Christmas Prayers

2:42 AM Elizabeth Seckman 69 Comments

Merry Christmas!!

On the eve of this holiest of days in the Christian calendar, Mark Koopmans is hosting

50 States of Pray.

It's his hope that every state in the US will be represented by a blogger who shares a prayer, a reflection, or even a passing thought.

So, here is mine from the lovely state of

West Virginia.

I'm the simple praying sort, so I won't try to fancy it up here.

First and foremost, I thank God for seeing me through another year. I may have spent most of it asking for more of this and less of that, but even in my less than grateful moments...I am aware of what a gift another year is.

Thanks for my friends and family. And for the roof above my head.

Help me be content. I know I am neither the best nor the worst, so help me be satisfied with the gifts He has given me.

Keep my family and friends safe and bring them blessings in the coming year.

And somewhere, someone is hurting. Help me to be mindful that most of my frustrations are mere annoyances compared to the suffering of others.

Lead me to do what is right. Forgive me when I do wrong.

Amen...and thanks again.

Waiting For The Word via photopin cciv>

69 comments:

Kady McClure: Elf Interview

12:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 9 Comments

We hear it every day.

What's wrong with kids these days?

Whether it's kids shooting each other over drugs or a teen using affluence as an excuse for a fatal DUI...you wonder...is Santa scratching his fluffy white beard and wondering...are there any little ones worthy of his time?

Well Santa, I know a little lady who keeps the Christmas spirit in her heart year round. A little girl with a pixie's smile and nature as sweet as a ton of sugar cookies.

Her name is Kadyn (Kady) McClure.

Last year, Kady sent Santa a letter with a different sort of request.

She didn't ask for dolls, or even the big ticket item of the day, the iPad.
Nope. She didn't want any of that.

She wanted money.

Yep. Cold, hard cash.

Because she had a plan.

She wanted to try her hand at being an elf!

Well, sort of. Kady admits she lacks the pointy ears to be a real elf, but she does have a giving spirit and she wanted that money to shop for a child from the Angel Tree!

And Santa, being the wise man that he is, set her up. This year, Kady's mom, Kari, got a certified letter from the North Pole post office...in it? $100 cash.

So, off Kady went...

working hard for Santa in the Non-Pointy Eared Elf, West Virginia Division.

I'm sure she warms Santa's heart quicker than a mug of cocoa, because in Kady's own words, "I told Santa I would take less under my tree, to be able to buy for other kids, but you know, I still got just as much!"

No doubt Santa spends extra time at your house, little Kady. No doubt.

Check out my interview with Kady. I wanted to see if I could supplement my writer's income by being an elf myself...

9 comments:

Cover Reveal! Ashley Nixon

4:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 7 Comments

Happy Cover Reveal Day to Ashley!!!

Ashley Nixon

In honor of the day...

*Have you heard about the new pirate movie?
It's rated "Rrrrrr" because of all the booty.

*Why can't pirates learn the alphabet?
Because they spend years stuck at C.

*What do you call a pirate with no arms or legs who falls overboard?
Captain Bob

*What did the pirate say when he got his wooden leg stuck in the freezer?
Shiver me timbers!

*What kind of grades did the pirate get in school?
High C's

Now. For that cover!

Beautiful cover Ashley!

Blurb:

Notorious pirate Barren Reed has one thing on his mind: Revenge against the man who killed his father. So kidnapping his enemy's fiancé seems a perfect plan…until he actually does it.

Larkin Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce personality is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard.

But when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the Bloodstone, a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another opportunity to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of pirates set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of Barren’s own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his greatest enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important than he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the Orient.

Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5199530.Ashley_Nixon
Goodreads (book page): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18755539-cutlass
Website: http://ashley-nixon.com
Blog: http://ashley-nixon.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshleymNixon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleynixonauthor
Tumblr: http://ashleynixon.tumblr.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

7 comments:

Otey!

11:39 AM Elizabeth Seckman 9 Comments

I was planning to skip this Friday post so I could get my presents wrapped,

but my son showed me this clip and I just had to share.

It's a quick video of an amazing once-in-a-lifetime shot. Marvey'o Otey was tossing the ball inbounds and nailed a three pointer.

Check out the video. It's less than thirty seconds long. You will agree, athletes train and practice most of their lives and never get to make a shot like that!

Now, does that mean the athletes who didn't hit the hoop by tossing a ball over their back are losers? That all of their hard work, all the pain and sweat they expend, is futile?

Hardly.

No, it just means that sometimes dumb a** luck is a factor.

My blogging will probably be sporadic. Trying to get all my holiday stuff finished up, got family coming in soon and they seem to think I need to be sociable. So, if my visits are hit and miss...it's because I am just out strolling the cyberworld during what bits of down time I can manage!

9 comments:

Holidaze Update

8:28 PM Elizabeth Seckman 20 Comments

The Seckman Boys-
in their tree getting glory.

We're busy getting ready for Christmas.

We may be a little dazed...a little confused....

But we are getting there!

I have my decorations up.

I'm planning a Book Party* to celebrate

the release of Fate Intended and thank the local peeps.

I've had awesome support from my community and I want to return the love.

I'm planning to do my "official" Fate Intended blog tour in February.

That gives me more time to get organized.

I need posts, give-aways, and spots to visit and I have been so

discombobulated, I decided to take a step back, regroup, and do it fresh in 2014.

Last week's IWSG I read an awful lot of posts where people are feeling the strain.

Well, I can say Amen to that.

BUT-

when you're living the dream,

you can't give up!

Slow down.

Take a vacay.

Post pone a tour ;)

Just don't give up.

I've seen writers come and go,

and honestly, there is one thing that separates the

people who make it from the people who don't....

It's not talent.

It's tenacity.

As the wise Brinda Berry once commented,

"Publication is a marathon, not a sprint."

Lecture over...now, back to regular bloggy business..

Earlier on this blog...

Crystal Collier stopped by to tell us about her new book, Moonless. she offered a give away to be drawn from the people who could find the truth from the lie. Check out Crystal's Truth or Lie game HERE.

The winners were: Kimberly Afe, Angela Brown, and Suzanne Furness

The answers to the Truth or Lie:

1. Crystal’s #1 fear is playing the piano in public.

2. She has directed choirs in 3 different states, including one performance in Central Park.

3. As a composer, she has been in collaboration with a producer for her Broadway style musical.

The lie: #2. I have directed choirs in three different states, but sadly, we never did perform in Central Park. There is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING that gets my nerves jittering worse than tickling ivory in front of people, and we do actually have a musical that is AMAZING and we hope to see on Broadway some day in the future.

*If you happen to be in the New Martinsville area...

stop by The Book Store

Saturday December 16 at 6:30.

We're having games, mocktails, food, and prizes!

20 comments:

I'm Late, I'm Late...My IWSG Date!

9:42 AM Elizabeth Seckman 59 Comments

Check out the IWSG HERE!

Special thanks to this months co-hosts:
Julie Flanders, Heather Gardner, Kim Van Sickler, and Elsie is Writing!

And of course a thanks to the ninja master himself, Alex Cavanaugh. The IWSG is the time and place for writers to gather, bond, and support one another.

It's like word therapy.

And it's getting bigger!! Yes. IWSG has expanded! It has its own website. I looked around it the other day, and honestly, this site is a one-stop shop for the anxious writer. There are tips on writing, links to contests, agent and publisher info, and writer services links. I mean seriously, this is one awesome site! Chesk out the website HERE!

Oh yeah, the IWSG has infiltrated Facebook too!

Goodness. So much goodness. And it doesn't stop there!

This month there is a contest! Enter that HERE!

With soooo much awesomeness in one post, I am going to give you my insecurities with the nutshell approach:

*I hate it when I feel like no matter how hard I work I never get anything finished.
*I hate that I can't figure out the magic bullet for sales.
*I hate that I still haven't tackled the newsletter or my pathetic little website.
*I hate it when I read an awesome book and it makes me feel like a crappy writer.
*I hate it when I read a crappy book with awesome sales and it makes me feel like a crappy writer.
*I hate it when I get jealous of my amazing friends.
*I hate it when the whole world seems to have it together and I feel like I am juggling rotten, squishy tomatoes.

BUT! There is a cure for ALL of this.

Stick with other writers. They get it; they get you. No one else will understand the neurosis of word addiction. Not your mom, your hubs, or your kids. Yeah, they may be supportive and wonderful in their own right...but only another writer understands the pain of a rejection, a bad review, or bottom of the pot sales.

Now, just so it doesn't feel like a total downer/whiner post...here's a huge give-away.

Lindsay Anne Kendal put this together as a Christmas gift from the World Castle Publishing crew. There are some awesome books in this list (and no, I'm not just talking about my own ;)

Enter via Rafflecopter. It's that easy!

photo credit: kirjoittaessani via photopin cc

59 comments:

Seeing Red

1:34 PM Elizabeth Seckman 34 Comments

It's that time of year again.

And this guy is the prime suspect in the expansion of waistlines and the stretching budgets.

If you see him, just hand him a plate of cookies, slowly back away, and wait for the authorities to arrive. Too much contact with him could leave you sickeningly jolly and generous.

Not that I have a problem with jolly, but I did have a rough weekend and was eagerly perusing the net for something fun, and that gave me a smile.

What went wrong?

The Eagles lost. :(

And bitter fans (like me!) blame a bad call by the ref...but I will let that go. I always lecture my kids not to suck on sour grapes, accept the bad things that can't be changed and move forward.

Yeah. Tough taking my own advice. IT was sooooo unfair!!! Pass interference my fanny!

Ooops. Sorry. Keeping it classy. Moving on...

On the BRIGHT side, I'm talking stars with Mary Pax. I'm sure you all know the lovely, M. Pax. She's talented, sweet, and a WVU alumni (man, those Mountaineers had a rough football weekend too...just like us...getting robbed by a ref...crap! forward to the positive Elizabeth!)

Anyhow, visit me at Mary's HERE!

Also! My cyber twinny, Mark Koopmans, is keeping things positive, with a capital P.

He's hosting the 50 States of Pray. Believe it or not, there are issues far bigger than being robbed of a championship game and we should all take a moment to reflect and get ready for 2014 with some blessings!

Add your name to the linky HERE!

photo credit: kevin dooley via photopin cc