Sailing at a distance?

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  Luke 19:1-4

I love the story of Zacchaeus, don't you?  Zacchaeus was a tax collector and in those days that was akin to being a thief, even worse, a traitor. The taxes he collected went to Rome, not Israel, and most tax collectors cheated the people and took money for themselves. The Scripture says Zacchaeus was rich. And the only way he could have gotten rich was by cheating his own people. What kind of person does that? A greedy, selfish person with little conscience. But Zacchaeus was fascinated by Jesus. He had probably heard of His miracles, heard He was a great prophet who claimed to know the way to God, to way to eternal life.

Still, Zacchaeus had no intention of actually meeting Jesus. He didn't want to see Him face to face or talk to Him. Zacchaeus was simply curious. He only wanted to see Jesus, so because he was short, he climbed into a tree.

Throughout my live, I've met numerous people who are curious about God. They will listen when I tell them my experience. They may even read the Bible, or go to church. They are what we call "seekers".  Like Zacchaeus, they are curious. They want to see a miracle. They want to know if eternal life exists. But they don't want to meet Jesus. Why? Perhaps they feel guilty for the lives they led. Perhaps they are afraid of what others will think. But more often than not, it's because they fear they will have to change. They will have to give up something, their money, their habits, their way of life. And though Jesus looks pretty good to them, they aren't willing to sacrifice anything to know Him. They see Jesus on His ship, Salvation, but they sail at a distance, staring through their telescope but never getting too close. 

I will even go as far as to say that many of these people are regular church goers. They may even to to Sunday school or be teachers of the Scriptures. But they truly do not know Jesus.

But Jesus knows them.
And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. Luke 19:5-6

Jesus calls to them repeatedly throughout their life. He signals them with signal flags. He shouts through the bullhorn across the waves and He says,
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."  Isaiah 55:1

Sharing a meal with someone in those days was a very personal thing. It meant you were friends.. that you had a personal relationship. This is what Jesus is asking from Zacchaeus, what He's asking from all of us. "Come, let's share a meal. Let's get to know each other. Come aboard my ship and abide with Me."

Zacchaeus answered "Yes". He climbed down as fast as he could from that tree. It says he "made haste". I can just picture him scrambling down the trunk so fast, he nearly falls. And he received Jesus joyfully.

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:8-10

It only took one "yes" from Zacchaeus and his life was instantly changed. Everything that used to be important to him, his money, his job, his reputation.. in light of the Son of God, it meant nothing. Zacchaeus willingly gave it all up. But look what he got in return?  Salvation came to Zacchaeus's house. You might say, Big deal, I believe in Jesus, I'm already saved. Perhaps, but what about your household? What about your loved ones, your friends, your co-workers? What about living a life filled with purpose and joy? Affecting others for good? Helping God snatch souls from the depths of hell? You can't do that from a tree!

So, if you're sailing at a distance from Jesus. If you're clinging to something in this world that you don't want to give up, might I recommend you toss it overboard, adjust sails and make your way to Jesus's ship. He's invited you to dinner and you don't want to be late!

Tis a Writer's life for me! - Chapter endings!

I love writing chapter endings!  Yes, I know I'm weird. Most writers have great difficulty closing out a chapter with something exciting and tense, something that makes the poor reader turn the page! But for me,  I love creating those cliff hangers!  I love torturing my reader into never being able to set the book down and having to stay up all night because each chapter closes with a situation that would forbid them to sleep until they know how things turn out! What a beast I am!!

I like to think I accomplish that task most of the time. But how do you do it? How do you always end a chapter with something dramatic?. I mean, let's face it, maybe there's nothing really going on at that moment in the book that's overly tense.  Here's some ideas that may help you with examples from my own books.

End with the worst thing possible that could happen to your character
(In this case, losing his father’s ship to a lady pirate!) (The Red Siren)
I thank you, Captain, for your chivalrous rescue.” The woman pointed her pistol at him and cocked it with a snap. “But I believe I’ll be taking over your ship.”

 In a romance, have your heroine find the hero talking intimately to another woman or visa versa
(The Reliance)
Merrick sat at a table in the back, surrounded by a band of filthy pirates. His ebony hair hung to his shoulders, and his familiar baldric crossed his thick chest. On his lap sat a beautiful, dark-haired woman. He laughed then buried his face into her neck, kissing her.

Charlisse’s heart shattered and crumpled like sand to the floor.

 Play upon the character’s worst fears
(The Restitution)
Isabel bolted up in bed and glanced over the shadows in her room. Her eyes darted to the cradle beside her. It rocked back and forth. She peered inside. Her baby was gone. 

Create a moment of extreme embarrassment
(The Blue Enchantress)
Hope’s eyes widened. She flung a hand to her mouth, then bent double and lost the contents of her stomach all over his boots.

 Unexpected action
(The Raven Saint)
Rafe opened his mouth to tell the exasperating woman that God was on no one’s side, but her eyes fluttered shut, and she collapsed in his arms.

 Have an unexpected or long lost character enter the room
(Background: A man has just entered the tavern where Hope is waiting. It is the man who sold her as a slave on St. Kitts.)  The Blue Enchantress
His satin waistcoat and breeches bespoke either great wealth or ostentatious pride, and he perused the room with haughty disdain as if he owned the place.
Hope panted out a ragged breath. “Lord Falkland.”.

End with a threat
(The Raven Saint)
Rafe threw back his shoulders and lengthened his stance to cover up the fear tying his stomach into knots. He swung back to his father whose blue eyes glowed with cruel deception. “What is this about?”
His father grinned. “This is what I believe you call a mutiny.”

End with an action that could end badly
(Background: Hope is being sold as a slave to a slimy merchantman) (The Blue Enchantress)
As the man counted out the coins into the auctioneer’s greedy hands, Hope reached for the sword.

End with a promise of disaster.
(Surrender the Night)
A petal loosened and floated to the floor by her feet. When it struck the wooden planks, a heavy drape of foreboding fell upon her. Something terrible was about to happen. Something that would keep Alex from her forever.


End with a promise of action
(The Blue Enchantress)
Clenching his fists, Nathaniel resolved to speak with Hope tonight, for he could no longer deny his feelings. He must tell her he loved her.

End with violence
(The Falcon and the Sparrow)
She halted behind him, knees quaking. Her fingers gorged with blood. Gripping the candlestick with both hands, she hefted it as high as she could. Then, squeezing her eyes shut, she tensed her arms, readying herself to swing with all her might.

A daunting realization:
(The Raven Saint)
Sometime in the middle of the night, a lurid thought seeped into Grace’s mind, jarring her consciousness. A picture of a ripe yellow mango danced through her mind. Lifting her hand to her throat, she gasped as tears of shame burned behind her eyes. I am a thief.

End with a question (Surrender the Heart)
Footsteps stomped. Marianne held her breath.
A half circle of light advanced upon her shoes, then crept up her legs.
“What have we here?”

Ominous foreboding
(Surrender the Heart)
It was the only hope Noah could cling to as he swung over the bulwarks and dropped into the boat that would take him, his men, and Miss Denton to a fate worse than death.

End with a shocking statement
(The Falcon and the Sparrow)
Once she stepped over the threshold of this house, she would no longer be Dominique Dawson, the loyal daughter of a British Admiral. She would be a French Spy.

End with a vow
(The Red Siren)
Everything inside of her screamed in defiance. She would not serve a God who had allowed such suffering in her life.

An ultimatum
(The Red Siren)
“You will marry me.”
Yanking her hand from his, Faith retreated. “I will not.”
“Then I shall be forced to turn you in for piracy.

Okay, now it’s your turn. If you're a writer, give me your best chapter hooks! If you're not, tell me which of these really impacted you or better yet, list some from a book you're reading. They can either fit into one of these categories, or you can create additional ones. (I’d love to have you add new ones to my list!)

Wordless Wednesday!

Shot off our starboard quarter!

Guided by the hand of God

If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139: 9-10

Do you know God chose you to be His child long before you were born? Even after you were born, He never let his eyes off of you. Not once.  Not even if, like me, you strayed away from Him, turned aside to do your own thing, not even when that prodigal time spread into years and years of pain and regret. Even then, God's mighty hand was still guiding you, directing you gently back onto the right path.

Many things can affect the course of a ship at sea. Weather, reefs, depth of the water, wind, Waves, currents, land, pirates! etc..  If you've ever seen a map of the old trade routes, you'll quickly notice that ships could not just sail from one port to another in a straight line. Routes went according to currents and prevailing winds and often went far out of the way of their intended destination before they arrived there safe and sound.

Our lives are much like that. God has a certain path for us to follow. A starting port and a destination. And a preplanned route for us to follow in between. Yet many of us wander off course more than once in our lives. We get buffeted by the enemy's storms and end up in the middle of  nowhere, lost and alone. We enjoy the calm weather and sunshine so much that we follow it wherever it goes and end up depleted of supplies and far from our destination.  We believe the lie of an evil navigator and end up running aground and getting stuck. Or worse, our ship is broken beyond repair. 

Yet, no matter how many times we wander off course, God is busy adjusting situations and circumstances to bring us back. How does he do this? He tosses a strong wind our way to get us to make a turn. He places a reef in our way to cause us to steer in another direction. He adjusts tides and currents to gently move us down a different path. He did this for me when I strayed from Him for years. At the time I didn't realize it, but now as I look back, I see His mighty hand in situation after situation, setting the obstacles that would divert my course.. just an inch here, just an inch there.  It took years, but He finally got me to the exact place He wanted  me. The exact place where I would see Him and where I would notice that I had been on the wrong course all along. Amazing!

God is a gentleman. He never forces His will on anyone. He doesn't zap them and change their personality or desires so that they'll follow Him.  Sometimes I wish He would have done that with me! It would have spared me many wasted years of wandering off course. Maybe you have loved ones who are out upon the sea, wandering all over the place, lost and on the wrong course.  I do.  It breaks my heart. I've spent many tears in prayer over these precious souls.  Sometimes, it seems they'll never find their way back. But I'm here to tell you that God hears your prayers, and He is not sitting back and doing nothing. Every minute of every day, He is adjusting their path bit by bit, inch by inch, tossing a reef there, sending a wind here, changing a current there... so slight that you won't notice it at all. But He is working! 

And one day, you'll see that loved one, all sails full and white against the azure sky, heading toward the right path, the narrow route that leads to paradise!

Tis a Writer's life for me! -- Sleepless in San Jose

Progress on WIP, Forsaken Dreams:  Finished up Chapter 27 this week. (out of 35) Yea!! 

Over the years I've met a lot of different authors at conferences and book signings, etc.. and I was surprised to discover that many of them suffer from insomnia. Including yours truly. So, I began to wonder if this was common trait among creative people. Such as people in the arts who are mainly right brained like authors, artists, actors, playwrights, people who design furniture, etc.

According to the Cognitive Science Examiner, there was a study done by Healey and Runco in 2006 on children ages 10-12 that confirmed that creative children experienced a higher amount of sleep difficulties compared to regular kids.

I wonder why?  My problems began about twenty years ago when I entered my 30s. All of a sudden, I simply couldn't sleep. I had the worst time getting to sleep. And forget staying asleep. At first I thought it was hormones but I believe now it goes much deeper than that.  Although I'm able to fall asleep now pretty quickly, I never stay asleep. I wake up several times a night, look at the clock, get up for awhile, then try to fall back asleep. I've always told my husband that it seems like my brain is waking me up!  Like it can't stand to see me rest so it knocks on my consciousness over and over until I open my eyes!

You see I have one of those overactive brains. It's not brilliant, but it can think of a thousand things at once. Thoughts are zipping here and there, barely landing long enough for me to contemplate their meaning before the next thought leaps in.  It's like being in the middle of a hurricane of thoughts and ideas!  I have no control! I'm completely at their mercy. Yikes

On the other hand, my husband, who is a scientist and very much left-brained, can focus on a single thing for hours and hours. Me? I cannot even fathom that. I would get too bored.

I suppose God gave me this crazy brain so I could transport myself into another world and be able to see everything that's going on and write it down in story form. I love that! But the downside is that my brain sometimes refuses to leave that world. I mean, if that world is on a tall ship in the Caribbean with a handsome pirate and a warm breeze.. can you blame it?  I wouldn't leave either!  The problem lies in that my body is stuck here. Major bummer, huh? I thought so too.

I suppose I should give my brain a break. At 2:00 in the morning, when it is tapping it's fingers in impatience.. wondering how I could possibly sleep with all this adventure going on: battles to fight, damsels to rescue, seas to explore... I suppose I can't blame my brain for waking me up.   I would do the same thing!

So, if you ever happen to pass my house in the wee hours of the morning and you spot me floating by the window in my nightgown with a candle in hand, you'll know me and my brain are plotting some grand adventure in an exotic land that no doubt contains swashbuckling heroes and glorious tall ships!

How's your sleep these days?

Wordless Wednesday!

Sailing away into the sunset! A dream come true!

Follow that cloud!

The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. Exodus 13:21

Clouds are really cool things, don't you think? When I was a kid I used to lay on the beach and gaze up at  the clouds and find all sorts of shapes within them: like horses and weird faces and pirate ships!  Clouds bring us much needed rain and they provide shade from the heat of the sun. What a wonderful creation!  Clouds were also useful at sea. Can you imagine how hot it was in the Caribbean on the open sea? Especially if the wind wasn't blowing very hard. A large cloud provided precious minutes, even hours, of relief from the sharp rays of the sun. Clouds also warned sailors of upcoming weather. Just by examining the shape and size of clouds, the captain would know whether to expect rain the next day, or worse, a storm.

We all know the story of how God led the Israelites across the Sinai desert by a cloud. The cloud covered them by day, keeping them cool and shielded from the sun, and a pillar of fire provided light and warmth at night. That amazes me! Even after they rebelled against God and refused to go into the promised land that He gave them, God still provided the cloud and the pillar for the next 40 years.  Wherever the cloud stooped, the Israelites made camp. When the cloud lifted, they journeyed.

Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey Numbers 9:22


You know what? God still provides a cloud for us today. Not a cloud we can see with our eyes, but one that is just as real. The cloud is God's grace, his unmerited, undeserved favor, kindness and mercy. It guides us through life, protects us, keeps us cool and comfortable. It gives us wisdom and knowledge and strength to meet each day's challenges. It tells us when to move, when to stay, and where to go! 

Great! I'm in!  How do I find this cloud and stay under it?  You find the cloud by believing in Jesus and accepting His sacrifice for you on the cross. 
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; Romans 3:23-24 

But the key is to stay under the cloud. After getting saved, many of us start sailing across the seas, trying to run our lives and find the promised land on our own. All we end up doing is only wandering farther away from God and causing ourselves lots of problems! 

So, how do you stay under the cloud? By obedience to God's will just like the Israelites did. When the cloud moved.. they moved. When the cloud stopped they stopped. How do you know when the cloud has stopped? Because it gets real hot!! You get uncomfortable. You lose your peace. Things start falling apart. The Israelites didn't dare move outside the cloud because they would have been fried in the desert. At night, they would have frozen without the pillar.  You bet they stayed with the cloud!  And we need to do the same thing.

If things are getting a little hot where you are, or if you've lost your peace, your direction, if the storms are rising and you feel abandoned, maybe you're the one who left the cloud of God's grace. My recommendation? Adjust sails and set a course back to the last place you felt God's grace and peace upon you. Chances are that's where God is waiting for you.






One last note on clouds. At the very end of the age, Jesus will return in the clouds! Another good reason to keep looking up!

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. Mark 13:26