tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42498090565943760692024-02-18T20:25:11.236-06:00The Writer's LairThe blog of Christian writer and apologist Mary Ruth Pursselley.Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.comBlogger323125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-75219232177344471642015-09-25T12:10:00.000-05:002015-09-25T12:10:08.717-05:00A Spark Fires in the Void<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I make my morning cup of tea, sit down at the table, and
open my laptop—completely mundane acts on an entirely ordinary day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A document file opened…a blinking cursor waiting for me to
push it forward across the page…a keyboard waiting for my fingers to move.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And as they move, a spark fires in the void. A light appears
in the distance—faintly, only barely visible at first, but glowing brighter,
stronger. Following its rise from the darkness comes a world, solid and strong,
with shape and texture and jagged edges. The building light solidifies into a
blazing sun that breathes down onto the raw earth and fills it with color,
life, growing things.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5wca0D6Vl-PgXWm6aQV7JMJytZpM_p97Rja8pzLwxbB3l8FR68_CJB4tUW6XE5FY1sIZkrf0ASr186EpcmDKm1JDO70U3WyLQt7HWTeiSK2HG_HyFBb71zLIKzTpaKQUMpiff3aRAxk/s1600/a+spark+in+the+void+watermarked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5wca0D6Vl-PgXWm6aQV7JMJytZpM_p97Rja8pzLwxbB3l8FR68_CJB4tUW6XE5FY1sIZkrf0ASr186EpcmDKm1JDO70U3WyLQt7HWTeiSK2HG_HyFBb71zLIKzTpaKQUMpiff3aRAxk/s320/a+spark+in+the+void+watermarked.jpg" width="320" /></a>A fire burns in my chest and spreads, first to my shoulders,
then down my arms, into my hands and fingers as they move faster and faster
across the keyboard. I close my eyes, and I am there, standing in the midst of
my created world, creating by the power of my will and imagination. In this
world I am transcendent, unbound by finite size or capabilities. One moment I
trace my finger in the sand of the beach and sketch a line across the miles,
over mountain ranges and plains, outlining the borders of kingdoms and
countries. The next moment I stand, tiny and insignificant, dwarfed by the
towering columns, vaulted ceilings, arches, and domes of the palace that rises
from the ground around me in response to my slowly lifting hands. At a wave of
my arm, frescoes blossom to life across the ceiling and walls and stained glass
materializes to glow in window settings. As I step forward, the bare earth
beneath my feet turns to a marble floor, spreading outward like ripples in the
water to merge with the walls.</div>
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Music pounds from all around me, from within me, from the
very fibers of the world. I turn, and find that I am not alone. A crowd of
people stands staring at me, waiting for me. Although they stand at many
different distances from me, one man stands prominently in the foreground,
watching me with a listless but expectant stare.</div>
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I place one hand lightly against his chest and exhale. His
chest expands as he breathes in my breath, and the listlessness vanishes from
his eyes, replaced by burning energy as we move in unison to take each other’s
hands. We begin to move in time to the music, but tentatively at first, shy and
uncertain. Then the music grown deeper, louder, more powerful, and we draw each
other closer, moving now with confidence and nearly telepathic synchrony.
Though no words are exchanged, I know his thoughts, his heart, his feelings.
His desires resonate with me as clearly as my own. I feel his pain in my own
being and look up at his face to see the tears that I feel falling from my own
eyes.</div>
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I reach up to wipe them away, but before my fingers reach
his face he takes me by surprise by spinning me away from him, twirling me
under his arm and back to face him again, this time to see the tears gone and
his eyes blazing with triumph and all-consuming joy. I try to move into a
different set of steps, struggling to understand, but he tightens his arm
around me and his grasp on my hand, and pulls me in a different direction, into
a pattern I wasn’t expecting, and there is nothing I can do to get away.</div>
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The dance intensifies, growing faster and faster, and I am
left with no choice but to stop fighting and surrender to the movement, and as
I do I find myself lost in a pattern more complex than any I imagined before. A
mosaic takes shape on the floor beneath me, and with every step of the dance,
every twirl and spin, every moment of eye contact, more pieces materialize in
the air and fall into place. I stare wide-eyed, struggling to miss nothing as thoughts,
memories, emotions, loves, and fears, none of them my own, flicker to life in
the air around me and become part of me. I care about them as much as I care
about my own, about this man as much as I care about myself.</div>
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And then the music fades to a close and he stops in front of
me, still holding my hands and looking into my eyes, this time with a wordless
request. With my returned gaze I give my promise to grant his plea, and now it
is my mission: to tell his story, to show the world the losses he has suffered,
the destiny that has called him, the pain and scars of his battles, the joy of
his victories, and the dreams of his future.</div>
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He walks away, out into the vast world that I have created
but not yet explored, and I stare after him with mixed emotions, knowing that
for now he will be close by, that there are many more dances to come…but
knowing with just as much certainty that someday I will have to say goodbye, to
let go of his hand and watch him walk away forever, to then turn my back and
step out of his world, when his story is completed. Destiny will call me to
create another, different world, just as it will call him to leave me behind
and step into someone else’s world—someone who might break his heart, or fail
to see the beautiful soul that I have seen in him—or, then again, into the
world of someone who might be searching for him even now, someone who needs him
even more than I do. It is that thought that gives me the courage to stay here
in this world, to dance with the next person to approach me from the crowd, to
fall in love with all of them even though I know I will have to let them go one
day. This is my sacrifice, my gift to the ones who do not have my gift to
create worlds and breathe life into souls.</div>
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Is this how it felt to God when He created a world, breathed
life into its people, knew from the beginning their faults and fears, foresaw
the day that they would turn their backs and walk away, watched His Son fall in
love with them, knowing they would break His heart? Am I sharing the feelings
of Elohim the Creator in a way that other people can’t? Are the emotions I feel
at the keyboard a communion with God that others never experience? Are the
loss, the pain, the heartbreak, gifts? Rare, precious windows into a chamber of
God’s soul that those who have never created a world and fallen in love with it
have never had the chance to look through? Do writers understand their God in a
way that others never could?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In writing, creating, directing the lives of our characters
and yet being able to watch them make decisions for themselves whether those
decisions ultimately bring them joy or pain, always being there even though the
characters don’t see us, feeling every bit of their pain with them, weeping as
they weep and question destiny or fate, because we see the happy ending that
they can’t, but cannot show it to them, only promise them that it is there; silently
asking them to trust us with their hearts, their dreams, their lives, knowing
that for some that trust will be rewarded with “happily ever after,” while
others will not even live to see the end of the story.</div>
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It leads me to fear the mind of God, to see it equally as a
place of terrible beauty and unfathomable pain, and yet to write only draws me
deeper. The pain can be shattering, and the joy every bit as destructive in its
intensity. The beauty of my characters’ souls, and the independent life they
take upon themselves, show me how completely unworthy I am to be in this place
of control. It sends me running to the feet of the One whose control over my
life I no longer fear because I have felt His pain. I have tasted the
bitterness of allowing suffering in the life of someone I created, and it makes
me want to lift my head even through the worst of the pain and tell Him, “It’s
okay—I know You feel my pain as much as I do. I don’t hold it against You. I
know You have Your reasons, even if I don’t see them now, and I still trust
You.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We talk about the writing life as if it’s all a carousel of
coffee, chocolate, rejection letters, writer’s block, and inspired
all-nighters, and we joke about having a “socially acceptable form of
schizophrenia” like it’s no big deal. And yes, sometimes it’s good to keep it
light to keep from going crazy. But the truth is that there’s much more to it
than that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The moment of creation, the dance with a stranger that
sparks a bond as deep as a soul, the anguish, the piercing joy…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">These</i> are what
it’s like to be a writer.</div>
Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-32163441953333206942015-09-24T09:23:00.000-05:002015-09-24T09:23:28.474-05:00The Adelfian Prophecies Series, now on Facebook!Guess what, everybody? My epic fantasy series, The Adelfian Prophecies, now has its own Facebook page, where you can not only keep up to date on all the latest happenin's as I continue writing the series, but also take part in discussions about the series, ask questions about already-released or upcoming books, share favorite scenes or characters, talk about what the stories mean to you...and well, <i>maybe</i> even get a sneak peek or two.<br />
I'd love for you to join me, so visit <a href="http://facebook.com/TheAdelfianProphecies">facebook.com/TheAdelfianProphecies</a>, like the page, and let the journey begin!Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-6842850837859068042015-09-01T15:31:00.000-05:002015-09-01T15:40:24.654-05:00My (Long Overdue) Thoughts on Realm Makers 2015<span style="font-size: large;">(a.k.a. A very long-winded Thank You letter to Robert Liparulo)</span><br />
<br />
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I know this is way overdue, but I wanted to make sure I gave
myself plenty of time to think and digest before trying to write about what the
2015 Realm Makers conference did for me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6vEJIVZhr9rRnULNRSFaNBICKKtUdKh3AAyamCPy5o273tRxloS-5wSG8oOii5mIJznxbD2aMawHbNtden3PmwMrGRjbe1Ate1tf9VQVMpTgRjXBBVkwsH0h_yG0wIajbluNXJeUZ8I/s1600/IMGP3397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6vEJIVZhr9rRnULNRSFaNBICKKtUdKh3AAyamCPy5o273tRxloS-5wSG8oOii5mIJznxbD2aMawHbNtden3PmwMrGRjbe1Ate1tf9VQVMpTgRjXBBVkwsH0h_yG0wIajbluNXJeUZ8I/s320/IMGP3397.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I went to Realm Makers to meet and connect with new
likeminded people, with half-hearted hopes of improving my floundering
marketing strategy. (And, yes, I’ll admit it, to have a ball hanging out with a
whole horde of people as crazy as me!) I did both! But what surprised me was
that something else happened too—something that, quite honestly, has been much
more impactful by comparison.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Robert Liparulo’s opening keynote address caught my
attention with its point-blank simplicity and its call to STOP worrying about
all the extraneous details and bring the focus back to why we’re writing in the
first place.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Like so many other writers, I started off with starry-eyed
dreams of fame, fortune, NYT best sellers, and movie deals. And, like other
writers, I quickly came face-to-face with the reality that gave birth to terms
like “starving artist,” and jokes like “If you want to get rich writing, the
first thing to do is change your name to Stephen King,” a reality that throws
you face-to-face with people who say things like “Oh, you’re a writer? That’s
nice. Do you have a real job too?”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">It </span><i>is</i><span style="font-size: small;"> reality,
like it or not, and every starry-eyed dreamer needs a good healthy dose of it
now and then. The problem was, I overdosed. I told myself to be content with my
“starving artist” status, that it was the best I was going to get. I told
myself that it was okay for my books to reach only a few people—at least they
reached those few, right?</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIal3BHW8hct7O5rPid52jqmtC78gJ7dmCwOtzZnSxkN00Y8MXDbkHzucyqL8VFkiV7HZE-qz7T2f9j17ZfINjrvXOTWfWz77_gw5eQZEaiNNvcurSddPRGwX85FJ1WqU8_ixpKw4BbOE/s1600/IMGP3390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIal3BHW8hct7O5rPid52jqmtC78gJ7dmCwOtzZnSxkN00Y8MXDbkHzucyqL8VFkiV7HZE-qz7T2f9j17ZfINjrvXOTWfWz77_gw5eQZEaiNNvcurSddPRGwX85FJ1WqU8_ixpKw4BbOE/s400/IMGP3390.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Once I was thoroughly saturated with that bleak perspective,
I let it make me passive. As I said, my marketing strategy (or lack thereof)
was floundering. But hey, that’s okay—if God wants me to make it big, He’ll
make it happen, no worries!</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Enter Robert Liparulo again, with the appeal to “Be prepared
when God says ‘It’s your turn.’”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">It made me stop and think: If God came to me right now and
said “Alright, it’s your turn to make it big! Are you ready to go?” what would
I have to offer Him (or the publisher/editor/agent/movie studio/etc. He’d sent
my way)? The answer was nothing short of dismal: One published novel, a 22-page
ebook that sold all of six copies, the first chapters/pages of a dozen
unfinished novels, 100+ story ideas, all unwritten…and absolutely no plan or
strategy for how to turn that disorganized heap of raw materials into something
useful and productive.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">It was a major wakeup call, as if God was saying “Okay, you
get it now, so what are you going to do about it?”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Now I had come full-circle, back to Robert Liparulo’s
original point: Do what God has called you to do, and do it well, but make sure
you’re doing it for the love of doing it. Never before had it occurred to me to
think of my dreams as prayers to God to help me reach them, but as I
contemplated it, I began to realize how liberating the concept was.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">That opening talk sent me into the rest of the weekend with
my passion for, not just writing, but for </span><i>being</i><span style="font-size: small;">
a writer, rekindled. I took pages and pages of notes. I laid awake at night
excitedly mulling over new ideas for reaching new audiences with my writing. I
texted my mom to tell her how excited I was about everything I was learning.
There were so many connections to be made, so much information to take in!</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">And then I started getting overwhelmed. I was beginning to
grasp the scope of the massive undertaking in front of me, and I didn’t know if
I was up to the job of tackling it. Where would I even start?</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">As Saturday started drawing to a close I felt myself
freezing up, thinking that maybe crawling back into my Hobbit hole of obscurity
where I could cuddle up all safe and sound with my self-doubt wouldn’t be so
bad.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Thank God, Robert Liparulo had one more talk to give: A
charge to writers to GO!</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">As I told Mr. Liparulo afterwards, even if that talk meant
nothing to anyone else there, it meant everything to me. Even if it touched no
one else at all, it changed my life. It changed the way I saw myself. It changed
the way I viewed my future not just as a writer, but as a Christian, as a human
being on God’s Earth. It touched on issues that I’ve spent the last year
wrestling with in areas of my life that (I thought) had nothing to do with my
writing.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">I have always struggled with an irrational phobia of being a
pest, of seeming obtrusive, of admitting that I’m not okay, of swallowing my
pride, trust issues, and, at times, feelings of low self-worth, enough to ask
for help when I need it. It’s far easier for me to soldier on alone than to ask
for someone to hold my hand. I love taking care of others, giving advice,
sharing my knowledge, and helping in any way I can, but in my twisted view it’s
selfish and needy of me to ask for those same things.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">To sit and be encouraged to go out and introduce myself, to
make my presence known, to ask for help and advice, to attract attention, to be
like that asteroid crashing into the earth…well, it was hard. And scary. My
initial reaction was to think “No way, I couldn’t do that!” But at the same
time, I felt a sense of peace telling me “Yes you can, it’s okay. At least give
it a try.”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">So afterwards, I introduced myself to Robert Liparulo, told
him how much his talk had meant to me, and spent the next twenty minutes
enjoying a fabulous conversation with him. Later, I tracked down someone who
had raised an interesting question during the fight scene panel and asked him
if he would critique a scene in my novel that was related to his question.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">In the weeks since Realm Makers, I’ve started contacting
bloggers about book reviews. I’ve been more open about my work as a writer, and
haven’t felt needy or conceited for doing so.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Outside of writing, I’ve been more open and honest with
myself as well as others. I called a friend for no other reason than to ask her
to pray for me as I went through a rough time. I’ve talked about my struggles
with people, asked them for help and advice. I went to my mom and laid bare an
entire pile of issues I’ve been struggling with for months. They don’t always
have the answers, but they’re willing and happy to listen to me, put an arm
around me, and pray for me.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">And when those old fears and worries start whispering their
tired old lines of “Don’t bother them, you’ll seem like a nuisance; they’re
busy and your problems aren’t really that important; don’t draw attention to
yourself, that’s selfish; don’t say anything, you’ll seem totally weak and
needy…” Well, I just smile at them and say,</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">“But Robert Liparulo said I could.”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-82899719236489580212015-07-11T14:06:00.000-05:002015-07-11T14:06:15.268-05:00Sneak Peek of The Second Prophecy!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
promised last week, here comes a special preview of the sequel to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Song of the Wren-Falcon</i>!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tentative Title:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Traitor’s Prayer</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b>Possible Alternative Title: </b><i>The Flight of the Moth</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Characters:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Many of the
characters you know from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Song of the
Wren-Falcon</i>, but with a few new faces thrown into the mix—and, well, some
old faces making re-appearances in such unexpected ways that they might as well
be brand-new characters!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Conflict:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Since the end of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Song of the Wren-Falcon,</i> Adelfia has
enjoyed six years of peace. Sorek and Orienne are busy with their growing
family, as are Cyrus and Viette, and Ryker and Ashnin. Sorek’s biggest problems
are trying to keep neighboring countries happy about trade rates, and trying to
figure out where his four-year-old learned the word “disembowel”…until a message
from Moritar gives him reason to fear that the peace they have been enjoying
may not last much longer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
mysterious dark power has taken hold in Moritar’s capital city. King Saras is
dead, murdered by sorcery. And although the ominous turn of events points
at Shekiah Hyn, the only known sorcerer remaining in Moritar, she has disappeared
and not even Adelfia’s deepest spies can locate her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sorek
fears that the peace is ending, and that things are about to take a turn for
the worse. What he doesn’t know is that the Second Prophecy is about to fulfill
itself in ways more wildly incredible than anything he could ever have
imagined.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Old
fears are about to raise their heads again. Old wounds are about to be
reopened. Dark pasts will be revealed. Friendships will be strained to the
breaking point. Love will bloom in impossible places. The darkness will deepen,
and the cost of defeating it will climb.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What I’m Excited About:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In this book I
not only get to continue the personal stories of the central characters from
Book 1 (characters like Sorek, Orienne, and Allegar), but I also get to dive
much deeper into some of the secondary characters who didn’t really have that
much time in the spotlight in the first book (characters like Gabriel, Albrius, and
Shekiah). I’m so excited about this! It was hard for me to leave these
characters largely unexplored and undeveloped in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Song of the Wren-Falcon</i>, but the wait is definitely proving worth
it! (Now you all can get to know them as well as I do!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
excited about the message of this story—in many ways a re-hash or continuation
of the message of Book 1, but woven through enough plot twists and surprises to
make it fresh and new.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
excited to introduce a couple of new characters as well…but their identities
are still classified and you’ll just have to wait and read the book. :P</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
of course, because I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">am</i> a hopeless
romantic, I can’t help being super excited about the two love stories that will
play out over the course of Book 2. I won’t say much—this isn’t a spoiler post,
after all—but I will say that one of the love stories will be both hilarious
and heart-wrenching, and the other one will be deeply moving and absolutely
gorgeous. And heart wrenching. (Sorry, that’s just the way it turned out. Don’t
worry, my publisher and I are currently discussing the logistics of inserting
small packets of tissues in the back of every hard copy of the book. [Some
restrictions apply; not available with digital versions of the book.])</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But what I’d really like to know is: What
are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> looking forward to in Book 2?
What are you hoping to see? Share your thoughts! Who knows? If I like your
ideas, you might just end up influencing the story. So don’t be shy!</span></b></div>
Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-90521904545186986832015-07-03T17:12:00.001-05:002015-07-03T17:12:48.034-05:00So...what's next?So now that <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon</i> and <i>A Knight on the Old North Shore </i>are out, what's coming up next from author Mary Ruth Pursselley?<br />
<br />
I'm glad you asked!<br />
<br />
Of course, if you're one of those who have been asking about the sequel to <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon,</i> let me assure you that it is in the works! I must confess, we're still in the first-draft stage at this point...but it's coming. Recent experiences with setting goal dates and deadlines for myself has led me to decide that I am <i>not</i> going to do so with this project, other than to say that, God willing and the Twilight fans don't attempt a world takeover, it will be out in the first half of 2016.<br />
Since you've all been so sweet with your feedback about the book (and your reviews on Amazon make me want to melt), and it absolutely makes my day every time someone eagerly asks about the sequel, I thought I might as well give you a few little sneak peeks...next week. (Okay, sorry, but I can't help being just a <i>little</i> devious.) In the meantime, here's a look at what else you can expect to see from me over the next several months:<br />
<br />
<b><i>The Shadowfields</i></b> - An historical novella in the spirit of <i>The Secret Garden</i>...with a tiny dash of <i>Northanger Abbey</i> thrown in. This one will be available both in print and as an e-book.<br />
<br />
<b><i>The Pirate Shrine</i></b> - High-seas fantasy adventure with generous helpings of espionage, political intrigue, swashbuckling action, and maybe just a little romance. This one will also be available both in print and electronic versions.<br />
<br />
Plus, more short collections like <i>A Knight on the Old North Shore</i>! I have two of these in the production stage at this point, but neither has a fixed title yet. These will be available exclusively as electronic versions, with a compilation volume of all of my short books planned to release in print eventually.<br />
<br />
Of course, these plans are all writing-related, and there's a whole lot more than that going on in my life right now...but more on that at a later time, too. ; )Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-28366166342862350732015-06-16T10:02:00.000-05:002015-06-16T10:02:18.026-05:00A Knight on the Old North Shore Now Available on Kindle!Greetings, all! After a ton of delays, technical difficulties, and the complications of life, I am thrilled to announce that <i>A Knight on the Old North Shore</i> is now live and available on Kindle!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JYy2dLbI6xLOrHbqAYPou3pFaVWzS_XW2Tb-M4oxPX5zyRhOEdtKDuSu58Bi8iFnFmtwD40_n29dIBwOPRwCL4FjFdmOYcKARIx4_AesSG0nMaMHHkHQJ-w12KbXdbGkD4td4JRcA9k/s1600/knightcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JYy2dLbI6xLOrHbqAYPou3pFaVWzS_XW2Tb-M4oxPX5zyRhOEdtKDuSu58Bi8iFnFmtwD40_n29dIBwOPRwCL4FjFdmOYcKARIx4_AesSG0nMaMHHkHQJ-w12KbXdbGkD4td4JRcA9k/s320/knightcover.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Knight-Old-North-Shore-Tales-ebook/dp/B00ZQ2B5L0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434466232&sr=1-1&keywords=a+knight+on+the+old+north+shore" target="_blank">Click Here to download it for only $0.99. </a></div>
I am so super excited about this project, which also happens to be the pilot project of Magical Ink Media, a publishing co-op that my friends H.A. Titus and Elynn W. Marsh and I have started together.<br />
Special thanks to Elynn for designing the gorgeous cover art, and to Heather for doing the editing and formatting. I couldn't have done it without you girls!<br />
And now, for the rest of you, get on over to Amazon and check it out! Elves, dragons, mysterious travelers, stormy shores, unstable portals...there's something here for everyone. Be sure to post a review on Amazon as well as Facebook, personal blogs, Goodreads, and wherever else you feel inclined once you've read it.<br />
<br />
Enjoy, everybody!Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-10774202681862932992015-04-28T08:02:00.001-05:002015-04-28T08:06:28.981-05:00Calling All Bloggers! Free Books!(I knew the 'Free Books' would get your attention even if the rest of the title didn't. ; ) ) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3y-i9XkKGOPkwcALyJ5I6nYj9mfqcr0YCL9WqU1pv4_be_kHY8-kle8E5xwppXAXumn9N3rJNrPOKmUwrmXCwSMZmq-eDdvqIwDypn0ik2WhVhEiKhLo9fO48o9Jda7bOK7usvTxEF4/s1600/kotons.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3y-i9XkKGOPkwcALyJ5I6nYj9mfqcr0YCL9WqU1pv4_be_kHY8-kle8E5xwppXAXumn9N3rJNrPOKmUwrmXCwSMZmq-eDdvqIwDypn0ik2WhVhEiKhLo9fO48o9Jda7bOK7usvTxEF4/s1600/kotons.png" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
<br />
Hey, everybody! As you know, my short book<i>, A Knight on the Old North Shore</i>, is coming soon, and I'm looking for a few enthusiastic readers to help me give it a good welcome into the fiction world.<br />
<br />
Intrigued? Read on.<br />
<br />
If you:<br />
<br />
-Love to read<br />
-Love fantasy<br />
-Love old-fashioned storytelling and poetry<br />
-Have a blog<br />
-Love writing book reviews <br />
<br />
...then send an email to editor(dot)thewriterslair(at)gmail(dot)com and tell me so. You could receive a free advance copy of <i>A Knight on the Old North Shore</i>! In exchange (okay, so I guess it's not <i>entirely</i> free if I'm asking for something in exchange, but...whatever) I'm asking you to write a review of the book (be honest--I want your sincere opinion, and you're not obligated to say you like it if you don't) and post it to your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, whatever you have. Once the book releases, I also ask that if you have an Amazon account you post your review on the book's Amazon page as well.<br />
<br />
I'm only giving out five advance copies of the file, and it's first come, first served, so don't be shy and don't wait around!Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-85176687082864555912015-04-10T16:49:00.003-05:002015-04-10T16:49:37.929-05:00Coming Soon: My New Release!That's right! Since the release of my novel last November, I've been hearing from lots of you who read my book and wanted more. (Thanks, by the way! There's no better way to make an author's day!)<br />
The sequel to <i>The Song of the Wren-Falcon</i> is still in the works...but it <i>is</i> in the works, never fear! So to tide you all over until it gets here, I'm releasing a mini-book collection of some of my short works.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfDOxmrZOlou7ejfaADDtroSu9IW6tYEYoTew6nBye1u4CiiFsfor4oTKyhoSKdfnCPgnEp6TW3HtuqepVPjBow3gZbJPj33bVl-dosEG5cEqsiSRS2UkvqqPUJaf4UwtxQmo1BAUUhQ/s1600/kotons.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfDOxmrZOlou7ejfaADDtroSu9IW6tYEYoTew6nBye1u4CiiFsfor4oTKyhoSKdfnCPgnEp6TW3HtuqepVPjBow3gZbJPj33bVl-dosEG5cEqsiSRS2UkvqqPUJaf4UwtxQmo1BAUUhQ/s1600/kotons.png" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
<br />
A very few of you may remember my poem, <i>A Knight on the Old North Shore</i>, from several years ago. For those of you who don't remember, it was the first work I ever published, back in 2009. The interesting thing is that today, among those who know it, it is still by far my most popular and loved work.<br />
So it seemed appropriate to make it the title work of this collection. It will appear alongside three other works, two short stories and another poem.<br />
The official release date isn't set yet, but it will be soon, and of course I'll let you all know. This will only be available as an e-book, since it's so short (printing wouldn't really be cost effective for anyone involved), but it will be available in multiple formats, so no matter what e-reader you use, you'll be able to get it.<br />
Stay tuned--I'll keep you updated on its release!Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-21424462299156143592015-02-25T01:00:00.000-06:002015-02-25T01:00:04.879-06:00Book Review: The Sparks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsEGHJgR3Ht37Bwpdsq5uUu8U6sfNZ4uIxatFDIuDfYhQrYwyZo8hsc0yVlg_LjjHE6i61wFBMg5w1-IeXKtdqZkPO6ygASb__8yXR1km9QXhMQyRbH6pSmwjH6_RYsBJLkjBPuz5udY/s1600/the-sparks-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsEGHJgR3Ht37Bwpdsq5uUu8U6sfNZ4uIxatFDIuDfYhQrYwyZo8hsc0yVlg_LjjHE6i61wFBMg5w1-IeXKtdqZkPO6ygASb__8yXR1km9QXhMQyRbH6pSmwjH6_RYsBJLkjBPuz5udY/s1600/the-sparks-cover.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a>Title: The Sparks<br />
Series: The Feud<br />
<br />
Author: Kyle Prue<br />
Genre: Fantasy, YA<br />
<br />
I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into when I agreed to review this book--not only is it a new release, the author is a new face in the fiction world, so I really had nothing but the publisher's information to go on.<br />
What I found when I read the book is that Kyle Prue is a highly talented young writer with an extreme amount of potential. He had the idea for this book when he was sixteen, and now as a senior in high school he's a published author. (I know nothing I dreamed up at sixteen was worth publishing!)<br />
<i>The Sparks</i> is set in the city of Altryon, a place riddled with political tension and turmoil and ravaged by a deadly feud among the families of Taurlum, Vapros, and Celerius. The genre is definitely fantasy, although there is mention of muskets and other firearms being used and the overall feel has slight hints of a historical flavor.<br />
The story focuses mainly on the teenage children of the three feuding families. The author does a fantastic job of keeping the somewhat large cast of characters clearly organized and distinct, which is highly impressive. (I know from experience how hard it is to keep a big cast straight!) Bear in mind, these are teenage children of dysfunctional families who have been feuding, harassing, thwarting, and murdering each other for centuries. The natural result is that the book has a bit of teen angst underlying it. Ordinarily teen angst is a gigantic <br />
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turnoff for me, but in this case it was kept very low-key and, as I said, completely natural. Teens in this kind of situation are going to experience angst, it's just a fact. And each character has a unique ability--their own special 'superpower' for lack of a better term--that makes things even more interesting.<br />
The plot itself is complex and fascinating, and the author has done a great job weaving together the individual character arcs while fitting all of them perfectly into the plot progression involving the feud itself, the political environment of the kingdom, and the growing danger that begins to threaten the main characters even more than the feud they are a part of . Not to mention, there is a satisfying number of twists and surprises to keep things interesting. The pacing of the story was perfect--the book kept me turning pages and seemed to fly by in no time. <br />
There is some mild-ish language scattered throughout the book, and a very small amount of mildly suggestive content, so readers should be aware of that.<br />
On the purely technical side of things, this book is printed on very white paper with an ink that is very bold and clear...as long as the light isn't shining directly on it. But when I tried to read with the book laying open on the table and the overhead light shone directly on the page, the ink was actually very shiny and reflective, making it impossible to read the words, which I found highly annoying. So, read it in indirect light or on your Kindle, otherwise you can't actually read it.<br />
I'm not big on making predictions when it comes to things like this, but in this case I'm going to make an exception: Kyle Prue is an author to watch. I love the fact that he is aware and concerned about the tendency among teens, particularly boys, to give up reading when life starts getting busy. His conscious, deliberate efforts to write something that appeals to teens in order to keep them reading is extremely commendable.<br />
I'm not going to say this is one of my favorite books ever, but it's definitely an interesting, engaging read that kept me turning pages start to finish. If you're looking for something different and unique, or looking for an up-and-coming author to watch, check out <i>The Sparks</i> by Kyle Prue.<br />
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I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. A favorable review was not required.<br />
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Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-34546175933619896012015-02-02T18:55:00.001-06:002015-02-02T18:55:52.525-06:00Interview and Giveaway at HomeschooledAuthors.comHey, all! Just thought I'd let you know that <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon</i> and I are being featured this week over on <a href="http://homeschooledauthors.com/">homeschooledauthors.com</a> with an interview and a book review.<br />
Not only that, we're giving away a signed copy of the book, so be sure to pop 'round and enter for your chance to win!Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-71643427232302755772015-01-30T11:07:00.000-06:002015-01-30T11:07:31.669-06:00Song of the Wren-Falcon Trailer Now Live!So, I know it's unbelievably late in coming, but after <i>way</i> too many technical struggles and complications, the official <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon </i>trailer is live!<br />
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Enjoy! And of course, be sure to let me know what you think!Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-498412389790888872015-01-26T20:31:00.000-06:002015-01-26T20:32:30.857-06:00Writers, do you have a plan for 2015? Here are some ideas to get you going!In addition to beginning a new year, I've begun a new chapter in my journey as a writer. I'm a published novelist now. I have a book to market and sell. I have readers asking for the sequel. I have a plethora of other, independent writing projects waiting to be completed.<br />
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All of that is good stuff.<br />
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None of that is going to get done without a plan.<br />
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So for the last couple of weeks, I've been doing a lot of thinking (and praying!) about how and what to plan for my writing in 2015, and I thought that sharing some of what I've been discovering and/or pondering might be helpful or encouraging to you all as well.<br />
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As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail. And I know, I know, we artsy writer types aren't too fond of planning, preferring instead to "let the spirit move," "wait for inspiration to strike," or find some other excuse of the like to use. Because yes, those are excuses.<br />
Now, before you get all up in arms and start insisting that a writer can't possibly write without inspiration, let me explain what I mean.<br />
In the first place, don't worry, I'm a writer too and I know perfectly well that it is truly impossible to write without inspiration. That is a fact.<br />
But the idea that somehow sitting around and waiting long enough will lure inspiration to us, to pounce on us from behind, is a myth. Sometimes<i> </i>we have to go out and hunt inspiration down. It's completely doable. It's fun. And more importantly, it works--<i>especially</i> when you have a plan.<br />
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1. The first thing you have to do is set a clear, simple goal. The "clear and simple" part is key.<br />
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"<i>To figure out and coordinate the long-term, overall theme of my writing as seen collectively through the individual themes of my unique projects and use that connecting theme to discover, develop, and market my personal brand as an author"</i> is NOT a simple or clear goal. Try to break that down into a doable step-by-step process that includes goal dates. Not happenin'.<br />
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On the other hand,<br />
<i>"Finish the first draft of my novel" </i>and <i>"Write new short stories"</i> are clear, simple goals, goals that are doable and step-by-step break-downable.<br />
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2. Know why your goals are important.<br />
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<i>"Publisher X is accepting query letters through _____ date, but they require that the writer have a completed manuscript when they submit."</i><br />
<i>"Publishing new, high-quality short stories frequently will help keep my name and writing fresh in the minds of readers who may one day want to buy my novel."</i><br />
<i>"Writing new material while editing a large project will help keep my creativity active."</i><br />
<i>"Practice makes perfect."</i><br />
<i>"I need to finish what I start and see my writing projects through to the end." </i><br />
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These are all good, clear, concise reasons, and there are plenty more. Figure out what yours are.<i> </i><br />
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3. Be specific with your goals.<br />
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<i>"Finish the first draft of my novel by the end of June."</i><br />
<i>"Write twelve short stories this year."</i><br />
<i>"Write (<u>that</u> story, the one you have the idea for but haven't done anything with) by _____ date." </i><br />
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Those are specific, and setting a date can be a great way to keep yourself from getting lazy and indifferent.<br />
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4. Be reasonable, and know your own limitations.<br />
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Remember a few months ago when I decided to attempt NaNoWriMo while going through the final stages of publishing <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon</i>? That was NOT a reasonable goal.<br />
Attempting to finish editing the second draft of one novel while writing the first draft of another while submitting a short story a week to magazines and anthologies while holding down a day job is not a reasonable goal (unless you're SuperWriter, in which case please email me about writing some guest posts for The Writer's Lair in your spare time).<br />
Don't try to be SuperWriter, but at the same time, don't be too easy on yourself. A goal that is too easy to meet, or a deadline that is too far away can make it very tempting to get lazy and start down the slippery slope of procrastination.<br />
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5. Don't freak when life happens.<br />
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A loved one ends up in the hospital for an extended period of time.<br />
One of your family members comes home with (insert contagious ailment) and unleashes an epidemic on your household.<br />
(Insert natural disaster of choice.) <br />
You discover that you aren't actually SuperWriter after all, and you've set an unreasonable goal for yourself.<br />
The septic tank backs up into your basement. <br />
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It's life. It happens. No one reasonable is going to fault you if it takes you away from writing for a while. It doesn't make you any less dedicated, or any less a writer. It just means that you're a human and you have your priorities straight.<br />
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6. Follow through.<br />
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Plan some kind of reward for yourself when you achieve your goal. It doesn't have to be huge or outlandish; it can be as simple as taking a day trip with your family to someplace fun, spending an entire day reading in your pajamas, or treating yourself to frozen custard. Just make it something you enjoy and can look forward to.<br />
Get an accountability partner. Another writer is preferable since you can return the favor by keeping them accountable and encouraging them to achieve their own goals, but really it can be anyone. Your mom, your best friend, your spouse, anyone. Ask them to ask you periodically whether you've been spending time working on your goals, whether you're focusing on the projects you should be focusing on.<br />
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7. Don't forget that writing is fun.<br />
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Seriously, I can't stress how important this is. I love every aspect of writing--seriously, every single aspect of it. It's what I do for fun; it's how I unwind; it's how I have adventures; it's how I express the truths that matter to me. But if I'm not careful, I can get so bogged down in goals that writing loses its enjoyability. Remember why you like writing. Treat yourself to writing something fun. Pick a random writing prompt off of Pinterest and go with it for an afternoon. Throw your favorite character into some ridiculous situation and help them figure their way out of it.<br />
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Remind yourself that you're doing this because you love it.<br />
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What are your writing goals this year? What is your plan for achieving them? What aspects of organizing your writing do you struggle with?<br />
Any advice or tips you've learned that you want to share?<br />
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Also, be sure to stick around for my next post on how to actually go about hunting down inspiration when it seems a bit elusive! Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-51524178425664231452015-01-16T13:07:00.000-06:002015-01-16T13:07:18.727-06:00Book Review: Fortress of Mist<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxsphyAC-7W6-izCBsTRHQ4FqJL58oFTVAmzFQLQr8kvyeFm2LdEIVl13DzuaITpThEVDUG4PjASFdmv8MUigcXgq3vVuuKoebe5qtzS3V3rI4qvPgxFPeq8KQ_KoZy0eCbj5a9BP9X0/s1600/15796748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxsphyAC-7W6-izCBsTRHQ4FqJL58oFTVAmzFQLQr8kvyeFm2LdEIVl13DzuaITpThEVDUG4PjASFdmv8MUigcXgq3vVuuKoebe5qtzS3V3rI4qvPgxFPeq8KQ_KoZy0eCbj5a9BP9X0/s1600/15796748.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>Author: Sigmund Brouwer<br />Genre: Historical Fantasy<br />Series: Merlin’s Immortals<br /><br />I’m honestly not sure how to go about writing a review for this book, other than just to come right out and say it: It’s appropriately named—I felt like the entire story, every scene, every character, every plot point, was shrouded in mist. I didn’t feel like I could see anything or anyone clearly. I didn’t understand why the characters did what they did. I didn’t understand what was going on, where it was taking place, or what the purpose was. In some parts of the book, with all the deceptions, double agents, and secret identities going on, I couldn’t even tell which character was which—let alone who was good, bad, or indifferent. I really just felt like I was squinting at this story through a thick fog.<br />I wanted to love this book—really I did. And who knows, I might have had I actually been able to tell what in the world was supposed to be going on. But as it was, I honestly couldn’t see through the mist to the fortress.<br /><br />I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. A favorable review was not required.<br />
<br />Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-7131096571953882942015-01-02T17:19:00.000-06:002015-01-02T17:19:27.397-06:00A New Year...A New Steampunk Blog!2014 was a big year for me, in a lot of ways. 2015 promises to be just as big, if not bigger, and I'm super excited about it! After the November release of my first novel, I took a whole month off to rest and relax, but now I'm hard at work on the sequel!<br />
In addition to that, I've decided to invest a bit more time and energy into exploring the world of Steampunk. I'm doing it in a variety of ways. One of those ways is by experimenting with writing Steampunk literature for children. I've noticed that by and large, the steampunk literature being published "for children" is extremely dark, and I'm not too keen on that notion, so I'm hoping to shine some light into that genre. I'll be sure to keep you posted on my progress!<br />
Another way in which my foray into steampunk is manifesting itself is in the launch of a new online steampunk community, The Facts of Steampunk Life.<br />
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The first inspiration for this concept came to me only very recently, but things seem to be falling into place very well and I'm pleased to announce that the blog, which will be the foundation site for the community, launched yesterday, January 1. You can check it out here, at <a href="http://factsofsteampunklife.blogspot.com/">http://factsofsteampunklife.blogspot.com</a><br />
While the blog will serve as the foundation, the community also has a YouTube channel, a Pinterest, and a Google+ page, so if steampunk is something that interests you, be sure to check them all out!<br />
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Happy New Year, everyone!<br />
<br />Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-15738082670009582292014-12-18T16:22:00.000-06:002014-12-18T16:22:05.053-06:00Does Survivor's Gay Christian Couple Represent Christianity Well?<br />
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So, if you watched the twenty-ninth season finale of Survivor, you are
no doubt well aware that a lot of conflicting feelings and opinions have
been set off by two of the contestants featured in the show: the
professedly Christian, openly gay couple, Josh and Reed.</div>
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<br />Now, my purpose here is not to debate the issue of homosexuality itself. There are a library's worth of videos and blog posts and articles and books that have already been written from every angle of that subject, and I can pretty well guarantee I have nothing original to contribute in that arena. What I am far more interested in discussing are the statements made by a young lady apparently picked at random out of the live audience at the filming of the finale.<br />Referring to Josh's and Reed's conduct during the filming of the show, and the encouragement and inspiration that they seem to be providing for others of similar persuasion, this young lady in the audience said she believed that these men "represented our faith really well". (Referring, of course, to Christianity.)<br />The question that I would like to explore is simply: Do Josh and Reed actually represent the Christian faith well?<br />The simple answer depends on what we take this young lady's statement to mean.<br />If she means that Josh and Reed are accurate representatives of the condition and mindset of most professing Christians and Christian churches in our modern world, then I believe she is completely correct. I'll explain why in just a minute.<br />On the other hand, if we take her statement to mean that Josh and Reed accurately embody the essence of what Christianity is supposed to be (and, based on her later statement that "love is love at the end of the day," I do believe that this interpretation is what she intended), then the answer to my question is a resounding "No," and this is the side of the question that I'm going to discuss first.<br />From Reed's statement, spoken during the finale, that a person "can follow Jesus and still be gay," we can with some measure of confidence deduce that he's not just using the term "Christianity" in the vague generic sense that people sometimes use simply as a way of saying "I'm not a Jew, a Muslim, or a Buddhist." I feel confident in saying that he is referring to actual, Christ-based Christianity, and this is an important fact to establish, as it provides us with a solid foundation from which to critique Reed's professions (words) versus his lifestyle (actions). (And by the way, the reason I seem to be focusing more on Reed is simply that he is the one who made the specific statement that I am critiquing at the moment.)<br />So let's begin our critique with a quick series of logical deductions:<br />Reed professes to be a follower of Jesus.<br />If he lives his life as a follower of Jesus, he obviously must believe and agree with the things that Jesus said.<br />Jesus claimed to be God (John 10:30, John 14:9-11), therefore if Reed is consistent he believes that Jesus is God.<br />If Jesus is God, the entire Bible is His word--not just the part printed in red ink. (2 Timothy 3:16)<br />If Jesus is God and the entire Bible is His word, then the statements made in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, wherein homosexuality is labeled "an abomination", are Jesus' own statements (defeating the common argument that "Jesus didn't actually didn't say anything about homosexuality").<br />The conclusion we must draw from this is that Jesus opposes homosexuality and intends for sexual intimacy to be confined to one man and one woman within marriage (Matthew 19:4-5).<br />Therefore, while Josh and Reed may have represented Christianity well in some areas such as their honesty, attitudes, and kindness throughout this season of Survivor, the simple fact is that their lifestyle does not represent what Jesus desires and expects the lives of His followers to look like in the area of sexual behavior.<br />Does this mean they're horrible people? No. Does it mean they're not truly Christians in the sense of being genuinely born again? Not necessarily, although that is certainly on the table as a worst-case scenario and personally I would be very concerned by such an extreme discrepancy between their professed beliefs and their lifestyle. However, at the other end of the table we have a best-case scenario, which is that they are both true born-again Christians who have merely slipped into a grievous inconsistency and need to turn away from it into a lifestyle and sexuality that are in line with the teachings of Christ.<br />Now: you can scream, rant, argue, yell at me, call me close-minded, whatever you want. The simple fact is that, like it or not, that is what the Bible says. And as I said, my point isn't to debate the issue of homosexuality itself. I am more interested in discussing the implications of the suggestion that Josh and Reed represent Christianity well, and this brings us back to the question: "Do Josh and Reed accurately represent the state of affairs as a whole in Christianity today?" and my answer to that was "Yes."<br />Here's why: Granting Josh and Reed the benefit of any and all doubts and assuming that they truly are Christians, they are nevertheless living in a way that is wildly inconsistent with what Christianity actually teaches. And this is a characteristic that has become all too common. If I had to choose two words to describe Christianity in twenty-first century America, the first would be "lukewarm," and the second would be "inconsistent". (I include both and put them in that order because I believe that the first one is what allows the second one, but that is a separate discussion for another time.)<br />And I'm not just talking about inconsistency as it pertains to homosexuality, although I do see a lot of that as well. Even many heterosexuals are becoming passive about the issue, brushing it off as "not that big of a deal".<br />But the problem is far more widespread than that. American Christianity is riddled with inconsistencies in many forms.<br />Gap theory, Day Age theory, Framework Hypothesis, Theistic Evolution, and any other attempt to "merge" or "blend" the Genesis account of creation with the secular concept of evolution is an inconsistency.<br />Professing the desire to "train up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6) and then sending him off to be educated instead by the public school system, an institution built on the tenets of secular humanism, is an inconsistency.<br />Compromising on the Bible's clearly laid-out principles in order to avoid seeming "close-minded" to the world is an inconsistency.<br />Claiming to be a Christian while abusing drugs or alcohol, cheating on taxes, telling a "little white lie", taking advantage of others for personal gain...all of these are inconsistencies.<br />In light of this image, Survivor's gay Christian couple, Josh and Reed, seem fitting poster children, and in this sense that young lady from the audience was exactly right: they do represent our faith well in the sense of encapsulating what Christianity looks like in America today.<br />But they do not represent what Christianity should be, what Jesus desires and expects it to be. Those two images are still very far apart. And the way to close that gap is not by meeting in the middle--after all, Jesus did not believe in neutral ground (Matthew 12:30).<br />The way to close the gap is to realize the inconsistencies that we have allowed into our lives, acknowledge them for what they are, seek God's forgiveness, commit before God and our Christian family to annihilate them, and with the help of God set out to bring every single aspect of our lives, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant or mundane, into submission and alignment with what Jesus intends and desires from His followers. Remember, He said "If you love me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15)<br /><br />
Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-11083513236054691262014-12-05T12:19:00.000-06:002014-12-05T12:19:20.095-06:00Interview at The Dreaming HobbitHey, all! Just thought I'd let you know that my dear friend and fellow spec-fic writer Emily Tjaden has been gracious enough to interview me about my writing in general and <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon</i> in particular.<br />
<a href="http://dreaminghobbit.com/2014/12/interview-mary-ruth-pursselley-author-of-song-of-the-wren-falcon/" target="_blank">Click Here</a> to visit her blog, The Dreaming Hobbit, and read the interview!Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-57108238361057828592014-11-28T14:18:00.001-06:002014-11-28T14:18:03.602-06:00Join the Discussion!I know that at least most of you who have ordered a paperback copy of <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon</i> won't have your books yet, but I also know that some of you have already purchased the e-book version and started reading. (Give yourselves a hug for me.)<br />
If that's the case, of course post your review on Amazon as soon as possible. Nothing helps a book get off to a good start like getting some good reviews right off the bat.<br />
But once that's done, you can also <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/38262606/The-Song-of-the-Wren-Falcon-The-First-Prophecy-%28The-Adelfian-Pro/discussions" target="_blank">pop in at Shelfari.com and join in a discussion</a> about the book! General impressions are welcome, of course, but I'd love to get some deeper conversations going as well. How did the book make you feel? What did the story make you think about? Do you have a favorite or least favorite character? Who, and why? What are you hoping to see in the sequel? (You know, the kind of conversation you and a friend might have talking about books over a cup of hot chocolate.)<br />
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I'm excited to hear your thoughts. Chime in and let's get talking!Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-79285935503006640692014-11-26T18:42:00.003-06:002014-11-26T18:42:32.439-06:00The Song of the Wren-Falcon Now Available on Kindle!Well, it's Day 3 of <i>The Song of the Wren-Falcon</i>'s existence as a published book, and it's a special day because it's now available as an e-book as well as in print!<br />
I know some of you awesome people out there have already ordered your own print copies, and may I just say - you rock. But for those of you who prefer the e-book format (or who just can't wait for the print copy to arrive in the mail), the e-book is here!<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Song-Wren-Falcon-Prophecy-Adelfian-Prophecies-ebook/dp/B00Q67IAF8/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1417047907&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=the+song+of+the+wren-falcon" target="_blank">Click Here</a> to download the Kindle format.<br />
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<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/496456" target="_blank">Click Here</a> for other e-book formats.<br />
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And of course, no matter what format you read <i>The Song of the Wren-Falcon</i> in, don't forget to write a review and post it on Amazon, GoodReads, and blogs. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think! :DMary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-87854521665869146092014-11-24T19:25:00.000-06:002014-11-24T19:25:00.288-06:00It's Here!That's right, everybody. After seven-and-a-half years, eight drafts, countless revisions, and a title change, my first novel is now published and available.<br />
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Don't take this as bragging on my part (I didn't design the cover, after all) but...isn't it gorgeous? And really, I don't just mean the cover art. I mean the whole thing--the fact that it's finally--<i>finally!</i>--after all these years, 100% complete and out there on the market for real.<br />
I've had the goal of becoming a published novelist since I was fourteen years old. Twelve years of struggling and striving. One hour ago, my book went live and that goal was achieved. Just like that I passed an incredible milestone and entered a whole new chapter of this wildly amazing adventure that God has dragged me along on.<br />
And He's the reason for it all. Without Him, I never would have been able to see this novel through to the end. He is the One who gave me the endurance I needed, the One who held me up when I wanted to fall, the One who saw fit to plant a tiny little seed of an idea in <i>my</i> imagination, when He could so easily have chosen someone else, and so patiently helped me nurture and raise it into the amazing story it is today. I can say that without bragging too, because in a lot of ways I don't feel like I wrote this story at all. It was all God, and I was just the pen He chose to use.<br />
I'm not a perfect pen; I know that I've made mistakes along the way, and that the book isn't perfect in all the ways it could be; but I can still say with absolute confidence that this is God's story. I have witnessed the transformation He has performed, from "tiny story seed", through "Mary's rather shallow interpretation thereof", to the story it is today. I know what God has used this story to teach me about Himself, and that is what gives me the assurance that He can use it to bless the lives of others as well, whether that blessing comes in the form of challenging someone to think about honor and loyalty and forgiveness in new and deeper ways, giving someone a new perspective of God's sovereignty, or simply letting someone enjoy an adventure.<br />
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I'm a writer; it's my job to tell a great story that readers will love. My livelihood depends on people buying and enjoying my book, so naturally I have to encourage you to <a href="https://www.createspace.com/5123797" target="_blank">hop on over and order your copy of <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon</i>.</a> I <i>want</i> you to read it, love it, post reviews, put it in your local library, keep it on your bookshelf, share it, and recommend it. I want to hear your feedback and learn what you thought of it. I want you to be blessed by it.<br />
But more importantly, I would love for each and every one of you to join me in thanking and praising God. Thank Him for allowing me to write this story. Thank Him for helping me see it through. Praise Him for the awesome aspects of His character that shine through this story. Thank Him for letting me achieve the dream He gave me twelve years ago.<br />
Meanwhile, <i>I'll</i> be thanking Him for those same things, and also for all of you who have been so encouraging and inspiring to me. I'll be thanking Him for the wonderful adventure that my writing journey has been so far, and looking forward to following Him through this brand-new chapter that He opened up in my life when one little book popped up and went live online.<br />
I know I've said it before--it seems like I've been saying it a lot lately--but God is good, my friends. That's just all there is to it.Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-77350840926569066922014-11-21T11:24:00.000-06:002014-11-21T11:24:00.236-06:00It's Coming...If you read my last post, you'll remember me talking about how God apparently likes changing all my plans of what I think I'm going to do. And then I said "I plan on doing NaNoWriMo this year". Should've seen that one coming, I guess. More than two-thirds of the way through the month, I've got a grand total of about 3,000 words written. Yeah, NaNo has been thrown out the window. For future reference, in case you were wondering: Don't attempt NaNoWriMo in the month your first novel is scheduled to release.<br />
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But that does bring me to a piece of big news: My novel is about to be released! "About to be," as in two days from now!<br />
Well...that's the plan, anyway. And by now I think we should all be catching on to what happens to plans. But if all goes well, <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon</i> should be available for sale either Sunday or Monday, the 23rd or 24th!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKabP3vF_uc59VZmnqTdqwYe4R1Zi29Nrv1DZGhL9G43lcmh9sdYoLCeXKs5pqmxyCaJ69pV1K7uAhCA2N8QeV54qGQnrLXzTR-MX2PZ-r0sZcimPhyphenhypheniuApFaG8Gm6-6jVPx0ZvuqSxU/s1600/final+song+cover+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKabP3vF_uc59VZmnqTdqwYe4R1Zi29Nrv1DZGhL9G43lcmh9sdYoLCeXKs5pqmxyCaJ69pV1K7uAhCA2N8QeV54qGQnrLXzTR-MX2PZ-r0sZcimPhyphenhypheniuApFaG8Gm6-6jVPx0ZvuqSxU/s1600/final+song+cover+art.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Don't worry, I'll let you all know the minute it's live and available. You'll be able to find it here at the Lair, at <a href="http://www.splashdownbooks.com/" target="_blank">Splashdown's website</a>, or on Amazon. (And by the way, if you haven't checked out my Amazon Author page, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Ruth-Pursselley/e/B00ILYM29E/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_11" target="_blank">Click Here</a>.)<br />
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Since several of you have emailed or otherwise contacted me to ask how I've been doing through all of this, I suppose now is as good a time as any to share an update.<br />
The simple answer is: AWESOME!!!<br />
The more complex answer is: Exhausted, stressed out, panicking, giddy, distracted, sleep-deprived...and loving it.<br />
I know, I know, that doesn't make any sense. But it's the truth. My publisher Grace and I are cramming to get five million last-minute things done for the book and I'm busy arranging book signings and interviews, on top of the normal work that Grace and I both still have to do. It's crazy and overwhelming, but I'm truly enjoying it. This is brand-new territory for me, after all. You only publish your first novel once, you know? And in my humble (though, I will admit, slightly biased) opinion, I don't think I could dream up or ask for anything to make the situation better. Sure, it's stressful. Sure, I don't remember the last time I got eight hours of sleep all together. Sure, I'm still miffed at my mother and best friend for forcing me to read an excerpt of my book aloud at the launch party on the 30th.<br />
But if I'm honest...how many people get an opportunity like this in their lifetimes? What did I ever do to deserve any of this? The answer is "not many" and "nothing".<br />
Everything that's happening right now is a blessing and a gift, completely undeserved, and I don't want to miss or take for granted one tiny bit of it.<br />
The fact is, God is good. Understatement? Yes. There is no word that could even come close to capturing the immense goodness of our King. But at the same time, no. "God is good" is not an understatement. Reality is just that profoundly simple.<br />
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So on that note, I'm off to get back into my reality--because we're not out of the woods yet, and a lot still has to happen before the 23rd. Stick around!<br />
Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-75899807155908204312014-10-29T19:26:00.002-05:002014-10-29T19:26:38.619-05:00Moving On, Gearing UpAny of you read Proverbs 16:9 lately? Here it is, just in case:<br />
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"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD directs his steps."</div>
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That sums up my 2014 entirely. At the beginning of this year, my life was--well, if I'm being honest, pretty boring and stagnant. I was doing the same thing week after week, none of it particularly exciting, and I was getting stir crazy. Maybe even desperate. So when the new year rolled around I decided enough was enough and I was taking matters into my own hands simply to keep from wasting my life and dying of boredom. I decided that if I couldn't have an exciting life, I would at least have a productive one.</div>
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I set a list of goals, projects, and plans, and started putting them into action.</div>
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And God said "Ha-ha."</div>
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Since then it's been a non-stop whirlwind, physical, spiritual, and emotional--and none of it is my doing. None of the things I set out to do have been done. None of the plans I made have come to pass. None of the goals I set have been met. The plans I had already put into action, I had to pull the plug on, because God's plans pushed them out of the way.</div>
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But at the same time, I've had experiences I never thought I would have. I've seen things that blew my mind and left me speechless with their beauty and wonder. I have received the most wonderful blessings, blessings that I could never possibly deserve, that are beyond my wildest dreams.</div>
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I've gone hard, worked myself to complete exhaustion, put in long days, late nights, wrestled with God and with myself, faced new challenges and obstacles, cried both happy and sad tears (far more than I could count), but in everything--<i>everything--</i>God has kept His word and been right there with me, directing my steps. </div>
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This year has run me ragged, true. But more importantly, it has taught me what it truly means for God to direct my steps. </div>
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It's taught me that no matter what we plan or how wonderful we think it is, God's plan is always, <i>always</i> infinitely better. Even when we think nothing could be better than what we wanted or planned or asked for. </div>
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It has taught me the indescribable beauty and joy and power in simply being still, and knowing that God is God.</div>
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It has taught me how to let go of my own plans, my own desires, and my own will, to lay them in God's hands and let Him transform them into something even better, something so wonderful we never even thought of hoping for it, something that seems far too good to be true but is just another token of how much He really loves His people.</div>
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In some ways, this has been the hardest year of my life. In other ways it's been the best year of my life. In some ways it feels like the doorway leading to the most blessed and beautiful rest of my life I could even imagine or hope for. This year, I have understood more of God than ever before, and it has made me realize that I don't really understand anything at all. The knowledge I have of Him is so tiny, so infinitesimal, and no matter how much I learn I will never, ever reach the end of Him. And that is an awesome feeling.</div>
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I know all this sounds like a New Year's Eve speech, while we still have two months of 2014 left, but this is what was on my heart to write about this evening, so I went with it.</div>
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As for those two remaining months, well, in the first place I'm planning (against all sanity and sound judgment) to participate in NaNoWriMo yet again. (Of course, saying "I'm planning" anything sounds extremely ironic after what I just wrote, but...well, I guess we'll see what comes of it. To check out my NaNo and this year's project, <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/participants/maryruth/novels/banshee-606189" target="_blank">Click Here.</a> </div>
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Now, some of you may be wondering why it's so much more insane for me to participate in NaNo this year than any other. Well, in the first place, I'm going to be starting late, as I'm helping a friend out with her wedding on November 1st. (I tried to convince her that the wedding could wait until December for the sake of NaNo, but she seemed to think the wedding took precedence. Go figure. ; P )</div>
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But secondly, my novel, <i>Song of the Wren-Falcon,</i> is set to release in November! *cue marching band and screaming crowds* We don't have the specific date set yet, but I'll be letting you know as soon as we do.</div>
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So, yeah. NaNoWriMo, friend's wedding, book launch, (plus I think there may be some kind of holiday in there somewhere)...no biggie, right? I'm sure it will all be fine.</div>
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As usual, I'll be journaling NaNo, so be sure to stick around for that, and if you're participating this year and haven't done so yet, be sure to look me up on the site. I'd be delighted to add you as a writing buddy.</div>
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Until next time!</div>
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Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-7207997878063429872014-09-12T10:08:00.000-05:002014-09-12T10:08:22.482-05:00The End of Summer, the Beginning of a New Chapter!I know, it's been an unforgivably long time since my last post. Sincere apologies. It was a crazy busy summer that involved a lot of long work hours, a lot of writing, and a lot more editing.<br />
There was a lot of fun stuff in there too, not the least of which was a day trip up to St. Louis for a get-together with a whole houseful of my fellow writers!<br />
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I don't know about where you live, but here in the Ozarks the gorgeous fall weather started on September 1, and it's now cool, misty, and breezy--in other words, perfect.<br />
What about writing, you say? I'm glad you asked!<br />
I just finished up the seventh edit of my novel,<i> Song of the Wren-Falcon</i>, and am currently working on the finishing touches. It shouldn't be long before I have a release date to reveal! *girly, excited squeal*<br />
Since finishing <i>Song</i> last week, I've been taking a bit of a break, letting my brain re-solidify after turning to complete mush. Now I'm looking towards future stories. Of course, <i>Song</i>'s sequel is in queue, but I'm also planning to start on a new adventure in the urban fantasy genre. I'm pretty excited about that, especially since I'll be heading out to Colorado in a few days for a story research and scouting trip! (Yes, I'll post pictures.)<br />
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That's about it for now. I know, this is a kind of disjointed and half-baked post, but if I'm being honest I feel a little disjointed and half-baked myself after this summer. I promise I'll try to be more coherent next time. ; ) Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-2835425854586016202014-05-02T08:59:00.000-05:002014-05-02T08:59:17.261-05:00Steampunk versus Cyberpunk - The results are in!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XlOfAavHysAOXny1fDbOEfFampyl4VrzsWAu9l9iHInOyG_z31JcAqf15ayFAp2pK-027zguHvLgxXR-RiRI-Jtpi9jeKgM1ihzbCVkpaaq8zN-uroYV9U0jW3Ngf0rRItO8z7y6MYk/s1600/Havok-1.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XlOfAavHysAOXny1fDbOEfFampyl4VrzsWAu9l9iHInOyG_z31JcAqf15ayFAp2pK-027zguHvLgxXR-RiRI-Jtpi9jeKgM1ihzbCVkpaaq8zN-uroYV9U0jW3Ngf0rRItO8z7y6MYk/s1600/Havok-1.2.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a>Hey, all! Some of you probably heard about the epic genre-versus-genre contest that Splickety Publishing Group ran in issue 1.2 of their speculative imprint, <i>Havok</i>. If you didn't, here's the rundown: <i>Havok</i> hosted a competition between the Steampunk and Cyberpunk genres to see which one was the best.<br />
Naturally, I enlisted on team Steampunk.<br />
Good news: I made the top 3 in my division!<br />
Bad news: My division lost, and Cyberpunk was declared "Ruler of the Genres." All of you who know how I feel about Steampunk will be able to guess how I feel about that.<br />
But hey, I still made the overall top 6, which got my story, "Flesh and Bone," a slot in Issue 1.2 of <i>Havok</i>, so I'm happy as can be.<br />
You can pick up your copy of <i>Havok</i> 1.2 (and, for you writers out there, keep up to date on all the latest contests and publishing news) at <a href="http://splicketymagazine.com/">http://splicketymagazine.com/</a> <br />
Hope you enjoy all the results of an epic competition, but of course I <i>especially</i> hope you enjoy "Flesh and Bone"!Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-57986214523333384522014-03-28T09:02:00.001-05:002014-03-28T09:02:13.603-05:00My Thoughts on The Ken Ham versus Bill Nye Debate<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPD6Or3EwEJXxXvasJDP4PJs8MX8R4TQUJpo9NlzHq2_sDNPkufUuR31jzLGQIzWs3m9R-v-w5_y9of0vpm4BIW-ugy44bP3y1fo8ccEiEyK4GcCrCRjflIlKLpoUN6sUvj7lmo_a1msw/s1600/30-9-472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPD6Or3EwEJXxXvasJDP4PJs8MX8R4TQUJpo9NlzHq2_sDNPkufUuR31jzLGQIzWs3m9R-v-w5_y9of0vpm4BIW-ugy44bP3y1fo8ccEiEyK4GcCrCRjflIlKLpoUN6sUvj7lmo_a1msw/s1600/30-9-472.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a>I'm sure most of you probably heard about the debate between Answers in
Genesis founder Ken Ham and Bill Nye, "The Science Guy", which took
place on February 4th. A lot of you have probably even watched it online. If
you haven’t (shame on you), you can do so <a href="http://debatelive.org/">Here
</a>- and I strongly recommend that you do. As in, go there right now and don't
finish reading this post until you have.<br />
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Are we good? Good.<br />
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My work schedule prevented me watching the debate live, but I was able to
see it the next day. Since then, quite a few people have asked me for my
thoughts about it, so I decided I might as well write up a post on my opinions
and put it up here. Enjoy! : )<br />
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<b>In talking to people about the debate, one of the most common things I've
heard is disappointment that Ken Ham wasn't bold enough or aggressive enough in
his presentation.</b> Honestly, I was floored the first time I heard this. Set
aside the fact that, in general, accusing Ken Ham of not being bold is roughly
equal to calling Ronald Reagan a liberal; looking specifically at the scenario
of the debate, I saw no difference. Ken Ham was assertive in his presentation
and gave no ground to Bill Nye's arguments, but he did so while remaining
completely respectful and professional about it.<br />
The trouble is, there is a very fine line between "Bold" and
"In-your-face," and all too often people with good intentions and a
lot of passion inadvertently cross that line, making themselves seem extremely
obnoxious. When that happens, people stop listening. Proverbs 16 tells us that <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">pleasant</span></u> words are persuasive,
and 1 Peter tells us to defend our faith with gentleness and respect. Ken Ham's
presentation and conduct were pleasant, polite, gentle, respectful, and
considerate... and I'm not the only one who thinks so. <u>Even atheists who
watched the debate have posted comments on Facebook and Twitter commending Mr.
Ham for his professional and polite behavior.</u><br />
<br />
<b>I found this to be especially refreshing when put in contrast to Mr.
Nye's attitude of mockery and condescension.</b> I must admit that I was a bit
bewildered by his multiple insinuations directed not just towards creationists
specifically, but towards Kentuckians in general, telling them in one case that
they should be very concerned that no university in their state offered
such-and-such a degree. As if just having the Creation Museum and (in the near
future) the Ark Encounter in their state has somehow already set them on a path
of scientific decline. Mr. Nye is not the first to suggest that the mere
presence of AiG's facilities on Kentucky soil is having detrimental effects on
the state, and I am certain he will not be the last, but honestly it's a very
shoddy argument--if it can even be considered an argument at all.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I was also very annoyed by Mr. Nye's
incessant referrals to "Ken Ham's creation model," "Ken Ham's
flood," etc, as if Mr. Ham is the first person in history to believe these
things, or just makes them up while the rest of us fall blindly into line as
his little cult followers. </b>In the first place, Mr. Nye should review his
history books: mankind believed in a divine creation first, long before anyone
ever thought of evolution, and that belief has never disappeared despite any
and all efforts to extinguish it. And while naturalist theories of origins are
not as new as many people believe, they’re still the new kids on the block by
comparison. <br />
<br />
Furthermore, although Ken Ham has definitely become a figurehead of the
creation science and apologetics movement, it’s not because it’s all his idea. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">With all due respect and admiration for Mr.
Ham, I would believe in biblical creation with or without him.</b> My belief is
dependent on the word of God, not on anything Ken Ham or anyone else says or
does. Yes, Ken Ham has been an immense encouragement to me in my beliefs and
ministry; I have learned more from him about science, theology, witnessing, and
apologetics than I can say, and I know many others can say the same thing. But Ken
Ham is not the reason I believe in a literal six days, a roughly-6,000-year-old
earth, or a global flood. I believe it because the God Who cannot lie said it,
clearly and explicitly.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It was obvious from statements made
throughout the debate that Mr. Nye enjoys thinking of himself as “a reasonable
man” whose beliefs are based entirely on logic and facts rather than faith.</b>
This became very ironic when, in response to one of Mr. Nye’s repeated
assertions that creationism is detrimental to scientific progress and
discovery, Ken Ham pointed out various scientists responsible for wonderful
inventions and discoveries—such as the MRI machine—who were also devout
young-earth creationists. <u>Now, a man who was truly reasonable would look at
this evidence and rightly deduce that creationism doesn’t actually impede
progress and discovery after all. But that was not Mr. Nye’s response. He
completely ignored this devastating rebuttal of his assertion and kept right on
repeating it, going so far as to say that if creationism is allowed to propagate,
science in the United States will deteriorate to the point that we lose our
position as a world power and a leader in technology.</u><br />
<br />
His patriotism is commendable, but once again, he needs to check his history
books. America rose from being a collection of half-starved colonies to being a
major world power long before the ideas of evolution were generally accepted.
Granted, not all of those who helped found and build this country were
creationists or even Christians, but those people were the minority. <u>The
United States was founded on Christian principles by a majority of people who
believed the Bible to be the inerrant word of God. So how is it that those same
beliefs are, according to Mr. Nye, going to be America’s downfall?</u> It would
seem he is not quite as reasonable as he likes to believe.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">When you watch the debate, make sure
you stick around for the Q&A at the end. In my opinion, it does more to
reveal the true nature of the overall creation/evolution debate than any other
part of the production.</b> I won’t discuss the whole thing here—this post is
way too long already—but I will point out a couple of things that really jumped
out at me.<br />
<br />
1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the debate, but
particularly towards the end, Mr. Nye begged Ken Ham for examples of the
creation model of origins accurately predicting a scientific discovery. Besides
ignoring the order and function in the world that could not exist were nature
all that exists, Mr. Nye is exposing an enormous blind spot in his ideas. He
can’t see the forest for the trees, as it were. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The fact that we can predict anything, the fact that we can know
anything, the fact that laws of nature and logic and physics exist, can only be
explained if the Bible is, in fact, true!</b> If nature were all there was,
there would be no laws of logic. If the laws of nature were the only force
governing the matter in the universe, that matter could never have randomly
arranged itself via chaotic processes into orderly, functional forms. The only
reason science is possible is because there is an order, a design, and
unchanging laws of nature and logic, set into place by an orderly, creative,
unchanging and logical Creator.<br />
<br />
2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In response to the question “What
would make you change your mind?” Mr. Nye stated the following: “We would need
one piece of evidence. We would need the fossil that swam from one layer [of
sedimentary rock] to the next. We would need evidence that the universe is not
expanding. We would need evidence that the stars appear to be far away but
they’re not. We would need evidence that rock layers can form in 4,000 years
instead of an extraordinary amount... Bring on any of those things and you
would change me immediately.”<br />
<br />
That sounds great on the surface—Mr. Nye, that “reasonable man” he loves to
call himself, is just following the evidence where it leads him, open to the
possibility of being wrong—but if you take his statement apart and look closely
it’s a different story.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“We would need the fossil that swam
from one layer to the next.”</b> This deserves a discussion unto itself, one we
don’t have time for here. For now, suffice it to say that<u> there <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">are</b> fish fossilized across multiple
layers of sediment</u>, not to mention polystrate trees that, while they aren’t
living creatures that would try to swim out of the layers burying them,
certainly won’t last for thousands or millions of years to be fossilized
gradually.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“We would need evidence that the
universe is not expanding. We would need evidence that the stars appear to be
far away but they’re not.”</b> These are both very telling statements. Both the
universe’s expansion and the distances of the stars are well-established, so by
implying that one cannot believe in both these and in creationism, Mr. Nye is
bringing back the age-old accusation, “Creationists deny the facts of science!”
The truth is just the opposite. There is no reason whatsoever that a
young-earth (biblical) creationist cannot believe that the universe is
expanding or that the stars are very far away. The Bible itself alludes to the
universe’s expansion when it describes God “stretching out the heavens” and
there are solid scientific answers to the question of how starlight reaches the
earth within a 6,000 year timeframe, even from such great distances.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“We would need evidence that rock
layers can form in 4,000 years instead of an extraordinary amount.”</b> The Mt.
Saint Helens eruption of 1980 provided all the evidence any “reasonable man”
should need to believe that. Rock layers were formed over periods of hours,
days, and weeks that, according to evolutionary timescales, should have taken
thousands of years or more to appear—irrefutable proof that, given the right
catastrophic conditions, it only takes a little while.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">So why, then, has Mr. Nye not
“changed immediately” as he said he would if given this evidence?</b> The
answer is simple: his problem with creationism is not an intellectual problem,
or an ignorance problem. It is a heart problem. The truth of creation
necessarily means the existence of a Creator. The existence of a Creator equals
moral accountability for the creation, and that is something that few people
are willing to accept. Evolution is not the problem, it is a symptom, and a
shelter that lost souls can run to for assurance of safety without having to
acknowledge the lordship of Christ.<br />
<br />
I would encourage all of you to pray earnestly for Mr. Nye, that his heart
would be softened and that he would be willing to swallow his pride and
acknowledge the Creator and Savior Who loves him very much.<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">So what? What did this debate (which
has been referred to as everything from “The Debate of the Century” to “Scopes
2”) really accomplish?</b><br />
<br />
Quite a lot, my friends, quite a lot. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Of
course there is the tremendous outreach value it has had and is still having.</b>
In addition to the 900 who actually attended the event live, millions have
watched online and on the new DVD. Major news channels broadcasted coverage and
excerpts of the debate. One way or another, untold millions have seen and heard
a skillful presentation of the evidence for creation and of the gospel, the
reason creation matters at all.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Additionally, a topic that has been
challenging to get discussed in public forums has suddenly hit the mainstream
and gone completely viral.</b> The debate was the number one trending topic on
Facebook and Twitter for several hours before and after it took place.
Countless blogs and other social media pages have hosted discussions and
subsequent debates. Personally, I have had total strangers hear me mention the
debate and want to talk to me about it. <u>This is a current event, a hot topic
that people are interested in and want to talk about. Don’t let that go to
waste! Christians, an incredible opening has been created for us. Watch the
debate, then go out and start talking. Don’t waste this awesome opportunity. </u><br />
<u><br /></u>
<br />
Questions, thoughts, comments? I'd love to hear your take on the debate and get some discussion going. (hint-hint)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4249809056594376069.post-27430247364592907862014-03-07T09:46:00.000-06:002014-03-07T09:46:09.567-06:00Visit my Amazon Author Page!Hey, all! Just wanted to let you know that I now have an Author Profile on Amazon.com! (I feel so official.) You can check it out here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Ruth-Pursselley/e/B00ILYM29E/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_11">http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Ruth-Pursselley/e/B00ILYM29E/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_11</a><br />
<br />
Keep an eye out in the future for more additions to my book list--<i>Song of the Wren-Falcon</i> is in the works, and we're hoping for a 2014 release date! : )Mary Ruth Pursselleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325447738032828151noreply@blogger.com0