Bits & Pieces

1. First things first. . . .the winner of Stealing Home by Allison Pittman:

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6
Timestamp: 2009-06-03 01:11:44 UTC
Congrats to Beverlydru! Email me your address and I'll send it on its way!

2. TCKK asked how I became a book reviewer. Basically, I did what she just did: asked a blog reviewer how they did it! Some of it is by word of mouth and referral; often when I am emailed by a publicist with an offer to review a book, at the bottom of the email will be an invitation to submit to them the email of someone we know who might be interested in reviewing the book as well.

Additionally, there are publisher blog networks you can join, such as Thomas Nelson, Tyndale, and Bethany House. Generally they will send you one book at a time, and once you review it you can request another. Also with sites such as that, they request that your review be posted on a public site such as Amazon or Christian Books in addition to your blog.

I also review with Christian Fiction Blog Alliance (CFBA) but right now I don't believe that they are accepting any additional members.

If you would like more information or you are interested in my passing your name along, send me an email.

3. My girl graduated from 8th grade this afternoon. If you can indulge my being a proud mama for a few sentences, it was especially fun to see her receive the Leadership Award as well as the Top Rank Award for highest GPA of her class. She is going out with a bang! She cannot wait to get to high school in August, especially since she found out on Friday that she is one of only two students from her middle school to make the top orchestra (there are 3 levels & most freshmen start at the bottom) at the high school. Okay, I'm done being obnoxious mom!

4. Tomorrow is the Last Day. For my girl, it's all over but the partying - she has a field trip tomorrow followed by a friend's birthday party after school. And my boy was exempt from the last half of his finals and he's been done since Friday. And to those of you who commented on Monday that your kids don't finish school until the middle of this month, thank you for the perspective, and you have my deepest sympathies!

5. Our end of school tradition is that I always give my kids a stack of books. Of course, I started this when they were in elementary school and they were reading chapter books that cost $2.99! But books are a great investment! We went ahead and did it tonight and my boy immediately began perusing the pictures in the middle of this, commented that this looked interesting, and checked out the back of this. My girl has already started flipping through this and reading this and this! (They gotta have something to do while I read and blog!)

6. Summer won't just mean my girl's transition to high school. My boy hasn't been in a hurry (and neither have we!) but it's time and he's ready to learn to drive. Yike! Where did those precious toddlers go?!

7. Finally, just in case you hadn't noticed, it's June! This one's just for you, Lid, since I know you really do secretly love musicals!


March went out like a lion
A-whippin' up the water in the bay
Then April cried
And stepped aside
And along come pretty little May!
May was full of promises
But she didn't keep 'em quick enough fer some
And a crowd of Doubtin' Thomases
Was predictin' that the summer'd never come

But it's comin', by gum!
Y'ken feel it come
Y'ken feel it in yer heart
Y'ken see it in the ground
Y'ken hear it in the trees
Y'ken smell it in the breeze
Look around, look around, look around!

(And this part at the beginning cracks me up:)
With the little tail a-swishing'
Ev'ry lady fish is wishin'
That a male would come
And grab 'er by the gills!
They sure don't make 'em like they used to!