Emily Rachelle Writes

Everyone has heard the quote, "All good things must come to an end."  And so must this wonderful blog party.  Why not end with a bang?  Let's finish off our blog party with a summary of all the wonderful, amazing, spectacular people and presents that we enjoyed this month. For those of you who joined mid-party, you can always go back and see the wisdom, laughs, and great photographs (yes, I rhymed) to be had: Walls {guest post} Author Interview: Marc Franco My Christmas Decor Book Review: The Christmas Conversation Christmas Memories {guest post} Behold the Handmaid of the Lord {guest post} Hannukah, the Feast of Dedication {guest post} Christmas Traditions {guest post} White Chocolate Pretzel Candy Clusters {guest recipe} The Night of Christmas {guest post} Merry Christmas! End of 2011 Story Time Time {guest post} Blogging and Me {guest post} Author Interview: Cindey Swanson Testimony {guest post} Stepping Heavenward {guest post} Blending History wi...

Dear Emily, Happy sixteenth birthday! As a special treat, I’m going to repeat what everybody always says on teen birthdays—the whole “growing up so fast” thing coupled with depressing statements of irrevocable change and impending doom and then concluding with well-worn (though profound) assurance of how it won’t be so bad, after all. I spent most of my younger life studying upper respiratory infections in rats and bedding options for horses in hopes of being a vet/breeder/pet store owner. I planned on starting out the store in my bedroom, even had the floor plans all made out in my notebook, though I admittedly had some trouble squeezing in two bunk beds and four sisters between the guinea pig and ferret cages. Life made sense back then. The biggest decisions involved breakfast and what to name my new Littlest Pet Shop bobbleheads—quite a delicate procedure, I can assure you. I had my life planned before I finished elementary school. By sixteen I couldn’t even find square one ag...

A couple months ago, I volunteered to write a guest post for Miss Emily’s blog party. I’ll be honest, I’ve never done anything like this before, and I had no idea what to write. I was thinking "What do I, a seamstress, have in common with a writer? What can I say to people who might have completely different interests than I do?" Then I realized that even though we might have different interests and talents, we all have one thing in common, and that is that we can, and should, use our different gifts to the glory of God. "Well," one might ask, "how on earth can I use my sewing abilities (for example) to bring glory to God?" First, do whatever you do well, and not half-heartedly. Colosians 3:23 says "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." If God has given you gifts, use them! And do your work well. Don’t be content with sloppy or it's-good-enough work. Do your work to the best of your ability. Remember...

I know you're all anxious to see who wins this great series, but first, some words from the awesomesauce author of said series. My Ripple Trilogy, Rippler, Chameleon, and Unfurl tells the story of a girl who can “ripple” or turn invisible. All three books contain numerous excerpts from the journal of a scientist working secretly in the late 1930’s. He’s the bad guy. He’s observing and sometimes interacting with children with names like “Fritz,” “Franz,” “Gunter,” and “Helga.” It doesn’t take too much imagination to figure out that the man running the experiments is politically and philosophically a Nazi. However, when I wrote the first book, I had the experience of discovering his affiliations. At first, I only knew that he had performed behavioral experiments upon a group of children as part of an effort to create a new and perfected race. The word “eugenics” kept dancing around in my head, and one day when I’d written as much as I could for the morning, I hopped online and...

Guess who's coming to talk with us today. Guess! Betcha didn't guess right! :)  We are having... *drumroll* ROBIN JONES GUNN! Yes, the very author of the amazing Christy Miller series and all those that follow - the author of Praying for Your Future Husband - the author of the Sisterchick series !  She's actually here! She brought something special for one lucky reader... but first, our mini interview. :) Welcome to Struggles of a (Maybe) Teen Author!  I can't tell you how glad I am to have you.  I know you're a very busy and sought-after woman, so I've narrowed down my usual interview to three questions that aren't found on your website.  First off, What keeps you motivated while writing? Deadlines are a great motivator. So is feedback from readers or input from a critique group. My guess is that most creative types can become easily sidetracked in the middle of a project. I sure am.  The initial enthusiasm fades. The ideas that were once crys...

Today AnnaKate is back to share her thoughts on her favorite book - one I purchased last summer and intend to read soon. “How dreadfully old I am getting!  Sixteen!” So writes Katherine Mortimer in her brand new journal that will chronicle the journey of her life, her spiritual struggles and joys, her loves and hopes and dreams. Stepping Heavenward is a wonderful story by Elizabeth Prentiss, taken from her own life and journals.  My mom initially introduced me to it on the way home from a vacation when I was ten years old, and I devoured it over the five-hour journey.  A good portion of it must have gone over my head; it’s written in a style mimicking the classics and I was accustomed to Beverly Cleary and just venturing into the world of Newberry Awards.  But something in the story latched on to me—maybe the insight that came later, the fact that I am very much like Kate Mortimer!  Her struggles are my struggles; the battle over self-will, the never-endi...

Today we have a special double giveaway, specifically in honor of my sweet sixteenth!  :)  Actually, I don't turn sixteen for another week, but that's when the party ends.  I had to fit the giveaway in the party, of course.  Some of this stuff is freebies I've acquired, and others I bought for y'all. ;) I've got some great stuff here for all the ladies - older and younger - in my audience, so let's take a look! Prize Pack One: Perfectly Princess Princess Bellarina by Marilyn Obsuna The Rescuers by Cecelia Maria Hilliard Two adorable puppy figurines Prize Pack Two: Girly Greatness The Adventurous Girl's Handbook by Stephen & Lara Brennan The Pocket Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan & Miriam Peskowitz Prize Pack Three: Pamper Me Pretty Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Very Black Mascara Maybelline Pink Punch Baby Lips Lip Balm Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion Travel Bottle Japanese "Nail Fren...

Today the lovely PK [preacher's kid] AnnaKate is visiting to share her personal testimony. "There is no doubt in my mind, Lord, that I love you. I feel it with certainty. You struck my heart with Your Word and I loved you." (St. Augustine, Confessions) Many preachers and teachers of God’s Word mourn the peril of being a 'pastor’s kid.'  Personally, I can understand their concern.  While there are innumerable blessings and benefits of being a pastor’s child, there is a danger as well, a danger that I faced growing up and that peaked when I was eleven years old. We grew up hearing about the things of God, reading Bible stories and having family devotions, watching Veggie Tales and singing God’s praise, drawing as we listened to sermons, not unlike most Christian families.  The danger lay in the fact that we began to grow numb to the truth contained within the words, until we dully recited them like a list of past participles, assured of our accuracy but les...

And the winner of an autographed copy of In Their Sandals by Rand Hummel is... *Drumroll!* ... Rachelle from Inspiring Daring!   Congratulations, Rachelle!  I'll be emailing you concerning your prize.  :) As for the rest of you, don't worry - we've still got a few amazing giveaways coming up! A personal note to Audrey Boyette: when you entered the giveaway, your comment posted three times.  In trying to delete the duplicates, I accidentally removed all of them.  Sorry!  I still counted you as an entrant in the giveaway.

As I told you yesterday, we have yet another fabulous giveaway today - and this time, Ms. Cidney Swanson is our not-so-secret Santa!  She has ebook copies of her entire Ripple series -  Rippler, Chameleon, and Unfurl  - for one lucky reader.  (Read my review of Rippler here , and don't forget to check out yesterday's interview.) This series is YA, and I definitely think it's been marked properly - in other words, this is more of a teen giveaway.  (Unless you're one of those grown women who are still in love with YA literature! Totally don't blame you...)  Since we already discussed the book in the review and the interview, let's get right to the gift-giving! Here's how to enter: Giveaway Rules: - US only, please - You must be at least 13 years old to qualify - Non-followers welcome! To Enter: Please leave a comment to enter. If your email address is not listed on your Blogger profile, or you don't have a Blogger profile, please leav...

Today we have Ms. Cidney Swanson , author of Rippler and Chameleon , with us.  {Read my review of Rippler here .} Cidney Swanson is the author of The Ripple Series. She began writing at age seven; her first novel began with “Ouch,” and her characters have been suffering ever since. Cidney lives in Eugene , Oregon with her husband, three kids, two cats, one dog, and entirely too much rain. Welcome to Struggles of a (Maybe) Teen Author!  I'm so glad you were able to be with us today, because frankly, your book is one of the best books I've reviewed.  Let's get started! 　 How long have you been writing?  I started writing stories literally as soon as teachers taught me how to form letters using pencil and paper. Why did you start writing?  Have you always wanted to be a writer?  Starting? I can’t really remember other than to say that I liked words as a very (very) young child and that I liked stories as well.  And yes, I’ve alway...

Hey everyone! My name is Julie and I review books over at Reading Stands Forever ! I'm so excited that my first guest post is on the blog of one of my blogging friends! I'm not new to the blogging world. I've been reading book review blogs since about the summer of 2008, and began one with my best friend a few months after. A few days ago later year my friend and I parted ways (blogging-wise, we're still the closest friends) and now I have my own review blog that I have been reviewing on for exactly a year. Yes, it's my blogoversary! I have been blogging on Reading Stands Forever for exactly a year! I may not have many reviews, but I love what I do. When I heard about Emily's blog party, I knew I wanted to do a guest post, but I was having trouble deciding on what I wanted to post about. I thought about it, and Emily suggested that I talk about what blogging means to me, since I was scheduled to post on my blogovsersary. So, here I am, talking about everyt...

And the winner of one gently used paperback copy of Love You More by Jennifer Grant is... *Drumroll!* Abigail from the Go Teen Writers Facebook community!  Congrats Abigail!  I'll be emailing you for details on collecting your prize :) As for the rest of you, don't worry - we just started another giveaway yesterday!  Go check it out!

Guess what?  It's time for another present! This time, I bought a little something just for my lovely readers.  Actually, this one's more for moms with middle-school-age writers (or said writers, if there are any that age at our party).  It's a great book titled Creative Writing That Puts You In Their Sandals by Rand Hummel and Jeff Diedrich. This writing how-to, while not marketed to any specific age group, seems to me like it's meant more for middle-school writers.  Younger kids may well enjoy it, too, but I think it will be a little too easy for the majority of teen writers.  This book takes seven Bible stories and breaks them into seven lessons.  Each lesson is broken into five days, so you can easily complete one lesson per week - making it a seven-week 'course.'  After some writing tips and a word on things like voice and description, the authors jump into writing. The focus of the book is not only learning to write stories, but l...

Today Marcia visits us with a beautiful little piece about time and the New Year, approaching in only two days.  {via weheartit} Can you believe it is almost 2012? The words 2012 seem so strange, how the year 2011 has flown by. I remember New Year's Eve last year, I was in a cabin, in the loft, reminiscing. Wondering what the year would hold...little did I know what joys, and sorrows the days would bring. The memories are still shining brightly in my mind, all the laughter, the tears, the smiles, the worry, and the fun. "God gave us memories, so that we might have roses in December" -J.M. Barrie But time passes so quickly... we are here, but a whispering moment. How much do we really do in our short lives? I mean, how much of our life is actually worth something? {via weheartit} "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you....

Since we don't have any special guests or fun activities for today, I thought I'd share a little story I wrote a few years back.  In fact, I wrote this for school a year or so after we moved to Okinawa, Japan.  It was a "book report" for a book about how to write short stories.  Originally titled "Snow," it was a fictionalized account of what I imagined to be our first trip back to New York.  Since then, I've edited and renamed the story, but the central idea is still the same.  Enjoy! Three Years Later I climbed into the rental car, snapped my buckle, and stared out the window at the snow. We never had snow in Taiwan - not where my family had lived, anyway. My family was driving to Sunday morning services at Fellowship Baptist Church for the first time in three years. We had found a church in Taiwan, but every church was different. Take, for example, the size. Fellowship had more members than Charity Baptist Church. Fellowship also had a l...

So, I've been thinking how fun it would be to do an end-of-year sum-up post.  Also, as a blogger I feel some inexplicable need to write such a post, whether fun or serious.  And since lately we've been somewhat more serious than usual on this blog - contemplating Christmas and all it entails, especially the spiritual and Biblical side of it - I decided to go with fun. Since I have always loved lists, and I haven't done one on here in waaayyyy too long, I'm summing up 2011 (blog-wise, anyway) with two lists.  (I actually stole these ideas from this list of list ideas :P ) Silly Keywords Searched To Find My Blog Zafon: I had no idea this was a word, and I'm thinking it's probably a brand (and why would MY blog show up as a result?!) so I'm gonna Google it and see what I get.... Um.  A lot of results for some author named Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  Still don't know how they ended up at my blog with that kind of search. Disney Magic Peter Pan: Apparen...

More presents!  Man, y'all are some lucky readers.  What is this, our third gift?  And there's still more to come! Today we have Love You More by Jennifer Grant.  (You can check out my review here .)  The back cover describes the book as " A stirring memoir on parenthood and the invisible threads that bind us to those we are meant to love.   The obstacles, suprises, and moments of grace that Jennifer Grant experienced, working through the adoption process to bring home her daughter from Guatemala, forever changed her life." Personally, I think this is a good book for every parent, but especially for moms and/or any parents who have previously adopted, are currently in the process, or want to/plan to/are thinking about adoption.  This isn't just a memoir; it is also a parenting book and adoption help.  But it's not just a parenting how-to, either; it's the real life story of a real mom. Just a side note: some of you may want to know, th...

Hope y'all are having a wonderful Jesus's birthday, and are making lots of wonderful new memories.  Perhaps you're enjoying hot chocolate while watching snow, or you're chilling after ripping into those presents, or you're heading for a chilly beach - where ever you are, I wish you a Merry Christmas. :) No, that's not my cat.  It's from weheartit. How did your Christmas go?  Care to share a holiday tradition or memory ~ something special to you or your family?

Today my good friend Anna has come to share some thoughts about Christmas with us. It's Christmas Eve. I have a question to propose to you. What do YOU think about at this time of year? It's December, and everyone is thinking about one thing: Christmas. But what about Christmas are you thinking about? The gifts? The decorations? The music? Spending time with family and friends? Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with those things. There isn't. But I've been thinking recently. There are a couple of songs that come to my mind, and really make me think. Both are Christmas songs, and I'd like to share them with you. The first one is called “I Wonder as I Wander,” by John Jacob Niles. Perhaps you've heard it. “I wonder as I wander out under the sky, How Jesus the Savior did come for to die. For poor on'ry people like you and like I... I wonder as I wander out under the sky. W...