I have been invited to share on KRVR, a blogtalkradio program on November 7th. If you'd like to tune in, mark you calenders. The program takes place at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time, 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time, 4:00 p.m. Central Time, and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Here is the link: www.blogtalkradio.com/krvr. It is a half-hour program.
The link has also been embedded on my blog page. Look for it in the righthand column under the followers -- in case you mislay the link.
I'll be sharing a little bit about our missionary career as well as about Kondi's Quest, and why I chose to write a children's novel in an African context. The program will also be archived and there will be an MP3 download of the program available after the program airs.
I hope you'll listen in.
Preparing My Heart for Grandparenting
It is my joy to host Lydia Harris, a.k.a. Grandma Tea, on my blog. She's written a wonderful Bible study book about becoming the grandparent God wants each of us to be. I hope you'll enjoy visiting with her.
Although Lydia deals with health challenges, she's been a prolific writer for many years. Her first book, Preparing My Heart for Grandparenting, has just been released last fall.
Lydia is not only a writer, she's a teacher and contributor at many writing conferences. One of her favorite writing projects is her column, A Cup of Tea with Lydia, in the Country Register. That gives her and her husband Milt lavish opportunities to imbibe at tea rooms in the Northwest.
Welcome, Lydia.
Writing and Grandparenting
The study affirms grandparents in their important role, provides tools to become FANtastic grandparents, and helps them to pass on a legacy of faith. One grandmother wrote, “Your book has challenged me to think intentionally and to live purposefully in this new role.” The book makes a great gift for grandparents.
I’m thankful my husband and I live near our five grandkids, aged one to twelve, and can enjoy time with them. Even so, it takes planning to make it happen. I try to schedule time twice a month with my eight-year-old granddaughter for spiritual mentoring. And whenever possible, we attend our grandkids’ events or invite them to our home.
This week we had a first as we watched our middle-school-aged grandson play football with his school team. Go Jaguars! Another day, our kindergarten-aged grandson spent the afternoon. Since he has a vivid imagination, we looked for dinosaur footprints as we walked to the park. When we took him home, I told him when he turned sixteen and had a license I hoped he would drive over to visit me. “I will,” he promised.
Family Matters
After raising two children, God nudged me to write. I’ve written hundreds of book reviews, articles, columns, devotionals, recipes, and stories. I enjoy writing about tea, hospitality, prayer, family, and grandparenting. Together with my grandchildren, I create and test recipes, which are published in Focus on the Family’s children’s magazines.
Prayer as a Priority
Now with a published book, I also have speaking opportunities. I’m grateful that during these retirement years God still has plans for my life and continues to pour out his blessings. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (Psalm 23:6 KJV)
Please stop by my blog (www.PreparingMyHeart.net) and say hello. And if you or someone you know is a grandparent, consider my book as a gift. To God be the glory!
Blessings,
Although Lydia deals with health challenges, she's been a prolific writer for many years. Her first book, Preparing My Heart for Grandparenting, has just been released last fall.
Lydia is not only a writer, she's a teacher and contributor at many writing conferences. One of her favorite writing projects is her column, A Cup of Tea with Lydia, in the Country Register. That gives her and her husband Milt lavish opportunities to imbibe at tea rooms in the Northwest.
Welcome, Lydia.
Thanks for inviting me to guest blog on your site, Sylvia. I’m glad we met at the Oregon Christian Writers’ conference. Now we’ve both published our first books.
In Preparing My Heart for Grandparenting, I’ve combined my passion for grandparenting and my calling to write. My book is a Bible study for new and experienced grandparents, but it’s not your typical study. Although full of scripture, it also contains practical and creative ideas to share fun and faith with grandkids. I interviewed dozens of grandparents like you, Sylvia. So the book includes their stories and quotes as well as my twelve years of hands-on grandparenting.
I’m the youngest of eight children, and family has always been important to me. All my siblings are Christians, and we spoke German in our home when growing up. At the end of each day, we gathered for “Schluss” as a family to sing hymns, read the Bible, and kneel to pray—all in German.
Prayer is an important part of my life. I joined a Moms In Touch prayer group over twenty years ago and still pray weekly with mothers, now grandmothers. I also organize family prayer times for our extended family. We regularly share prayer requests by e-mail. Family members who live in the greater Seattle area meet about six times a year for family prayer times. In Preparing My Heart for Grandparenting, I’ve included several lessons on prayer along with exciting prayer tools.
Grandma Tea
An added note from Lydia: For any in the greater Seattle area, I wanted to mention that this Saturday, Oct. 1, I'll be at Lifeway Christian Bookstore in Tukwila signing my book from 11 a.m.to 1 p.m. Lifeway is also sponsoring kids' events, includingVeggieTales, at the same time. Please bring your kids and grandkids for a fun time. You might even get to meet a couple of my wonderful grandkids!
Guest posts
Today is the first day of my blog tour. Perhaps you'd like to know more about Malawi and also about how Kondi's Quest came into being. I'm being hosted today by two blogs: http://www.authorculture.blogspot.com/ and http://danapratola.webs.com/apps/blog/ I highly recommend subscribing to being a follower of these blogs. Enjoy!
Kondi's Quest book launch
Today, Wednesday, August 17th, is the day for the debut of my book, Kondi's Quest. I would like to create a sales surge -- a marketing ploy to bring my book closer to the front of the ranks on Amazon. If you had planned to purchase Kondi's Quest, you would help me by buying at least one book today. My rank yesterday was over 1 million. This morning, at about 10:30, it was down to about 130,000. (The closer one's rank is to number one, the better. A lower rank means more visibility for those who don't know me or my book.) Thank you for considering buying Kondi's Quest today.
KONDI'S QUEST LAUNCHES ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17th
Kondi's Quest launches on Wednesday, August 17th! This has been a 24-year journey. I'm thankful to the Lord, in awe at His goodness, that Kondi's Quest is finally ready to fascinate pre-teens and speak to them about God's goodness and love. I have attached both front and back covers.
I would like to create a sales surge on Amazon.com If any of you planned to purchase there, would you order them on Wednesday, August 17th? I'd sure appreciate that. Here's the reasoning behind this: Amazon rates each book according to sales. The more sales you have, the closer you come to "the front of the line." The closer you are to the front of their pages of listed books, the more likely you are to make more sales from people who don't know you but are looking for a good book. I'll appreciate your helping me in this way. A sales surge is very effective.
For those of you who plan to buy a signed copy from my website, I'm set up to accept payments now. I'll be delighted to sign a copy for you. The price is $12.00 with $2.50 for shipping. My shipment of books should arrive this week, so I hope there won't be a long delay for you.
Now is a great time to buy Christmas gifts for all the pre-teens on your list. Also, you might think of homeschooling moms and their kids. Kondi's Quest is not only a fun story, it has a lot of interesting tid-bits about a new culture. For instance, men are not welcome in a Malawian kitchen and an owl hooting nearby is not a good sign.
Best wishes for happy reading and sharing.
I would like to create a sales surge on Amazon.com If any of you planned to purchase there, would you order them on Wednesday, August 17th? I'd sure appreciate that. Here's the reasoning behind this: Amazon rates each book according to sales. The more sales you have, the closer you come to "the front of the line." The closer you are to the front of their pages of listed books, the more likely you are to make more sales from people who don't know you but are looking for a good book. I'll appreciate your helping me in this way. A sales surge is very effective.
For those of you who plan to buy a signed copy from my website, I'm set up to accept payments now. I'll be delighted to sign a copy for you. The price is $12.00 with $2.50 for shipping. My shipment of books should arrive this week, so I hope there won't be a long delay for you.
Now is a great time to buy Christmas gifts for all the pre-teens on your list. Also, you might think of homeschooling moms and their kids. Kondi's Quest is not only a fun story, it has a lot of interesting tid-bits about a new culture. For instance, men are not welcome in a Malawian kitchen and an owl hooting nearby is not a good sign.
Best wishes for happy reading and sharing.