Busy Me

Hey everyone! I've got a prayer request and a praise for you...

Remember Robert Liparulo, the writer of Comes A Horsemen? We've been chatting a bit over e-mails and he has given me the name and address of a Young Adult editor at Nelson Publishing to send my book proposal to. For my non-writing friends, a proposal is a package which includes a synopsis of the book, a history of the author, sample chapters, and the marketing potential.


I'm very excited because Nelson Publishing is almost impossible to get into. They are a huge Christian publishing firm and only take proposals through recommendations.

I'll be busy for the next few days...writing a chapter by chapter synopsis and putting the proposal together; so please forgive me if I seem a bit distant from the blogosphere.

Please pray for me to get it perfect. If this is where and when God wants it, it'll happen. If not, it will be an awesome learning experience. All in His time.

Have a happy new year everyone!

Oh, a few friends and I are starting a small group Bible study blog on January 1st. We'll be going through the New Testament this year and you are very welcome to join in and comment. Seek and Ye Shall Find is the name. My posts will be on Thursday. I'll tell more about it later and put in a permanent link soon.

My *cough* Christmas Dinner

Okay, so I’ve been out of town for a few days and I get back with 18 messages waiting for me. Boy, do I feel loved! We went to a friend’s house in Oxford, North Carolina (near Raleigh) the day after Christmas. Now, because we were going to be gone for a few days, we decided to postpone the annual Christmas dinner-baking extravaganza for tonight, the 30th. Instead, we pulled a Tim Allen and took the kids to Denny’s.

Yes.

Denny’s.

Did we learn nothing from The Santa Clause? I ask you! We ordered and waited…and waited…and (you get the picture.) Anyway, when the food came...(I must apologize to my vegetarian and vegan friends here. I am a carnivore and you may not like the following information)...When the food came, my plate had a steak, bread, and a baked potato. I asked if they would bring the rest of my meal: a salad and an order of fried shrimp. My husband was also missing his pancakes and the cheese in his omelette.

Time passed.

I decided to try my steak that was supposed to be medium-rare. I think it mooed at me. As soon as I cut into it, blood ran all over my plate, soaking the bread and potato. I told the waitress that I needed it cooked more. She took the entire plate.

Time passed.

I got my salad!

Time passed.

My steak was brought back cooked a tad more but they hadn't changed the plate and my lovely bread looked like a bloody sponge. My potato was about the same.

Still no shrimp.

I eat the steak even though it is still bleeding a bit and I pick at the parts of the potato that are not red.

Finally my shrimp arrives. I take a huge bite and...GAG! They aren't cooked in the inside! The slimy dough is not crisp through. By now, everyone else is finished. Even Dave has gotten his pancakes (but not his cheese) so I tell the waitress to take the raw shrimp off the tab. A whopping $3.50 is removed.

Important safety tip: Skip Denny's and eat toast or cold cereal.

Well, needless to say, tonight's dinner should be so much better.

BTW, my husband now has a blog because of my tag on him. So far, it is hilarious. Please go say hi!!! It is Stupid Human Tricks.

Oh! HAPPY NEW YEAR MY BLOGGING BUDDIES!!!

A Weird Tag

Yes. Again. I have been tagged...this time by the delightfully funny Dennie. She says that I have to list five weird random things about myself. Only five eh?

1. I actually like getting tagged...I created this blog just for the reason of being tagged. I think most of these meme things are a great way to get to know other bloggers. My friend, Bonnie Calhoun, who got me blogging in the first place, hates them and thinks they are like chain letters. She always posts the same post answer to all tags. It is a pretty funny post though. So, she is forgiven.

2. When I was in the Army, everyone called me Mimi instead of SPC Pearson or SGT Pearson. I think it is because I was very much the atypical soldier. Like Private Benjamin of sorts. I would be forgiven anything because I was 'Mimi'...even not showing up for PT (Physical Training). "Oh, was that this morning Sergeant?" "Yes, Mimi. It is every morning." Even the Company Commander called me Mimi. No one else was referred to by their name or nickname.

3.

In the Army I was a Multimedia Illustrator. An artist. I already had an art degree (BA from San Jose State University)...I was really artsy fartsy...Not only was I weird enough to join the Army, I joined it for experience in the art field. To the left is a little article about my weird self done while I was in Hungary during Operation Joint Guard. The next picture is a sample of a charcoal illustration I did for a friend who got promoted. Hope you can tell what it is. I gave him the original and this is a scan of a photocopy!

4. I was raised in a family of all girls with the exception of my dad and our pet dog. My family now is all boys with the exception of me and our pet dog.

5. I prefer Young Adult novels to any other type of book. I love Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl. And if the novel has a dragon in it, I will read it all night long. I also love those kinds of novels so much that I wrote my own. And even though I love to write, I am a horrid speller. (I always spell weird wrong...usually I spell it wierd. I'm still not sure which one is right.)

A lot of my blogging friends have already done this tag...if you've done it already, let me know!

Poor souls:

Trinity13
My son, Keegan
My husband, Dave...so he will start a blog.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Christmases to Remember

All Christmases have memories attached. Whether it is the one when you were sixteen and all you got were bicycle parts even though you wanted a CAR (true story) or the time you dive across the desert squashed in the back of a Buick with two of your sisters and a tired father and turtle happy mother up front (unfortunately, another true story).

There are some you will remember because of sheer joy. Like the first Christmas you spend as husband and wife. Perhaps it is the one with your baby’s first Christmas.

Then there is the Christmas spent with nine foster children, some of whom have never had much kindness let alone presents given to them. We (Dave, Keegan, Evan, and I) spent about four Christmases like this.

Of course there are Christmases that you just have to laugh for the sheer joy of having two of the silliest boys on Earth with you.

Yet, the one Christmas that will always sit in the forefront of my memory is the Christmas I spent without my family. The one where I was called up, along with a lot of other mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, and sons, to be a Peacekeeper in the Bosnia crisis: Operation Joint Guard.

Dave and I had been married seven years and our son, Keegan, had only just turned two. I would be gone for nine months. Part of those nine months was during Christmas. It could have been awful.

But it wasn’t.

Lonely? Yes. Yet through my pain, I was able to express love. I found a rich joy that Christmas.

Our Battalion was blessed with opportunities to serve others. We were stationed in Taszár, Hungary a few hours from the Croatian border and since it was 1997 and the war was pretty much over, there was much poverty and way too many orphans. Being a Transportation Battalion who coordinated operations, we had access to many things that other soldiers did not. Our Chaplain set up visits to orphanages and we visited many kids. We also had many donations/presents that people from all over gave for the orphans. One day we spent the entire workday wrapping those presents, getting them into and labeling the boxes for boys/girls and age groups. We delivered some of them in person. From mattresses to bikes. One little girl I especially remember received a Barbie doll and cried. She had never had a doll before. I think that was the best Christmas moment I’ve ever had. Maybe because it was the closest I came to the true meaning of Christmas. Giving and loving others just as God loved us so much that he sent His Son.

Happy Birthday Jesus. I pray I can always have Your giving spirit all year round.

So, tell me. What is the best Christmas/Chanukah experience you have ever had?

Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle

Anyone thinking about what to get an 8-12 year old for Christmas? Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle is a fun new book by R. K. Mortenson. In the tradition of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, Mortenson brings his character, Landon, on a zany adventure during a secret night visit to the Button Up Library in Minnesota. It is a fast paced, wacky ride including talking Chess pieces and little elflike creatures called 'Odds'. After Landon's grandfather is rushed to the hospital for an injury, Landon questions why it happened.

"There's no reason," he blurted through his sobs, "for anything!"

He opens the Bible to Joel 2:28 and reads:

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

A passageway opens up in his room and Landon follows it like all curious cats do. Curiouser and curiouser! Okay, it doesn't say that, but it sounds like what Alice would say in such a situation, no? Anyway, my son, Keegan,10 years old, loved the book. It is fun, silly and helps to answer the riddle:

Could it be chance, mere circumstance
That man eats cow eats grass eats soil
and then man dies, and when he lies
To soil he does return?

To order, click here!

Finished Comes A Horseman!

Remember that on November 17th I posted about the novel Comes A Horseman by Robert Liparulo? Well, I've finished reading it and totally loved it. The similes he uses are original and brilliant. He brought action and emotion together very well. I loved the main characters and despised the bad guys. What bad guys he had too!!! YIKES! I shall never look at the historical Vikings again without cringing. The book does not have as much art as I thought it would but it makes up for it with great FBI gadgetry and believability. It even has a Shih Tzu which is my personal favorite dog. (Of course I'm biased because I have a 1/2 Shih Tzu 1/2 Jack Russell puppy.) Anyway, I recommend this to all Thriller lovers. It is not to be missed.

Remember the Time We...

Seen at Running2ks

Please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL MEMORY OF YOU AND ME. It can be anything you want–good or bad–BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. When you’re finished, post this paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON’T ACTUALLY remember about you.

Christmas Turtles

This post will be added to The Wonder Years section of my autobiography

Our first Christmas without my sister Margie was spent in Arizona. My maternal grandmother lived there with her youngest son, my Uncle Kevin. Many vacations were spent in Phoenix, Arizona and we always traveled by car. This visit we were one less but it was still a cramped, long, bickering voyage. If you ever traveled from San Jose, California to Phoenix, Arizona you will understand this well. If you haven't, I will endeavor to illustrate it for you...

Imagine, if you will, a brown Buick. Mother and Father are in the seats up front. Three girls ages 13, 15, and 17 in the back and you are the 13 year old. Stuck. In the middle. This is before walkmans. This is also before you've discovered how great books are. Your parents have an eight track playing old country tunes that you've been programed to actually like.

There is a long stretch of desert as far as the eye can see (sorry, it's cliche but true.) In the middle of the desert is a road that looks and feels as if it was paved over a rolling ocean. Your family has dubbed these waves dippity-do's. As this is an annual trip, you are expecting the waves and as soon as the first one approaches, the entire family starts to sing:

Dippity do da, dippity ay!
My, oh my, what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine headed my way.
Dippity do da. Dippity ay!

Yes. It is corney, but it is what you do. Suddenly Mom yells, "TURTLE!"

All the girls groan. Dad blows out a long breath of air.

"John! Stop the car! I saw a turtle!"

"Syl...You said that, what 10 miles back. You thought you saw a turtle..."

"This time it really is a turtle. Stop the car!"

Your mother has always had some strange obsession with finding a turtle on the road. You have not the slightest idea why. Dad knows that Mom will never, ever, stop talking, moaning, nagging if he does not pull over and check for the turtle.

We pull over. Immediately you are hot. Yes, it is Christmas time but you are HOT! And your two sisters have decided to sprawl all over 'their' sides of the car leaving the tiny mid-section for you to sweat in. Since Dad had taken his time hashing it out in his mind whether it was worth the nagging to not pull over or not, he has a much longer walk than he anticipated.

Bicker, bicker: "You're on my side!"..."You stink!"..."Don't you EVER brush your teeth?"..."I hate you!"...

Mom has had enough. Now it is time to pull the age old threat: "If you girls don't shut-up, I will spank you with a cactus!"

This used to work. In fact, we all have had nightmares of picking cactus needles out of our butts. But now we are teenagers. And now we have a common enemy. Our bickering is solved! Now we can rag on Mom!

"As if!"..."I'd like to see you try!"..."Do you actually think we'd fall for that one?"..."Where are your gloves, huh?"

Mom now regrets pulling over for her long sought turtle. We all watch for Dad. FINALLY we see his itsy bitsy figure coming from the dippity-do's. He is carrying something! It is dark and looks a little heavy. Mom gets so excited that she forgives us all and promises that at the next gas station we will all get an ice-cream bar.

Dad's figure gets bigger. Yes. He is definately carrying something.

He arrives and presents Mom with her prize. "Here you go, Syl. Here is your turtle."

A black rubber piece of tire is placed in her lap and we resume our trip.

*A special note*

In the last two years since Mom and Dad have moved to North Carolina, Mom has fulfilled her life's ambition. She has found not one, but THREE real turtles on the road.

They live in a glass aquarium in her kitchen.

I've been hit! He got me...yes...I've been tagged

First of all, today my son Keegan has finally completed his first post. It is a report on our field trip to Linville Caverns. To the left is one of the many pictures that he has in his report. So do not delay, go read his fun report! (My dad, mom, Keegan, Evan, and me. I took the picture that's why I'm not there.)


Secondly, I'm enjoying Comes a Horseman still. Not done yet. While I was in the middle of a VERY scary scene last night, the lights went out. I had about ten horrible seconds of holding my breath and the lights thankfully came back on. I don't know about you, I sure don't want my last waking thought to be about an axe murderer.

Lastly, none other than the author/blogger and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance inventor T.L. Hines has tagged me. So, now I'm it, huh? Okay. I can do this.

SEVENS

Seven Things to Do Before I Die

1. Publish my book
2. Move away from North Carolina
3. Train my kids to put their laundry in the laundry hamper
4. Ski in Colorado
5. Visit the Bahamas
6. Take my kids to Disneyworld
7. Own a car that doesn't require a chain to hold the hood down

Seven Things I Cannot Do

1. A backflip. I used to be able to do it but no more. Alas, I've gotten too old and too um...rotund.
2. Make a soufflé or spell it...I had to go look that up.
3. Spell. As proven by number 2.
4. Breathe underwater. But my character in F.A.I.R.I.E.S. can. So, HA!
5. Find a publisher. But I am hopeful that one day this will change.
6. Stop my kids from growing. I wish I could 'bottle' time. Howbeit, I cannot.
7. Create world peace. Let's face it, that won't happen until the Anti-Christ starts to rule so...I guess that means I'm glad that I can't do it.

Seven Things that Attract Me to My Husband

1. His skills. Okay, I meant his humor. This wonderful man, Dave, is playing golf on the Monterey Peninsula. Note the floral shorts, "No Bozo's" T-shirt, and the great demonstration of balance.















2. His thoughtfulness.






3. His ability to feel at home wherever he is.











4. His intelligence. Not only does he look smart in a uniform, he was in military intelligence. A linguist in the U.S. Army. He knows German, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish (from High School), and Greek (from College).








5. Just look at him. Need I say more? He looks adorable even with a flat-top. And now that we are getting older and things like hair decide to leave, he is STILL adorable! Oh, and get a load of those thighs. Yummy.







6. His great artistic sensibility. What taste!







7. His GREAT taste in women. Oh, and cars.

Seven Things I Say Most Often

1. "I love you."
2. "You're grounded!"
3. "What do you want for dinner?"
4. "Fine. I'll make macaronni and cheese. Again."
5. "Where's my hairbrush?"
6. "Take out the dog."
7. "Go to sleep boys!"

Seven Books (or Book Series) I Love

1. Harry Potter
2. All Jane Austin
3. Dragon Riders of Pern
4. Artemis Fowl
5. In the Hall of the Dragon King
6. Honor Harrington
7. Crystal Singer

Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over Again

1. Pride and Prejudice (A&E version)
2. Notting Hill
3. Galaxy Quest
4. Ella Enchanted
5. Star Wars
6. LOTR
7. Anne of Green Gables

Seven Poor Souls that I wish to tag are:

1. Bonnie Wren
2. Jennifer
3. Pia
4. Fred
5. Jen's Horde
6. Running2ks
7. Alydyn

Comes a Horseman

This month the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is reviewing Robert Liparulo's thriller, Comes a Horseman.

I intended to read it before posting about it but have not yet received my copy. The publisher was supposed to send it already but it hasn't arrived. I do have next month's book and have read it...not that this helps you decide if you want to buy Comes a Horseman (Published by WestBow Press, November 2005 Hardcover 496 pages) or not.

Well, let me at least tell you what it is about. From the description given to me, I really want to read it...and will! It sounds a lot like Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code. (While waiting for this book to arrive, I am reading Angels and Demons. I had to see what all the fuss is about. If Comes a Horseman is anything like it, I'm sure to love it!) BTW, it has already been sold to Hollywood!

Okay, here is the short summary:

Reeling from a series of attempts on their lives, FBI agents Brady Moore and Alicia Wagner follow a trail of evidence that leads to a conspiracy a thousand years in the making. Finding clues in the dusty tomes of the Vatican's Secret Archives and the paintings of William Blake and Hieronymus Bosche, they plunge deep into a pit of evil ambition.

What others are saying:

"Frightening and fiendishly smart, Comes a Horseman is a must-read! Robert Liparulo's intense thrill ride will keep your nerves frayed and your lights on."

—David Morrell, best-selling author of Creepers and The Brotherhood of the Rose

"This debut novel by Robert Liparulo is one-of-a-kind and a thriller in the truest sense of the word."

—Focus on Fiction

"If you like thrillers that are spine chilling and just won't let go of the reader, this book is for you."

—Mysteries Galore

"Robert Liparulo's characters are unforgettable, and his villains are everything that bad guys should, and shouldn't, be. This is a book that you'll lose sleep over—during and after the reading."

—Book Reporter

"Not for the faint of heart, this is quality writing that deserves a lofty niche within the action/suspense genre. It is well-researched and meticulously detailed, and the characters are fascinating and 'real,' the dialogue clever and altogether human, the plot compelling. What I'm trying to say is, I love it!"

—Frank Peretti, author of Monster and This Present Darkness

"Robert Liparulo has crafted a diabolical thrill ride of a novel that makes the roller coaster at Magic Mountain seem like a speed bump. Part serial killer procedural, part global techno-thriller, part spiritual suspense epic, Comes a Horseman has enough plot twists and action to decode Da Vinci! Highly recommended!"

—Jay Bonansinga, author of Frozen, The Killer's Game, and The Sinking of the Eastland

"A riveting thriller that spins effortlessly off great writing and a demonic villain real enough to have you looking over your shoulder."

—David H. Dun, best-selling author of The Black Silent

"Comes a Horseman is an ambitious and original debut thriller by a fine new writer. Robert Liparulo deserves an audience, because he has something meaningful to say."

—C.J. Box, Anthony Award winning author of Out of Range

"Robert Liparulo is one of the best writers to hit the block in a long time. Comes a Horseman is brilliantly conceived and executed. It will leave readers desperately wanting more."

—Ted Dekker, author of the #1 best-selling Obsessed

"Prophecy and murder run roughshod through Comes a Horseman. From the mountain peaks of Colorado down to a labyrinth beneath Jerusalem, mystery and adventure abound in a read that will keep you up to the wee hours of the morning. Not to be missed!"

—James Rollins, New York Times best-selling author of Sandstorm and Map of Bones

"Robert Liparulo starts off with a bang and then lulls us momentarily with well-modeled and sympathetic characters before he drops these totally likeable characters into a series of harrowing confrontations. Some of the fights involving razor-edged weapons manage to be excruciatingly wince-inducing while remaining truly entertaining. This is what is meant by guilty fun."

—Larry Hama, writer, Marvel Comics' G.I. Joe and Wolverine

"This book has everything--murder, suspense, history, intrigue... Comes a Horseman grabs you and won't let go. It may be the most ambitious, most abundant first novel I've ever read. We'll be hearing from Robert Liparulo for a long time to come."

—Steve Hamilton, Edgar Award-Winning Author of Ice Run

"Comes a Horseman is stunningly brilliant. It's a story of epic conflict, despair, courage, and the power of faith and strength and endurance... In one book, Robert Liparulo has clearly proven himself to be one of the best writers of our generation. I will anxiously await his next work."

—James Byron Huggins, best-selling author of Wolf Story, The Reckoning, and Nightbringer

"High-octane action and devilish conspiracies worthy of The Da Vinci Code or
Left Behind. What's not to like?"

—Joseph R. Garber, author of Vertical Run and Whirlwind

"Robert Liparulo writes the kind of thriller other authors write in their dreams, and readers devour until the wee hours of the morning! Make way for a new master of the genre and a can't-put-down knockout with Comes a Horseman."

—Mark Andrew Olsen, author of The Assignment and co-author of Hadassah

"Comes a Horseman is a true page-turner, with wonderfully developed characters who have all-too-human strengths and weaknesses. The story is frighteningly real and insidious in a way that makes me hope our two FBI agents are really on the job. Robert Liparulo's writing is refreshingly well crafted. I hope there's a sequel!"

—Terri Lubaroff, Senior Vice President, Humble Journey Films

"Come a Horseman is chock-full of unbelievable excitement and credible research. My nails got shorter with each page--I could not put it down. This incredibly real-to-life thriller envelops the epic battle of good versus evil with a new depth. It is the thriller of all thrillers! I can't wait for the next book."

—Dwight Cenac, President, Welcome Home Care and HCMC Properties

"Robert Liparulo's book takes the reader across the globe in a riveting story of murder and Church intrigue. A quick, compelling read."

—W.H. Watford, Edgar-nominated author of Mortal Strain and Lethal Risk

"Fasten your seat belt; Comes a Horseman is a wild ride! With great skill and prophetic clarity, Robert Liparulo knows how to tell an exciting story and boost a reader's adrenaline level. You won't want to put this one down!"

—Angela Hunt, author of The Novelist and The Truth Teller

"Comes a Horseman has a powerful sense of doom hanging over it from the first pages on. Though the story is global, some of its best writing is surprisingly intimate: a boy and his father besieged in their house, two good people and one very bad one in a dark hotel room. There's some fresh role-reversal in the two leads. The sense of doom yields to a downhill, no brakes, runaway pace, an inevitable clash of complicated Good and uncomplicated Evil. Robert Liparulo knows more than you and I do about some dark corners of history. I appreciate his work."

—Dan Vining, author of The Quick

"Comes a Horseman is a stunning debut that puts Robert Liparulo solidly on the map of the suspense/crime genre. His tale of the Antichrist will sink its teeth into you and hold on until the end."

—Alison Strobel, author of Worlds Collide

"As a long-time Stephen King fan, I've finally found another author who can measure up--Robert Liparulo. Comes a Horseman is a taut blend of suspense with a splash of horror and all around edge-of-your-seat writing that kept me riveted."

—Colleen Coble, award-winning author of Black Sands

"Comes a Horseman grabs you from page one. The story has everything a fiction fan could want: an ancient conspiracy, a thrilling mystery, an everyman hero and a sinister villain-all crafted without a hint of cliche. Be warned: Your heart will race, your head will spin, your palms will sweat as you read this gruesome tale. Soon, everyone will know the name Robert Liparulo. I can't wait for his next book!"

—Robert Andrescik, editor of New Man magazine

"Comes a Horseman offers 'hold your breath' thrills at a breathless pace. Well-developed characters drive the suspense-filled plot."

—Aspiring Retail Magazine, July 2005

I will definately be reading this book! I love art, I love history, and I love God. Sounds like the book for me!!!

~Mimi Pearson (aka, the person's blog you are reading!)

I Stumped Darth Vader!

Mmmwahahaha *evil maniacal laughter*
I stumped Darth Vader not once but TWICE! Ha ha! Okay, you are wondering what in the galaxy I'm talking about.

Here is the spot :
The Sith Sense
It is a twenty questions game for Darth Vader to read your mind.

I got comments like:
"Your mind reads like a children's novel." (How did he know that? Well, young adult fantasy novel, maybe!)
"You are strong, you'd make a good asset for the dark side." (Sorry Mr. Skywalker, but I'm taken by the Light.)
"You are more clever than you appear." (Thank God!)
And when he asked his last question, "Is it a Gibbon?" (What is a Gibbon? Anyone?) I said, "No." and he replied, "That is a load of Bantha fodder."

BTW, I was thinking of a fairie. (He did get close and asked if it was a Dwarf or a Gnome.) The other one I thought of was a plastic Barbie toy car. (All right, he did ask if it was a model car and I said no. If he asked if it was a toy car I would have said yes.) To be fair, he did figure out my Yeti and Sea Monster ones. It is a load of fun! Go take the test and tell me if you were led to the Dark side of the Force.

A Trekkie Christmas

The following is a post that I've written for Jean-Luc Picard's Christmas Party (see: Captain Picard's Blogspot.) The names mentioned are some of the other bloggers that will most likely write a post too.

Last week I received a strange invitation. I’m not really sure how it got here…first it wasn’t there and then it just materialized with a tinkling sound on my kitchen table. It looked really ‘state or the art’, all silvery and shiney. When I opened it up, I immediately dropped it back onto the table. Some kind of 3-D hologram emerged from the card. A debonair and noble looking man in a red and black leotard started talking with a British accent.

"M. C. Pearson of the 21st century, you are invited to a Christmas party on the Starship Enterprise. You may dress formally or allow us to fit you when you arrive. You will be transported tomorrow evening. Happy Holidays."

The miniature holo-man shrunk back into the card which in turn de-materialized from my table.

I went and checked my blood pressure.

I decided that I’d been watching too much TV and went to lie down. After a nap, I realized it had to be part of my dream and therefor removed it from my mind…or so I thought.

The next evening after taking a long soak in the tub, I dressed in my red and green flannel pajamas, stuffed my feet into my Garfield slippers and wrapped my wet hair in a towel…yes…I looked like a swami. Just as I went into the kitchen to pop some popcorn, I felt really dizzy. Looking at my hands, I saw yellow light in my skin! That weird tinkling sound came again but it seemed to be coming from inside my head. Before I knew it, I was standing on a funny looking disco-like deck with four leotard-clothed people smiling at me.

"Welcome to the Enterprise, Mimi," said an unshaven man in red and black. He turned and I heard him whisper to the female next to him. "I thought she was a Christian writer, not Hindu."

The gorgeous female nodded and then looked over at me and smiled. "Where did you get your outfit? It is stunning! Of course you will not be in need of our assistance. How festive you look. Ah, did you bring pets?" She pointed at my feet.

I just stared at her.

"Perhaps you would like to have some egg-nog? We’ve programmed our replicators for all the centuries and planets to produce traditional celebration items. If you’ll just follow me?" the bearded man said and started walking to a wall, which immediately slid open, revealing a corridor beyond.

I found my footing and trailed after the man. The dark-haired female turned to one of the other leotarded people and said, "Now, beam up Trinity13, another 21st century female." The door closed with a puffing sound and I jogged after the man.

We stepped into a tubular elevator and a second later arrived at a big metal door.

"The party is on Holodeck One. I must excuse myself to dress now. Since you are suitably attired, you may enter and enjoy." He pressed a button, pushed me through, and closed the…where did the door go?

I was in the middle of a huge ballroom that looked like the inside of the Titanic.

Another person appeared next to me. She, like me, looked rather out of place.

"I hope they have Vegan meals here…"

I shrugged. No idea what she meant.

"I’m Running2ks…are you from Earth?"

I stepped away in confusion. But soon a man with pointy ears walked up and said, "It is illogical for you to stuff your feet inside of cats." He turned to Running2ks and said, "I’m a Vulcan. Have we met?"

Running2ks said, "I’m a Vegan."

I walked to the food bar. I don’t know about Vegans, but I sure liked what I saw. Talk about a feast! As I stuffed my face (hey this is my fantasy—no repercussions, right?), the handsome man from the Christmas card came up and introduced himself.

"Happy Christmas. I am Jean-Luc Picard. Captain of the Enterprise."

I gulped the mouthful of food down and said, "I-I’m M. C. Pearson. You’re a captain? I was a sergeant in the Army."

"Ah, good to have a fellow soldier on board. Glad you could come."

He walked off before I could ask, "Did I have a choice?"

Another man sauntered up and oily said, "I’m Captain Berk. Your place or mine?"

"Er. I’m married. Bye." I ran away.

After a few blue drinks and a purple steaming one, I don’t recall the names of, I think I danced the Robot with a guy named Data. He was a bit strange. Yellow eyes. Then some really tall angry looking fellow (something about his face was odd…) introduced himself as Worf and handed me a smoking orange bowl of liquid.

I must have fainted then. A girl can only take so much ya know.

I awoke in my bed the next morning with a note pinned to my pajama top.

My head felt like a Starship had landed inside my temples.

Squinting I read:

"Take the two green pills in your right pocket. They will counteract the Clingon Firewater you seemed to enjoy. Thank you for the lovely dramatization of The Christmas Cats Swallowed my Toeses."

~ Dr. Beverly

A Funny Post

Okay, I read a really funny post a week or so back and have not been able to get it off my mind. It is from a fellow Christian Fiction Blog Alliance member.

Let me know how you liked it!

I still giggle just thinking about it. Here it is: Curm's funny post

Oh, and a special note to Bonnie:

Don't take a sip of coffee before reading it...we don't want another cleaning out the nose incident.

My Knights in Shining Armor

Yep. They are adorable.

Not that I am biased in any way...*wink wink*

My little men were so happy to be real knights for Halloween. I actually made the shirts, scale and all. I am no seamstress but I think they turned out pretty good! All by hand, mind you...sewing machines like to bite me so I went for the more puritanical method. Anyway, they liked them even if the scale made them itch and the heat made them sweat.

Why is it that the entire week before Halloween we were freezing our nether-regions off but the day that my kids need to wear long sleeves (they also wore long sleeeves underneath the long sleeves to keep the itchy scale armor away from their delicate skin...double the pleasure) it turns out to be eighty degrees outside??? We ended up only doing the trick-or-treating downtown...they became stripping knights before dark...so, we stayed home, watched E.T. (our only Halloween movie), and gave out candy. Of course they fought over who got to answer the door first and give out the most candy. Still, they never pierced eachother with their swords...so, all turned out well.

After all was said and done, Keegan remarked, "Wow. I think we sweated as much as any knight in battle." I just smiled and answered, "Good thing your chainmail was made of sequens instead of metal. But you did well, Sir Knight."

Here is a verse to dwell on:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:11-17

The Hostess Years: The Good Samaritan

Have you ever had an experience with a Good Samaritan? Maybe an angel in disguise?

I did.

It was 1976; I was nine years old. The family had just pulled up to our camping spot at Trinity National Park in California. Funny how a name could mean something more now than it did then...Not until this moment did I realize that I had written 'Trinity' without meaning the Godhead. Hmmm...Something to ponder. Anyway, my parents started setting up camp and I really wanted to go on a bike ride. None of my sisters wanted to take me and my parents would not allow me to go alone. Thinking back, this was a good thing. At the time it seemed utterly unfair.

Margie made a deal with me. If I would brush her hair for half an hour then she would take me for a ride. I know that seems a bit mean but really, she didn't want to go and I liked making funny hair-dos in her hair.

Although I was not allowed to go 'alone', my parents did think I was old enough for a three speed bike. It was huge. I looked like one of the seven dwarves (Dopey) trying to balance on the thing. This was before helmets and pads for the kids...I was so stupid that I actually wore my leather Mexican flip-flops instead of sensible tennis shoes (sneakers...Running shoes or whatever you say for those things.) The ride started off great. Fresh mountain air, insects buzzing about, and birds tweeting merrily in the pine trees.

We didn't figure on the gravel or the steepness of the road.

Talk about head over heals! I flipped over the handle bars when I errantly hit a large piece of gravel. Gravel and face don't mix. Neither do teeth and rocks. I smashed my head into the dirty rocky mix and slid a few feet. I don't remember much after that...I blurrily recall Margie screaming for help. Next thing I knew, an old man was carrying me. My face, shirt and feet covered in blood. I had one sandal on. The other one must have stayed with my teeth on the pavement. The man's wife helped Margie and our bikes back to the campsite.

I never found out the names of the couple but will always remember their kindness.

My face was a mess. I lost three permanent teeth on my bottom row and had somehow created a mouse-hole shape in my two front teeth. The teeth had exited my mouth through my upper lip which was dangling open. Sorry, I know. It wasn't a pretty picture.

The nearest hospital/doctor was an hour away. My sisters and mom tore down camp as my dad tried to wash me off and stop the bleeding.

I ended up with a bunch of stitches, some false teeth (they were my permanent ones that I lost), and a good patch up job on the mouse-hole. For a long time I kept my torn and bloody sandal; the only souvenir I had from the trip that wasn't attached or lost from my body.

I thank God that Margie was there.

I also have some hugs for those two souls that helped me when I was in need.

Excerpt from my biography~ The Wonder Years: Junior High~ Coolest Pet

I HAD THE COOLEST PET IN THE WORLD

His name was Doc. Doctor Waggletail Szeker to be precise...a mallard full of spunk. My cat, Bootsie, was actually pretty spectacular too...but Doc was a wonder. He loved me, played with me, trusted me, and protected me. I raised him from a chick and he knew I was mommy...he also knew that my sisters weren't mommy; nor were they daddy. They were beings that needed to be put into place when mommy was near. Heck, even when mommy wasn't near. He really liked ankles though...you did not want to go barefoot when Doc was by your toes. Many a time my sisters would come shrieking into the house with blood blisters forming on their lovely heels.

Yep. I had Doc pretty well trained.

I would dive into our pool and he would jump in and dive right after me. His trust of me was so great that I could lull him into laying on his back in the swimming pool. Yes, even on a raft.

Back then I was even stupider than I am now. I, and my sisters, lived to 'lay out'...mind you, this was before we had any knowledge of skin cancer. We would laugh at sunblock. No, we wanted the baby oil for the skin and the lemons for the hair thank you very much. We had these metal lounge chairs with rubber band thingies for padding where you could bend the heads and feet areas to go up and down according to how you wished to bake yourself. I could float on the raft because Doc would just play with me...but my sisters had to use the chairs. If they felt really brave they would bend the feet to hang over the water. Doc would quack and swim around me until he saw that my sisters were comfortable and feeling safe...then he would attack. He'd do this low soft quaking like he was talking to his spy network..."mmrrrmrrr mrr mrr? mrrrrmmmmr..." Then it would get loud and fast..."MRR! MRRR MRR! MAMERRRR!!!" And he would slide his beak up a non-suspecting fool of a foot and spray water all over the relaxed leg. It never failed. A scream would issue from the being on the chair followed by something like, "Mimi! Control your duck!" or "I hate him! I absolutely HATE HIM!" Doc would chuckle to himself, "Mawmarrr! MA MA MA MA MRRRR!" and whichever one of my sisters that was attacked (usually Karen, oddly enough) would raise their chair leg back up or go inside the house. Job completed, Doc would then swim around me or dive under me and swim around the pool to resurface with a flap flap of the wings and a great waggle of the tail.

God, how I loved that duck.

Excerpt from my biography~ The Wonder Years: Junior High~ Cutting School

CUTTING SCHOOL

Do you remember the first time you cut school? Funny, I'm not sure if I ever did it again...but I remember that day and the friends I was with. Tiffany, Me, Kris, and Tobi. Yes, we are all wearing cowboy hats, and yes, we planned it, and yes, we look rather silly, but no, none of us ever owned a horse. It is strange that by the end of our Junior year in High School, I was no longer good friends with any of these girls. One because our interests changed very quickly, the other because of popularity or lack there of, and the last? Well, I'll get to that a bit later. Even so, this day we were friends, sisters. We cut school to go to my house...went the back way through a ditch and everything. It really wasn't all that wrong, it was the last day of school and everyone was just signing yearbooks anyway. Even though I never cut again, it felt kinda good being just a little wicked once.

Excerpt from my autobiography~ The Wonder Years: Junior High~ Do You Remember...?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...?

Growing up is difficult. The kids you used to watch cartoons with and eat chocolate chip cookie dough with change. Sometimes, faster than you do. My best friend in seventh grade was Tobi. We did everything together. I'm not exactly sure when it happened but by the end of the summer of 1980, she had a boyfriend and I was still watching Scooby-Doo. Fortunately for me, I still like to watch cartoons and my husband is okay with that. On the right you see that Karen is still a cute softball player, Tobi was over to chat, and I must have been going somewhere special because I never dressed up unless I had to. Things haven't changed that much for me at least.

Mimi's Review on the Novel DARK STAR by Creston Mapes

The members of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance are reviewing Dark Star by Creston Mapes this month. It was published by Multnomah Publishers in Sisters, Oregon 2005.

Since I am one of the cool blogger writers associated with the alliance, I have been privilaged to read this book. Now for those who have read my profile, you will remember that I am a fantasy/sci-fi/young adult reader/writer. I do not usually read outside of these realms for pleasure.

Dark Star has been an exception to my rule (even if it was an assignment of sorts.)

I was immediately drawn into the characters and the mood of this book. Mr. Mapes scored big on my reading scale; I can tell you that!

He wrote it in first person, meaning from the rock star main character's point of view. What is really cool though is that he wrote it in the past and in the present. Starting in the past with a normal type font, the rock star--Everet Lester -- begins to tell the tale of his abusive past and his rise to fame as the lead singer of a rough rock-n-roll band named Death Stroke. Wonderfully, Mr. Mapes takes the reader into the present where Everet Lester is on trial for Murder One. This is done in bold print so the reader will recognize the difference right away. While in jail and on trial, Everet writes his memoirs (the past that the reader is reading).

Mr. Mapes skillfully winds the reader around the twisted life of a rock idol...delving into the drugs, alcohol, and sex (not explicit) that goes along with this lifestyle. He also depicts the tendency that many stars have to seek out psychics...leading the star into a darker spiritual realm.

Even so, Everet Lester has an anyonomous friend praying for him.

I hope I've made you thirsty for more! Go buy his book...really, you will not be disappointed. Creston Mapes also answers e-mail and will hopefully leave a lovely comment here as well...*hint--hint* Creston!

Fall On Jesus

Many of my friends that visit are Christians so most of you have probably heard the following song that I have posted but my son who is four had a different viewpoint on one of the sections which made me laugh. It wasn't until last night that I actually listened to all the words of 'Come to Jesus'...and this, only after Evan made the remark, "Fall on Jesus? That's not very nice! What if you land on His head? BONK! Ouch!"

We have one of the 'WOW' cd's which has the song on it. I explained that sometimes we do fall and Jesus catches us. I pressed the oh-so-handy rewind button that would've taken a minute instead of half a second if it were a tape deck, and we all listened quietly to hear the whole song and catch the meaning.

I fell in love.

We all cried and sang it over and over.

This is the most beautiful song about a Christian's life that I've heard presented in a long time. Chris Rice is a master story/songwriter. Here it is:

Artist : Chris Rice

Song : Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus)

Lyrics :

Weak and wounded sinner

Lost and left to die

O, raise your head, for love is passing by

Come to Jesus

Come to Jesus

Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted

And carried far away

And precious blood has washed away the stain, so

Sing to Jesus

Sing to Jesus

Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby

Don't be afraid to crawl

And remember when you walk

Sometimes we fall...so

Fall on Jesus

Fall on Jesus

Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely

And steep and filled with pain

So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then

Cry to Jesus

Cry to Jesus

Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over

And music fills the night

And when you can't contain your joy inside, then

Dance for Jesus

Dance for Jesus

Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat

Kiss the world goodbye

Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and

Fly to Jesus

Fly to Jesus

Fly to Jesus and live!

My Second Tag

Jennifer of Idle Rambling Thoughts just tagged me...thus the new blog.

I'll be moving over an older tag so
this won't look like the first post...but it is.

10 years ago:

After being married for five years and having one miscarriage, I gave birth to a NINE pound baby boy. He came out looking like a football player. I'm surprised he wasn't giving tackle commands. The boy was HUGE and he was my first...GULP! Turns out I had Gestational Diabetes with him. He was able to hold his head up and turn it to look around on the very first day of birth.

5 years ago:

I was prego with my second child and my husband and I were working with 'at risk' youth as Cottage Parents/Child Care Workers. We had just quit working at Boystown in Nebraska, moved, and started working at South Mountain Children's Homes in North Carolina.

1 year ago:

We moved into a rental home after living with my parents for a year. We had decided to stop working with 'at risk' kids but did not yet have any plans for our future. I just finished writing my book and started the process of finding a publisher.

Yesterday:

My husband and I had a court date for filing bankruptcy. We are looking forward to starting over. Who knows? Maybe God will allow a huge success for my book now that our major trails seem to be coming to an end?

5 Snacks I Enjoy:

Hmmm this may come as a shocker but four of my favorite snacks are made by HOSTESS!

Ding Dongs

Ho Ho's

Cupcakes

Suzie-Q's

Iced-Tea with Lemon and a little bit of sugar (I used to use Sweet and Low but it started doing wacko things to my brain...and no! that is not the reason I am so frightenly brilliant and witty...you're not going to say anything rude are you?

5 Songs I Know All The Words To:

Pokemon theme song

Scooby-Doo theme song

All the Little Mermaid songs

Tons of Worship songs

My all time favorite: The Search is Over by Survivor

5 Things I'd Do With 100 Million Dollars:

Not declare banckruptcy!

Adopt a baby girl from China or Ethiopia (Hey, it works for Angelina Joilie) I cannot have anymore children of my own because I would most likely die this time...and I so want a baby girl too. I don't care what she looks like, I just want to love her.

Go on Missionary trips and fund it all!

Donate to Christian organizations and churches

Create a fairie mansion

5 Places I'd Run Away To:

The F.A.I.R.I.E.S. realm

Venice, Italy

Rome, Italy

Bahamas

Hawaii

5 Things I'd Never Wear:

Hip Huggers that show my butt crack

a tongue ring

a bikini

a belly ring

a gold tooth

5 Favorite T.V. Shows:

Since we do not have cable I'll have to go from my memory of when we did...

Stargate SG-1

Kim Possible

Even Stephens

Charlie's Angels

Whose Line is it Anyway?

5 Biggest Joys:

Jesus

My family

My book

My art

Blogging

5 Favorite Toys:

Computer

Camera

Art stuff

DVD player

Books

What is Cool In My Place:

I have lots of artwork by myself, my boys, and my friends hanging about. Oh, and we have two really strange dogs named Wicket and Deojie, a catfish that jumps at you when you feed it, a sucker fish named Hickie, and two Betas with no name.

I TAG the following 5 poor souls:
Stag
Rock Child (better known as Grossa Foossa
My son, Keegan!
Saija from Thro' a Glass Darkly
Pia

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by my 'twin' blogger, Twisted Cinderella . The instructions are:

1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Post the fifth sentence (or closest to it).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same thing.

Since I do not have 23 posts, I took the 23rd paragragh of my 1st post.

"She looked across the sand and saw movement near some inland eucalyptus
trees, but decided that the wind must have caused it."

Now it is my turn to tag some poor souls. I tag:

Bonnie Writes
May's Little Heaven
Faith in Florida
Idle Rambling Thoughts
Stag