By now, you’ve probably seen Linus tell Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about, seen Snoopy reunite with his brother Spike, and felt empathy for poor Rerun who is probably still stuck on that bike. For many, it’s tradition to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas Specials every year. And for many, it is the only … More What Writers Can Learn from Charles Schulz
Tis the Season Tis the season to savor excellent Christmas books! This week you’re in for a treat with a review of MOUSE’S CHIRSTMAS GIFT. To top it off, we have an autographed giveaway copy. Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la-la! Review When Parson gets sick, the village’s Christmas Eve service is cancelled. But, one tiny church mouse doesn’t … More Mouse’s Christmas Gift: A Review and Giveaway by Sally Matheny
Sharing Christmas books such as Happy Birthday, Christmas Child with little ones is a wonderful way to provide time to treasure the true story of Christmas. … More Happy Birthday, Christmas Child, A Counting Nativity Book by Laura Sassi, reviewed by Kathy O’Neill
I’m baking. The wonderful aromas of spices, vanilla & chocolates fill my house. My kitchen is a big mess with flour & sugar everywhere. Chocolate chips & sprinkles decorate my island. My little freezer is bulging with the goodies I’m making to share with the people I love. It’s my thing. Baking and cooking delicious … More CHRISTMAS 2020 – CELEBRATE! by Jean Hall
A few years ago I was doing some shopping in our local mall (formerly the largest in the nation, at a time when malls were a new concept.) I, of course, expected to see the typical Santa scene, with lines of tots waiting to sit on the lap of this fatherly figure to share their … More Always Winter and Never Christmas
I’m usually an optimistic person, but lately it’s become more and more difficult for me to muster optimism as I read the newspaper or watch the evening news. Even my Facebook and Twitter feeds are not immune to the avalanche of bad news. Headlines and links are posted in real time as the events occur—the … More Light in the Darkness
Show; don’t tell. We hear it all the time. Don’t tell the reader, show the reader. Draw readers into your story. Make it easy for them to feel as if they’re in the middle of whatever you’re writing. Prompted by a recent series of blog posts on the Hartline Literary Agency website, I’ve been thinking … More Showing Christmas Using the Five Senses
For me, this has been one of my best Christmases ever, though you probably wouldn’t have guessed it: My daughter’s family lives in North Carolina, and they spent Christmas with her husband’s family again, where there are plenty of children of all ages for the grandchildren to play with. Our unofficially adopted daughter who lives … More Christmas Reflections—Benefits of Christian Writing
The Christmas season is filled with hope . . . and for many of us, with fears too. One Christmas hymn in particular speaks to my writer’s hopes and fears. “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in thy … More Hopes and Fears