...book signing

The book signing on Saturday was excellent! Thank you one and all for the part you had in it. Three books sold before we even arrived that day. The management said they had several phone calls about Choices. One person was waiting for us to show up at the store to buy a book. We were able to see some people we hadn't seen for several years. And when my wife and I were ready to leave, the head manager, Megen, invited me back for another signing in the spring. Again, thanks to all of you for a very special day!

how I began to write

I hope you enjoy reading this account. It is nothing short of a miracle! On August 7, 2001, I found myself in the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Pueblo, Colorado. I had plenty of time as I was waiting for my wife and daughter. So, I decided to go into the kids section, which I had never been in before. When I made the choice to go to that part of the store, before I started to move, a voice said to me. "You don't need to go in there. There is nothing in there that would interest you." I didn't even give the voice a second thought. (I didn't give the voice a second thought for several months later when I realized "Hey! That was really something!!" I strongly believe that if I would have wondered about the voice at the time, the entire upcoming conversation would have never taken place. The only thing I felt compelled to do was to answer the voice, which I did by saying. "You are probably right. I can't argue with you about that. At this point, I pulled out my pocket watch to see how much time I had before needing to be back to the car. I had close to an hour. Putting my watch away, I said to myself again, "I have never been back there. I am going back and look around." So, I headed for the kids section of the store.

At the time and even now, I have a horrid problem with Harry Potter! In the summer of 2001, the books were very popular and the first movie was about to come out. Harry Potter was far from my thoughts that hot August afternoon. But, of course, since I was going into the children's section, I was about to run into-Harry Potter! There were books, games, dolls and all kinds of Harry Potter stuff, which made me stop dead in my tracks. I closed my eyes tightly and thought in the back of my mind: this is going to ruin my entire day. I reopened my eyes and said to myself, "Why did I have to run into this 'stuff' the very first thing?"

As soon as I had said this, I heard the voice again. He asked, "why can't there be a young person that is so in tune with God that He works miracles through them like is recorded in the scriptures?" The words 'young person' are very significant.

With a great deal of puzzlement on my face, I answered back. 'Hey! that is a great idea. I see no reason why that can't be. A young boy about Harry Potter's age would be just perfect."

The voice responded quickly. "What about a girl?" My answer. "That's fine with me. I have no problem with it."

I hadn't been so excited in years! My mind was racing! The voice asked me another question. "How is this going to be presented?" I answered quickly. "In a book." The next question he asked. "Who is going to write it?" A few months earlier I had the opportunity to meet and get to know Jerry Jenkins. So, my response was, "Jerry Jenkins."

Up to this point, all my answers had been silent. But the next answer wasn't silent after the voice made this statement in a much deeper more determined manner. "No! You are going to write it!" Immediately, I said aloud, "Yeah-right!"

He didn't hesitate and came back firm but not demanding and said again. "You are going to write it." "Hey! Come on! I don't know anything about writing. I know very little about basic punctuation and grammar. I don't even spell very well." I replied back silently. The voice responded a third time saying. "You are going to write it!"

At this point , I knew for sure he was not going to take no for an answer. I stood still and concentrated harder than I ever had in my life before I answered. I don't have any idea how long I stood and thought about it. I lost all track of time. During those incredible moments, I didn't even know where I was. I didn't even care! Finally I responded. "Okay! I'll give it a lot of thought. If I do decide to try it and it doesn't work out, I can always go and see Jerry Jenkins." This is the only time I expected the voice to say something to me. I stood and waited for a reasonable time, but I have never heard the voice again to this day.

And that is how Pixie Howard: Her Adventures in Faith came to be. And that is how I began to write. Please let me know what you think and please pray for me. Thanks and may God bless you. James

a hint of fall

Hi: I apologize for being so slow in getting to this writing. The last forty days have been incredibly busy! But fall is coming and the work will slow down a bit-I hope. Fall is my favorite time of year. The nights are cool and crisp with the days, usually, warming up nicely. And there is some foliage just starting to turn. Autumn sometimes comes early to the high country. Where I live is right at seven thousand feet. And it looks like it will be an early fall.

I have been getting some good reports about Choices. When you have read this inspired tale, please write a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or one of the other bookstore sites. And make sure you let me know what you think by expressing your thoughts on this blog also. I will charish your comments.

I had one person interested in knowing how I got started writing. Thank you for asking. I will try and get that story posted in a couple of weeks.

Hopefully, it will not take me as long to get to the next blog. In the meantime, do take care and may God's favor shine upon you. James

writing

Good afternoon: We have gotten some more much needed rain. PTL!!! My wife, Bobbie, along with our daughter, Amber, and I ate lunch at the senior center in Walsenburg one day this last week. We sat with an interesting older lady. She has done some writing and currently writes occasionally for one of the local newspapers. She ask if any of us did any writing. I mentioned that I did some. She went on to ask several more questions. The first was, "when did you start writing?" Two thousand and one, was my quick response. "Why did you start to write?" she queried. I took the conversation in a little different direction at this point. I informed her that writing wasn't my idea but Gods. Looking at me with a quizzical look, she asked. "How do you know that?" Giving her a big smile I asked her a question. "That is a pretty heavy duty story. Are you sure you want to hear it?" "Yes," she immediately replied. So, I told her about the voice (literal) that I had a conversation with on August 7, 2001. For those of you that don't know, on that day, I was told that I was to write what would become known as Pixie Howard: Her Adventures in Faith. Sometime, if anyone would like to hear the entire story, I would be glad to share it with you. I hope you have a great week. Blessings, James

rain

Hi: PTL!!! We have gotten some rain! It was getting soooooooo very dry here. Thank You Lord! I have been busy putting up hay. But, with the rain, I can slow down a bit. It is only a little over a month now and the book will be official released. About ten days ago, the Blackwood Brothers were in our little town. Yes! The Blackwood Brothers! Can you believe that? I traded them a book for a CD. So, Choices is getting some good exposure. In this pre-marketing phase, my wife and I have sold about 125 books. I think we have done pretty well. Please remember to pray for us and please express you thoughts on this blog. Also, I hope you enjoy the excerpt. Blessings to you, James

Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July to you and yours;
I hope you were able to attend church today. Sunday was a very special day for the birthday of our nation to fall on this year. We all need to pray that we as a people will return to God, who brought this nation together. We are so swiftly falling away from Him.

We had a very special time in God's house this morning. Choices was dedicated to the Lord during the service! And it was a beautiful moment!! I wish all of you could have been there. The pastor spoke more prophetic messages concerning this God inspired tale. I am looking forward to seeing it all come to pass. Please, continue to pray with me. And please, feel free to write your thoughts on this blog. Blessings to you, James

Thank you note

Hi: Just wanted to share this with you. I am getting some very +positive+ feed back concerning Choices. This dear lady wrote:
"Dear James,
You have done us all a favor by your very vivid description of heaven and especially hell! You clearly defined the power of our choices and its consequences. As soon as my husband finishes reading it, I'm giving it to my unsaved brother. PTL!!! This is an answer to prayer. I was hoping from the outset that people would pass this wondrous tale onto their unsaved relatives, friends and neighbors. My wife ran into an acquaintance at the store today and she mentioned what an "incredible story Choices is." I hope you will enjoy it just as much. May God bless you. James

Welcome

Hi everyone: Just a short note to "welcome you." I hope you enjoy this blog. Please feel free to share what is on your mind and heart. Looking forward to hearing from you. Blessings, James

Greetings

Hello everyone. I am beginning this blog as a platform for all the people that have something to say and want to share their thoughts as a way to communicate in general. It doesn't matter what the subject will be, but I don't want any profane or hateful thoughts written, please. We have enough hate in the world. It's time we spent our efforts on good things and peaceful endeavors, wouldn't you agree?
At any rate, take your time and share what is on your heart for all of us to enjoy and hopefully return the favor.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
James