Monday, July 28, 2008

Heading home...

The retreat is over and we're all headed home. But before I hop on the plane for the long flight back to Nashville, I thought I'd share a few more pictures.


Brandilyn and her mom, Mama Ruth


Robin Lee Hatcher (background) and Brandilyn (foreground) during a session


View of the Couer d'Alene Lake

Me with Robin Lee Hatcher, we shared so much laughter this weekend. Such fun and just what I needed!


Me with Mama Ruth and Karen Ball


The entire Motley Crew :)


Mama Ruth made her famous fried chicken on Sunday night. Delicious!


"Ta da!"


One last thing! Be sure and check out Writes of Passage, a new historical author group blog that's starting today! Five historical authors (Robin Lee Hatcher, me, Tracie Peterson, Kim Vogel Sawyer and Lori Copeland) will be blogging about anything and everything. We may touch on historical tidbits (as Robin does today), or recent/upcoming events in our lives (as Tracie and I will do later this week). 

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Retreating in Idaho

There's nothing like getting away with writer buddies for a long weekend of brainstorming and plotting each other's next books. What a blast! Of course, there's lots of yummy food and great fellowship and prayer time and sharing going on besides all the plotting (which is also such fun). And to do this in Couer d'Alene, Idaho, no less! What a gorgeous setting! 

As hard as it is, I'm currently hidden away in an upstairs bedroom working on rewrites for The Inheritance. They're due this next week and I need to get them finished. So...to that end! 

But first, I want to share some pictures...

Here's the whole group wearing scarves that Robin Lee Hatcher knit for us herself. Good grief! The woman can write AND knit! Top left to right: Brandilyn Collins, Gayle DeSalles, Sharon Dunn, Janet Ulbright, Robin Lee Hatcher. Bottom left to right: Mama Ruth Seamans (Brandilyn's mom), Karen Ball, me, and Sunni Jeffers


Me in the kitchen with Brandilyn
We each take turns cooking in groups. Such fun!
(Pardon my exercise wear. We'd just returned from a walk.)


Here's Brandilyn with her "hostess gift."
Brandilyn writes suspense, so this cutlery set seemed the perfect gift for her. And you can tell how much she enjoys it. :)

Robin Lee Hatcher giving us a brief idea for her next book.
Bless her heart, she couldn't talk without her hands (of course, neither can I).


A picture of the group outside in the gazebo area where we brainstorm and meet. So pretty! And the weather's been perfect!

I'll share more pics tomorrow. Now, off to rewrite!


Saturday, July 5, 2008

Visiting Christian Book Distributors in Boston (CBD.com)

I had the pure pleasure of visiting CBD.com week before last. Oh! What! Fun!! If you haven't visited http://www.cbd.com/, please take a moment to do so. With over 220,000 items in stock in their warehouse, CBD is the largest distributor of Christian goods (they have books, books, books and so much more!) and their customer service is top notch.

CBD invited me to visit and speak to their employees (who are so kind and welcoming), and we even got to tour the warehouse. Fascinating how every order is coded on the side of a box then sent down a conveyor belt where it "knows" when to get off at which station. At which time the "pickers" put in whatever the customer has ordered from their area, then send the box on down the line where the computer reads the side code label and directs it where it needs to go next. Phenomenal operation!

Here are some pictures from my visit! After speaking, we held a book signing for all CBD employees so we got to visit.

And FYI...if you want to order From a Distance for $8.99 (about the lowest price around, I think), use Catalog #271481 when you place your order and it'll give you that discounted price (but only through August 17, 2008). It's item #ZS203893.



Me with Lena Hendrickson, the lovely "matriarch" of CBD. We sat beside each other at lunch at Legal Seafood (where they serve clam chowder to die for!) and she shared some of her life story with me. What an awesome lady!



Charlene Patterson, one of my editors at BHP,
and Steve Oates, VP of Marketing at Bethany House.
It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know them better!
Well, Charlene, at least...
(Just kidding, Steve! Big hugs!)



The rest are of CBD employees who, again, were fantastic
or of me speaking (blah, blah, blah...).

































Lastly, I want to point out Michelle O'Donnell (pictured above, middle in the green) who is a buyer for CBD and who was our gracious hostess that day. Michelle, thanks for making us feel so welcome and for all the great laughs, even though I'm no Ted Dekker (who is her absolute favorite author!) ;~)
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