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  • When writing overlaps my day job

    I’ve had a really, really strange weekend. I’ve spent much of me weekend writing pitches and press releases for my book. But that’s what I do all week at work for other people’s books.

    I’ve been organizing a blog tour for Kenzie’s release and lining up web reviewers, people who I have the privilege of working with during my day job. They are such a sweet, kind group, and I love working with them!

    But it’s really very strange, this feeling of working with them on personal and professional levels, asking them to to review something so personal to me. They’ve come out in droves, and I totally owe them. So thanks to all of them. You’ll see their websites listed here throughout the summer, as I’ll link to fun coverage of Kenzie and interviews with me. 🙂 Hope you’ll go visit the sites when I post links.

    Feeling like I’m in the Twilight Zone until next time. -LJ

    Friday Favorite – Evotional.com

    This week, I thought I’d give a shout out to one of my favorite authors Mark Batterson and his blog Evotional.com. Mark is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC (the church is something like 70% single 20- and 30-somethings, makes me think I ought to contemplate a move there) and the author of two of my favorite books: Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.

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    Mark writes some of the most spiritually challenging books I’ve ever enjoyed! And he’s a great guy too. Check out his blog for fun stuff, and a really cool spiritual insights. Check out his books for a great read and a challenge for your walk with God. I love his section in Wild Goose Chase about setting goals.

    I spent a day with Mark last summer at ICRS in Orlando. I was assigned to take him to all of his interviews one day, and, let me tell you, he is one of the most well-connected guys ever. He knew EVERYONE. I’m not even kidding! When I commented on it, he told me that there was no greater network than the kingdom of God. Got me thinking about how I relate to other Christians.

    Plus, the man is a tweeting maniac! He tweets constantly and is the epitome of the tech-savvy pastor.  Gotta love how he uses technology to teach Truth. Thanks, Mark.

    Following Mark’s tweets until next time. -LJ

    My life in Pictures …

    Well, at least my yesterday in pictures …

    Went to DSW at lunch and bought the coolest Converse EVER! Yes, those are purple butterflies. :)
    Went to DSW at lunch and bought the coolest Converse EVER! Yes, those are purple butterflies. 🙂
    Came home to a stack of boxes. More Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn!
    Came home to a stack of boxes. More Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn!
    Went for a 2.5 mile walk in windy, windy Colorado Springs. Sprinklers got me really wet.
    Went for a 2.5 mile walk in windy, windy Colorado Springs. Sprinklers got me really wet.
    After the walk and dinner did some ironing while watching The Biggest Loser Finale. That show makes me cry.
    After the walk and dinner did some ironing while watching The Biggest Loser Finale. That show makes me cry.

    Can’t wait to wear my new Converse to work on Friday until next time. -LJ

    Teaser Tuesday – Love Finds You in Humble Texas

    teaser_tuesdays1MizB of Should Be Reading hosts the Teaser Tuesdays weekly event

    Here are the rules:
    * Grab your current read
    * Let the book fall open to a random page
    * Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12
    *You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
    * Please avoid spoilers!

    This week’s teaser is:
    “Trudie thought it might be easier for a chicken to learn how to climb a tree than for her to learn how to glide. ‘Okay, got it. Sort of.’ No, she didn’t really have it.”
    Love Finds You in Humble Texas by Anita Higman, page 182

    – I’ve enjoyed a couple books in the Love Finds You line, and hope this one will be just as fun. It’s got a sister dynamic that is always a fun part of a good read.

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    Monday Movie – Wolverine

    Amy and I have been so excited about seeing X-Men Origins: Wolverine for months. Me, because I love a good action flick and Hugh Jackman is always enjoyable to watch. Amy, because Taylor Kitschfrom Friday Night Lights is in it. I was out of town on opening weekend, so we had to wait until this weekend. Saturday afternoon we tooled on down to the theater, plopped in our seats, and both practically fell asleep.

    We were beat. Amy from getting up early to do flowers for a friend’s wedding. Me from still being on vacation. 🙂 But we managed to stay away until the previews started, and then we couldn’t sleep if we wanted to.

    Can I just say that the previews are usually one of my favorite things about seeing a movie? We caught my first preview of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. It looks AWESOME!!! I can’t wait! I’ve loved Shia LaBeouf since Even Stevens on the Disney Channel years ago. 

    Okay, so on to my thoughts on Wolverine …

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    I had high expectations going into this flick. I enjoyed the last three X-Men movies, and I hoped that this would be just as amazing. The cast was awesome: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Taylor Kitsch, Ryan Reynolds, and more. I read an article about how Hugh Jackman worked out to play the part. He’s really an animal. It’s crazy! How could the movie be bad with all these amazing actors?

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    Turns out it wasn’t bad … just not great.

    Now it had some great parts–like when James/Logan/Wolverine (more on his name below) is on the run from mad scientist Colonel Stryker. Completely unclothed (warning for young and old viewers alike: the movie has a couple shots of an uncovered rear end) James finds refuge on the farm of an older couple. They invite him in, give him clothes, a hot meal, and a place to sleep. In return, he destroys their bathroom with his brand new Adamantium claws. It’s a great moment. And I was surprised how easily I laughed at this and a couple other spots.

    But there were some areas that really caught me and pulled me out of my suspended belief and landed me right back in reality. Things like name confusion. Our hero was raised as James, but Stryker calls him Logan. Where did that come from? I thought I misheard, but then I spent half the movie trying to figure out where the name change came from. Never did. Figure it out, that is.

    The plot, too, lacked some smooth transitions and left a few loose ends that always drive me crazy. Motivations weren’t always clear, and some of the CGI just looked too fake.

    But then the last fight scene started, and it was so cool that I almost forgot about the weak plot and strange motivations. I won’t give it away, but it was wicked (in the Boston sense of the word)! And they did a really great job of leaving the story at a great point for the first of the recent X-Men trilogy.

    And now … now I look forward to seeing Star Trek next weekend. Even if I’ve never seen an actual episode of any of the TV shows. 🙂

    Looking forward to a summer of fun movies until next time. -LJ

    Kenzie Arrived!!!!

    I was just hanging out last night–checking e-mail and such–when the doorbell rang. I hopped up to see who it was, and there was no one there. So I looked down and saw.

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    So I squealed a little, yanked up the box and ran into the kitchen, hollering at Amy to hurry up and join me. She arrived in time to snap this shot.

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    And then the angels sang and there were books. Actual, final copies of The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn. With my name on them!

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    July 14 is the big day, and the book is available for pre-order on Amazon, CBD, Barnes and Noble, and more!

    Tempted to sleep with my new book under my pillow until next time. (Is that weird?) -LJ

    Friday Favorite – Live Concerts

    I LOVE going to concerts. Especially when I love the groups performing. Enter Revive, Brandon Heath, and Third Day!

    So last Thursday my mom and I took off for Phoenix to see these guys perform at the Celebrity Theater, one of the coolest venues ever. The stage is in the middle of the room and the seats go all the way around. And the stage spins. Check it out in this clip.

    So as if the venue isn’t cool enough, we were sitting in the 3rd row. Literally 10 feet from the groups as they performed. The theater tauts itself as the most intimate theater experience in the valley (Phoenix), and it totally is! I got some great pictures and loved being so close even when we were looking at the “back” of the stage.

    So I have to tell you a funny story … my mom isn’t what you’d call a big concert goer. She’s more of a praise and worship kind of gal than a rockin’ Christian music chica. But she agreed to go to the concert with me so we could get some quality bonding time together. When I first bought the tickets, she was talking to a younger guy in her Bible study and said we were going to see Three Days in concert. At first he didn’t understand, then he made the connection. We were going to see Third Day, and he was totally jealous. That made my mom smile. 🙂

    I warned mom that she might want to get some ear plugs. But she didn’t bring any. The show was LOUD, but amazingly wonderful. Here’s a snippet from the actual show that we were at.

    And of course, my main reason for going was actually Brandon Heath. Nothing surprising there. Except that he was more wonderful than I even hoped he’d be! And I know Amy is going to ask about Joe. He was fantastic too! 🙂 Here’s a clip from the show of Brandon.

    Brandon closed out his set with a song called Soldier. I’d never heard it before, and it was really great! Here’s a clip of him singing it several years back. I’m pretty sure it was on one of his first independent albums. I’m hoping I can find it on iTunes or something because I need it on my iPod.

    So I really love concerts. I love the noise and the excitement in the air. The freedom to dance like a crazy woman and have no one think any the less of me. The fun of hooting and hollering after my favorite songs and at my favorite performers. But most of all, I love how God always unexpectedly gets a hold of me.

    Take for example this show. There a was a young man with Down’s syndrome just a few seats over from me who quite verbally expressed his disinterest in Brandon. He was there to see Third Day and just wanted them to perform. I on the other hand really wanted to see and enjoy Brandon. I found myself getting irked that he was stealing a bit of my enjoyment of the show and irked at his dad who was with him for not quieting him. And then Brandon began “Give Me Your Eyes” and my heart squeezed. I’d been doing a terrible job of seeing this young man through God’s eyes. I needed to have love and concern for my neighbors. My heart softened and I found myself enjoying the show even more.

    I love it when God does stuff like that.

    Anyway, here are a few more pics that I took at the meet and greet and during the show. Hope you enjoy.

    My mom and me in line to meet Third Day
    My mom and me in line to meet Third Day

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    I'm quite possibly the worst photographer ever!
    I'm quite possibly the worst photographer ever!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Brandon being amazing!
    Brandon being amazing!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Still hoping to meet Brandon until next time. -LJ

    Teaser Tuesdays – 90 Minutes in Heaven

    teaser_tuesdays1MizB of Should Be Reading hosts the Teaser Tuesdays weekly event

    Here are the rules:
    * Grab your current read
    * Let the book fall open to a random page
    * Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12
    *You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
    * Please avoid spoilers!

    This week’s teaser is:
    “The second thing I was aware of was that someone clutched my hand. It was a strong, powerful touch and the first physical sensation I experienced with my return to earthly life.”
    90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper, page 44

    – I hung onto this borrowed book from my sister for nearly 4 months. But then I was headed back to Arizona, and I figured I should really read it so I could give it back to her when I was with the family. I decided to start the book the night before my flight. And I devoured the first 75 pages that night. Turns out this nonfiction book that’s been on the NYT Best Sellers List forever is more gripping than a lot of the fiction I’ve been reading lately. Amazing testimony.

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    Monday Movie – The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

    So my sister and sister-in-law and I decided to go see a movie this last weekend. I so very rarely get to go out with them that I agreed to go see whatever they wanted. Beth wanted to see The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

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    It’s been more than a few years since I really loved a Matthew McConaughey movie. But I do love Jennifer Garner. And as I mentioned, I did really want to spend time with Hannah and Beth.

    Well, the girl-time was great! Laughing and giggling and eating of popcorn. The movie … well … not so great.

    I’d read a really terrible review of it the night before, so I was expecting something awful. And it wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great either … or even good. It was just okay. And it was frustrating to see that there were no consequences to Conner’s (played by McConaughey) promiscuous lifestyle except that he couldn’t be with Jenny (Garner) until he gave it up.  But at least there was a change in his character, a realization and change made, unlike some other recent chick flicks that drove me crazy.

    I don’t recommend this movie. Just the time with girlfriends.

    Already thinking about how much I’m going to miss hanging with the girls until next time. -LJ

    Friday Favorite – Firefly

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    I blame Jess Barnes. My current obsession with Joss Whedon’s Firefly is all her fault. Oh, and it might be the incredible stories, actors, and the fact that it’s a western set in space.

    That’s right. I said it’s A WESTERN SET IN SPACE!!!

    I know what you’re thinking. How could that be? For your consideration, I present the opening credits of this fabulous show.

    This cult favorite aired on Fox back in 2002 and was on air for only 11 episodes (or something like that–the dvd set has several unaired episodes). Set in the future as earth can no longer hold the number of humans, people have begun settling the planets and moons of a new solar system. But just like the old west, settling these new territories is savage and uncertain.

    Enter Captain Malcom Reynolds (played by a delightful Nathan Fillion) and the crew of his ship Serenity, a Firefly transport ship. These smugglers fight the rules of the Alliance, which they fought in the war years before. His crew includes Jayne (played by Chuck’s Adam Baldwin), a gun-loving guy with a penchant for getting in trouble and wearing terrible hats. Kaylee is the wide-eyed mechanic. Zoe, the first mate and an old friend of Mal’s from the war, and her husband Wash, the pilot, add both humor and depth. And of course, there’s Inara, a registered companion, who brings respectibility to the ship. Oh. Right. A companion is in fact a high end escort.

    It’s such a strange world that Joss Whedon has created, but it’s thrilling and unique and oh-so entertaining. They get around swearing by speaking in Chinese and have some of the best one-liners in any TV series. Smart and funny and filled with characters you can’t help but love. Mal is worth watching the entire show. Wash, his Hawaiian shirts, and the rest are just the icing on the cake.

    When the show was cancelled half way through its first season, Joss sought to wrap up the story lines in Serenity, a widely released feature film that was much more violent and lacked so much of the heart that I loved in Firefly. But it still had to be watched because you have to find out what happens.  Right?

    Jess, this is all your fault. Yours and Joss’s. So maybe you’re both in good company.

    Wishing I was in Mal’s company until next time. -LJ