Hope you're having a strong coffee morning. 

I always find it so fascinating how vastly different various authors' workspaces can be. I suppose they are unique, just as our stories are. Today, I thought I'd share a glimpse into my writing domain. I'll admit it, I cleaned up a bit for the photos :)

My office is the sunroom off my kitchen. I love that so much light floods in. 

A picture of me and Little Man on an adorable typewriter holder from a dear friend. 

(I think it's super important to keep reminders of what gifts God has given to fill your life with joy. You'll see several below.)

 A sign from my daughter that means the world to me <3

 Gifts from my daughters and cards from dear friends. 

(Yes. We are BIG Guardian of the Galaxy&Star Wars fans. We have a saying in our house, 'It's all wookie'.)

A letter from my all-time favorite mystery writer--Sue Grafton. 

What about you? What does your office space look like? What motivational items do you keep around to keep you inspired? Feel free to comment below or, even better, share a pic!

Have a blessed Monday,

Good morning, friends! Here's a happy coffee reminder to kick off your Monday:  

It's downright chilly and snowy here. How about where you are? Any of you lucky ducks in Florida or Hawaii?

If you're hoping to stay warm this morning be sure to check out my Fun Page for some yummy drinks to ward off winter's chill.

I don't know if you're a music fan like me or not, but music is a HUGE part of my life. In fact, I create a story soundtrack for each of my novels. It's simply amazing how encouraging and inspiring a song can be. Recently my family and I were blessed to see Josh Wilson and Citizen Way in concert. If you ever get a chance to see either of them, I highly recommend it!

I love all their music, but one of Citizen Way's songs really inspired me that night and it was all because of the story behind it.

In this video Josh Calhoun explains that incredible story. I hope you'll take a minute to watch the video and then listen to the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_OsCFNQaj0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXMNzaZgMEM

I'd love to hear what songs you find particularly inspiring!

Here's praying you have a blessed Monday,

Well, it looks like this might be my last post for a while. It seems Dani is itching to take control of her blog back. I hope you'll read the rest of my story in Submerged. Today's subject is a touchy one for me. I'm a Christian. I should know all about redemption. Thing is, I believe Christ died for my sins and I believe He saved me, but I still struggle. As you've learned these past few weeks if you read my posts on Facing Your Fears and Shame (still stinging from that one), I continue to wrestle with fear and shame.

I should know better. I should have it all together on the inside like I do on the outside, but I don't.

I still struggle.

I still hurt.

Regret and shame still cling to me like an ugly old sign flashing 'she doesn't belong.'

I strive to be good, to be perfect and on the outside I might even appear to be, but on the inside....

Bethany shared redemption's definition over on Katie's blog today. Four and Five hit me the hardest.

1. An act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed

2. Deliverance or rescue

3. Deliverance from sin; salvation

4. Atonement from guilt (I wish! I know I'm saved, but I fear this guilt will never go away. And, in truth, I don't deserve for it to).

5. Repurchase, as of something sold (I gave myself away painfully enough, but you're going to have to read my story if you want to find out more, because unlike Dani, I'm not ready to share the source of my shame).

What about you? Which definition of redemption hits you hardest, for good or for bad?

Check out Dani's Facebook Author Page or Katie Ganshert's Facebook Author Page for some encouragement regarding redemption.

Do you ever feel the hot sting of shame? Ever feel that you're not enough, you'll never be enough? You're not alone. My name is Bailey Craig and I've wrestled with shame for years.

Shame grips you, makes you want to shrink away and cower in your pitiful ugliness, in your past sins and mistakes. It whispers you don't belong. You'll never belong.

That's where I am--knowing I don't belong. Knowing that no matter how put together I look on the outside, no matter how confident I may appear, inside I'm suffocating and scared. The past lingers and the shame remains. Reminding me of what I've done, of who I used to be.

Leave it to Dani to make me face it. At least I'm not alone. Bethany is suffering too, only at Katie's hands.

I wonder how Dani and Katie would feel if we brought up the things that cause them shame. Would they really make us faces our pasts? Would Dani really bring me face-to-face with my shame and the one person it wounded most?

I doubt it, but here I am, about to face my fears and the overwhelming burn of shame. I pray I make it through. Pray I don't yearn to shrivel away when my past catches up with me.

How about you? Do you ever wrestle with shame?

Dani and Katie are chatting about shame today on their FB Authors Pages, offering words of encouragement.

Missed last week's post on Facing Your Fears? Click here.

I know some writers can write while listening to music and I applaud them. I wish I could, but I get so into the lyrics that I end up typing them in the midst of my scene. Half the time I don't even realize I've done it until I go back to edit the next day. Needless to say, I've ended up with some pretty funky 'conversations.' But, while I can't write and listen to music at the same time, it doesn't mean that music doesn't impact my writing. For example, "For the Love of the Game" by Pillar was a huge inspiration in forming my Alaskan Courage series about the McKenna family. The McKennas run Last Frontier Adventures,  an adventure outfitting company in the heart of Alaska's rugged wilderness. So while I don't listen to the songs while I"m writing, they certainly form a soundtrack in my mind.

I'll be releasing the soundtrack for Submerged on my FB Page shortly before  its release in May. Hope you'll enjoy listening to it and that you'll be able to visualize the story unfolding along with the music.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite bands and singers--those I find most inspiring.

• Kutless  (New favorite song: "Carry Me To The Cross")

(The girls with Kutless)

•  Disciple (Favorite song: "After The World" )

• Christ Tomlin (Favorite song: "I Will Rise")
• Third Day (Favorite song: "Cry Out To Jesus")
• Jeremy Camp (Favorite song: "Enough")

• Pillar (Favorite song: "Fireproof")

(Hanging with Pillar)

Hope you'll check them out if you haven't already!

Blessings,

I hope you are all having a wonderful week. I was going to feature another favorite adventure athlete today, but I've been pleasantly reminded this week about the power of movies and the inspiration they offer writers. The topic has popped up multiple times so I've decided to plunge in. My family has been going through a very difficult time with my mother's rapidly failing health. I was chatting friend and author advocate extraordinaire Kelli Standish about how to refuel as an author during difficult periods in our lives.

Every author is unique, but I shared how I find movies to be a fabulous source of inspiration. Kelli and I discussed our favorites and she made some excellent recommendations that I've added to my Netflix Queue. The same topic was discussed on one of my author loops a few days earlier and we too shared our favorite romantic movies and I garnered several to add to my Queue. It seems I'm not the only writer who finds movies inspiring. For me, it's not so much a particular theme or time period, but rather the beauty of a good story well told.

I adore books and read voraciously and while movies could never replace them in my heart, there  is something to be said about the ability to sit down and watch an entire story unfold in a matter of a couple of hours. Even seeing our favorite books played out on the big screen is a ton of fun (when it is done right). I adore watching the various renditions of Jane Austen's classics and Bronte's Jane Eyre (FYI: the most recent version with Micheal Fassbender  is fabulous!).

I also find there is a great connection between movies and books. My stories play out like movies in my mind as I write, and I humbly hope that will transfer to my readers' enjoyment and to their deep connection with my characters. Earlier this week, author Jody Hedlund blogged about this very thing in her post How to Make Your Book Play Out Like a Movie.  A reader contacted Jody saying how the scenes of The Doctor's Lady played out like a movie in her head. I'm not surprised as Jody is a fabulous storyteller and I cannot think of a greater compliment. I humbly hope the same can be said of my stories some day.

I'd like to leave you with a few movies I adore. Hope you'll enjoy them too!

Favorite Adventure Movies:

• National Treasure  and National Treasure: Book of Secrets
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• The Mummy
• Romancing the Stone
• Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
• Fool's Gold
• Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Favorite Inspirational Movies:

• Soul Surfer
• Facing the Giants
• Amazing Grace
• The Ultimate Gift

Favorite Romance Movies:

• The Notebook (tissues required)
• Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version with Colin Firth and the movie with Keira Knightly)
• Sense and Sensibility (movie with Kate Winslet)
• Emma (movie with Gwyneth Paltrow)
• Leap Year
• The Proposal
• North and South (BBC version based on Elizabeth Gaskell's novel with Richard Armitage)
• Jane Eyre (movie with Michael Fassbender)
• A Walk to Remember (tissues required)

May all your adventures be blessed!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Writing adventurous romantic suspense novels like Submerged, I spend a lot of time researching athletes and looking for inspiration.  Today I'd like to share a bit about an adventurous athlete that inspires me.

• Bethany Hamilton

Perhaps you already know about her. The recent movie Soul Surfer was about her shark attack and miraculous come back.  She's a Christian, a surfer, and an amazing young woman who likes to help others. You can visit her website for more details about the ministries she partners with. I'd like to highlight one in particular:

Friends of Bethany is a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the hope and love of Jesus Christ worldwide by supporting and inspiring people through the life stories of Bethany Hamilton and others.Bethany's  family and friends started the foundation with the goal of supporting and encouraging shark attack survivors and traumatic amputees, along with presenting inspiring life stories through movies, projects, and activities.

Suffering such a traumatic and life-altering injury, Bethany could have easily given up on her dream to become a pro surfer, but instead she chose to trust God with her dream and she got back on that surfboard only a month after the attack. Amazing! Bethany's hope, determination, and abundant faith inspire me.

To learn more about Bethany visit her webpage or blog. Trust me, you'll be inspired.

Enjoy the Adventure,