Hello Folks!
Our weekly writing feature is back! We will, as promised last year, be looking at what makes Great Books, Great Characters, Great Themes, etc. In addition, we’ll be having some Guest Blogs.
Today, we have a special treat! A guest blog from New Author, Rose Mccauley, whose book, has been receiving great praise. Below, Rose tells about when lightning strikes! That moment when her writerly dream came true. (As someone who had to do a LOT of waiting myself, her story resonated with me!)
Christmas Belles of Georgia: Nick Powers worked hard to earn his college degree and his dream job. He doesn’t know what to expect when he finds out new owners will be taking over Bellingham Plantation soon. When Carol Wells comes to town, she and Nick get off to a rocky start, but soon combine forces to make Christmas a happier time for others. Can they find their own Christmas happiness?
Waiting, patience, prayer…and receiving my first contract! By Rose Allen McCauley
I have been writing for over nine years and joined ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) 8 years ago. My writing has steadily improved since then, but the elusive first contract had remained out of reach until Friday evening, September 17, 2010.
God has taught me many things over the past nine years, the main things being patience and learning to wait. When I awoke that morning and read my chapter in Jeremiah, there was a devotion by Catherine Marshall on the facing page, so I read it, too. It was entitled “Waiting” and here are a few snippets from it that spoke to me: “Waiting…is God’s oft-repeated way of teaching us that His power is real and that He can answer our prayers without interference and manipulation from us.”
She then goes on to give the example of a child who brings a broken toy to their father but gets impatient and snatches it back still in the broken state, then reminds us that if we leave the “toy” in His hands, “not only do we eventually get it back gloriously restored, but are also handed a surprising plus. We find for ourselves what the saints and mystics affirm, that during the dark waiting period when self-effort had ceased, a spurt of astonishing spiritual growth took place in us. Afterwards we have qualities like more patience, more love for the Lord and those around us, more ability to hear His voice, greater willingness to obey.” Those qualities are ones I still desire more of, even if it means I have to wait again.
Now for the rest of the story as Paul Harvey used to say. I told my roommate , Jennifer Johnson, about my devotion, then we attended a class, ate lunch, shopped at the mall, and went to the opening worship session at 3:30. The worship leader Rachel Hauck, chose the song “While I’m Waiting” by John Waller for us to sing at most of our sessions:
“I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait
I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting”
Are you getting the message with me? Wait with patience! And keep serving and worshipping while you are waiting!
Next our president, Cynthia Ruchti, read from Colossians chapter three, and verse 12 was very familiar since it is posted on my bedroom mirror: “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” That last word jumped out at me and I leaned over to Jennifer and told her God was still telling me to wait and learn patience.
Then Becky Germany, editor at Barbour Publishing, took the stage and said she was ready to announce the 3 new authors who would receive their “first contract”, something Barbour has done at each conference. When she announced the name of one of the stories as Nick’s Christmas Carol, it sounded vaguely familiar but I still didn’t realize it was a story I had written until she said my name! Then I went up on stage in front of over 600 people, amid cheers and shouts, and was handed an envelope with my name on it and a letter offering me a contract for my first fiction story! Jennifer took my picture but the flash didn’t work so she motioned for me to go back up on the stage and she took it again. Then Donna Rich was announced, again amid cheers and shouts, as the recipient of a contract for a Heartsong book, also pubbed by Barbour.
Of course, I couldn’t wait to call my husband and children and a couple friends, but the story doesn’t end there. I got to attend the Barbour Banquet at PF Chang’s that evening and kept receiving hugs and congratulations all weekend, but the best part was when one of my dear friends and prayer-partners, Connie Stevens who had received her first contract in 2009, told me that God had impressed on her heart to pray for the ones who would receive their first contract the following year. So, she prayed that prayer that whole year and didn’t know she was praying for me (and Donna and one other lady)!
Later that evening, I told Donna about the prayer cycle Connie began, and we both agreed to continue it by praying for the persons who will receive their first contract in 2011. Kind of paying it forward by praying the prayer that was prayed for us. So, the cycle continues. Can you think of a better thing to pay forward than a prayer for someone? I can’t.
Rose has been writing for over ten years and has been published in several non-fiction anthologies and devotionals. She is happy for this to be her first fiction anthology because Christmas books are her favorites. A retired schoolteacher who has been happily married to her college sweetheart for 43years, she is also mother to three grown children and their spouses and grandmother to three lovely, lively kids! You can reach her through her website www.rosemccauley.com or blogsite at www.rosemccauley.blogspot.com
Reader wh o are inclined that way are welcome to join in praying for this year’s ACFW winners, who will be announced in the next couple of days.
