I recently came across a Will Smith collection of interview moments.  You can watch it HERE if you are interested.  In these clips, Will Smith talks about his belief about personal greatness.

He says, “There is no reason to have a Plan B, because it distracts from Plan A.”

I’m going to paraphrase the next bit:

Will Smith says the only difference between himself and say, me, is that he’s willing to die on a treadmill.  I might keep going on the treadmill next to him, and I might get tired and stop.  But if I keep going, he’s darn well willing to die on that treadmill!

Now, I’m no Will Smith, but I can relate to his drive to succeed.  In the arts, those who make it are never overnight successes.  There is no such thing.  People succeed because they are just dumb enough, or bull headed enough to keep trying after all the logical, sane, balanced people have stopped. Of course, I believe in keeping my priorities straight.  My family comes first.  Every time.  No exceptions.  But when it comes to my writing, I’m willing to write as many full novels as it takes to get me into the market of my choice.  I’m willing be rejected as many times as it takes.  I’m willing to push myself and keep those books churning out.

The hope?  The hope is that I manage to “make it” in a bigger way than I’m making it now.  They say that writers don’t retire, they die.  So I guess you could say that I’m committed enough to die on the treadmill!  I don’t have a Plan B.  Here’s hoping that works out for me!

But I can pretty much guarantee you that Will Smith’s suit will cost more than any car I drive.  I’ll just be happy to keel over on his treadmill.

Wow, I haven’t blogged in a really long time!  I don’t have much of an excuse.  Well, maybe I do.  I’ve been parenting a potty training, diaper-free toddler, I’ve been a wife, which is less work, but still takes energy, and I’ve been working feverishly on my next novel.  I hadn’t realized that I’d taken such a long break from blogging.

My son is learning his alphabet, which is so cool!  He can say almost all of his letters.  When we were in the mall the other day, he was picking letters he knew out of signs.  Barely two, folks!  I can’t be the first mother to be certain that her little darling is a genius. But still, it’s a step before learning to read, and I’m as proud as proud can be.

For the last couple of days we’ve had the tummy bug in the Ntihemuka house.  My husband, so far, has stayed healthy, but Jr and I went down for the count.  While we are on the upswing, we’re still kind of woozy and weak.  I’m not at my prettiest.

However, my novel is coming along nicely.  This is Book 2 of the Mary trilogy.  The first book, Mary: Call Me Blessed, came out last year.  I’m on Chapter 12 out of about 20 chapters.  I love my characters, and the plot is flowing.  I’m thoroughly enjoying myself.  Even sick, I’m getting a bit of writing done.

However, this is quite enough productivity for now.  I’m tired.  I’m weak.  I’m still kind of sick.  I deserve to swoon, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t poke me while I’m down….

The potty training is finally working!  After six months of trying and trying, going through the motions and having my son still not care for the process, we seem to have success!!

I can’t really say that the success is because of anything brilliant I did on my end.  Truthfully, he started  getting an awful rash in his diaper area and diapers were making it worse.  So without being able to use diapers, we went to training pants exclusively.  At night, I didn’t put anything on his little bottom, and let him sleep on a towel in case he wet.  It was really all we could do with his rash.  We’ve now had two dry nights in a row.

So I’m not sure if the rash urged him along, or if it was simply taking away the diapers completely…  Or maybe it was just that he was ready.  But we’re pretty close to being potty trained over here, and I’m thrilled with my little man!

When I bought our last box of diapers, I hadn’t realized it would be there very last diapers we ever had to stick on the grocery list.  I kind of wish I’d realized it, so I could have savored it just a little…  For all of my eagerness to get my child potty trained, I’m a little wistful about no longer having a baby in the house.  It’s both exciting and sad at the same time.

We’re having one those weeks where’s he’s growing up in fast forward.  From staying dry to singing along with the ABC song (in his own way, of course) to developing a desperate love affair with crayons and coloring books…  I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up!

Recently, I was reading a conversation thread in Facebook.  It gave me the chills!  I’ve never seen a group of Christians argue so tenaciously, or so bitterly AGAINST helping others!  The conversation began with a comment about social justice, and from there it went into really scary territory.

The thing is, I’m sure none of those people thought they were saying anything un-Christianly.  In fact, they used Jesus to back up every single hate-filled comment they made.  They said that Jesus would never ask them to give up any of their money to help others.  They said that Jesus gives other people terrible circumstances for their spiritual edification, and far be it from them to mess with Divine Will.  They said that social justice was just a ploy of the Pope to obtain world domination by making people secure, happy and safe.  (The jerk!)  Yes, when Adventists get intense, they can go into some strange directions…  As an Adventist, I apologize to any Catholic who might read this.

I was really shaken by reading that string of hatred and bile.  To think that this was coming from my apparent “fellow Christians” creeped me out on a pretty deep level.  In fact, I wasn’t sure how to digest it all until a friend of mine suggested that it was simply people using their religion to back up their politics.

When I look at in that perspective, I can understand the people a little better.  Take out the religion.  I’m pretty sure the sentiments in this string were fueled by the American public health bill.  I think that’s a safe bet!  So if they got honest and said what they thought leaving Jesus out of it, they might have said something like this:

“I don’t trust my government.  I don’t trust them to give me the health care I need, and I feel safer paying for my health insurance.  I’d rather work really hard and know that I can take care of myself and my family instead of relying on a government to care if my wife survives cancer or my child gets the surgery he requires.  I don’t support Obama in this.”

Is that scary?  No, it’s just someone stating their views.

Now, let’s take my own lefty, Pinko views on social justice, and let’s state them without Jesus in it:

“I think that everyone deserves to live comfortably and happily without being harassed.  I think what happens in the bedroom of consenting adults is none of my business.  I trust my government with my health care, and I feel comfortable and confident knowing that everyone has the right to be treated when they are ill, regardless of how wealthy they are.”

See?  It’s just a view. It’s just my personal feelings.  I haven’t tried to use my religion to support anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, even if my interpretation of the Bible does support it.  There is nothing threatening in that.

Here’s the thing.  America became America because some people in power decided that they knew what Jesus wanted for everyone.  They mixed their politics and their religion, and as a result, America was born.  People ran away from persecution and they came to America, looking for a place where church and state would never be united again.  Why?  Because when you mix Jesus with politics, scary things happen!  Even Jesus, himself, left the politics alone when he came to earth!

So let’s do each other all a favor.  Let’s leave Jesus out of our politics, and quit trying to use him to back up our governmental ideals.  There isn’t too much that God requires of us, just that we do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.  I’m pretty sure that when we start getting creepy, we’re doing something wrong.

A few months ago, I wrote a novel for Harlequin.  They liked the idea, asked to see the book, then rejected it.  They said no, but they were willing to look at the book again if I made a few changes.  This was a massive opportunity, and I set to work making the adjustments.  I also had a good friend look over the manuscript for me.  She was a huge help in polishing it up.  In fact, she probably deserves to have it dedicated to her if it ever gets accepted! This afternoon, I printed it off and dropped it in the mail.

Now we wait!  I don’t need to tell you the answer I’m hoping for!

However, while I wait, I am going to be working on another book query.  In fact, I intend to start planning that book tonight.  If I’m not hip-deep in a novel writing project, I feel a little empty.

On the parenting front, my son who used to be the gentlest little soul around, turned two and found his rambunctiousness.  He teases little girls.  He loves to run and tumble.  He likes bugs.  He’s a gorgeous, romping  little boy, but he needs to learn how to be gentle.  So we’re entering a whole new phase that involves a whole lot more patience and time from me.  And to think that I thought the baby stage was the hard part!

I’m a mother who intends to raise a gentleman, and that has to start now.

However, right now, I need to get the little gentleman into bed, and start planning this next novel.  My eggs may all be in the same basket with my child, but never with a book.  My motto is: “Hope for the best and write another one.”  That doesn’t translate very well into parenting…

Hyacinth is 6 and 7/9 years old, she’s a type A personality, and she’s afraid of the water.  How much worse can  it get?  You’ll laugh out loud at the charming antics of this delightful second grader.  And you’ll smile as she discovers that God hears and answers prayers–even if you’re a foot under water!

The second book of my Hyacinth Chronicles series has been released.  It’s not on Amazon yet, but if you click on the photo, it will take you directly to a site that will ship it to you right away.

You may not know this, but I am a One Cow Woman.  I married a handsome guy from Rwanda.  Our wedding was here in Canada and very small, so I missed out on some of the rich cultural traditions surrounding Rwandese weddings.  One of those traditions is the giving of a cow.

Recently, I mentioned to my husband that I wished I had a cow.  It would make me feel like I belonged.  So he mentioned it to his mother who found it hilarious, and she suggested I tell my father-in-law just how I felt.  So I talked to my father-in-law, who found it equally hilarious, but since they like me a great deal, he saw no reason why I should not have a cow.  He named the cow Purity.

So this is my cow.  I’m so proud!  The meaning behind giving and receiving cows flows very deep.  Suffice it to say, my in-laws love me.  Purity is the center cow.  I think she’s gorgeous!  And tomorrow I am going to attempt to print this photo off so I can hang it in my living room.

I am a One Cow Woman, and I couldn’t be more proud!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of guest lecturing for the creative writing class at Canadian University College.  I was invited by Dr. Herr to present a class on publication, and I was more than thrilled to sit down with a group of intelligent, thoughtful university students and discuss what I love to do.

First of all, I was relieved to discover that the information I had prepared fit perfectly into the hour and a half time block.  Huge relief!  I wasn’t worried that I’d be left staring at them with nothing to say, because I am a writer after all.  Try and STOP me from talking about writing!  I was more worried that I’d pass the first three points and discover the time was up and I wouldn’t be able to tell them about the other info I feel is incredibly important to know.

It was a real pleasure to meet these young writers.  It reminded me of my more idealistic university days…  Ah, good times!  I do hope that I hear from some of them about their writing goals.  I had other writers give me a hand when I was starting out, and I’m happy to pass on whatever information I can to others who are interested.

After the class was over, we had a dinner engagement, and then my husband, son and I started the 2 hour drive home.  I was dressed in a skirt and sandals (in honor of the Spring weather we were experiencing when I got dressed that morning), but Alberta being the beast that it is, it started to snow.  In fact, on our drive home we had white out conditions on the highway.  It was crazy, and we were more than a little nervous.  We kept saying we’d stop at the next hotel, but there weren’t any.  When we finally hit a strip of hotels in Leduc, the 90 Km winds stopped whipping the snow up into our windshield, and we were able to make it the rest of the way home.

This morning I’m all fired up to get editing that romance novel.  Getting published is fantastic.  It’s more satisfying to me than another degree.  There’s a reason why I’m always striving for another byline.  It’s addictive.

I’m hoping that the writers I met yesterday get a taste of publication, and get addicted, too.

We Adventists can be pretty convinced of our rightness.  It’s something about us, we hold onto our idea like dogs with a bone, and we get snappish if anyone tries to loosen our grip.  The Sabbath is one of our biggies.  It’s the beefsteak of theological stances.

While I do not claim to be a theologian, I have heard some very interesting arguments for and against keeping the Sabbath.  I won’t go into the arguments for, but there are a lot.  You can check out this website if you are interested: www.sabbathtruth.com.  It pretty much covers the Sabbath keeping position on the topic.  However, having been raised Adventist, I never heard the other side of the argument.

Here is the other side, as I understand it:

The Sabbath is part of the Torah, or the Law.  The Law was done away with when Jesus died.  That does not mean that wrong is no longer wrong, it just means that all those laws that pointed ahead to the Messiah and his sacrifice have been fulfilled.  The Sabbath pointed ahead to the rest we would experience in Jesus.  We don’t struggle to be good enough, we allow God to change us and do the work for us.  The Sabbath was a reminder that Jesus would die for our sins, and we would not be able to earn our own salvation.  Hence the resting. (Check out Hebrews 4 if you want to see the Biblical back up for this point of view.)

To me, this is a pretty convincing argument.  It makes sense to me.  So, if the Sabbath isn’t a requirement, I let it go for a while.  I have to say, I really missed the day off!  When I kept at it, cleaning up after my family, cooking big meals, doing my writing when I could squeeze it in, I was exhausted.  I didn’t have the time to just be quiet and talk things through with God.  A day off is a good thing!

So here is my new stance: Sabbath is a gift.  Today is Sabbath, and I’m resting.  The house is clean.  I’m not working on my next project–the one I’ve been really excited to start.  I’m just resting, and not because I think I have to.  I’m resting because it’s really nice!  I’m resting because I need it.  I’m resting because I miss it.

In a way, I suppose it’s like a vacation day at work.  You don’t have to take it.  You can work through if you want to.  But why not?  Why not take a day off with your family and enjoy yourself?  No one is going to force you to do it.  No one is going to reprimand you for not doing it.  But really, the day off is great!

Today, I took a trip to the store to pick up some cold medicine for my poor, sick little family.  As I trotted through the grocery store, I started wondering if I should look for this or that… if I should pick up a few groceries while I was at it.  But then I thought, No, I don’t have to.  I’m resting.  And it felt good!  No obligation.  No guilt for buying vitamins at the same time or frustration that my hands were tied on Saturdays.  No thought in the back of my mind that if I’d rather grab a few groceries I probably didn’t love God enough.   I was simply accepting God’s gift of a day off.

So there you have it: my new stance on Sabbath.  It isn’t a requirement, it’s an awesome option.  This day with a sick husband and toddler has been the most restful Sabbath I can remember.

Feel free to disagree with me.  I can take it!  As always, I reserve the right to be wrong.

The rejection letters are coming in. This is more good news.  As a writer, you expect rejection.  In fact, get used to it!  You hear way more No’s than Yes’s.  And since these were simply queries for books yet unwritten, there is nothing lost.  However, there is a huge amount gained!

When I try a story idea on a company, I know that if they are interested, I can write the book in short order.  That is a weird talent of mine: tunnel-visioning and writing a novel in bizarrely short periods of time.  However, writing a novel, even if you can pour yourself into it and do it quickly, is still a tremendous amount of work.  Writing it and having it rejected hurts way more than passing an idea past an editor and having the idea rejected.

I received two rejection letters in the mail today.  (I also received payment for work done, so that perks me up more…)  While I always hope they’ll like my ideas, it helps me narrow down exactly the kind of story they are looking for.  I’m getting closer!

It’s 90% persistence and 10% brilliant inspiration that gets a book published.  Just have to keep at it.