Faithchick

His peace and your prayers

I'm grateful today for God's peace and His grace. He has filled me with both for a time such as this.

Two days ago we learned that my mom has lung cancer.

We don't know the prognosis yet because there are still other tests to be run and doctors to be consulted, treatments to be discussed, etc. However, in the midst of all this uncertainty, He has supernaturally filled me with His peace, which is enabling me to cope and handle this without hysteria.

I was supposed to be on a plane to Atlanta today and my first ever Chi Libris retreat--which I'd been eager and excited to attend--and then ICRS, but circumstances (financial and otherwise) compelled me to cancel over a month ago. Now I see all the more clearly why.

And I'm so glad I'm here instead.

I humbly ask for your prayers for my mom (Bettie) and our family at this time. We don't know what the future holds, but--sorry for the cliche--we know who holds the future. Please pray too that our Heavenly Father fills my mother with His peace and comfort as well.

Thank you, faithchicks.

Laura (www.laurajensenwalker.com)

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

Where does that saying come from, anyway? That one and "Burning the midnight oil"?

Whatever. Wherever. I don't really care :) It's a rhetorical question.

Anyway, that's what I'm doing right now as I close in on the final couple days before my deadline. (Especially because my kind and understanding editor--hi, Andy!--graciously gave me an extension when we were hit with an unexpected and frightening family health crisis; my sister's heart attack and subsequent ICU stay, and my writing--and everything else--naturally came to a screeching halt.) She's doing GREAT now, thank you, Lord!

But now that extended deadline is just around the corner and I'm living, eating, drinking, breathing the book. No time for anything else: laundry, cleaning the house (hah! On deadline? In what universe?) grocery shopping (thank goodness for Chinese takeout and Trader Joe's turkey chili) answering the phone (not happening unless it's an emergency) walking the dog (I do let her out in the back yard though) yada, yada, yada, or friends and family. (Thank you for understanding the crazy world of a writer in her deadline cave.)

My long-suffering, creative Renaissance-man husband Michael, more than anyone else, understands. And I'm more grateful than I can say. Especially since today is his BIRTHDAY--happy birthday, honey!--and we're delaying our celebration until after my book is turned in. How's that for sweet, sacrificial love on his part? (Hope the massage tonight after work--with the massage therapist--makes up a little for my wifely neglect, honey.) Looking forward to making it up to you with a wonderful home-cooked meal and whatever else you desire once the book is done :) Whoops. Didn't mean to make this R-rated. Blushing now.

Time to get back to the book before I embarrass myself--or my sweet husband--further. (Prayers--for flying fingers, inspired words, and that candle not to burn out before I finish--appreciated.)

Laura Jensen Walker is the deadline-crazed author of Daring Chloe (A Paperback Girls Book Club Getaway, Zondervan, June 2008) Miss Invisible, Reconstructing Natalie, and several other books. Please visit her website at www.laurajensenwalker.com

Potpourri

Too many things going on and crowding my overloaded brain this morning, so am offering up a potpourri of random thoughts instead of my usual insightful, deep and spiritually dense commentary. (And I'm in a bit of a snarky mood, so consider yourselves warned :)

• Is anyone else as over American Idol as I am? I didn't watch it this week, and have probably only watched it three times this entire season. In the immortal words of Randy Jackson, "I'm just not feelin' it, dawg." Not sure if it's because it's the worst year ever (Sanjaya, anyone?) or because the 'talent' show I once loved and wouldn't miss for anything has finally runs it course. Or maybe it's because I had some major family traumas going on when the season first started, so Idol took an obvious back seat.  Way back. And as a result, I've never connected with anyone in the top 12. (From the little I've seen, Jordin and Melinda have the best voices.) But honestly? I just don't care. I'm so done with it. (Instead, I think I'll just go listen to Jennifer Hudson blow every other Idol contestant out of the water on my Dreamgirls soundtrack. And when that's over, I'll stick in Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel" or Martina McBride's "This One's for the Girls."*) Never thought it would happen, but I'm turning a little bit country in my old age. Move over, Marie Osmond.
• Tuesday night I went with my Patrick Swayze-loving sister to see a 20th anniversary viewing of Dirty Dancing at the movies (where she wore her Patrick Swayze T-shirt that says "Patrick, my Patrick.") The theater was full of--mostly middle-aged--women and three brave guys who came with their wives or girlfriends. Very fun girls night out. I'd forgotten how hot Patrick was in that movie! (Operative word being was. I saw him on a talk show last year and his face was stretched so tight and shiny I was afraid it might pop.) Snark. Honestly? It made me sad. Nothing wrong with getting older and a little worn around the edges. Give me a craggy-faced man with laugh lines, wrinkles, and graying hair any day. (Trivia: Remember how quirky and adorable Jennifer Grey was/looked in that movie? Fabulous hair. Anyway, after she got her nose fixed, she all but disappeared from Hollywood. Buh-bye quirkiness and individuality.) Sigh.
• Mini-Rant: Please, California drivers, STOP TALKING or texting on your cell phone when you're: changing lanes on the freeway, turning left into the grocery store, taking your kids to school or pulling out of a parking lot into TRAFFIC. It's not all about you and your conversation. There are other people on the road. Doing a little thing called driving. And we don't want to wind up in the ER (especially now that it's going off the air.) Anyone with me on this? Anyone?

Going to eat some breakfast now. Maybe once I have food and a little caffeine (PG Tips tea, not coffee) in me, I won't be so cranky. Pray for me.

-Laura p.s. Can you tell I'm on deadline and have out-of-town relatives arriving today for a short visit and I still need to vacuum, dust, and shower and I'm also helping coordinate/decorate/flower-arrange, etc. my niece's wedding next week. No stress.

*Yes, I know Martina wasn't an Idol contestant, but she was a guest artist this season and I just love her great girls anthem.

The woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed-today Laura Jensen Walker is the author of several books, both non-fiction and fiction, including the recently released, Miss Invisible. Her other chick-lit novels include Reconstructing Natalie, Dreaming in Black & White, and Dreaming in Technicolor. Please visit her fun and non-ranting website at www.laurajensenwalker.com

Sisters

I didn't post last month--completely forgot because my family was in the midst of a scary health crisis. My only sister, who is just one year older than me, had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully (thank you, Lord!) my nephew (her son) was home at the time and gave her CPR, saving her life.

The next ten days while my sister was on a ventilator in ICU fighting for her life were the most terrifying I think I've ever known. Much more frightening than when I was fighting cancer--and potentially for my own life--fifteen years ago. It's an awful, terrible feeling when you see someone you love hooked up to so many machines and you're powerless to do anything to help. Except pray. And pray. And pray. And be there.

My sister and I were very close when we were little--slept in the same canopy bed with lilac forget-me-nots, said our "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayers together, and would sing together at family gatherings, pretending we were the next Lennon Sisters. (I'm really dating myself here :) But over the years, and for a variety of reasons (geography, life choices, different paths, family politics, blah, blah, blah) that closeness disappeared.

It returned in a heartbeat when Lisa's heart stopped.

It felt as if my own heart were being ripped from my chest each time I'd go in that ICU room and see my sister hooked up to all those tubes and machines, her eyes closed. The day those beautiful eyes opened was a day of much rejoicing. And great thankfulness.

This Easter, as we celebrate our Lord's resurrection, I'll also be celebrating how He saved my precious sister and brought her back from the brink of death. And resurrected our relationship. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Lord. Abba. Father.

Gratefully in Him,

Laura

Laura Jensen Walker is the younger sister of Lisa and the author of the recently released Miss Invisible (Nelson, March 2007). Her other novels include Reconstructing Natalie, Dreaming in Black & White, and Dreaming in Technicolor. Please visit her website at www.laurajensenwalker.com

Shout out to Tyra Banks!

Let's hear it for Tyra Banks!

Today on her talk show (which I missed, but caught a clip of online) the former supermodel took on the tabloids who have been in a feeding frenzy recently over unflattering photos taken of her walking down a beach in a bathing suit. The headlines over the photos blazed mean, hateful things like 'Tyra Porkchop' and 'America's Next Top Waddle' (a reference to her reality TV show, 'America's Next Top Model.') Tyra had the courage to appear on her show today in that same bathing suit to set the record straight about her size. Props to you, girl!

Also, this week's People magazine has Tyra on the cover in a red, one-piece bathing suit that calls to mind the curvy pin-up girls of the '40s and '50s, Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe--without all the blondeness--next to a headline that asks, 'You Call This Fat?' Tyra's current weight of 161 lbs is also listed above a quote from her that reads "I still feel hot."

You are, Tyra! In fact, even moreso than in your modeling heyday when you were 30 pounds thinner. (By the way, Tyra stands 5'10", so 160 on her is more like 125-130 on a woman of average height.)

I don't know about all of you faithchicks, but I am SO tired of seeing anorexic-looking model and Hollywood types who have to wear a size zero or 1 to be considered beautiful. What kind of message is that sending to young girls? Enough is enough! And that's one of the reasons Tyra took a public stand against the hurtful media reports. She says that she gets so much mail from young fans who say they look up to her because she's not as skinny as everyone else.

You go, Tyra! And you too, America Ferrera from Ugly Betty. (Love her!) And 'my' Jennifer Hudson (my favorite former American Idol contestant who's winning much-deserved awards left and right for her full-bodied, full-voiced, knock-it-out-of-the-park powerhouse performance in Dreamgirls. If you haven't seen it yet, run don't walk, to the nearest movie theater to see a star being born. I guarantee you'll get goosebumps when she sings "And I am Telling You...")  But I digress :)

It's about time that real women with real curves are being portrayed on the small and large screens. Are you listening, Hollywood? That's what we want to see. Most American women are not size 0's. They're not even size 2's or 4's. Your average American woman is a size 12 or 14 (or more :)

That's why I wrote "Miss Invisible" my chick lit novel releasing next month--about a 'plus-size' (altho she hates that term :) single woman who feels invisible due to her size. I wanted to write something for those women who have struggled with body image--to hopefully show them that no one is invisible to God. He loves us no matter what we weigh.

Let's make sure we share that message with our daughters and nieces and all the young girls in our lives. And thank you, again, Tyra, America and Jennifer for being such welcome body-image role models to our young women today. You women rock!

Laura Jensen Walker is the non-size-zero author of the upcoming Miss Invisible (WestBow, March 2007). Her other novels include Reconstructing Natalie (Women of Faith Novel of the Year) Dreaming in Black & White, and Dreaming in Technicolor. Please visit her website at www.laurajensenwalker.com

Under the Weather

Okay, so I wanted to start the New Year off right with a fabulously stimulating, deeply spiritual, witty, yet oh-so-profound post that would inspire everyone who read it to glorious heights of creativity and deep introspection...

Unfortunately, I'm under the rainy weather with a stopped-up nose, sore throat, runny eyes and all the other attractive physical attributes that come with a yucky winter cold. Including the loss of coherent, cogent thinking ability.

So instead, if you don't mind, I'm going to go heat up some Campbell's chicken noodle soup, curl up under a warm quilt with my latest P.D. James (The Lighthouse) for as long as my runny eyes will let me read, and then take a nap. My brilliant and creative insights will have to wait 'til my next post.

What do you do when you're sick? To me, there's nothing better than curling up with a good English murder mystery. And James is a master of the genre.

Happy 2006! (I mean 2007! Told ya my mind's not working properly today.)

Laura Jensen Walker is the author of Reconstructing Natalie (Women of Faith Novel of the Year) Dreaming in Black & White and Dreaming in Technicolor. Her fourth novel, Miss Invisible, releases in March, 2007. Look for the first title in her new Paperback Girls chick lit series in Summer/Fall 2008.

New Beginnings

Today, after a three-month writing sabbatical that the Lord knew I desperately needed (during which time we also moved my mom into our home and I was busily promoting Reconstructing Natalie at Women of Faith conferences) I'm excited to be starting work on a brand new book! And not only a new book, but a new chick-lit series--The Paperback Girls Adventure Club (with Zondervan. Not sure if that will remain the series title or not, but that's what we're starting with.)

Who are The Paperback Girls, you might ask? They're a women's book club made up of mostly twenty-and-thirty-somethings, but with a couple older women thrown in for good mentoring measure.  The Paperback Girls are not your average book club where the members read the monthly selection and then discuss it over food and drink. No, the Paperback Girls decide to live out some of the adventures they read about in their eclectic book club picks (i.e., sailing, snorkeling, horseback riding, mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, traveling to exotic places, etc.) The first book in the series is Daring Clementine (my heroine goes by 'Clemmie'--a name I heard and fell in love with when we were vacationing in Britain this past summer. Not sure if that will remain the final title either, but for now, that's it :)

Anyway, after several back-to-back deadlines in a row for the past several years (coupled with some family health issues) I was exhausted and worn out and really needed a break. And the Lord graciously gave it to me at the exact time I needed it--when we realized Mom needed to find a new living situation. During that break from writing, I was able to help my mother downsize and pack, we added a new sun room onto our house and made some other adjustments to our home to make it more comfortable for her. If I'd been on deadline, I couldn't have done all that. God's timing is always perfect.

But now Mom's all settled in, and I'm eager and excited to get back to writing on my new novel. So I'd better get to it! (Oh, and like Siri, I'm turning older this month--although not until late in November. But since it's one of those milestone birthdays--and no, I'm not telling you which one--I'm planning to celebrate all month long with family and friends :) Age is only a number after all, and I'm just grateful to be here to celebrate this latest number!

Laura Jensen Walker is the author of Reconstructing Natalie (Women of Faith Novel of the Year) Dreaming in Black & White and Dreaming in Technicolor. Her fourth novel, Miss Invisible, releases in March, 2007. Look for the first title in her new Paperback Girls chick lit series in Summer/Fall 2008.

Check your breasts!

Okay, everyone, it's October and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I want you all to check your breasts! Young or old, perky or not-so-perky, you need to know your breasts intimately so that should you ever find--God forbid--an unusual lump that's not the same as your normal fibrocystic lumps, you'll know to get it checked out RIGHT AWAY. Don't wait. Don't delay.

That's what I did more than fourteen years ago and why I'm still here today. Except, I didn't know my breasts intimately--it was just a 'fluke' or an 'accident' that I 'happened' to brush my hand against my breast when I reached up to push my hair out of my face and I felt a small, hard lump.

But it was no accident. It was God directing me to this lump that turned out to be cancerous. And it was God who walked beside me and held my hand through every step of the cancer journey. God, and my precious husband. And my wonderful girlfriends.

And I'm so grateful. Since then, God has used my cancer experience to educate others and to minister to them--in talks around the country, and through my non-fiction book 'Thanks for the Mammogram' and now, the novel of my heart, 'Reconstructing Natalie.' I'm doing lots of radio interviews for both Natalie and Thanks for the Mammogram this month. And today, when I needed a little pick-me-up, God gave me the sweetest bouquet when the male radio host for a station in Alabama told me upon the conclusion of our interview that 'Reconstructing Natalie' was "the best novel he'd read all year!" Wow. How cool is that? Especially 'cause he's a guy (who reads tons of novels.) Can you say made my day? Thank you, Lord.

The host said he learned more about breast cancer--and all the emotional ramifications women face--than he'd ever known as a result of Natalie, and although he hopes and prays his wife will never go through this disease, he said now he'll be better prepared to help her through it.

This is why we write. To touch and help others.

And now, I want you to touch your breasts. Go ahead. Just do it! Give yourself a self exam and make sure you get your annual mammogram. Don't shy away from it because it's uncomfortable. A mastectomy is more uncomfortable.

Although breast cancer is an epidemic and can strike any woman at any time (even vegetarians like Linda McCartney and Olivia Newton-John) the good news is that if caught early, it can be treated!

And the even better news is that should you or someone you love get diagnosed with breast cancer, no matter the stage of the disease, God will never leave you or forsake you. He'll walk with you every step of the way through that dark valley.

Laura Jensen Walker is grateful to God to be fourteen years cancer free! And also grateful that her mother, Bettie, is now twenty years cancer-free.  Laura's the author of Reconstructing Natalie (Women of Faith Novel of the Year) Thanks for the Mammogram! and Dreaming in Black & White and Dreaming in Technicolor.

Play Date

Yesterday I had a delightful 'play date' with my six-year-old niece Samantha--at her request. We'd dropped by her house last week to deliver birthday presents and souvenirs from our trip to the UK, and after showing me her latest ballet moves, she snuggled up next to me on the couch and said, "Aunt Laura, do you have time off?"

"Time off?"

"Yes, so I can come spend the day with you and we can play together."

Although I'm not on deadline at present, I'm pretty swamped getting our house ready for my mom to move in with us soon, and have tons to do--painting, packing, preparing for a garage sale, yada, yada--but how could I refuse that sweet request?

So her parents dropped Samantha off yesterday and I introduced her to English tea, letting her pick out the china teacup she wanted--she chose pink with roses--(this is the child who upon seeing her newly painted bedroom for the first time, clapped her hands delightedly and said "It's so pink-a-ful!") and it was the first time she'd had tea with milk and sugar. She was too adorable, making sure she wiped her mouth with her napkin--"like a lady"--and being very careful with her teacup, using both hands so she wouldn't drop it or spill anything.

Afterwards, I also introduced her to her first Shirley Temple ("Curly Top") but we fast forwarded through the boring bits (any time Shirley wasn't singing or dancing.) Then we played Candyland, Concentration, and she introduced me to "Go Fish!"

We had a blast and it was a fun (albeit exhausting--how do you moms do this on a regular basis? :) respite from all the other responsibilities on my plate right now. Samantha's decided we need to do this on a regular basis, and I agree. (I think she'd love once a week, but I'm thinking more like once a month. Or maybe quarter.) It's a nice break from the adult world and so refreshing to see things through a child's eyes. That whole wonder and joy thing.

Maybe once a month will work after all.

-Laura

www.laurajensenwalker.com

Laura Jensen Walker is the author of the recently released Reconstructing Natalie (Women of Faith Novel of the Year) and Dreaming in Black & White and Dreaming in Technicolor.

Short and Sweet

Okay, I'm trying this again. I'd just finished my post and then did something wrong when I went to cut and paste my bio into it--and somehow lost the entire post I'd just crafted :( Can you say, so not my day/week...? Anyway... starting over. But will make this short and sweet. As Winston Churchill said, "Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all."

I could waste this whole post whining about everything that's gone wrong lately (from leaky plumbing to gutted bathrooms to battling with insurance companies, yada, yada, yada) but nobody likes a whiner and besides, I'm bored with all that and you would be too :) Instead, I'm going shopping. With my mom. But don't get excited: nothing designer. We're going to a specialty boutique so we can each get new prosthesis' (prosthesii?) Yes, I finally got that pesky flat tire removed (hallelujah!) and now I'm more lopsided than ever, so it's time to even things out.

In the midst of all the yuckiness, a bright spot from Tamara Leigh (author of the new and HILARIOUS "Stealing Adda") who gave a wonderful shout out on her blog to "Reconstructing Natalie" (now releasing the end of June--yippie!) Thanks, Tamara! I needed that :)

And now, I need to go spend a little God-time to even out some other things that have gotten a little lopsided lately.

Laura Jensen Walker, www.laurajensenwalker.com is the author of Dreaming in Black & White and Dreaming in Technicolor. Her next novel, Reconstructing Natalie, Women of Faith's Novel of the Year for 2006 (about a young single woman whose life is reconstructed inside and out as a result of her breast cancer) will be released by WestBow Press in June.