HACKED

Last Friday my email was hacked. These were good hackers. They knew what they were doing. They had all my emails transferred to them to a new email address, kathycretsingerr@yahoo.com. That is not my yahoo email address, and they spelled my name wrong. Our preacher wrote to my real address to see if I was all right. They even answered him and told him I needed the money.

It took me almost three hours with AT&T to get this straightened out. When we found out they had all my emails transferred to them, we fixed the problem. I knew I should be getting more emails that morning. One friend had called and asked if I was all right. She was to email me the letter sent to her. I never got it, so I knew there were problems.

The email sent out stated that I was in London, England and had been mugged. All my cash, credit cards, and my cell phone had been stolen, and I had been hit in the back of the head with a pistol. I needed $2,000 to pay my bills. Thankfully, most people called me to see if I was okay. One friend said since I had been hurting so bad previously that she wanted my medicine, if I felt like going to London. Most people said they knew that was not my writing. They had small i's and didn't put the commas where they needed to be. I don't do that, even in my emails.

My advice to you is to never use the same password for all of your accounts. I have different ones for credit cards, banking, facebook, and email accounts. I am so thankful that I did that. I changed all that were alike. I now love facebook. They contacted me that someone had tried to access my account. They even sent a map and noted where they were from. Africa.

I feel I was violated. It was the same feeling I had when our house was almost robbed. It's a horrible feeling, but now I can laugh about it.

So, I can say I am back home from London. Don't send money! The best thing, I have talked to people I have not talked to in years. That's one way God turned lemons to lemonade.

Historical Writing

From the time I was in the third grade, I knew I loved history. The town I grew up in was full of history. It is the second oldest town in the state of Tennessee and has the oldest courthouse in the state still being used as a courthouse. The name of the town is Rogersville. It's nestled in the hills and mountains of eastern Tennessee.Aside from being the second oldest town, it also had another famous event. Davy Crockett's grandparents were massacred and buried there. I grew up with a lot of history around me.

Also, my father and grandmother were storytellers. My grandmother was raised in the coal mining towns in Southwest Virginia and Southeast Kentucky. Her father was a sheriff and had many interesting stories to hand down. Before I was in high school, I knew about the people from different countries and their customs. I had a fascinating childhood.

Do you have stories from your family that you put in your writing? I found a picture of my grandparents and one of their children. In the picture was a bunch of turkeys. I asked my aunt about it before she died. She said they raised turkeys to buy their shoes for the winter. With six children, that was a lot of shoes.

Things like this is what makes stories interesting. The little tidbits can change a story and make it more interesting. Since I am writing historical books, I look for these things. There is a turn of the century museum close to us. So far I have not been in it, but I'm dying to go. Mostly because I'm writing a book set in the early 1900's. The house is decorated for Christmas now. I would love to see it. I need to pry my husband away and go before the end of the year. It is famous because a president visited it. I want to see the furnishings and the decorations. Maybe I can go one day next week. I'll let you know if I do.

Christmas Is Getting Closer

Christmas is getting closer, and I'm not ready. My shopping is finished and most of it wrapped, but I have not decorated one thing. There is not one sprig of green in my house. There is a reason.
I have encountered a complication from the hernia surgery. I probably bore you all with this, but it helps me to write about it. It is very discouraging. After the surgery, I developed a (kind of) blister at the place where the hernia was. It is large, very large and filled with fluid. The site of the removal of the hernia is irritated, inside, that is. The scar is fine, it's just my insides. My doctor says I am healing slowly.
The good news is, no surgery! The bad news is, I have to live with it for a while. I have trouble walking, standing, and bending. The pain is very sharp. My husband had said I'd probably milk this for a year or eighteen months. His prediction may be right. If I am not better is six months, I have to return to the doctor. Not good! The best part is Tylenol helps.
What do I do in a situation like this? I can write, sew, read, play games, or anything where I do not have to bend over while sitting. Writing is good. I can do that, but not as much as I used to do. It still hurts sometimes when I sit.
My husband has been very good to help me. I haven't mopped the floor since the surgery. I do need to hogtie him and get the decorations put up. Maybe I will feel better then.
During all this, my son-in-law had to have heart surgery. He has a-fib, and his heart was racing constantly, which messes up his pacemaker. When they went in, they accidentally punctured his artery. The doctor was wise enough to back out. He clotted well, and they got all the imaging they needed. The doctor will repeat the surgery on December 27. His name is Ron Turpin and we would appreciate prayers for him and his doctor.
Changing the subject to something good. My novel is coming along well. I'm almost one-third finished. That's pretty good considering all we have been through. I have to thank two author friends of mine, Susan Page Davis and Sandra Robbins, for their encouragement. Love you girls! Sometimes I don't know what I would do without these friends.
Here's hoping your week will be good. Continue to stay on the Good List. Santa will be here before long. By the way, I live with Santa.

YAHSHUA'S BRIDGE

Saturday evening I read the last word in this book. From Thursday on, I couldn't put it down. If you are interested in reading about the first Century Christians, you will love this book. Let me warn you, it is graphic. It didn't bother me, but I can read blood and guts. Can't stand to see it, but I can read it.

Sandi has a wonderful way of placing you in the middle of the scene. I could feel the lions and the gladiators as they attacked the characters. The book humbled me to think of the way early Christians were tormented and killed. We take our freedom of worship for granted. It was very dear to them.

While I was reading this, I wondered if I would deny Christ in order to live. I want to think I wouldn't, but if I were to face a lion or a gladiator, would my faith be strong enough? I loved the way Sandi included that part in her book.

She will probably tell you this is not a love story, but it is. It is filled with love, and hate. It is powerful in that way.

One thing the book impressed on me is how the Christians were persecuted all over the known world. I hadn't thought about that, but thought it was a Roman thing. The history in this book is so good and accurate. I'm not an expert on that time period, but I feel I have learned enough to see the correctness in Sandi's writing. I do recommend this book. If nothing else, it will make you appreciate your Christianity.

As far as I know, Sandi remains in Arizona receiving treatment for her cancer. The last I heard, she was very tired. Please remember her in prayers. This is going to be a trying time for her and her family. DeWard Publishing, the publisher of this book, is again setting aside $1 of each book sold for her use. The treatment is very expensive. She and her family have suffered much during the last year. Pray for her recovery, if it is God's will.

THANKSGIVING

I just finished writing my blog forchristiangirls.org. It was about Thanksgiving, so while I'm still in that frame of mind, I thought I would do this one.

What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Mine is being with family. We will be with half of our family this year. Although, I'll miss my son and his family, I'm looking forward to spending time with my daughter's family and her husband's family. I'm not going for the food, it's all right, but I doubt if I'll eat as much as normal.

What do you remember about Thanksgiving as a child? It was the day we killed hogs. Oh, yes, we celebrated that way. Everyone got up early and worked until nightfall. Our meal was in the evening, and it was liver and lights. I've never found out what the lights were, but apparently they were part of the hog. They were boiled and a gravy added. The liver was always good, but I never ate the lights.

One thing that has stuck in my mind is the lard making. My grandmother had a large kitchen table and the men would bring out tubs of fat. She would cut it up in cubes to get ready to render. The kitchen floor had settled and went downhill. It would be so greasy by the end of the day that my sister and I would slide down it. My grandmother scolded us for that, but it was fun.

Turkey and dressing was not introduced to me until I went a full day in school. I loved it the first time I ate it, and I still do. Our son-in-law adds ham to our menu. but we still have all the trimmings. It's good when several people prepare different items. I always bring cranberries and dressing. This year I'm adding corn and pineapple casserole. Can't wait for Thursday to come.

Agents

Agents are a blessing and a curse. From my experience so far, they are a curse. I have not found one that  seems to be decent.
What do you look for in an agent? I look for someone honest. I know they're out there, but I seem to find the dishonest. One was sending me a contract, but I never received it. I seemed to fall through the cracks. Then I was promised a contract again, but it never materialized. Aren't we supposed to be honest in ACFW?
Then came the one who was flippant. I didn't like that at all. Why didn't they say, "At this time I can't take your book." That would have been better than the remark they made.
I hear other writers talk about their agents. I know there are wonderful agents that care about their clients. Maybe I'm not ready for an agent yet, but I have in mind what I want. Someone who cares about me and wants to see my business grow. Someone who will encourage me to do my best.
Why do I always find the ones who don't care? I seem to be drawn to the wrong agent. Years ago, my daughter and I did craft shows. We are tole painters, and I lov painting. At one show in Florida, we were in a mall that retired citizens frequented. I am one of those people now, but I don't think I'm as bad as these were. My daughter was going to get something to eat and was leaving me by myself at our booth. As she left, she said, "Mom, don't look up or speak to anyone. Just paint and don't pay attention to anyone who comes by." I tried, but a little ole man came by and kept watching me. Finally I looked up, and he asked me if I could paint his little doggie on his necktie.
When my daughter came back, she said, "I told you not to look up. You always draw these little ole people." She's right. I seem to have a feeling for those less fortunate than myself. I felt sorry for this man. He was alone, and his dog had died.
So, that must be the way I am with agents. Before I send another query out, I'm going to be sure this book is the best it can be. I saw this quote the other day. "When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal."

A Fire in Ember

I loved A Fire In Ember by DiAnn Mills. It came out early in the year, and I hadn't had a chance to read it until lately. I will always pick up a book by DiAnn because she is a wonderful writer and a great friend.

This an interesting book and has many twists and turns. It starts with a young boy about to be hung. Is it a boy or a girl? That is the first twist.

There is so much about the west and Colorado in the book that I read it quickly. This book comes after A Woman Called Sage. I loved that book. Some of the characters are the same.

You know, things go on in this world that I have never thought of. DiAnn has a way with "What if?" That's one thing she has stressed in all of the classes I have attended that she taught. What if someone was trying to buy all the ranches in the area? What if a family wanted to hold on to their land? What if a father was killed and a teenager had to grow up fast? I love the "What iifs?"

There are plenty in this book. From a family who is bent to kill and has no religious training to a girl trying to get out of that mess. Very well worth reading.

This is short. I'm heading out to start some Christmas shopping, then to spend some time with our daughter and her family. Have a good week-end.