Mom, what do you long to hear?

In honor of all mothers, this week we will be posting questions relating to motherhood. Post your answer and a daily random name will be drawn to win a complimentary book.

Depending on your season of motherhood, today's winner can choose between Growing Grateful Kids by Susie Larson or How to Really Love Your Adult Child by Gary Chapman & Ross Campbell, M.D.

There are many studies and articles that talk to parents about what their children need to hear from them. In the process of trying to nurture and love their children to the best of their abilities, the longings of many mothers' hearts get pushed to the side or neglected. What do you long to hear from your child or children?

Winner will be randomly pulled and announced 9 pm Central tonight. Come back for tomorrow's question for another chance at winning.

Your Life Story in Six Words?

 By: Stephanie S. Smith, Moody Fiction Managing Editor

As a freelance book publicist, I spend a lot of time using social media to get the word out about new titles, but I have to say: I am not a fan of Twitter.  I'm the kind of person who loves thick novels like Jane Eyre, excuses run-on sentences, and had to be taught the meaning of "succinct" by my 9th grade English teacher. So 140 character "tweets" are just not my thing.

Twitter offers a wealth of information for those who wish to seek it out, but to me it feels like an overwhelming sea of data, a roar of white noise. I also can't help but feel like it's a "short-cut", a way to cut creative corners and at the same time cater to our distracted attention spans.  140 characters is just long enough to snag our interest and just short enough to amuse us but not commit us.

But this past week I discovered a project in succinctness that impressed me.  Instead of 140 characters, try six words! The Six-Word Memoir, an initiative of SMITH Magazine, challenges writers to publish their abbreviated life story on their website.  Inspired by the belief that everyone has a story and deserves a forum in which to tell it, SMITH editors created the Six-Word Memoir Project to give people that opportunity.  With a click, anyone can publish their memoir on the website.  I found myself fascinated with some of their entries...

"Never really finished anything, expect cake." -Carletta Perkins

"I still make coffee for two." -Zak Nelson

"Asked to quiet down, spoke louder." -Wendy Lee

In just six words, people all over the world are telling stories with their own unique voice.  I spent half an hour reading through these memoirs and was amazed that such creativity could be condensed into so small a space.  Some are profound, some humorous, some confessional or bittersweet, but all of them possess a genre and a plot of their own as intricate as any novel.

It takes enough skill to be able to articulate your life story, drawing out significant themes and symbols, but to boil it down to six words and still give the reader a lasting impression? It seems to me that is a craft in its own right.  Perhaps Twitter, a cousin endeavor in brevity, is a higher art than I imagined.

Stephanie S. Smith graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Communications and Women’s Ministry, which she now puts to work freelancing as a book publicist and writer through her business, (In)dialogue Communications, at www.stephaniessmith.com.  After living in Chicago for four years, traveling to Amsterdam for a spell, and then moving back home to Baltimore to plan a wedding, she now lives with her husband in Upstate New York where they make novice attempts at home renovation in their 1930s bungalow.  She is a member of the Young Professionals of the Southern Tier and blogs for Moody Publishers at www.insidepages.net and www.moodyfiction.com

Living in the Pink: New April Fiction!

Some people are in the red. Some are in the black. And some are...in the pink! 

Sharon Tubbs' new book is a series of short stories centered on this question: "Are your sins red like scarlet, are you seeking God so that He can make them white as snow… or are you satisfied somewhere in between—living in the pink?" Through these stories, Sharon hopes to lead women "out of the pink and into God's marvelous light." Sharon's book released April 1st, and you can read the first chapter here, and meet Sister Pinky herself! Also visit www.livinginthepink.com.

About the Book

Living in the Pink is a series of humorous and insightful short stories with Christian underpinnings. Through the eyes of the wise “Sister Pinky” and Believers Ministries International Church, these stories highlight issues that women grapple with but that often remain unspoken in religious circles. The characters are everyday wives, mothers, and singles. They develop and gain a spiritual perspective in dealing with romantic relationships, wayward children, jealousy, church traditions, Christian hypocrisy, and self-righteous judgment, among other themes.

Discussion questions help readers connect with the storylines and urge them to look within—and up—to reach their highest potential in life.

New Spring Fiction!

You may remember hearing about or reading Linda Chaikin's book released last year, The Spoils of Eden, the first in the "Dawn of Hawaii" trilogy. Coming May 1st, the saga continues in Hawaiin Crosswinds...

About the Book

Amid the looming spiritual and political crisis in Hawaii, Rafe Easton and Eden Derrington  are  thrust into a conflict that will forever change their beloved Hawaii. Hawaii, home of the early missionaries, becomes an empire of sugar and pineapple built by their children and grandchildren.  By 1892 the Treasure of the Pacific is  caught in a political revolution between those supporting  Queen Liliuokalani, and the new Hawaiians determined to see the Stars and Stripes waving over Iolani Palace.

Rafe Easton hears the dark news that Townsend Derrington is in San Francisco prowling about the house on Nob Hill belonging to Parker Judson, Rafe’s partner in the pineapple plantation.  Rafe’s  mother, Celestine, is keeping out of sight with baby Kip inside the house. The news is dire enough to convince Rafe to alter his near-term plans in Honolulu. Having come to an agreement with his fiancée, Eden Derrington, to allow her to work for a year on Molokai at her father’s medical clinic while meeting her dying mother, a leper, Rafe makes swift plans to take a steamer to  San Francisco to hunt down Townsend who is guilty of  Rafe’s father’s death, and now stalking Celestine and Kip.

Pictures from "Steppin' Into the Good Life" Launch Party!

Pictures of some of the highlights from this event at The LOFT in Atlanta, where Tia's book is set! It was a day of good eating (shrimp and grits!), fierce shoes modeled in a fashion show, and a discussion with the author, Tia McCollors, about what it means to be living "the good life."

Are you living the good life?  Enter the Shoe Talk Contestant and tell us about it.  Go to the   I Am Living the Good Life facebook page and post a picture of your fiercest shoes. Write 2-3 sentences telling us what your shoes would say about who you are (your personality, your desires, your life’s journey).  The contest will run through March 31, 2011. April 1st we will announce the winner of the Chocolate Shoe Award, a copy of Steppin Into the Good Life by Tia McCollors and a $25 Amazon gift card. The second place winner will receive a $10 gift card.

Pearl in the Sand Audio Version!

If you like audio books, check out this sample for Tessa Afshar's Pearl in the Sand novel, read by actress Laura Merlington. She's mastered her character voices and accents!

About the Book

Striking beauty... comes at a price.

Rahab paid it when at the age of fifteen she was sold into prostitution by the one man she loved and trusted—her father. With her keen mind and careful planning she turned heartache into success, achieving independence while still young. And she vowed never again to trust a man. Any man.

God had other plans.

Into the emotional turmoil of her world walked Salmone, a prominent leader of Judah, held in high esteem by all Israel. A man of faith, honor, and pride. An enemy. What is a woman with a wrecked past to do when she wants to be loved, yet no longer believes it possible?

The walls of Jericho are only the beginning. The real battle for Rahab will be one of the heart.

The Ideal Writing Spot

By: Stephanie S. Smith, Managing Blog Editor

It seems that most famous writers create a certain habitat for their genius, a custom-made space where their creativity can flow forth uninhibited. Virginia Woolf had A Room of One’s Own, J. K. Rowling has her European café, and Kurt Vonnegut has his hardwood floor where he worked out of his lap. So what are the basic requirements for a writing spot?

A desk, of course, is essential (except, apparently, if you’re Vonnegut). Preferably, a mahogany, stylishly-distressed desk that just looks like classics have been written all over it. A desk in the tradition of Tolkien’s and C. S. Lewis’, which you can actually see on display (including the wardrobe that inspired Narnia) at the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College. Extra points if your desk has a secret compartment.

Next, coffee. Every writer needs an energy boost now and then. And if you’re self-employed, your caffeine addiction might even count as a tax deduction (don’t quote me on that…)! But don’t try to outdo French novelist Balzac, who was known to drink 50-300 cups of coffee per day.

Your writing space should also host somewhat of a cozy mess. Creative minds aren’t known for their organizational skills, you know.

Surround yourself with inspirational literary quotes. These will remind you not only how much you love, live, and breath writing, but how fun it is! Motivational catchphrases such as, “My stories run up and bite me on the leg” –Ray Bradbury, and, “Writing is…like a long bout of some painful illness.” -George Orwell, should get you off to a good start!

You should also have something to fidget with as you wrestle your brilliant ideas down onto paper. Stress balls, those cool moldable erasers, etc. Now is the perfect time to develop a bad habit such as cracking your knuckles or chewing your hair. All for the sake of art, of course.

A muse: whether it’s a picture of your sweetheart, your cat, or your Edgar Allan Poe bobble-head, you should have something to attribute your strokes of genius to. And someone to take your frustration out on when writer’s block hits.

What’s your writing environment? Where do you hammer out your thoughts, poems, and stories?