Author: deborahanndykeman

Writing has always been a love of mine. Except for school reports! I didn't cherish those moments. I began with poems in grade school, and short little stories that I illustrated. I created something for each family celebration and probably wore my family out. But I graduated to a longer 'book' by the time I was 18. Following traditional romance novel writing, I pounded out a pretty cheesy story on a Royal typewriter I had found at a garage sale. You didn't worry about your nails when using one of those! When four of our five children were still young, I wrote my first full-length book back in 1998. I followed it with three more in that series. Those are my current WIP, needing many updates and editing. I'm happy to say as of this writing, the third in the Love Defined series is almost ready to be released! Currently, I have eleven published books. My husband and I have been married for forty-one years, and we have five children and nine grandchildren. I've been a homeschooling mom, Sunday school teacher, AWANA director and a pastor's wife. I've worked as a CNA and an Activity Director. A new love of mine is book cover designing! Stayed tuned for more on that. When I'm not busy writing...which I love, BTW, I'm working on home projects, marketing and attending events, where I love to meet you...my readers!
Writing

Help Needed

deborahanndykeman

Okay…I admit it…I need a full-time secretary to take care of all the duties I cannot handle! Job description: be in my office whenever I need you, take care of all computer and editing ‘stuff’ I cannot figure out and your pay will be a free meal. Alright, I may even be able to fit in a plate of cookies now and then. Any takers?

So, there it is, only about ten days after it went on Amazon…my second book!!! Our son-in-law was able to snatch that cover right out of CreateSpace and display it here and on Facebook for me. That is the church in Rubyville…or at least the one I see in my head. The little road leads to the Barton home and you can just make out the top of the gazebo that is in the park. Now that I am almost finished writing the second book in the series, A Place of Refuge, I almost feel like I live there rather than the small town we reside in. Just click on the little link above the books and that will take you to my Amazon author page. If you purchase Rubyville, you may download the digital version for free!

Notice the side bar to your right? I was able to actually organize it all on my own. I should say re-arrange, kind of like furniture, which I am actually pretty good at. The calendar on your left was added by me…that way you, and I, know what day it is! Now, I just need to do something about the mobile version of this site, because my daughters said it is really ugly. There is a way to change that…but it may take awhile. Cookies anyone?

A Quick Thought

WWW

deborahanndykeman

Have you been there? The great, black hole we call the world wide web. It holds great fascination, hours of enjoyment, and you can find just about anything. And that is where the problem resides.

I just went to YouTube, to find a song I wanted to post about. Now, almost an hour later, I have seen that song and about 50 others. One loads, you watch about a minute of it and then the side bar calls you with pictures and titles of another song that looks just as good. You repeat that process for an hour, (hopefully you can keep it to that) and then you get on with your day, feeling really lazy and like you haven’t accomplished a thing.

The song I was looking for was ‘Get Happy’ and it was sung by Judy Garland and others. The tune was running through my head and I wanted to hear the actual words. It wasn’t what I was really looking for, but I did stumble upon…well actually ‘click upon’ several other songs. Most were from the old movies, the musicals with the brightly colored dresses and wonderful dancing. You watch one of those movies and you cannot be sad for long.

So while the world wide web can be a huge time waster, it can also be very useful in many ways. I use it everyday for various things, and it is very much appreciated…most of the time. So now that I have several jingles bouncing through my mind, and visions of swirling dresses, I will climb out of that hole and… get to work. If you read one of my books and I break into song during the dialog…you will know why.

Parenting 101

Date Night

deborahanndykeman

This is probably a term most people would not have used for married people a generation ago. I certainly do not remember it while I was growing up. Date night was for those young people spending an afternoon getting ready to go out that evening, with someone very special, and you wanted to look your best.

red-roses-190x190

I want to take a different spin on this…get away from the books telling you how awful you are if you don’t do this for your marriage once a week. Honestly, life is difficult enough…why are we reading books that put more pressure and guilt on us about the way we should parent, run our marriage or just generally live our lives? Let’s just apply some good old common sense for a bit.

When we marry and decide to spend the rest of our lives with one person…we are making a HUGE commitment. When we add children, whether one, two or twenty to the relationship…we take on more responsibility. People used to understand that. They realized their lives were going to change and you would not have all that you had when you were foot-loose and fancy free…mainly freedom. To do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted with whomever you wanted.

So now you are married, with ‘blank’ number of children. This IS your life, and in most instances, it is what YOU decided to do. So make the best of it and be happy! Yes, you CAN and SHOULD do this!

Now, before you ‘unfollow’ me or hit ‘unlike’ or even tell me I’m nuts…please hear me out. I am not saying you should never go out or go away with your spouse. I am not saying you are tied to your children 24/7. But really, quit EXPECTING this is your RIGHT. Again, YOU made the decision to get married and have children, now make a life for you and your family that is liveable, enjoyable and fun.

Now, some solutions to this. I had five children, and my husband drove over-the-road for many years. Until our oldest daughter was a teenager, there was no leaving. Because of that, I learned to live my life in certain ways.

A married couple DOES need time to themselves. If you prefer to call it ‘date night’ make it happen. If you need it once a week, once a month, etc., make it happen. I put my children to bed early, around seven p.m. I was always guaranteed a few hours in the evening to do what I wanted without caring for children. Yes, parents DO NEED this little break each day to get ready for the next day. Spend this time with your spouse and make it special. Make your bedroom special…not the congregating place for the family, if at all possible. Congregate in THEIR bedrooms. Plan a special meal, eat slowly and talk. Pop some popcorn and watch a movie. Make that person a priority in your life, make them special. And you can do this without leaving your house.

Again, I am not trying to give anyone a hard time. But each of us needs to remember that we are able, and should, decide what our lives are going to be within the boundaries of the decisions we have made. Don’t run from them…embrace them and make them enjoyable. This post is for me as well. To encourage, build up and give the freedom to make your life what you want it to be. Love the people that you have chosen to spend your life with, be thankful for what you have. There is only one ‘go-around’ at life. Experience it to the fullest in the best way possible. Now, go out and have a FANTASTIC day!

orange-sunset-with-trees-600x400

Writing

Writing On a Cloud

deborahanndykeman

After my system crash of a couple weeks ago and the loss of a manuscript…we decided to make some changes in my techno world. Not a good idea! As many of you know, I do not do very well with change and the computer stuff is about enough to put me over the edge. My daughter/editor basically said I needed a full-time office assistant to keep me out of trouble and protect my equipment. Something was said about me going back to a typewriter. Children…what do they know?

I do rely on my children, very heavily in the computer system department. Their fingers fly and work magic that I do not comprehend on any level. All my children and my sons-in-law have this ability. So, I am beginning to think it is a generational thing and not a problem with ‘moi’.

Anyway…I am trying again and my morning thus far has been rather frustrating to say the least. I now have a laptop for writing only…research if I absolutely have to, and a desktop for everyday writing, research, etc. I have written on a laptop for the past 6-7 years, so again, I am adjusting. As my daughter said last night, “Mom, just think about it like you used to.” Huh! Easy for her to say. I really do appreciate the larger monitor and I think I am going to really like the new keyboard…once I get used to it. My husband says I am hard on them…but I think this one will handle my frustrations. I do love the little ‘clicking’ sounds it makes.

My son and daughter said something about writing in ‘onedrive’ so it will be in a cloud and I can pull out my writing stuff whenever I need it, wherever I am. I don’t have a clue what that really means, but I think I have the format down. Actually, playing with clouds sounds kind of fun…they are so pretty and fluffy!

clouds

A Quick Thought

I Will Survive!

deborahanndykeman

That moment when you end up with your breakfast down the front of your clean clothes…ready to start the day. Each morning, I try to make a smoothie for my husband and I, and our youngest daughter. I have been surprised about the merits of it. I sleep through the night now, no getting up several times or laying awake for hours. I generally go to sleep fairly quickly as well. So, those items alone have kept me drinking this in the morning for about three months now. Surprisingly, the two people mentioned above also enjoy it.

smoothie

But, this it not a post about smoothies. This post is about all those frustrations in our lives, the little things that shouldn’t seem like much, but are. They are common to all of us.

So…that moment when you have slimy, green gunk splattered all over your clean clothes for the day. A new pair of hose shredded on the way out the door by an excited puppy, kitten or toddler. A baby spitting up or leaking on your outfit just as you are about to walk out the door for church or work. Rushing out to your car, late for church or work and seeing a flat tire. Again, late for those two activities mentioned several times…it’s winter and it snowed over night…no garage. And don’t think you can clear off everything but the top of a mini-van. The laws of physics prove that all that snow, some 200 pounds of it, will slide forward at your first stop…and bury you.

How about that time you were eating with friends or fellow workers? (Yes, they could be one and the same.) You managed to have that rather large bite of food land in your lap? Please let me re-word that. The time when that large bite of food slid off your fork, plopped on your chest and dripped bit by bit down your front until it landed in a soppy pile on your lap. Just going straight to the lap would have been way to convenient because you could have discreetly laid your napkin over it and pretended it didn’t happen. Icy weather is always a joy. You never fall by yourself…it is always in front of people. Yes, they do rush over to help, ask if you are alright. But wouldn’t you prefer to hurriedly crawl to a support of some sort and stand by yourself…again, pretend as though it didn’t happen? We will go out with a bang…something I know you all have experienced. That little bit of food, stuck between your teeth. It could be lettuce, spinach, a peppercorn…let your imagination run wild. You will always feel the incredible urge to smile, when this happens.

Now that I am older, the above scenarios don’t frighten me as they used to. And yes, I have experienced them all…more than once. Maybe I now understand that I will not die if I have food on the front of me or if someone sees me being stupid. I will survive and live another day to do the same. Isn’t life wonderful? Enjoy your day, food-covered shirt and all!

Writing

A Place to Call Home

deborahanndykeman

I think all of us desire the above title…a place to call home. We want to have something in our memory that evokes happy thoughts and pleasant scenes, remembered friends, and exciting experiences. For me, this is what I think about when I think of home. We can add love and security to that list.

This home is different for everyone, and may even be different within a family that grew up together. I had many houses while growing up, but only a few places really seemed like home. The atmosphere, circumstances and people in my life at that time all contributed to that feeling of home.

You all know by now that I mostly grew up in Colorado. It is a very beautiful place, with the soaring mountains to the west. I was there until the late 1970’s and to me that is very special because it was still rather small compared to today. The cities were not all run together, you could travel for miles in open country, just enjoying the scenery. I loved it when we would journey into the mountains and drive through old mining towns, seeming to hang from the edge of a precipice. I always imagined the people that lived in that forgotten town. They had once enjoyed a life there…marrying, burying, working, and raising families. Today, they are barely a memory because so many have passed on.

Colorado ghost town

In my early teens, my family moved to the east coast. First Vermont and then New York…upstate New York. I loved the east coast and still do. The seasons are beautiful and each one unique. I was amazed at the history…300 year old houses?! I loved touring Boston and walking where so many people from my history books had also walked. We lived in Crown Point, New York for almost three years. It is a beautiful area there by Lake Champlain. So much history! The winters were cold and long with a lot of snow. We filled our time with sledding and ice-skating. My siblings even skated across Lake Champlain one winter. I thought they were crazy and didn’t follow. The ice-shanties speckled here and there probably gave a clue as to the thickness of the ice, but it wasn’t enough evidence for me!

I met my husband in the Hudson Valley area of New York. Another gorgeous place. I love the history there as well. Beautiful houses…magnificent mansions lining the Hudson River. Huge trees seem to grow everywhere, towns tucked between. My first book, ‘To Thee I’m Wed’ takes place in a fictional town in that area. So many of my memories of my home there are interlaced through that book.

So now, I arrive at my destination. We reside in Kansas and have for almost twenty years. The area we live in has hills and in the spring, red buds blossom, powdering the hillsides with pink. Cottonwoods grow along the rivers and in the spring, little white ‘puffs’ float everywhere. Some years, our yard is covered with these little ‘puffs’. Not a good thing for those that are bothered by them! This area also has much history. The houses are not as old and the state younger than some, but still very interesting.

Kansas also has its share of abandoned towns. People came here, full of expectations and hope. They built towns. Some were fairly large at one time, boasting newspapers, several churches, banks and schools. I drive through these lonely, vacant towns and wonder what it was like so many years ago. Rubyville – A Place to Call Home, was written about these towns. I always wonder who lived there, what they did, what they looked like. I would like to go back in time for just a bit and see the town as it was. This was the inspiration for my Rubyville series. Many people called these towns their home…some for their entire life. I pray I reach my goal of telling some of their stories so today we can experience just a bit of that life so long ago. No, the Barton and Langworthy families are not real. But I hope they become real to you as they experience life…just as we all do… and that transcends generations. Enjoy my new series!

To Thee I’m Wed and Rubyville – A Place to Call Home, Book 1 are both available at Amazon. Look for Rubyville – A Place of Refuge, Book 2, coming spring of 2016! I would love to hear from you and would greatly appreciate a review on Amazon. I DO want to know what you think! http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=deborah+ann+dykeman

Writing

Ta-Da!

deborahanndykeman

I now have an Author’s Page on Amazon! You can check it out at the link below. At this site you can read my bio and see what books I have published. You can also link to my blog posts from there…and how easy is that? So, please be sure to take a look and let me know what you think! I LOVE your comments! Have a great day!

http://www.amazon.com/author/deborahanndykeman

Just For Fun!

Dreaming

deborahanndykeman

Anyone that has known me for awhile, understands my love of the Civil War era. The time period leading up to it is one of my favorite in history. It is probably because of the clothing…mostly. If I had lived in that era, unfortunately for me I would not have been one of the women lounging on the veranda, sipping a Mint Julep. My relatives came from Norway and Sweden, (at least the ones I can track) and they settled in Minnesota. They were poor farmers and I have seen pictures of great, great, etc. grandmothers sitting on the porch, in a rocker, wearing hob-nail boots and smoking a corn pipe.  That ends my romantic Gone With the Wind dream right there!

images

I do have a great imagination…probably what led to the writing thing. After I saw Gone With the Wind the first time, I had to have a hoop skirt. I didn’t think they made them anywhere anymore and if they did, I certainly couldn’t have afforded one on my paper girl money! Besides, my parents would have thought I lost my mind. So, I took apart several wire hangers, not an easy task, mind you and then I stretched them into circles. I think I made around three or four in graduating widths. I hooked a couple together to make them longer…and I had my hoop skirt! I draped a sheet or two over the top and proudly showed my siblings. I’m sure they thought I was crazy as well! My father said something to the effect of pretty ingenious, but a waste of hangers and time and if I had so much on my hands, maybe I needed more chores. I of course thought I looked gorgeous and Scarlett O’Hara had nothing on me!

As I have posted before, I was absolutely thrilled when I learned they had a spring ball in a town close to our town. We were attending jam sessions in this town almost every Friday night for while. So when they offered Contra Dance lessons before the ball, I was in! January and February of that year I sewed non-stop. First my daughter’s ball gown, then mine, three vests for my husband and son, string ties as well. Our two youngest daughters were not old enough to wear the hoops, but they dressed for the era as well. Of course all of this took much research . I loved it! I also learned that you could buy hoop skirts and they really weren’t that expensive. Wal-Mart had some great patterns on sale. Our second oldest and I were about as authentic as you could get for the 21st century…and it didn’t cost very much either. It was a dream come true.

The night of the ball arrived. Our oldest daughter, expecting our first grandchild, took many pictures for us. We piled our dresses, literally, into our mini van and headed to the ball. It was such a fun night! My husband probably hated it, but he really was a great dancer. He could remember all the steps I couldn’t and he was very gracious when I messed up. Not to mention he looked wonderful as well.

For me, it was a dream come true. We only went to two balls. The first one was in the winter and we kind of just put together our outfits. I had skirts I had made years before and I made a blouse to go with the black and white flannel skirt I wore. With all the petticoats beneath, we stayed nice and warm.

I do wish I could go back and live during that period of history for just a short time. I would have certain criteria of course. Before the Civil War, I would have had a grand mansion on the east coast, (way too hot for me in the south!) and on and on in my perfect world. But dreaming is what makes life more bearable at times. Sometimes our dreams become reality…but that’s for another post!

Our Christian Walk

Jesus Christ IS God

deborahanndykeman

Last night I was watching a show on Netflix which I shall not name here. The scene that concerned me was this: there had been a man that thought he was God. He was hurt and taken to the hospital. Once he woke up, he was talking to the nurse and he told her that he had seen God, so now he knew he was not God. Her reply to him a few scenes later was that he could be someone just as important…like Jesus because Jesus was not God. He was God’s son, but not God.

I know there are religions that believe that and teach it to their congregations. The purpose of this post isn’t to get on a bandwagon. We all have an agenda, we all have a platform, we all have a certain belief system. God allows us this choice as individuals. So I do know that TV shows have an agenda and points that they want to push. I write Women’s Christian Fiction. Not to push my belief in God on other people, but to show that as Christians, Believers in Jesus Christ dying for our sins…we still mess up in this life. We are not perfect. God is gracious and merciful in our walk with Him…and I am so very thankful for that!

But what that nurse said, really bothered me! To deny the deity of Jesus Christ, is a very scary position to be in. So consider these words on your Tuesday morning.

John 1:1-5 (NASB) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2) He was in the beginning with God. 3) All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5) And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. ( The Word (from the Greek logos, meaning reason or word) is a designation for Christ Himself.)

Bible

For more statements from Jesus, stating that He is God, you may read John 5:17-29. Consider these words, know what you believe and why. Redeem the time…it is short!