@amblogging – Rebekah Lyn Books

He Hideth My Soul

Welcome to the He Hideth My Soul blog tour with one of my favorite people, Faith Blum! For those of you who don’t know Faith, she is a 20-something newly married author of multiple books in various genres. She loves to write, read, play piano, knit, crochet, sew, watch movies, and spend time with her husband. She lives in Wisconsin in a small town with her husband and cat where she can write to her heart’s content during the day. Faith’s goal in her writing is to encourage Christians in their walk with Christ.

About He HIdeth My Soul

He’s never had the courage to love anyone…

The only thing Otis Miller has ever wanted to be is a doctor and he wants to be the best. A surprise talk with his Aunt Eleanor days before his twenty-first birthday leads to a visit from his grandfather’s lawyer and the discovery that he is the heir to a large fortune. With all the papers signed, Otis heads to Chicago to follow his dream.

After graduating from Jenner Medical School, Otis goes to the mine he owns in Colorado to see how things are and to provide medical care for everyone in town. He finds horrible working conditions and learns to make difficult decisions that will be best for all

Will Otis learn to let God cover him in the depths of His love? Can Otis hide in God’s presence whenever he doesn’t know where to go next?

Note: 50% of my income from this series will go to the World Orphans organization

I thought you might enjoy a short except.

Otis spent the day putting Dr. Benson’s office back in order. He was a very good doctor, but not at all good at organizing or keeping things organized. Otis often wondered how Dr. Benson survived before he started helping.

He finished what he could and headed to the stage office. As usual, it was a little late.

Two men stepped off the stage, and Otis looked at first one, then the other. Which one was the lawyer? One was rotund and older and the other thin, wiry, and looked to be a little older than him.

“Mr. Parker?” Otis asked.

The thin, wiry man with slicked down, dark-brown hair looked his way, smiled slightly, and held out his hand. “You must be the fortunate Otis Miller.”

Otis nodded and winced inwardly at his tight grip. “I am.”

“Nice to meet you. Is there a respectable sleeping establishment around here?”

“You have a couple of choices,” he answered. “There is a boarding house, a small hotel, or the family who raised me since Pa died offered to house you if you’d like. It is out of town on a ranch, so I wasn’t sure which you would prefer.”

“I think I would prefer the boarding house. No offense to you or your family.”

Otis smiled. “None taken. I’ll take your bag and we can go.”

“Thank you. When can we meet to go over the inheritance? Miss Miller did mention it to you, correct?”

They walked and talked at the same time. “Yes, she did. I’m sure you are tired, so tomorrow morning will be fine.”

He nodded. “Thank you. That is extremely considerate of you. And with it being a Saturday tomorrow, Miss Miller can join us if you would like.”

“Can my brothers and sisters come, too, if they want? And Mr. Brookings?”

“Of course.”

Otis paused at the walkway to the boarding house. “Is this respectable enough?”

He looked it over. “For a two-bit cowtown, yes.”

Faith is giving away three prizes! The grand prize is a paperback of her new book. First and second prizes are both an eBook of He Hideth My Soul. Enter for the chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to visit all the stops on the blog tour to learn more about He Hideth My Soul and another chance to enter the drawing!

February 20

Bookish Orchestrations – Introduction Post

Creating Romance – Book Spotlight

Rachel Rossano’s Words – Book Spotlight

February 21

Letters from Annie Douglass Lima – Book Spotlight

Rebekah Lyn Books – Book Spotlight

February 22

Ruth’s Real Life – Book Spotlight

Kandi J Wyatt, Where Fantasy and Reality Meet – Book Spotlight

February 23

With a Joyful Noise – Review

God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae – Book Spotlight

February 24

Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections – Post from the author

February 26

Bookish Orchestration – Giveaway winner post

Writing~What is Easy What is Hard

Mary Harwell Sayler, doyenne of Christian Poets and Writers has asked writers to tell her what we find easiest about writing and what is hardest for us. I’ve been thinking the questions over and I’d like to tell her these things.

Blogs are easy for me, though I’m sure she’s not asking what genres we like or don’t like. But I’ll tell you why I find blogs such a pleasure to write. Like journaling they let me re-live good experiences twice. Take the blogs I wrote today: one was about going to see the “Gone With The Wind Exhibit” in Orlando on my birthday and one was about a fall Saturday when I got a lot out of ordinary things. Both of these will be on www.oldthingsrnew.com on a Monday at some point.

I’m going to get a new phone one of these day with a really good camera because I’ve discovered that whether I go out for a meal, take a walk, or finish a piece of artwork, it’s probably going to flow from my brain and heart in a blog and I’m going to want pictures. Quite likely if I don’t take notes, I’ll wish I had those too. All my senses are keener when I know I’ll want to write about the experience, and I’m convinced I enjoy things twice as much. While things are happening my brain is recording. I see a string of third graders riding bikes on the trail and ask their leaders what’s going on as they pass. I count the children – eighteen. When I got to a neighborhood yard sale, I want to tell who I saw, what I bought, and the reasons for everything. Once I got overly nosy like a real reporter, and got “thrown out” of a big library. I wanted to know about all the homeless people I saw hanging about. I thought it was great that they had a splendid place to be in the daytime. The woman at whose desk I sat to ask my questions apparently thought I was there to make trouble. I can’t talk about that she said primly and clamped her mouth shut. I said, “Oh, okay,” and left. Now, I’m more interested than ever, of course, but I won’t pursue it as a real reporter might.

Memoir, blogs, experiences, descriptions are the easiest things for me, the hardest task comes when I’m writing a novel and must come up with a new scene. What happens next? Then my imagination groans and labors like an old furnace starting up after a halcyon summer off.

Everything we do has hard and easy parts to it, we do it anyway, especially if we are called to it and have found that we love it. So that’s my answer for Mary Harwell Sayler’s question. I’m glad I was inspired to think it through. Thanks, Mary.

I’m Beginning to Figure it Out

Things are coming together for my art now, things I couldn’t figure out before. It’s difficult for me to write and do art on the same pages, but now I think I’ll go ahead and take some of my Biblical paraphrases from my regular journal and put them in my visual one with drawings and beautiful colors. They’re just the ticket when I need something to remind me of God’s love and lift me out of the doldrums.

I have several unused, mixed-media visual journals, Strathmore makes different sizes. I’ve used the “8” x “12” and the “8” x “5” trying to decide which one I like best, and I’m now getting ready to use the “8” x “5”. They will receive wet or dry media, so they’ll be fine for what I need.

Meanwhile, as I wait for my new books to come in the mail, I’m reading one I didn’t really like too much at first. After I’ve read a few pages I have to jump up and get to work (I mean get to playing). I’m so excited and so happy. I’m going to have a bit more vacation, and when I get back into the Go West drafts, I’m going to have visual journaling as a well-established habit so I won’t lose it again. Oh, and here’s really good news. I’ve prayed for years to be able to give up TV at night, but I had to watch just about everything I could find on Netflix at least twice before I got bored enough to give it up. I felt in my bones that I could spend my time better doing art or just about anything in the evenings including reading and going to bed earlier. I’m loving it.

Here’s a page of paraphrasing from my regular journal. You’ve probably seen things like this before. Some call it personalizing, others call it dialoguing with God. This kind of writing comforts me and lifts me.

Beloved:

Anyone who signs up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times. I’m here, helping you through them – getting you out of them, and making you stronger and making your faith stronger as you go. You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased. I am with you all the way.” I believe that is the Holy Spirit talking to me, and it’s not about whether to write or paint, but about my relationship with Him.

After I wrote that I went on to write about the beginning of the day.

“The light out here on the porch is gorgeous today! There’s a kind of gold in all the green. A pileated woodpecker flies over cuck-cucking his loud call, and then, as if he needs more notice, wings over again seeking attention by flapping around and making a lot of noise.

Other than that, the morning is still except for work-time and tourist traffic up on I-95, a blue jay’s “swearing,” a squirrel’s “purring” itself back to sleep, the AC, a train, and a private airplane overhead. I have my own Classic Solo Piano station going (Pandora) and the music is so beautiful, I feel expansive and grateful. Thanks for reading this blog.

My End Time

We’ve been talking with our grown kids about the end times—our end times. We’re not going to live forever—surprise, surprise, and we want things to be as easy for them as possible when either of us goes, especially their last parent, whichever that may be. We’ve written a simple will and had it checked out with our lawyer, even though there’s not a lot to leave.

The next question is whether to write specific directions for special things we own (special to us, not necessarily to them). Since I hadn’t come to a decision about my journals, I talked that over with my family again. I have a hundred journals and counting.

As I wrote, I was conscious that someone might read them someday. When the “kids” were honest, though, they didn’t want them. Such tomes from a parent would be hard reading for any kid and it really isn’t the kind of reading either of them cares for. Besides, we’re all trying to de-clutter as well as we can and the journals take up quite a bit of room. I completely agreed and understood, and surprisingly I was relieved instead of hurt.

After more thought and prayer, I got some insight about my true feelings. Until our son and daughter were perfectly honest with me, I hadn’t been honest with myself. I got up one morning with the decision to read the journals through and then shred them. I hadn’t realized how worried I’d been for years about dying suddenly and someone being hurt by them. You see besides writing good things, I figure everything out by writing. I analyze people, and share any questions or puzzlements I may have about life—with God. I complain all I want to and at times, I beat myself up about my own shortcomings. That’s all quite boring and I wouldn’t want anyone to have to wade through it.

So what I’m feeling now is anticipation. I’ll keep writing in journals and I’ll keep them to re-read as long as I want, but near the end, if I have any idea it’s coming, I’ll do what my mother did when she was ninety and shred all the evidence. Apparently, it’s a fun thing for a ninety-year-old to do. If I leave a separate writing, I’ll simply ask that the journals be disposed of or the materials recycled in some way. That could be as simple as taking them to work and asking if they can be added to the company’s shredding plan.

As for leaving something—I have written the promises God gave me for the family in a small red velvet book. All the promises came true. Whoo! I’ve had another small book for a long time someone might like. That’s enough. Families have each other’s genes, traits, loves, and joys. They care—and they remember deep down in their souls. That’s more than enough.

God gives peace.