Book Review: Love Your Heart

Recently, Thomas Nelson Publishers sent me Love Your Heart by Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas for review. Yes, that's the Tim McGraw you know and love! I was interested in the book because a.) I am an aspiring children's book writer and I'm always looking at what's being published these days, and b.) I am interested in books by celebrities, mostly to see if they can actually write, or if their book was published simply for their name. I have strong opinions on that, but more on it later.

Love Your Heart is the second book by McGraw and Douglas. The story visits Katie and her dad as Katie tries to decide what she will do in the School Talent Show. She tries out several things that end in crazy mishaps, and finally settles on an amazing act with her dog Palio. However, on the night of the Show, Katie sees her friend Sophie crying, and Katie does something that ends with her dad saying "I love your heart."

The story was cute. It had a great message for little kids about doing things that showcase your heart rather than outward talents. The illustrations were beautifully done by Abigail Marble. But I kind of feel that's all I have to say about it. I think it was sweet that Tim McGraw wrote a story about a little girl since he has three, but I feel that most of the reason the book was published was because parents all over know the name Tim McGraw. I'm not sure the story could sell itself.

Love Your Heart was sweet. But check it out from the library. I wouldn't spend any money on it.

Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as a part of their blogger program called BookSneeze.

On Inspiration

I would say I am an avid reader. I go to the library at least every other week, and I probably check out at least four books at a time. I usually check out at least one book that I've already read. Sometimes that book is a book I've read more than once. I really enjoy reading. I have to read before I go to bed, even if I'm getting to bed late. I need at least 10 minutes of reading in order to relax so I can fall asleep.

But when I read juvenile lit, I want to write. It makes me remember what I loved so much about the books in my childhood. Any book geared toward ages 7 or 8 to teenager makes me believe that I can come up with a great story that some kid will want to check out the library over and over.

I have now successfully completed the coursework for the Institute of Children's Literature. I guess the world is my oyster.

What Holds Me Back

I want to be a writer. I have since I was a little girl. And I've been reading and studying in earnest what it takes to be a writer for the last year or so. And I think the thing that holds me back is the fact that I need to make a decision.

I've read so many times that you need to write every day. It makes sense; you can't be a writer if you don't write. I've read that you need to write first thing. I've read that you need to plan how much you're going to write every day and stick to it. I've read that you should make a goal to write for x number of hours a day, or x number of words a day.

The thing is, I'm also a mother. A stay at home mother. And I LOVE that job. And having a toddler doesn't allow for writing for a massive amount of time each day.

I need to decide how much I want to devote to writing. I hope that someday I can spend hours a day writing. Uninterrupted hours. But that time is not now.

So I decide that my goal is to write 500 words a day. If the story is moving, that will only take me about a half hour. I can definitely dedicate a half hour to writing each day. Will my 500 words and a half hour get me anywhere right now? It's hard to say. But that's what I can give, and rather than feeling bad each day because I didn't get more done or not writing because I know I can't write for several hours, I'm going to give it the best I've got. If anything, maybe I'll slowly be honing my craft so I can come out swinging when my time does free up.

Book Review: Thicker Than Blood

My first book review! My husband's sister's husband (his brother-in-law? My brother-in-law? I never know what to call that guy) introduced me to the wonderful world of book reviews. I LOVE to read. I also am an aspiring writer, so I love to read to find out why a story was published.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of Thicker Than Blood as a part of their blogger book review program.

In Thicker Than Blood, we find Christy Williams, a 30-something woman trying to forget her troubled past and feeling like she finally has it together. She loves her job as an antiquarian book buyer. However, things begin to fall apart when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession. Soon Christy is fleeing from a crime she didn't commit, an extremely unhealthy relationship and God. With no one to turn to, Christy seeks out her younger sister, who she abandoned 15 years ago. May's ranch could be a safe place, but obviously there is some serious mending that needs to take place between the sisters.

The story gives a lot of information about antique book buying and cattle ranching, neither of which I've ever paid any attention to. However, C.J. Darlington effortlessly draws you into the story whether you like books and cattle or not. In fact, her colorful descriptions and intriguing plot twists make you believe you are a part of those worlds and always have been. I quickly found myself at the end of the book, and then stayed up past my bedtime just to finish.

As a reader, I really enjoyed the story. As a writer, I would study C.J. Darlington's works just to see if I could emulate her style. I would definitely recommend Thicker Than Blood to anyone who loves Christian fiction.

Characters

One of my dreams as a writer is to come up with fantastic, compelling characters that people want to call their friends. My favorite characters of all time are Todd and Christy from the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn. I spent my teen years making friends with these two, and was overjoyed in college when I read about their wedding. My dear friend in college used to admonish me time and time again by saying "Todd and Christy aren't real! Stop talking like they are!" They sure felt real. I was completely aware that I would never actually meet them, but I felt comfort thinking that they could really be out there, living their lives.

I want to write like that. I want to create characters that feel real to readers. Characters that will make readers pick up the story every so often to visit them like they would their family and friends.

One of my main struggles in that area comes from the idea "write what you know." I don't feel like I know much. I absolutely cannot pattern a character after myself, because I lead a pretty boring life. I LOVE staying home and watching reality tv. And I love reading of course, but I'm pretty sure a book about someone who stays home to read won't be very marketable.

I guess, then, my objective is to create characters of people who I'd like to be. I'd like to be a proficient traveller. I wish I were more outgoing. I wish I could talk to strangers and instantly make them my friends. I know I'd be more interesting if I had a more interesting job. I suppose I could write stories about these kinds of people and what I imagine their lives to be like. That's the essence of fiction, isn't it?

New Year, Renewed Energy

I am the kind of person who likes to set goals at the beginning of the year. The new year feels so fresh, I can't help but imagine and plan what I'm going to do and be like. Here are the things I want to do in 2010:

• Finish my book. I've started a book for 8-12 year olds, and I have the first three chapters done. I'd like to finish it, and go from there.
• Grow strawberries in my strawberry pot. I tried one year about two years ago. Last summer came and went and I didn't even take the pot out of the garage. This is the year. It might bring me one step closer to my dream of gardening.
• Plant flowers in my flower pot. It always makes me happy to have petunias growing, and maybe they can keep the strawberries company.
• Make dessert for my dessert loving husband more often. At least once a week. I never think about it because I didn't really grow up eating dessert every night, but I know his family did. Plus I know I'm not a very good cook, so this might give me an excuse to practice. I think I'll start with rice krispie treats.
• Potty train my daughter. She's going to be two this year. It might as well start now.
• Clear out the boxes of office stuff that are sitting in our bedroom. Last year we moved into a place that did not have an office. We have space for our computer, but none for our office things. We thought we would need our stuff so we kept our stuff in boxes piled in our room. Well, clearly we didn't need that much as I thought we did, because those boxes have simply been collecting dust for the past four months.
• Be honest about my clothes and give away the things I don't wear anymore. I'm a terrible pack rat and have been carting around clothes for years. I guess I thought it would be wasteful to get rid of them, but they are no good to anyone just sitting in my closet. And seriously, I'm NOT going to wear some of them.
• Put the pictures I have set aside for scrapbooking into photo albums. I have so much scrapbooking stuff. And no desire to scrapbook. Maybe someday I'll be filled with artistic creativity. Maybe not. But at least someone else could look at the pictures if they were in books.
• Eat fruit every day, and make a real vegetable for dinner every night. I give my daughter fruit every day. I even make a vegetable for her for dinner most nights. But I rarely eat it with her. I should.
• And of course, blog regularly. I mean here.

Look out, 2010. I have big plans for you.

I Dream of Gardening

Fall is here. I am so glad that Fall came when it was supposed to, ignoring Summer's long, sleepy arrival. The sun is warm, the evenings are cool, the air carries a hint of dead leaves, and trees are displaying their two-toned glory.

However, even with the thought of Fall, I dream of gardening. I blame my dear friends Sam and Tawnya, who, much to my joy, have been blogging consistently about their harvesting endeavors. Sam and Tawnya live in Wisconsin and have been chronicling their gardening for the past two years. My favorite day of the summer is the day they post their Garden Tour video on their website. That garden is impressive. Rows of tomatoes (not just one kind, mind you), lettuce, potatoes, cucumbers, various squashes, corn, peas, onions...forgive me for not remembering them all.

I don't like dirt and I hate bugs, but gardening makes so much sense. One average sized garden can produce enough food for several families. When did Americans give up on that idea? I almost feel like people can't complain about the status of the American economy if they're not willing to grow food for themselves. It's a laziness thing.

I am determined to have a garden someday. I want to grow my own lettuce and tomatoes for BLTs, my own strawberries for strawberry shortcake, my own zucchini and onions and cucumbers. I'm sure my garden will look paltry compared to Sam and Tawnya's, but at least I'll be doing my part.