How to Help a Starving Author | by Linda Brendle

Okay, so I’m not really starving, but I could use some help. My book, A Long and Winding Road: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos, was released by Anaiah Press in digital form on July 1, 2014, and in paperbook on January 6, 2015. Since then I’ve blogged, tweeted, Facebooked, Google+ed, LinkedIn, Stumbled, and Pinned until my regular readers are pretty much saturated. Unknown authors have limited advertising budgets, so I need to find new and innovative ways to reach beyond my own base and tap into a larger market. If you are fan of my work and would like to be a member of #TeamLinda, here are a few things you can do.

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Gardeners Learn to Adjust | by Linda Brendle

In the past few years, my garden has been a source of both life lessons and writing material. This year, however, the cold, wet weather that has called for school closings has also kept me out of my classroom. The call of the outdoors is strong, though, and last week, in spite of the still-squishy ground, I spent a little time outside where I managed to learn something about expectations and flexibility.

Democracy in Emory | by Linda Brendle

When I sit down to write a post, I sometimes begin with definitions. This was one of those times. I found several definitions of democracy, but all of them began with government “by the people.” That’s a concept we take for granted and a phrase we throw around when we’re feeling patriotic. What we often forget, though, is that a democracy is run, not by all the people but by the people who choose to participate. We saw a great example of democracy by the people in Emory recently.

Whose Rules Are They Anyway? | by Linda Brendle

My church hosted a marriage conference last month, and Ryan Dalgliesh of Higher Rock Ministries  was the speaker. Ryan is a strong Bible teacher, but he also illustrates the application of biblical principals by sharing contemporary illustrations and personal stories. With his permission, I’m sharing one of his parenting stories from the biblical husband and father section.

When Ryan’s oldest son Asher was sixteen months old, he was moved from his crib into a toddler bed. The first night started well enough, with Asher bedding down without protest. The anxious parents paid close attention to the baby monitor, listening for sounds of distress. What they heard instead was the patter of little feet as Asher filled his new bed with Hot Wheels, lots of them. Ryan went into the bedroom, explained that cars didn’t belong in the bed, removed the offending toys, and tucked the toddler into bed.

Country Girls Have Septic Tanks | by Linda Brendle

We were late to home group Bible study Friday night. David had to take a last minute shower because he had been playing in the septic tank. That’s something I never said when I lived in the city.

The truth is, until we moved to Emory, I knew very little about septic tanks. I knew they were a few steps above an outhouse on the sewage evolutionary scale, but that’s about it. In Florida, you could tell if a house had a septic tank because it was under a large mound of earth that must have been a real challenge to mow. That’s probably because it was only half buried in order to remain above the water table, but that’s just an uneducated guess. Septic tanks are also the basis for some interesting stories.

Book Signing Photos | by Linda Brendle

My first official book signing was Saturday, February 28, in the Meadows Room of the Rains County Library. In spite of the cold weather and the icy road conditions in the Metroplex, we proceeded as planned. It was such fun that I hope to do another one some time soon.

Slide Show? Check. Business Cards? Check. Books? Check. Author? Check.

Refreshments anyone?

 

David – my loving husband, very special friend, and greatest supporter.

 

Literally surrounded by friends – Pat and Nancy.

 

The audience was friendly and enthusiastic – and they bought books!

 

I signed a lot of books!

 

I had to shed my jacket.

I even learned how to accept a credit card on my phone.

Watch for details of coming events, or buy now on-line!

Blessings,

Linda

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos

Available in paperback .

B&N // Amazon 

Available in ebook.

B&N // Kobo // iTunes // Amazon // Smashwords // Google Play

 

Hiding In the Luggage | by Linda Brendle

The last time our youth minister brought the morning message at my church, he preached about the rise and fall of King Saul as told in 1 Samuel. The part that stood out to me was a small story in Chapter 10.

Saul was sent to find some lost donkeys. On the way, he met the Prophet Samuel who told him he had been chosen by God to be the king of Israel. Saul was reluctant, protesting that he was just a small town boy – not really king material. Later, when Samuel was ready to crown him publicly, Saul was found hiding in the luggage. I guess it was hard for him to move out of his comfort zone and onto center stage.