend to whom I affectionately refer as the WMVR. Thus beginneth the challenge ...

Angels
Yes, I believe in angels. I believe they exist in many forms, both spirit and human: "guardian angels", who protect us from harm; "guide angels", the voices in our heads that help us make decisions; and "gift angels", those special people whom God places in our lives simply for the purpose of enriching said lives. (The aforementioned WMVR was one of those, for me.)

If you believe, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, I'm not asking you to, but consider the following:

Seriously Serious Self-Challenges

For some reason, the thought that today is the first of June has niggled its way into my brain, taken root, and will not leave. It's bouncing around in there, wreaking havoc, causing all kinds of mayhem, interrupting the flow and function of my cerebral cortex, scaring the tour guides, and worst of all, eliciting delusions of grandeur and trying to make me ... well, think like a writer.

So, I'm giving in to it, and I'm challenging myself to several things this month.

Big Announcement #2

Coming up for air to let everyone know that my second ebook, Whisper of Darkness, is now available exclusively at Amazon. Here's the cover, as well as the link. My sweet and fabulous cover artist did another bang-up job, don't you think?

Buy Whisper of Darkness at Amazon

As if that weren't enough, here's an extra special deal: All day today, May 10th, you can go to Amazon and get a copy of No Evil Lost, absolutely FREE. Really. Free. It's a special promotion in honor of the release of Whisper of Darkness, in the hopes that if you like the first one, you'll give the second one a try. So please do.

Get No Evil Lost

(Note that this link will still take you to the Amazon page, but after tomorrow, it won't be free.)

Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy.

SAD Like Me

Today I am sitting in my newly de-cluttered and reorganized study. I can actually see the tops of both desks (AND the carpet!). My laptop is in its proper place, center stage on the writing desk. I can actually walk from one wall to its opposite (a distance of about 12 feet) without tripping over something. The WGH actually complimented me on a bit of décor I've employed to hold some of the books that are overflowing from the two barrister bookcases (aren't they adorable?):

What inspired this sudden urge to get my little life back in order? Sunshine and a guilty conscience.