Summer Schedule & Cover Art!

Summer might not officially be here until June 20th (or is it the 21st?), but it sure feels summery around here.

School’s out. Shoes have become a thing of the past. Bubba’s panting. The air conditioner has rattled to life. The air smells like charcoal and sunscreen. The kiddie pool’s decorating the backyard and B-man has mosquito bites.

If that’s not summer, I don’t know what is.

The Ganshert’s have some pretty big things in store this summer.

We’ll be hosting a silent auction/trivia night to raise money for our adoption. 

And my husband is having major surgery.

Last September, his little brother was rushed to the hospital and spent several days in ICU. Both of his kidney had failed.

Turns out, Ryan is an ideal match. 

So on July 5th, my husband will be one kidney lighter and one of our favorite people in the world will hopefully be freed from dialysis.

I plan on being a great nurse to the hubs.

I also plan on slowing down. Scaling back. And enjoying the bare feet and the hot sun and the sprinkler with my red-headed little boy. Who sadly, becomes less and less little each and every day.

In order to do so, a little blog tweaking is in order….

Mondays will remain the same. Posts will be writing or reading related.

Wednesdays will be super short. Perhaps as simple as a Bible verse or a song or a prayer that’s on my heart.

Fridays will be 3 C’s. It’s something I used to do on my blog awhile back. Every Friday, I’ll share cares, concerns, and celebrations from the week. At the end of each post, I’ll ask you to share your 3 C’s. The posts are super easy to write and I love getting to learn more about YOUR life. 

So there you have it.

The new summer schedule.

We’ll resume our regularly scheduled program after Labor Day.

Now that we have that out of the way…. I have something to share!

Last week, I got an email from my editor with a very exciting attachment.

It’s the cover of Wishing on Willows!

I always wondered if seeing the cover art for my second novel would be as magical as it was for my debut. Let me tell ya. It is.

I might have stared at this for an hour straight. I also might have contemplated flying to Colorado Springs so I could give the cover artist a giant hug.

My second baby has a face. And I’m smitten.

Let’s Talk: What were some of your favorite things to do in the summer when you were a little kid? What makes you fall in love with a book cover?

I’m honored to be a guest on Rachel McRae’s LifeWay blog today. She’s giving away copies of my book. So hop on over and say hi!

If you’d like a chance to win a signed copy of Wildflowers from Winter, head on over to Tori Chase’s blog where you’ll learn a little bit more about Wishing on Willows!

Laughter

I believe one of the best things we can bring to a marriage is laughter.

Laughter truly is the best medicine.

As you all know from my post on Wednesday (One Bite at a Time), life has been stressful lately. 

Ryan and I have both been less patient, more irritable, than usual. 

Getting away for the weekend – spending two days in Minneapolis with just the two of us – was divine. 

We enjoyed great food and deep conversation and time alone. 

But by far, my favorite memory, was the drive home.

Seems weird, after eating at nice restaurants and strolling through the Mall of America, that the drive home would be a highlight. 

But it totally was.

Because there was a portion of the drive where Ryan and I laughed.

Not just chuckles either. But full-out, tear-inducing, can’t-talk, belly-aching laughter.

Oh man, it felt good.

I love that God gives us something so wonderful.

I love that after eight years of marriage, we can still laugh like that.

I hope we have many, many, many more years of laughter ahead of us.

Let’s Talk: When’s the last time you laughed so hard you cried? Who was it with?

You can find me several places today…

I’m talking about the importance of the ping-moment in our stories over at The Writer’s Alley (plus a giveaway of my debut novel).

I’m talking about adoption and redemption over at Lisa Jordan’s blog.

I share the very best advice I’ve ever received with Serena Chase on Outside the Writer’s Studio (plus a giveaway of my debut novel).

OTHER NEWS:

  • Wildflowers from Winter was nominated for Fiction Book of the Month over at The Book Club Network. If you read and enjoyed, I’d love your vote!
  • If you’d like to receive my blog posts via email, I wanted to call your attention to “Follow By Email” option on my sidebar. It’s super easy to sign up!
  • AND! Stay tuned for next week, because I’ll be sharing the official book cover for Wishing on Willows