New Book Review: Chill Out, Josey! by Susan May Warren

Since attending my first writer’s conference this past fall, I have had an enormous stack of books sitting by my bedside waiting to be read. The wealth of talent, challenge, encouragement and fun was put in to them by many of the “dear” authors that I met!

Overwhelming stack or not, I jumped at the opportunity to blog on this new book by Susan! I didn’t know anything about the story, but Susan is one of those endearing writers that I actually had a chance to learn from. Ok, so we only met briefly and chatted, while she signed my fresh copy of “Reclaiming Nick”, but I came to appreciate Susan and her talent by attending a couple of her writing skill seminars.

The seminars were rich and witty, and full of vivid detail. So, I was excited to see if her books would match. Chill Out, Josey--does just that!!

Josey Anderson is a newly wed, happily intent on becoming the Proverbs 31 woman in this new role. Ideals set in place, Josey is sure she is on her way to “surpassing” as a wife. At least until the first wrinkle sets in—her husband accepts a job in Moscow, Russia. After all, that’s where she was working as a missionary when he up and followed her to proclaim his love! Josey isn’t so sure about going back. She’s ready to settle in to her dream house, with 2 kids and white picket fence. Didn’t her biblical mentor have all that?

Unexpected events, well kept secrets, and seductive co-workers keep Josey on her feet once they arrive. As her hopes and dreams seem to fly right back home to Minnesota with out her, panic begins to set in. “What’s the perfect wife to do?”

I invite you to enjoy this entertaining and delightful story. It made me giggle, as I recalled being intimidated myself, as a new bride, by the perfect Proverbs 31 woman! Yes, I finally got over that!! So, it was fun watching Josey mature into the woman God created her to be here, too! Nope, not her perfect plan…because His is even better. There’s a message here for all of us.

Susan is adept at teaching and encouraging you in a Christ honoring life, while you simply curl up for a fun read.

Having spent over 6 weeks in Russia for our various adoptions, I can attest to the description and humor that she brings on the life of an American in Russia. 

Susan talks about her experience behind writing the series, “I laugh that finally, I got to write about all the fallacies, all the frustrations, and all the foolishness of being a freshman missionary. Mostly, I got to write about the one thing that God taught me – that He’d been at work in my life to bring me to this place, and the places beyond, all my life. And that I didn’t have to be perfect. I just had to surrender and trust.”

Click here, to read more about Susan May Warren, and use THIS link or the one in my reading list to order Chill Out, Josey now!

Unveiled and Exposed!

NO, that is NOT the name of my book in progress...
rather, it is announcing a new recurring topic for my blog. Along with an ongoing candid look at the life and process of creating a "maiden" novel, I am finally announcing the title I've given this work in progress!!

The red curtain swings open, revealing....

"Passport to Paris"

Exposed.
Retired.
Replaced.
A talented British Intelligence Operative is left with
her past, the present, and a passport to Paris...
Texas that is!

Well, that's where I am right now, getting ready to schedule a trip to Paris, Texas!
There's not much to tell you about the writing stages I've gone through so far. Plenty of reading, endless studying, pages of writing, that haven't amounted to anything much yet.

After attending the conference last month, I narrowed down my next plan of action and took certain nuggets to heart...

---Author Susan Meissner shared in her workshop, "300 Pages in 30 Days", that the best thing to do in your prewriting stages, is to get all of the "obstacles" out of the way! Meaning have your research done on anything and everything imaginable beforehand, have a general "map" of where you want to go, and get your characters fully worked up-they are what drives the story and draws your readers in.

---I heard it more than once over the weekend, but it was the single piece of advice that was urged during a brief conversation with Jim Bell. "You just need to get it all out... write the whole thing down start to finish... you can deal with it from there."

---From Deb Raney I learned that it's ok to be afraid, and not to worry about "wanting to quit". "One page a day means you'll have a 365 page novel at the end of a year!"

My goals then?

Not to quit (yet)
Complete my prewriting (ie. obstacles gone) by the end of the year.
To write the whole thing down no matter how good or bad!
Finishing studying the stack of books on my desk (starting with Plot & Structure--what else do you advise, Jim?)

Anyhow, I'm sure it will be either painful or encouraging to watch, depending on your bent. If you're so inclined, please accept an invitation to view the inside workings of early novel writing, as I endeavor to expose the intimate details of my journey.

If you're a writer trying to get a fresh start on your word count hurry and join a group of like-minded individuals as we participate in Novel Inspirations "30 Days of Writing" with Lacy Williams. If you need sound tidbits of writers' advice sign up for Susan May Warren and Rachael Hauck's "Book Therapy" blog.

Cheers!