Did you grow up reading Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley books? Did you read about Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield’s earliest adventures in the Sweet Valley Twins series? My sister and I sure did. In fact we read them with our cousin Sarah and–dare I admit–even had a secret club like the girls in the books. We loved those books. And we wanted to love the Sweet Valley High books–but we weren’t allowed to. 🙂 In fact, to this day, I don’t think I’ve ever read a Sweet Valley High book. But I sure did watch the tv show when it was on when I was in high school.

As much as I loved these books as a kid, I’d all but forgotten about these books until I opened my Entertainment Weekly recently and saw this.

Sweet Valley Confidential, which released in March, catches up with our favorite twins and their classmates in their late 2os. The romances are new, the girls are grown up, but the drama is the same!

So a quick glance at Amazon reveals that the reviews haven’t been kind. Inner 12-year-old girls have spoken out about their disappointment. No one expected a great work of literature, I think. But sadly it’s not even meeting the most basic hopes for a lot of fans.

Okay, so I won’t be running out to pick up a copy of Sweet Valley Confidential any time soon. But it did get me thinking about some of the YA books that I loved as a kid and would like to see a Ten Years Later sequel to. My top three:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Okay, so I didn’t read these as a kid, but I sure would love to know what happened to Katniss 10 years after (more than the very short epilogue).
2. The Sadie Rose series by Hilda Stahl – this series followed the prairie adventures of a girl who was forced to move into a soddy when her father dies and her mom remarries.
3. The American Girls books – I loved them as a kid, and I would love to hear what happened to Samantha and Molly and Kirsten.

Honorable mention: Why Harry Potter, of course! I want to read about how Ron proposed. 🙂

What books do you wish they’d write a Ten Years Later sequel to?

I received a review copy of Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a RIDICULOUSLY Good Life by Nick Vujicic several months ago. And I thought that it would be a book that I would dive right into. I figured I’d have no trouble just sailing through it, but for some reason that I’m pretty sure has way more to do with me than with the book, I’ve really struggled to get to the end.

And it’s not that this is not a really great book. This autobiography is an amazing tail. Nick was born about thirty years ago with no arms and no legs. And Nick’s story is incredible. A life that could have and should have been defined by limits is actually an incredible tail of a life lived to the extreme. This is a man who has traveled the world, speaks in front of millions of people, and has even surfed with Bethany Hamilton (the young surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack). 

The point then becomes, how are you letting your daily challenges keep you from living life to the fullest? Especially when compared with a life that is filled with unique challenges.

I really loved the last chapter, “Make Giving Your Mission.” Nick’s closing statements are all about making a difference, loving others, and leaving a legacy of kindness. From small, random acts of kindness to lives like Mother Teresa, these make a difference. And not just in the lives the you’re reaching out to. “When you step outside yourself and your own concerns to reach out for others, it will change you. You will be humbled. You will be inspired.” (p. 220)

If you’re looking for a reminder of why you were created to be uniquely you and that you were created to live an abundant life, Life Without Limits will fit the bill. While it’s filled with stories of the people that Nick has met in his travels, I found their stories less compelling than other books I’ve read. Sadly I didn’t find it the page-turner that I hoped it would be. I recommend it as a book to pick up in bits and pieces for a quick bit of encouragement when you need it.

*Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, so I’ve never been in a production of Cinderella. And I’ve never been asked to be a godmother to anyone’s children. But last weekend … well, I got to play a little part in the Fairy Godmother Project of Music City.

If you’ve never heard about this program, it’s pretty cool! This group collects gently used prom and bridesmaid dresses and then shares them with girls who can’t afford a new dress for their upcoming prom. My sweet friend, Katie invited me to join her for a couple hours of volunteering last Saturday, and it was awesome!

My job was to help out with the check-in and check-out process. Except they really didn’t need me to help with the check-in, so I took on the job of making sure the dresses were ready to go as the girls left–aka, covering them with dress bags. And when I realized it took me a solid 2 minutes to get a ready (torn off the roll and open) I realized it helped to have a couple on my arm, ready and waiting. This earned me a nickname pretty quickly. The Bag Lady.

But I sure didn’t mind the moniker. I had the perfect view of the girls walking between racks of colorful dresses and as they modeled them for friends and family. It was so fun to see the shy girls walk in. As soon as they tried on the right dress, they became princesses, lighting up the whole gym.

I love this video slideshow of the girls from last week. I hope they all have AMAZING proms!

And girls in Nashville aren’t the only ones who might need help affording a prom dress this year. If you have an old dress just sitting in the back of your closet, would you consider checking to see if there is a Fairy Godmother or Cinderella project in your area? I promise. You could make someone’s prom!

So this weekend I finally sat down to start Downton Abbey. Have you heard of this? Well, if you’ve followed me on Facebook, then you’ve certainly seen the discussion that this early 20th Century period drama has fostered. Set just after the sinking of the Titanic, the household at Downton Abbey is in a uproar, as the two closest heirs to the estate were on the unsinkable ship. Who will step in as the heir? And what secrets does the house staff hold?

In the tradition of Gosford Park and classic BBC period dramas, comes this much-hated (because it ends on a cliffhanger, and the second part won’t release until next year!), beautifully made and amazingly acted!

Although I’m just a couple episodes into the first part, I’m thoroughly enjoying Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, and a host of amazing actors, beautiful costumes, and a thoroughly compelling plot. I recommend this with one caveat … It has a short interlude that may not be appropriate for children, so let’s label this one PG-13.

Okay, so I don’t really have writer’s block. But I do have a terrible case of I-can’t-seem-to-finish-my-series-proposal! Symptoms include watching incredible amounts of television (and/or movies), playing computer games, sleeping long hours, googling character names, brainstorming other book ideas, and in worst case scenarios, doing laundry.

You see I have this book proposal that I’ve been telling my editor about since July of last year. Seven months ago I came up with an idea for a book–actually it was a three book series–and she loved it! She thought it sounded great and asked me to put my proposal together right away. I promised to do just that. And then I got derailed by a proposal for a Christmas novella and then writing said novella. But still I knew I needed to get the Love Inspired Suspense series proposal done. Mostly because my editor and agent continue peppering me with quesitons about when they’ll be able to see it.

So what’s the hold up? Well, that’s a really good question. And one that I want an answer to. So between watching television and reading e-mails this weekend I thought about what has made me put this one off. And then it hit me.

I’m a little bit scared. Seriously. This realization left me with that little knot in my stomach that took another four episodes of Life for me to unwind.

All right. I’m joking a little bit here. So let’s get serious for a second.

This fear thing is real. You know what I mean. It starts small. Just a little voice niggling in your mind. What if this book isn’t as good as your last one? What if your ideas copy a book that you read years ago? What if you’ve lost your talent? What if you never even had any talent?

They start as questions. Start as quandries that you can answer. Can respond to. Until that voice in your head starts making statements. No way will your new book be as good as the last. Of course, that won’t take much, since the last one was crap anyway.

And then the worst. You begin believing those statements and repeating them to yourself. The voice in your head becomes your own. And then it becomes the voices of the ones you trust and respect. It begins to sound like your editor and your agent and your mom and sister. And despite the reviews and kind words and encouragement, those words of fear become your truth. Became my truth.

So that’s it. I’m afraid. But I have good news for myself and anyone else who struggles with this.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10, NIV)

The truth is that me + fear=writer’s block. The great news is I don’t have to be afraid. And neither do you.

I’m diving back into my proposal. What are you diving into?