Faithchick

Motorless Dreams

I’ve told you before that I’m afraid of airplanes. I’ve had this awful phobia as long as I can remember (and before, actually, since my mom remembers me as a toddler running into the house crying when a plane would go over.) This fear extends to airports and the inside (and outside) of airplanes. But look at me here. I put this picture on Facebook and titled it: Here’s Me. In an airplane. And not the least bit scared. And it’s true.

Now for the big secret behind that peaceful happy smile. This plane has no motor. No wheels. No go-power at all. It’s really just a restaurant now. And what’s scary about a restaurant? Nothing at all scary about the Parachute Inn at the airport in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, that’s for sure, unless you have an all-you-can-eat delicious fish and seafood phobia.

But when I was glancing through my photo album tonight and saw that picture, it hit me suddenly that the same thing is true with our dreams. We can have a big dream as long as it has no motor. That’s not frightening at all. You hear people all the time who talk of backpacking across Europe, becoming the next American Idol, or writing a best-selling novel. Usually these are motor-less dreams that are safe to sit around in, with no danger of them taking off.

I used to dream of being a writer. But then something happened. I started actually working toward it. One step at a time. It almost seemed like one day I woke up and realized someone had slipped around and put a motor in that dream. Then it got downright scary. Suddenly I was responsible for finishing manuscripts, juggling deadlines, and striving to get better with each story. I remember, back in 2001 when, I sold my first novella, how my legs trembled at the thought of standing on my own as a writer. Seven years later, they’re still a little wobbly sometimes.

Do you have a dream that has been idle for a long time? Why not get it out and examine it, decide if it’s worthy of a motor, and if you have the energy and faith to give it one? People will doubt you and discourage you. And some of what they say is true. There is so much more pain and fear involved when a dream takes flight. But no matter how bumpy the liftoff is, once you’re in the air, it’s an amazing view!

Christine Lynxwiler considers herself richly blessed to be living the crazy writer life with her husband and two daughters in the beautiful Ozarks of Arkansas. She sold her first Christian fiction story to Barbour Publishing in 2001. A four time winner of the ACRW/ACFW Book of the Year Award, she now has 12 books in print, including Arkansas, Promise Me Always, Forever Christmas, Death on a Deadline and her newest release, Along Came a Cowboy. She has two more on the way and recently signed a contract for a brand new six book series. Christine loves to laugh and when asked to choose a movie, almost always picks a comedy. A romantic comedy, of course. Or as her husband calls it, a chick flick.

This World is Not My Home

I’ve spent a lot of time being afraid. When I was young, I was afraid of the dark. Afraid of a noisy airplane flying over. Afraid of my mama leaving me. Then as I grew older, my fears matured slightly, but stayed basically the same. I became scared of being a social outcast. Terrified of heights. Worried about losing my boyfriend. As an adult, those by now familiar fears morphed into a fear of failure, fear of flying, and a fear of dying. With a few minor phobias sprinkled in for good measure – storms, spiders, and being disliked.

I know that according to 2 Timothy 1:7 “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” And I know that as I ask and believe more and more, God is taking these fears away. Occasionally the veil in front of my eyes slips and I can see clearly that this life really is a blink of an eye. And that all my fears revolve around this shadowy mist of a temporal life, not the forever one. With my head, I know there’s no death in heaven, no problem with heights, and definitely no failure. But my heart sometimes needs a reminder.

I’ve been getting such a reminder as I read my friend Kristy’s blog daily. Kristy Dykes is a successful Christian author who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer back in November and, with her husband Milton’s help, has kept an ongoing blog. I’m humbled, inspired, and incredibly uplifted by their words, even as the earthly picture grows bleaker. Kristy is faith personified. When I’m reading their blog, my own fears are illuminated for what they really are. Shallow and unsubstantial.

If you’ve never been to Kristy’s blog, I encourage you to check it out now. Click here to start back in November 2007 and read forward through today. She and her family need our prayers. And many of us need a dose of her faith.

Here’s to Kristy Dykes – a true faithchick.

Christine Lynxwiler considers herself richly blessed to be living the crazy writer life with her husband and two daughters in the beautiful Ozarks of Arkansas. She sold her first Christian fiction story to Barbour Publishing in 2001. In addition to her brand new release, Along Came a Cowboy, she now has 12 books in print, including Arkansas, Promise Me Always, and Forever Christmas. She's writing a three book cozy mystery series with her two sisters for Heartsong Presents Mysteries Book Club, and recently signed a contract for a brand new six book series from Barbour. Christine loves to laugh and when asked to choose a movie, almost always picks a comedy. A romantic comedy, of course. Or as her husband calls it, a chick flick.

Revolving Doors and Along Came a Cowboy

In an earlier blog on my website, I joked about taking out our front door and replacing it with a revolving one. Now that I'm actually living that crazy schedule, it doesn't seem so funny. Softball season is in full swing--five practices/games a week between our two daughters. And so is book release season--five booksignings in a two week period. Add in a couple of pressing deadlines, stir well and serve up with a heaping side of grace. Because that's the only way it's going to go down without causing major heartburn.

On a happier note, my new book Along Came a Cowboy is finally here. This book was a challenge for me on many levels. As I mention in my reader letter in the back, I slammed into a block while writing it. The time it should have taken me to write it stretched into twice that long. Finally I realized that the story was hitting a little too close to home with some issues I had about forgiving myself for adolescent mistakes--totally different mistakes than my heroine's, but regrets all the same. Isn't it funny how stories, our own or someone else's, can hit a nerve? I think that's what I love most about Christian fiction. I can read to escape, but I also grow.

Hoping you all have a delightful spring filled with (fairly painless) new growth! And no revolving doors.

Christine Lynxwiler considers herself richly blessed to be living the crazy writer life with her husband and two daughters in the beautiful Ozarks of Arkansas. She sold her first Christian fiction story to Barbour Publishing in 2001. She now has 12 books in print, including Arkansas, Promise Me Always, and Forever Christmas. She has 2 more on the way and recently signed a contract for a brand new six book series. Christine loves to laugh and when asked to choose a movie, almost always picks a comedy. A romantic comedy, of course. Or as her husband calls it, a chick flick.

Death on a Deadline

No, that title doesn't refer to how many authors feel when their current book is due. Death on a Deadline is my new Christian cozy mystery and it finally came in the mail! The thrill of holding a new release in my hands never goes away. This one is particularly exciting because I co-wrote Death on a Deadline with two of my sisters, first-time authors, Jan Reynolds and Sandy Gaskin. We had such a blast working together on this story. Holding the finished product, I can almost hear all the late-night giggling and plotting. It’s not easy to plot a workable mystery, I’ll tell you. But if you let your imagination run wild (an easy feat for us) and stay on track (a little harder) it can be done.

A lot of people ask what it’s like to write with other people, especially family. We love it! We depend on each other to fill in the gaps. I’m the more experienced writer, but Jan and Sandy, both avid mystery readers, have a feel for what works in a mystery. When it’s time to sit down and write, they’re able to translate that expertise into scenes that move the story forward and set up the clues necessary to solve the mystery. As far as we’re all concerned, it’s the perfect collaboration.

Death on a Deadline is the first in our three book series. It’s a premiere release for Heartsong Mysteries Bookclub—meaning if you join the club, you get our book and three others FREE. If you like mysteries, you can’t go wrong with their low monthly fee and four mysteries in your mailbox every month PLUS four free for joining. I can’t wait for my first shipment!

We had a premiere booksigning party this weekend at our little hometown newspaper and it was wonderful to watch our mama and daddy, both in their late eighties, beam as people congratulated them and us. They were so proud. Hopefully that makes up a little for all the grief I gave them when I was a teenager. ("See, Mama, I wasn't a hopeless slob. I didn't clean my room because I have a creative right brain!")

Christine Lynxwiler lives with her husband and two precious daughters in the beautiful Ozarks of Arkansas. She writes contemporary romance with humor and has authored several novels and novellas, including ARKANSAS, PROMISE ME ALWAYS, FOREVER CHRISTMAS, and her newest release, co-written with her sisters, Jan Reynolds and Sandy Gaskin, DEATH ON A DEADLINE. Her next full-length novel, ALONG CAME A COWBOY, will be released in May, 2008.

Cheering From the Midst of the Fray

In deadline land, things like messy bedrooms and piled up desks tend to come last. Most of the time, that’s as it should be. I need to just keep my rear glued to the chair and persevere. But sometimes—albeit rarely—when the words won’t come out like I want them to or the story seems to stop when I’m not yet done, I need to get away from the computer. Even more rarely in those times, I turn to making order out of chaos—organizing. Friday, I turned off my monitor and started on my desk. Inside and out. I’m ashamed to admit I gathered a black garbage bag full of garbage by the time the job was done.

My sister came to spend the day Saturday while our husbands hunted together and, bless her heart, she got sucked into helping with the rest of the bedroom. I would have quit long before it was done, but she cheered me on, not from the sidelines but from the middle of the fray. Sure, I felt a twinge of guilt that we weren’t doing something fun, but mostly I was relieved and thrilled to have help. And being together made it not so bad. (You thought I was going to say “made it fun”, didn’t you? I’m not THAT Pollyanna-ish.)

I realized something today when I looked at my clean bedroom. Having a cheerleader who is also a fellow worker is better than someone who just says, “You can do it.” In my case, as a writer, instead of just telling someone, “You can meet this deadline. The words will come soon.” I need to say “Send me your synopsis and your last scene and I’ll give you my opinion of why you’re stumped.” They may not want me to look at it, but I should at least sincerely offer something in the way of concrete help. This morning, our preacher touched on James 2:15, 16. “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”

There’s certainly nothing wrong with a cheery word of encouragement, but my goal this week? To substitute action for words whenever possible.

Christine Lynxwiler lives with her husband and two precious daughters in the beautiful Ozarks of Arkansas. She writes contemporary romance with humor and has authored several novellas, as well as ARKANSAS, PROMISE ME ALWAYS, and her newest release, FOREVER CHRISTMAS. She's currently working on ALONG CAME A COWBOY, to be released in May, 2008.