Unique Baby Shower Idea

In a recent baby shower invitation we received, 

the expectant couple had a unique idea: 

they asked for children’s books in lieu of baby cards. 

How cool is that—especially for book lovers like us! 

I’m challenged to select
between a favorite from my own childhood,
like Caps for Sale,

or one of my kids’ favorites like
Where the Wild Things Are 

Or I could support a writer friend,
Michelle Medlock Adams
by buying a copy of her
delightful book,
Counting Cows

I also thought it would be fun 

to give a children’s picture Bible 

in a modern translation. 

What do you think of this unique idea for a baby shower?

What were some of your favorite books when you were a child? 

What book would you bring to this baby shower? 

Prize Giveaway/Secrets to Freelance Success by Award-Winning Author, Michelle Medlock Adams, part 2

Jen: You quit your “regular” job in 1999 to freelance. Do you have any tips for those who want to do the same?


Michelle: Yes, I have five keys to succeeding at a freelance writing career:

1. Find out how much you need to bring in each month to make it as a freelancer. Then acquire steady gigs to sell your work to. Develop relationships with editors who like and buy the kind of writing you do, so you can develop a steady stream of work for them.

2. Attend at least two writer’s conferences per year to develop these relationships. It’s all about meeting people, because if an editor has a choice of two articles or books that are equally well written, he or she is going to buy the one from the author they’ve met in person. How did I finance all these conferences? I asked for money for birthday, anniversary and Christmas gifts, and then saved it for the registration fees.

3. Set aside a year’s worth of salary before you go full-time. I didn’t do this, and I should have. You can learn from my “oops!”

4. Follow up on leads, and hone relationships.

5. Write in all different genres’.

Jen: Michelle, thank you for taking the time for this today; I know my blog followers will be encouraged and inspired by your journey.

Michelle: Thank you, Jeanette. You honored me by asking me here today. Keep writing—you are touching many.

Jen: I have three prizes to give away today!

1. Counting Cows, Michelle’s newest board book for young children, a delightful rhyming jingle that will have your preschooler counting and dancing the Moo Cow Jive;

2. “Research: The Backbone of Any Article;” a teaching CD by Michelle; and

3. “Heavenly Humor for the Woman’s Soul.” Michelle contributed several articles to this laughter-filled book, along with Martha Bolton, Patsy Clairmont and Anita Renfroe.

To enter the drawing for one of these prizes, you must:

Be a follower of my blog; leave your email address in the comment section at the end of this post; tell me which answer of Michelle’s interview helped you the most (for part one, scroll down to the Wednesday post). If you’d like to say which prize you prefer, that will help me.

You have until noon on Tuesday, May 11 to enter. I will post the three winners on Wednesday the 12.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME TODAY. I AM HONORED THAT YOU SPENT A PART OF YOUR LIFE WITH ME,
JEN

Secrets to Freelance Success by Award-Winning Author, Michelle Medlock Adams, part 1

When I asked award-winning author Michelle Medlock Adams to speak for our annual Ladies Tea, I hoped to squeeze in an interview. I’m grateful Michelle talks faster than an auctioneer right before a thunderstorm, because I had to fold my questions between the dessert and the door prizes. Can you tell by her answers that she used to be a cheerleader?

 

Jen: You’ve done newspaper-reporting, non-fiction writing for adults and kids, and children’s books. Do you have a favorite genre?

Michelle (without pausing to ponder): Children’s

Jen: What is your favorite book you’ve written?

Michelle: Whichever book I’m working on at the time—right now it’s Counting Cows, the first in a series of board books featuring dancing, counting cows. Next up is “Christmas Cows,” published by Ideals, which is a division of Guideposts books.

Jen: I once heard you admit on a teaching CD that you could never find a pair of scissors around your house. Yet you’ve authored or co-authored 42 books and thousands of articles, so you must have some kind of order to your home life. What are some of your time management secrets for keeping your family/home/career organized and running smoothly?

Michelle: Diet Coke and Peanut M & M’s! No really, I write best at night when everyone else is asleep. Also, when I worked for a newspaper, I learned to write super fast. I don’t answer the phone when I’m writing—that’s a real time-stealer. And I set aside only one day a week for errands. If you chop up your errand running into several days, it will use up more time than doing it all at once.

Michelle, me, and Michelle's lovely and gracious daughter, Abby

Jen: With Mother’s Day coming up, can you share a little about how your mom’s faith influenced you, and how we can give our kids a heritage of faith?

Michelle: Mom taught Sunday school—she never missed a service. In fact, I think I was born underneath a pew! And even though I didn’t always want to attend church, I’m glad my parents made me go. What inspired me most in my mom was her positive attitude. She chose to be happy. She was always singing, even when she messed up the words. She’d wake me up in the morning by flipping the light switch on and off, keeping rythym while she sang, “This is the Day the Lord has made.”

The best thing we can teach our kids is to have a grateful heart. Teach them to appreciate all they have. It goes a long way with God and others.

Please join me Friday for part 2 of our interview and a chance to win one of three prizes, including Michelle’s newest children’s book, Counting Cows.

Winner of Thin Places

I prayed that God would lead my hand to choose the person who most needs this message of hope, and I believe He led me to...


Andrea Bowling Perdue of Arise 2 Write. Congratulations, Andrea! May God use Mary's words to deepen your walk with Him.

Thank you, all who entered the drawing.

Please join me Friday for a special message about Talking to Yourself.

And next week we will have another prize giveaway in conjunction with my interview of author and speaker Michelle Medlock Adams!

Preacher Joke to Start Your Weekend

Do you like preacher jokes? This one came from Michelle Medlock Adams, one of my favorite cheerleaders in the Body of Christ:

A church had undertaken a huge building program which would cost millions of dollars.

One day the phone rang, and the secretary answered it.

Through the receiver boomed a deep Southern accent. "Let me talk to the head hog of the whole trough!"

"Sir, if you are referring to our pastor, we never speak about him in such terms. He is an anointed servant of the Lord, and we show honor and respect to his position. I'd appreciate it if you'd do the same."

"Well," the voice hollered,"I heard about y'alls building program, and I wanted to donate a million dollars."



As fast as the Southern sun melts a puddle the secretary interrupted, "Well, how about that? Here comes Porky now!"

Happy Weekend,
Jen