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August-September, 2009
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This 'n That Note from Ginny!
Dear Friends,
I’ve spent the last month frying in hundred-degree heat.
Yuck! I can take heat up to a point, but when the
thermometer edges past that three-digit mark, I start
looking for ways to escape. Australia is one option,
since I understand it is winter there, but funds are
tight this year. Instead, my husband and I have a closer
getaway – the mountains.
A few days ago we
packed a picnic supper, drove up into Utah’s Wasatch
mountain range, and hiked a steep three miles through
the forest. The temperature was twenty-five degrees
cooler up there, a welcome respite from the scorching
heat in the Salt Lake Valley. The air is clearer, too,
and the scenery… ah! It’s impossible not to see God’s
hand in spectacular waterfalls, stands of beautiful
aspen trees, and majestic vistas everywhere you look.
When you stand in the icy spray from a rushing mountain
stream at an elevation of 9500 feet, your head clears.
Priorities refocus. God’s voice can be heard all around
you, His signature seen everywhere you look. You come
away refreshed. Energized.
 Standing
there, inhaling huge draughts of cool, clear air, I
realized I’ve experienced that sense of refreshment
before, in a different way. Worship does for my spirit
what the mountains do for my body. When I’m approaching
overload from the heat of life’s cares and worries, a
song taken from the words of Isaiah 61 echoes in my
head. “Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness. Your joy is my strength, O Lord.” I’ll
put on a praise music CD and sing at the top of my
lungs. Before I know it, my head clears. My priorities
refocus. I can hear God’s voice all around me, and I
come away refreshed.
Stay cool this summer,
my friend, and take time to refresh your spirit.
Virginia Smith
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 On
August 1, I threw a party to celebrate the release of my
ninth novel, Scent of Murder. Since the story
revolves around a scented candle factory, it seemed like a
fun idea to throw a party that is all about (wickless)
candles – Scentsy! We couldn’t quite replicate the scent
featured in the book, Forbidden Fantasy, so I settled for
filling the air with Scentsy’s yummy Pumpkin Roll. The
invitations included a fabric swatch doused with
Cinnamon Cider scent.
Twenty-three friends, readers, and candle lovers gathered
for a few hours of fun, food, and lots of sniffing. They
graciously allowed me to spend a few minutes talking about
my books, and my inspiration for Scent of Murder.
Then we cut a gorgeous cake with the book’s graphic in the
icing. It tasted even better than it looked!
 I
love book launch parties, and this was a blast. What fun to
tie the party to the book’s theme! I’ve already got some
great ideas brewing when my eleventh novel comes out next
year – the one set in a zoo. (Just imagine!)
If you haven’t yet read
Scent of Murder, you can check out the first chapter
online
here.
Or, if
you prefer, I’ll read Chapter One to you. You’ll find an
audio excerpt
here.
Book
of the Year Award
I recently received a very
fun phone call from the American Christian Fiction Writers.
Stuck in the Middle, book one in the Sister-to-Sister
Series, has been named as a finalist for the Book of the
Year award! Even more fun, two of my dear friends also have
books that are finalists in the same category. Now, some
might think that could be a sticky situation, but it isn’t.
We have a great deal of respect for each other, and we
sincerely want only the best for one other. I’ve prayed for
these ladies and their books in the past few years, and I
know they’ve lifted me in prayer, too. And I truly love
their books. So it’s quite an honor to have Stuck in the
Middle listed alongside theirs. (I haven’t read two of
the finalists in our category, but I intend to soon!)
The winners will be
announced at an award banquet at the American Christian
Fiction Writers annual conference in Denver, Colorado, on
September 19th.
If you're looking for some
great summer reading, you'll find a complete list of the
finalists in all categories
here.
You're sure to find something to suit your reading tastes!
To celebrate the honor,
I'll be giving away an autographed copy of Stuck in the
Middle on the Reader Fund page of my website.
Enter the drawing beginning August 9th at
www.virginiasmith.org/readerfun.html.
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 Third
Sister-to-Sister Book Cover Revealed
It’s always exciting to get emails from the publisher,
but when a writer sees a new email from the marketing
department with an attachment, the old pulse rate
kicks up a notch or two. I await the unveiling of my books’
cover art with an excitement that far surpasses Christmas
Eve. This is my book, my baby, and I can’t wait to see her
face.
Take a look at my latest baby! Isn’t she gorgeous?
Third Time’s a Charm is the satisfying conclusion to the
Sister-to-Sister Series, following Stuck in the Middle,
and Age before Beauty. The book is full of fun,
and romance, and heart-swelling moments that are sure to
bring a smile to your face and may have you reaching for a
tissue.
Third Time’s a Charm will be available in January,
2010. I’ll keep you posted on the status of the new
delivery.
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My Journal has been a busy place the past couple of
months. I don’t update the content daily by any means – only
when the mood strikes me. But it seems the mood has been
striking with regularity lately, and I’ve had a good time
posting Journal entries on a variety of topics. Here’s
what’s been happening over on Ginny’s Journal:
Personal Entries
Supernatural Peace
– an account of
recent alarming events in the Smith household
Hummingbird Lessons – we enjoy our busy backyard
pets so much
Kentucky Christian Writers Conference – a recap of
the June event in Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Inspirational Entries
The Last Supper – the Bread
The Last Supper – the Cup
The Last Supper – the Water
Book Reviews
The Enclave,
by Karen Hancock
Blue Like Play Dough,
by Tricia Goyer
Montana Rose,
by Mary Connealy
Deadly Intent,
by Camy Tang
The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn,
by Liz Johnson
Talking to the Dead,
by Bonnie Grove
Witness to Murder,
by Jill Elizabeth Nelson
Upcoming
Appearances
August is going to be a pretty laid back month for me,
thank goodness. Between trips up to the mountains, I’m
working on a couple of upcoming books, and staying busy with
Next Step
Critiques. But in September, I’ve got a couple of
big events planned, both writer’s conferences.
September 12, 2009 - Utah Christian Writers Conference,
Salt Lake City, UT. I'm the
keynote speaker at this conference. Also teaching are
veterans of the Christian publishing industry: Kathleen
Wright, the What-If girl; Marcia Hornok,
multi-published writer and the editor of CHERA Magazine; Kim
Riddle Smith, newspaper columnist and efficiency expert, and
Julie Scott, the president of the Utah Christian Writers
Fellowship and author of personal histories. Visit
www.UtahChristianWriters.com
for more information, or become a friend of “Utah Christian
Writers” on Facebook.
September 17-20, 2009 -
American Christian
Fiction Writers Conference, in Denver CO. If you
write Christian fiction in any genre, this is the
conference to attend. This year’s keynote speaker is Debbie
Macomber, and the faculty is absolutely jam-packed with
awesome writers eager to share their secrets and experience.
I’ll present a workshop called “Stories that Sparkle.” And,
of course, Saturday night is the banquet for the Book of the
Year award. For more information, visit
www.acfw.com.
Looking Ahead…
The tradition at the close of Kentucky Christian Writers
conference each year is to announce the dates and the
keynote speaker for the following year. The 2010 conference
will be held June 11-12, and the keynote speaker will be …
me! Mark the dates on your calendar, and plan to meet me in
Elizabethtown.
And Finally... |
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