When I began writing the Restorer books, the readership I had it mind were my friends: Other moms, struggling to find the courage for some hard roads. Asking questions about the unexpected turns that life sometimes takes. Wondering how to draw closer to God instead of pulling away from Him.

I didn’t anticipate how many younger readers would embrace the stories. What a fun bonus! I hear from teen readers often, and love their enthusiasm and ability to embrace an imaginary world and travel to creative places.

My friend Renee just posted some beautiful thoughts from a teen reader, Alissa. You can read about it here.

I’m so grateful when I hear of someone who has been blessed by these stories.

Now, time for me to stop blogging and get back to work on The Deliverer (book 4 of the Sword of Lyric series). The story is taking some interesting turns.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

I cut the last of the tulips from my garden, and they elicited a reflex of praise:

Creator Lord, you’ve designed infinite variety and beauty. You are amazing. Thank you!

I stayed (mostly) away from social media this past week to focus on writing, and made significant progress on my current manuscript. Even better than reaching a word-count goal were the fun surprises. New things happened in the scenes that I hadn’t expected. The story is taking on its own life, and that’s always encouraging to me. I also took time to write a short interview with Kieran that will be part of the upcoming Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt…so stay tuned!

Blessings,
Sharon Hinck

Prayer by Philip Yancey has been on our coffee table for the past year.

(I know this series is called “Bookshelf Wednesdays” – as I share treasured favorites from my shelves. But I figure the coffee table counts, too.)

My husband and I are reading it together. It’s the sort of book that deserves to be read slowly.

We often sit side by side and read a few pages, then discuss the issues. I’ve always loved the way Yancey confronts honest questions with compassion and intelligence, and this book is a great example.

If you want to delve deeply into the who, what, when, where, how and why of prayer, this book will be a challenging companion on the road.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

This week’s pick from my shelves is The Christian Imagination, edited by Leland Ryken.

This book is packed with insightful essays about arts and the Christian faith. It was a textbook when I was in grad school, but unlike some textbooks, this has kept a cherished place on my shelf. Any other artists out there who have discovered it?

Here are a few tidbits:

“Art is a means of renewing our eyes and our hearts…I am talking of a way, and I think a God-given way, for us to recognize his voice and his world.”

“The greatest artist of all, the greatest imaginer of all, is the one who appears at the opening of Genesis.”

“Christian freedom also is freedom from the sinful lust for money, from seeking man’s praise, from the search for celebrity. It is the freedom to help a neighbor out and give him something to delight in.”

“Art is here because God meant it to be here.”

Dive in for thought-provoking essays by a range of Christian artists.

Blessings,
Sharon

A friend with a new baby recently asked me about some favorite children’s books. I shared one that few people seem to have discovered, but I think is terrific. It got me thinking that I have some treasures on my bookshelves, and it would be fun to incorporate recommendations once a week into my posting on Twitter, Facebook, and my blog. After all, most of the folks who follow me are readers. 🙂 So here is my first installment of Bookshelf Wednesday.

Today I want to highly recommend Rootabaga Stories by Carl Sandburg. Sandburg may be best known for his poetry (“The fog came in on little cat feet…”) but his children’s stories have a beautiful blend of poetry, silliness, word play, imagery, and fun.

Has anyone else discovered Rootabaga Stories? What other children’s books are your favorites?

Blessings,
Sharon

I’m working on my next Book Buddy newsletter, which will be released soon.

As always, there will be a devotional thought, exciting updates on writing projects…plus a little bit of fun personal news.

I try to send out the Book Buddy update about four times a year. If your email has changed, be sure to resubscribe with your new email.

Also, I use a double-opt-in service, to protect you from being signed up to anything you don’t want (and to make it easy to unsub at any time). So if you signed up and never received newsletters, it may be because you missed the confirmation email. Be sure to take that second step and also add the newsletter to your address book so your program recognizes and accepts the newsletter.

Subscribe for free at my website.

Blessings!
Sharon Hinck

Recently I’ve enjoyed visiting with several blogger friends on various topics.

Lisa gathered children’s book recommendations from author friends – and I shared some of my favorites HERE.

Dona Watson posted a lovely three-part series about The Sword of Lyric Series –
HERE
HERE
and
HERE

And the winner of the January/February contest for a Restorer Book Bag full of goodies, shared a photo when her prize arrived:

In April, I’ll be visiting a book group in Atlanta – via Skype. Although technology is sometimes a mixed blessing, I’m delighted for these ways to interact with friends.

I’m also working on my next Book Buddy newsletter. If you aren’t signed up for it yet, you can opt-in in the right-hand column of my website.

Blessings!
Sharon

Do you have times when you’ve made your plans, and see the road smooth and straight in front of you…and then God invites you onto a detour?

I think the theme of my life lately has become. “God has another plan.”

When I finished the year-long job of writing new material and preparing the new editions of all the Restorer books (I turned in the 3rd book’s material to the publisher the end of December) I planned to begin work on the 4th unfinished Restorer book.

A few weeks into my carefully organized year, I was delighted by an interruption. Apparently Mornings With Jesus has been well received, and the editor invited me to write for a 2013 edition they are planning. I’ve been quiet here on the blog, because it’s taken most of my coherent words of the day to work on those.

But for friends who stay in touch through checking on my blog, I felt I needed to take a moment to post an update.

I’m hugely excited that The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition releases in one month! Part of my work time each day has gone into gathering “influencers” (people who help spread the news when the book releases) and gearing up for the release. And I’ve continued to work with my assistant Jamie to let libraries and bookstores and readers know about The Restorer-Expanded Edition. Thank you to all of you who have helped spread the word!!!

My new plan is to resume work on book 4 in May. I feel terrible leaving Mark and Susan trapped in an assassins enclave in Kahlarea all this time…and Linette… well, I don’t want to give away spoilers, but I’m eager to get back to her and help her story along to a happier place. 🙂

Has God taken you on any zigzags lately? Are you finding His grace in the detour?

Blessings!
Sharon