Oh Judith, you're my guardian angel. I wouldn't even know of all these wonderful resources but for you! The pleasure of meeting you IRL is all ours. Now D is a big fan of Gary and tells everyone of 'Donald Duck Uncle' :)

Thank you Judith for reading my post - good luck with The Next Big Thing.  Elisabeth

Hi my Friend :)

Thanks for being my SheWrites buddy again :)

Yeah, I felt I needed to reactivate my she writes profile and the last one was linked to a hacked email so hence the reason for creating this new profile. 

Hope you are well :)

xx

Judith van Praag tells us that relatives from another wing of her family are about to come out with their version of their family story, while she's still working on hers.  I'm sure we've all been in situations like this in one way or another.  Who knows, maybe their book will create interest in yours.  Can you use the opportunity to let people know about your work?  Positive, positive, and keep at it with your own project. 

Judith -- You ask, "Was finishing hard?"  Letting go of the research phase was the hard part for me: OK, that's IT, no more information coming in, my door is closed!  Even though life was going on, things were happening, history was continuing to be made.  I didn't really feel that in finishing the book I was letting go of the characters -- in fact, the opposite.  I felt they (many of them deceased) were now sitting right at my side, immortalized in the book.

Hi Judith,

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement! I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what I want to get out of the energy it will take to write a book. I want to write the fun stuff, I have all kinds of fun and creative novel ideas, but I feel God tugging at me to write with deep purpose. I can write the fun stuff later, but for now... I really feel the Lord's guidance to reach an audience of women that are going through the same kind of things I went through with my husband.

A few weeks ago at church, I saw a teenage girl putting on make-up in the restroom. I thought to myself, "Oh you are beautiful just the way you are." Then I started thinking about my teenage years, and then I started thinking, "If I want to write with purpose, and make an impact, I need to address the teen audience too." The teen years are where the insecurities begin about our bodies, our likeability, a greater desire for acceptance from our peers. Could I be the one? To enlighten a teenager or two to love and accept themselves as they are, maybe make betters decisions than I did, to know that lonely is better than abuse, to know that waiting to meet 'the one that will take your breath away and treat you right' is worth the wait. The wait is where you find yourself, and finding yourself before finding 'the one' will make life more beautiful and satisfying.

Teenagers think they have it all figured out. I know, I was a teenager that thought I had it all figured out. However, I have hope that in reaching out to the young women in this world, they will make choices that will protect their body and mind, and develop healthy attitudes and beliefs about what love is and is not.

Ok, I'll stop rambling. lol Anyhow, I feel I've found more purpose in the last few weeks. It just feels like, "I have to do this!" and it is therapeutic. It feels beyond great to find the purpose.

Hi Judith,

Loved to get a life sign from you, old pal! I have been off the keyboard in She Writes because dear fat Gertie has eaten me alive. You know. The scandal and all... So much to comment on. I will send you a research piece on the whole scandal and its false hysteria. Meanwhile, glad to know you are busy writing. Please come over and get a kick out of my Washington Post cartoon (latest blog)!

Love, R

Thanks Judith!  Nice to meet you!

I'm the luckiest mom in the world!!  My son Joey put the video together and all three of my kids, Joey, Danny & Jacqui (who happen to be the characters in my book) voiced it.  It's always a family affair around here.  If you know of anyone who would be interested in entering my giveaway for a free copy of the book (US only), please pass along the following link to GoodReads. http://bit.ly/n2VRtG  The book is for children 6-9 but some younger and older have enjoyed it as well.

Look forward to seeing you here everyday during SheWriMo and beyond!

Martha