It’s getting down to the wire. Christmas is coming and so is my book deadline. Right about now I get tend to discouraged, wondering if this book I’m racing to finish is any good, and if so, what the ending should be. I’m putting in long hours in my office, while at the same time, I’m conscious of Christ’s advent and unwilling to let the celebration pass me by. My friend Jacki had the perfect solution to both dilemmas. “Let’s have a tea party and invite some of your readers. And so last Thursday, we did.
Seeing Jacki and Paul’s house beautifully decorated for the season helped me relax and move into the season with thanksgiving for the gift of God’s Son. And the new friends I met gave me the encouragement I needed in my sprint to the finish line. “Wear something fun,” Jacki told the ladies she invited. Or bring a teacup or other item with memories. Three young sisters, Emma, Lauren and Sophie wore vintage dresses that young Emma had sewn all by herself. What talent! We decided that Emma’s outfit and darling hat made her look like the model on the cover of my book, “Wonderland Creek.” Sophie (and her doll) looked as though they had just stepped off the cover of “All Things New.” And Lauren, with her cute dress and vintage shoes, could have posed for “A Woman’s Place.”
Jacki and Deb wore their mothers’ fur wraps that were all the rage in the 1940s. Several ladies brought their favorite teacups, including one from a British antique shop that commemorated Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.
We asked the ladies to share some of their memories and stories with me (I never know when I might need a good story for a future novel), and I ended up hearing several very touching ones, including the Hallmark-worthy tale of how Maria met her husband, and how Norma’s father paid a surprise visit home during wartime. I would tell you the details but I just might steal them for my next novel, and I would hate to spoil it for you.
We all had a wonderful time, and I came home singing Christmas Carols and ready to add heart and love and wonder to the final chapters of my novel. So, thanks for sharing a cup of tea with me, ladies. And for reminding me what Christmas—and my novels—are all about.
10 comments
Lynn, what a wonderful tea party. Loved reading about it. Again I am asking you to write a 2nd book to Waves of Mercy, my sister and want to know more about their lives after Anne returned to Chicago and Derk, we was hoping they would get together, not her and William. We just love your books. Keep writing.
Thanks
Thanks, Sue. I’ve been getting a lot of requests for a sequel. Maybe someday . . . Thanks for stopping by my website.
Lynn, I love reading Waves of Mercy and Wonderland Creek, though the former is my favorite of the two. As Sue wrote, I would love to read a sequel to Waves of Mercy. When I see Lynn Austin, I automatically gravitate toward it. You are one of my favorite writers. Please keep up the great work. Thank you so much!
I’m honored to be one of your favorite writers, Dee. Thanks for your encouragement.
sounds like great fun! 🙂 I love to dress up in old-fashioned clothes.
I do, too. I would love to wear long, fancy dresses like the ladies in my novels.
These girls are so lucky. Having tea with you sounds marvellous! 🙂
It was great fun. Thanks for visiting my website, Naomi. Have a great Christmas.
Ive just now finished ……A Light to My Path…..the series can’t be over!Your books are truly anointed!!!! My heart was burning as I read. The characters displayed little pieces of Jesus. The history was amazing. I love the way you show the true value of women! I have studied ministry myself…and still findso many road blocks within the church! In one group…a divorced woman told me Christ was her Head…..and because I was married I must Always ask my husband. I asked the group…if that was my choice …why would any woman want to get married and trade a man for their head over Jesus? I have heard there is much debate over the Greek word kephale. Some say it means head or authority over…while many others say it means source. What I know for certain..when Christ paid with hIs life….the curtain was torn…the barrier removed. Women have the same access to God as the men. We can hear from God too. Church traditions keep trying to put a barrier back up! In the spirit we Are EQUAL!!!!Best Christian books I have ever read!!! Looking forward to all the other books !Many blessings….so glad you decided to WRITE! JESUS is writing through you!!!! Lori Taylor….Belleville, Ont. Canada
I’m so glad you were blessed by “A Light to My Path,” Lori. That was a very difficult book to write. It tore my heart out, too, as I was writing it. Many of the stories are based on true, slave narratives that were written down after the Civil War. Horrifying! But reading about such things and the many ways Christians tried to help the slaves, makes me want to ask what I can do for Christ right now, in this century. Thanks for writing, and may God bring you joy as you serve in His kingdom.
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