Lisa Paskins is the winner of this month's B contest. As I announced at the beginning, this contest ended early due to the holiday weekend and because I have company coming and my sister is in the hospital. Lisa, please send me your wish list and address.
My review column on Meridian is going through some changes. Instead of appearing once a month and covering half a dozen or so novels, it will now be a single review of one book, and will appear once a week, Thursdays. For the next contest, June A, please let me know what you think of this change, pro or con. I'm open to any suggestions readers may have to make my reviews satisfy the needs of readers and writers.
My blogs may be few and far apart for the next little while. My sister who has acute leukemia will undergo a bone marrow/stem cell transplant next week here in Salt Lake and it will take awhile to know whether or not this will be successful or how ill it may make her. She lives in another state, as does most of my family, so I try to be with her and her husband as much as possible and pass on updates to the rest of our family. Consequently I'm not getting a lot of blogging or writing time. (My WIP is now at 57,302 words).
4 comments:
I think it will be nice for readers to know that every thursday they can pop over to Meridian to check out your article. I don't think it was quite so predictable before that. Predictability is a nice thing for articles.
Dear Jennie Hansen,
My name is Jeanne and I just stayed up literally all night reading your novel, Shudder. My experience with your book is one of interest and I wanted to share it with you.
I'm a recent graduate from a high school near Salt Lake City, Utah. I have been baptized LDS but recently fell away from the church during the divorce between my mom and stepdad. Your book was sitting in my boyfriend's mother's living room and I picked it up yesterday evening on a whim. I'm glad I did.
My mom suffered domestic violence in her first marriage and I was able to really connect with Clare in your novel. This book has been life changing for me because I realized how important the church is in extremely difficult situations. I was not only able to connect with your characters, but with my Heavenly Father again as well.
I wanted to write you and let you know that your work has given me something to hope for once again. I'll be going back to church on Sunday after over a year of absense. Thank you for giving me such an expected gift. I've never felt more at peace.
God works in mysterious ways. Thank you for being the middle man.
-Jeanne, SLC, UT
Westminster College
Gamilla, I messed up the very first week and didn't get my column submitted in time to run on Thursday. I had it ready to go almost a week ahead, then my brother arrived to be a donor for our sister who needed a bone marrow/stem cell transplant and I totally forgot about submitting my column.
Jeanne, your comment touched me deeply. I've worked with a lot of women who have suffered from domestic abuse and have seen first hand the emotional damage it causes for entire families, not just the apparent victim. I'm glad you are able to step back and see the lingering pain for all those who have been touched by this blight on families and are taking steps to move forward with your life and to regain your faith in God. Sometimes it is hard to see the down side of agency and retain faith. I pray you will be able to place blame where it belongs and turn to God to strengthen you, comfort you, and to know how to strengthen and comfort your mother. Please stay in touch. I graduated from Westminster too and though some of the professors and students challenged my beliefs, the experience also strengthened my faith.
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