My Book Cover!

It's official! Here's the cover for my first novel. If you received my newsletter last week, you may notice Allie's suit is now red.

A Distant Melody will be released by Revell in March 2010 and is now featured on their website at http://www.revellbooks.com

Here's a brief summary of the story: Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie Miller will do anything to gain her approval--even marry a man she doesn't love. Lt. Walter Novak--fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women--takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and their love of music draws them together, prompting them to begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber base in England and Allie's mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart?

A Distant Melody is the first book in the Wings of Glory series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II.

So many of you have lavished me with prayer and encouragement, critique and advice, for which I am deeply grateful. The name on the cover is almost a lie - none of this could have happened without the support and love (sometimes in the "tough love" category) of my family, friends, and critque partners. Thank you all! I love you!

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 31, 1944: Soviet Army reaches Baltic Sea at East Prussian border, cutting off German Army Group North.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 30, 1944: US troops land at Sansapor on northwest tip of New Guinea; little opposition.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 28, 1944: In Poland, Soviets cross Vistula River south of Warsaw, take Brest-Litovsk.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 27, 1944: US Fifth Air Force begins bombing Japanese-held Molucca Islands west of New Guinea.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 26, 1944: President Roosevelt meets with General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz in Honolulu to determine strategy in the Pacific. The decision is made to invade the Philippines rather than Formosa.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 25, 1944: Operation Cobra: US forces begin breakout from Normandy. While supporting Cobra, US Eighth Air Force accidentally bombs friendly troops, killing 102, including Lt. Gen. Lesley McNair.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 24, 1944: US Marines land on Tinian in the Marianas.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 23, 1944: Soviets liberate first concentration camps - at Maidenek and Lublin in Poland.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 22, 1944: German SS troops destroy town of St. Gingolph, France.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 21, 1944: US Army and Marine forces invade Japanese-held Guam with heavy opposition.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 20, 1944: Operation Valkyrie - German officers attempt to assassinate Hitler, led by Colonel Count Claus von Stauffenberg. The following coup attempt also fails.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 19, 1944: Democratic convention opens in Chicago; President Roosevelt will be nominated for an unprecedented fourth term.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 18, 1944: Japanese prime minister, Gen. Hideki Tojo, resigns with his whole cabinet and is replaced by Gen. Kuniaki Koiso.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 17, 1944: Port Chicago Explosion: two ships explode at the US Naval Magazine in Port Chicago, California, killing 322 (mostly black sailors) in the largest home front disaster of the war. The resulting controversy exposes discrimination in the armed forces and leads to the desegregation of the Navy.

What's in a Name?

Names have always fascinated me. In a few syllables a name proclaims a message to the world.

As girls, my sister and I loved to pore over my mother's baby name book. We giggled over silly names, sighed over melodious ones, and delved into the meanings behind them. Each time I was pregnant, my husband teased me about the lists I made, but I wanted our children's names to be right. The decision would affect them for a lifetime.

This past week I had the joy of naming a new "baby," the heroine of a novel percolating in my head. Most of my characters come with names attached, but her name eluded me. I knew she hated her name, and that it was long and unusual. Since the story takes place during World War II, I had to remember that many names my generation laughs at were popular then. So back to the baby name books! Was she Aridatha, Calandra, or Ludovika? How would you like to go through life with that name? Then I found Philomela, which comes from an ancient Greek legend of a woman changed into a nightingale. A shiver of recognition ran up my arms. My series follows three women who are flight nurses, and I'm calling it "Wings of the Nightingale." Philomela it is, and her friends will call her Mellie. Oh, and she has a lovely singing voice.

How about you? Do you love your name or hate it? Does it fit you or did you have to alter it to fit you? What do you look for in choosing names - the sound, the meaning, the cute nickname? Do you like a name that's fun and trendy, one that stands out in a crowd, or one with the weight and wealth of tradition? I can't wait to hear from you.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 15, 1944: Finnish forces stop the Soviet advance in the Karelian Isthmus.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 14, 1944: On Bastille Day, US Eighth Air Force B-17s make supply drop to resistance forces in southern France.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 13, 1944: Mayo clinic announces that cigarettes may harm wounded men due to vasoconstriction.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 12, 1944: Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., son of the former president, dies of a heart attack in Normandy.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 11, 1944: Soviets capture entire German Fourth Army in Minsk area; 37,000 POWs.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 10, 1944: US Pacific Fleet under Admiral Nimitz begins carrier strikes against Tokyo.

Walking Miss Daisy

Meet Daisy.

Yesterday, when my thirteen-year-old daughter, Anna, took our yellow lab for a walk, she accidentally clipped the leash to the small ring attaching Daisy's name tag to her collar. Eighty-four pounds of pure energy snapped the ring—right before the house with two pit bulls. Outside. Off leash.

“Don’t worry,” said the owner. “They’re friendly.” Um, isn’t that what all pit bull owners say on TV after their dogs have mauled someone?

I’m thankful these pit bulls only wanted to play. The three dogs frolicked while Anna tried to reconnect the leash in vain. Then the owner called his dogs inside. Well, Daisy went too! Some time later, the owner herded our lab back outside to Anna.

When Daisy is on her leash, we can guide her and keep her out of danger, but when she sheds her leash, she loses our guidance.

Psalm 23 tells us how the Lord guides us as a shepherd. He leads us to rest, refreshment, restoration, and righteousness. Sometimes His rod and His staff seem irksome, but He applies them for our good. Because He loves us and knows best, He can lead us on the best paths—but only when we let Him.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want…He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” Psalm 23:1,3.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 9, 1944: US secures Saipan in Marianas. British Second Army takes crucial town of Caen in Normandy.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 8, 1944: British launch 1750 barrage balloons south of London to combat German V-1 buzz bombs.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 7, 1944: Japanese launch final banzai charge on Saipan; 500 US troops killed, 2000 Japanese.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 6, 1944: A fire erupts in the Barnum & Bailey big top in Hartford, CN; 169 killed.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 4, 1944: Millionth Allied soldier lands at Normandy, less than one month after D-Day.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 3, 1944: French forces take Siena, Italy.

Tearing down Walls

Jesus, the Good Shepherd with a lamb draped over His shoulders, the gentle servant who tells us to turn the other cheek—He threw a temper tantrum!

He didn’t pitch fits because sinners lived in sin or because Romans acted like Romans. No, His anger was aroused when those who claimed to be God’s people kept other people away from God.

Hear Jesus’ tirade against the Pharisees in Matthew 23. What did they do to provoke Him? They took pride in their external righteousness, while inside they were full of greed and self-indulgence. They heaped extra laws on the people, but neglected the meaning of God’s Law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

Watch Jesus throw the moneychangers out of the temple in Matthew 21. Not only did they build a financial barrier between worshippers and the Lord, but their loud presence in the Court of the Gentiles hindered God-fearing Gentiles from praying.

Feel Jesus’ love for those who long to come to Him. Do we in the church erect barriers to those who seek Him? Do we set demands beyond what the Bible requires? Do we stick to our cozy group of friends and neglect visitors? Do we, even subconsciously, wrinkle our noses at those who don’t look or dress or smell like we do?

Lord, help me tear down human-made walls between You and those You love, root out hypocrisy in my soul, and fill me with Your love.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 2, 1944: US troops land on Noemfoor Island in Geelvink Bay, New Guinea.

65 Years Ago in WWII History

July 1, 1944: US First Army secures the Cherbourg peninsula in France.