“The RoseBouquet”

Selling my novel in person has suddenly become quite easy! Wow, this is fun!

My new church has evening services on Sundays (except for holiday weekends). There are not many churches that do that any more, but I like it for a couple of reasons. One of them is the chance to socialize with other Christians before and after the evening service. At this church they have a buffet of snacks ready and everyone is welcome to take something with a cup of coffee or tea or juice and sit down at the tables for a snack and visit.

Well, a few weeks ago I was chatting with the wife of one of the pastors and we got to the novel I wrote, Ruthe’s Secret Roses. She said she’d like to see it. So the following week I dropped a couple of copies in the book back where I carry my Bible (each new book in a used bubble-pak envelop for protection), and after the service I went to show her a copy of my novel. In a moment she was asking me the price and handing me the money.

I ended up sitting at a table near another woman, the first that had really befriended me in this church. When I had a chance I pulled out the other book and asked if she’d like to see this, as I thought I had told her about it. She took a look, and said, “This would be great for when we go to Florida! How much?”

“Twenty-five,” I said, almost holding my breath. It was too-high a price for my budget, but in selling these I had to cover my costs, including the shipping and exchange rate on the US dollar, plus customs fees.

She checked her purse and came up with the twenty-five in no time flat.

As I was about to drive away in the parking lot another woman called out that she heard I had a book. I promised to bring one for her next time.

The Sunday of the Family Day weekend, however, we did not have an evening service, but were told that we could go hear Marie Ens at Westgate Alliance. I knew of her but had never met her in person, so I decided to go there, and again, I slipped some copies of my novel into my book bag. While looking at Marie’s books at her table in the foyer, I got to talking with another woman I had just met about my own book-writing experience. I pulled one out to show her and another woman listening to me. While we were talking she absently handed it back to me, so I slipped it back into my book bag. I certainly didn’t want to be pushy or press my book on anyone.

I took my cookies and hot water to sit down at a table, and suddenly the woman came back and said, “Oh, I meant to buy your book.” Happily I took it out again, and even signed it for her.

This last Sunday I brought along a couple of books again to the evening service, and took care to show one to the woman who had shown an interest in the parking lot two weeks earlier. She quickly called for her husband, and helped him rifle through his wallet and change purse until they had $25 for me.

I tell you, I thought selling my book would be a lot of hard work and maybe take expensive advertising and going on a speaking tour, but this is so easy! It amazes me! Because I’ve promised the Lord the profits from this book I’ve put it on a back burner, thinking I have to somehow earn my basic living budget before I can spare time to promote it. Now I’m wondering if I shouldn’t rethink my whole marketing strategy.

What if my life suddenly takes a whole new turn?

Speaking of writing books. I’ve just finished my fourth devotional book. I’ve lined up a friend who is willing to proof-read it for me, and I realize that I should probably look for a traditional publisher who could help out with the marketing of all of these. I’m not totally sure how I should proceed, so I’m still praying about it.

Through the ESL class at church I’ve met a Chinese university student. (She is from inner Mongolia). This last Sunday morning she asked if she could interview me for an assignment. I was flattered and agreed, and took her out to lunch at a submarine fast-food place, where she asked her ten questions. Basically, she wanted to know about my job.

It awed her to discover that I call myself a business woman and I have a number of clients, besides the web businesses I operate, and that I am also a contract or part-time missionary with Western Tract Mission on the side. Oh, I think I mentioned my writing of books too.

Trying to explain all that was a bit of an eye-opener for me as well. How do I do it all? By the grace of God! Ah, and it comes to me that He used those years in Hague with Dad to teach me to discipline myself and my time fairly tightly.

When she asked what my challenges were with my work I had to answer - time management. There is still always room for improvement in that area.

Hey, do you recall that the last week of the month I am going to change the ingredients for the Short Story Game? I did that yesterday, and have written my story for this month. I’ll feature it in the Ruthe’s Roses section here. Unfortunately, I didn’t do so well at sticking to the word count. This one is 1396 words. (Sigh!)

But look, you can go to the Story Game page and try to write one too. Story Game

Remember that while there is only one plot problem and climax offered, your story will be totally different. It all depends on which characters and traits and locations and complications you choose, and of course your own perspective on these things.

Last month only Barbara Good played the game with me, and her story is up in that section. Check the Short Story Index. This time I hope to see a few more entries. Please?

Here’s a chance to recruit others to care about a special for-others project you know about or would like to initiate. Ginny Dye of MyPowerMall has begun a new website called, TogetherWeCanChangetheWorldDay.com. The idea is that you should join this group and pledge to spend the first Saturday every month in volunteering to do something good for others who need help. I have just checked it out and discovered that the database of projects that people are going to do, or that others are invited to take part in is still very small.

I normally spend Saturdays doing my own laundry, cleaning and home reno projects. I do my volunteer or ministry time on other days, so I have to stop to think over how I would write them up. How my imagination begins to spin though as I consider some of my favourite charities and how to invite others to help support them.

Would like a chance to go for this too? TogetherWeCanChangetheWorldDay.com

Helmut Heinrikson had been called Mutt so long, he had forgotten how to spell his name. Mutt had worked his capricious grandfather’s sheep ranch so many years he thought it was his own. Therefore it was a huge shock to him, when his grandfather’s will was unearthed at last, and it showed some distant niece was to inherit the ranch. Mutt insisted that his grandfather had verbally promised him the ranch many times in the last ten years, but he had no way to prove it.

Mutt decided he would not be moved, but the lawyer advised him to wait until he met the niece, or his distant cousin. Maybe everything could be worked out quite amicably. The lawyer had sensed from some emails that this new rancher was a very educated or intelligent woman. She might be quite ready to let Mutt have the ranch.

Mutt was determined to defend his rights, and started plotting how to do this. In case he was forced out of his home, he prepared a second hermitage for himself up on one of the steepest mountain sides in the hinterland of the sheep ranch. He would not be driven off the land.

On Sunday mornings when his hired hand and his family went to church, Mutt drove a truck full of provisions as far as he could drive and then carried up several loads of supplies up to half-cabin, half cave tucked into a cliff-side. From there he could watch the whole sheep ranch and keep an eye on things.

The third Sunday he was still up there nesting up his secrete place, when a woman with a backpack and a sturdy walking stick in one hand, and an open book in the other came trudging by.

He hailed her and told her in no uncertain, and rather rude terms that shes did not belong here, and should get out.

“Oh, but I’m just looking for certain herbal flowers. I don’t intend to move here. I”m just passing through–”

Mutt would not hear of it. He grabbed a riffle and started down a slope with grass and rocks towards her.

The short-haired woman with a rounded fifty-ish figure got a big “O” expression on her face, and then nimbly turned and ducked behind a large rock almost as tall as she.

When Mutt twisted his foot and had to stop to favour it, she popped up and said, “My dear man! You must have been greatly wronged to be so very angry! For sure my presence here is not such a big problem. What if we sat down and had a talk about your past?”

He growled and moaned about his foot at the same time. He did not want to talk about his past with this stranger - this woman! Mutt took a step or two forward and lurched to a sitting position on the ground, leaning heavily on his rifle.

The woman crept forward with slow steps as she said, “Toss that gun aside. You don’t look like you could tolerate being a hermit in a prison. You like broad, beautiful vistas for your own self-made prison.”

Mutt growled and muttered to himself angrily. He had been taught never to swear in a woman’s presence but he could not think of anything else to say.

When she was about six or seven feet away, the woman sat down on the grass in a cross-legged way. That pained him somehow, for it was how his grandfather liked to sit. His own knees were long too stiff to try it any more.

“Hey,” the woman said cheerily, “Where’s your manners? Shouldn’t you be asking my name?”

“I won’t!” he answered bluntly.

“Let me guess at yours then. Are you Helmut Heinrikson?”

“How do you know that name? Where are you from?”

She grinned as if sharing a secret, “They warned me down in the village that if I came up this way I would run into you, and you are very protective of your land.”

For a second Mutt marveled that anyone down in the village would remember his real name, but she had said, “your land,” and that sent him off into a blast of confirmation that this was his land and he was not about to give it up to anyone else. So there!

Go to: Ruthes-SecretRoses.com/Library/S/Mutt.shtml for the rest of the story.

Yesterday was President’s Day in the USA; here in Canada, three provinces have designated the third Monday of February as Family Day. Alberta has had it for 20 years, Saskatchewan for three, and Ontario just started last year. Manitoba has a holiday too, but calls it Louis Riel Day after a Metis leader from the pioneer era. (I’ve just read that business owners don’t like it much, as some have to pay employees holiday pay if they want to be open for business).

You see how new this is to us? The most obvious guess for how to spend the holiday is to do something with your family. Well, the only family member I have close by, so it came easily to me, that I could prepare a nice meal and take it over to share with him. I did that, and the chicken was especially delicious, but mostly I spent yesterday with an extra long devotional time with the Lord, and then catching up with several loose ends that need to be finished off. I didn’t accomplish quite everything on my list but I was pleased at how much I did get finished. I’m grateful.

Oh yes, Saturday was a productive day too. I managed to get a larger patch of ceramic tiles laid - 41 of the big ones - than I had first hoped for. That was satisfying after spending about three to four Saturdays just preparing for this. I will have to work the grout into the spaces next Saturday, let that cure for 3 days, and then - well, it would be nice if I could put some paneling up but I don’t have the resources for that, I’ll just move stuff over, so I can tile the other main corner of the basement. (Yes, I took a couple of pictures, but I’ll wait until you can see how much better they look when grouted and polished).

When I have the stretch along the south wall all done, I’ll set up my storage shelves there, and sort and filter as I transfer my stuff. That will free up the center of the room so I can tile there.

This is one of my little-by-little projects. The progress is slower than if i did it all at once, but eventually it will be done - maybe by the end of March?

Last week I had those two clients come back as I told you. I described how my mornings are scheduled to work at my own web businesses, right? Well, the one job left with me was to upgrade the client’s computer with a DVD burner and 1 GB of RAM memory, plus to get it up so she could use dial-up from their rural address to access the internet.

Well! the first two items were easy. Once I had bought the parts it took only 15 minutes to install them. I’d also bought an external modem because I thought the internal one (which works well with Windows) would give us problems. Sure enough. I spent almost all of the rest of last week on modem setup. Neither the soft-modem or the external modem want to work. I’ve researched and tried a number of things, and am still stuck, but the error messages for the external one give me hope that it’s a matter of learning how to do the setup correctly. I took a break from it over the weekend, but am hoping and praying I can solve the problem soon this week. Perhaps even today!

One of the things I did yesterday was make lists of what I need to do next for my web businesses, and I’m eager to get back to them.

If you aspire to be a business owner, take note. Client work means focusing on their needs. An information web site business means you have only yourself to answer to, and you can set your own standards and pace. Of course, if your business includes helping clients you have to learn to give up your time.

I’m mentioning ChristianBook.com and Amazon.com in the review below, but there are some others (besides of course doing a Google search).

If you are in Canada, you may not be aware that Amazon.ca is the Canadian arm of the bigger USA Amazon, and has most of the same items available, but in Canadian currency and hopefully less hassle and delays in shipping.

Search: All Products Books Popular Music Classical Music Video DVD Keywords:

I thought I had another good link to the online Disciples Corrnerstone bookstore, but it seems to have folded. I’ll have to hunt for the links on my sites, and remove them. (sigh).

In a round about way this book has come into my hands to review. It gives me some mixed feelings.

The basic plot premise is good and appeals to me, but it isn’t handled quite like I might have written it. Obviously, no two minds think alike, nor do we express ourselves in the same way. So aside from mulling through my own reactions, I want to look at this book the way I think readers generally would.

That brings me up short because it’s been quite a while since I’ve discussed books in depth with other readers. What if I don’t know how others think or read books now? Since I don’t belong to a discussion group I’ll have to be like a witness in court and just report what I know for a fact myself.

In, The Summer of Fireweed, Kathie, a young woman, arrives in the Yukon to teach in a small school provided by the government for the children of their Renewable Resources Management people in the small community called Minto Creek. She has just five students, but when one leaves a young native boy is allowed to come in and no one evicts him.

Katie comes from California where her mother was trying to marry her off to the pastor’s son, and although they were friends, Katie didn’t feel this marriage was what she wanted. She took this opportunity to go teach up in the Yukon with a Baptist mission, and found that it changed her life. She made new friends.

After Katie went back to California she found she wanted to return in fall for another year, and then again the next summer when the natives went to their fishing camps. The children of course, gathered around her, and she found herself conducting something like a vacation Bible School for the native children.

I found some of the characters were not developed enough. They seemed to be having a great impact on Katie out of the blue, so to speak, and I wondered when that relationship had developed because I hadn’t seen it creeping up.

This is a Christian book. However, in the years I spent writing my first novel I grew bolder and bolder with my Christian references throughout my book. I suspect that has conditioned me to expect more of it in the books I read. So I am trying not to judge Yoka Rusch, but I think I would have woven in a stronger Christian mind-set for Katie. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be part of her nature, but I thought the potential was there.

At the end, the book suddenly jumps ahead several decades to when Katie has been married for some time and raised a family, and she goes back to visit Minto Creek again. It made me feel as if some chapters were missing. Perhaps the intention was to focus just on the powerful effect of the Yukon, and not Katie’s years away from there, but since I - and most readers - get attached to our heroines, I would happily like to know more of her life. Still, I concede that the summary was well done.

The descriptions in the book focus most often on the views in the Yukon, which is good, but I would have appreciated more character development. There is some romance, but the narrative doesn’t tie the incidents together as well I would expect in other books. So they almost seem to be inserted here and there.

I would really like to see what someone else thinks who reads a lot of fiction.

Now, when I want to find a Christian book, I usually do a search at ChristianBook, for it has the best deals on the lines it carries.

Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher

In this case, Summer of Fireweed, by Yoka Rusch is not available there, so then I recommend you go to her publishing house, AuthorHouse.com and do a search there.

If you are a frugal shopper like me, you may want to do some comparison shopping at Amazon, just in case a used copy is available there.

If you do read this book, I’d love to hear your impressions of it. I’ll be happy to pass them on to the author too. She really wants to know!

That warmer weather I predicted last week did come on the weekend, and the temperatures are much less severe this week. However, to use an old proverb, there is a fly in the ointment. With these temperatures we are dealing with a lot of fog-ice and driving is more treacherous.

Ah, do you want to hear about my brother Ernie’s visit? That turned out to be quite a huge blessing to me.

Ernie is a diesel mechanic and foreman of all the mechanics at the big Jade Transport in Winnipeg. They have a fleet of tanker trucks that carry chemicals across North America. As a little side ministry for the church he and Penny attend, Ernie has for the third year now, offered to drive the bus full of teens who want to come to the Youth Retreat weekend here in Saskatoon, at a Christian college. They put him up at a motel for the Friday and Saturday nights, and on Sunday, right after lunch he makes the 10 hour drive back to Winnipeg, but this means he has to find his own activities on Saturday. Last year we sat around and visited.

This time I warned him to bring work clothes, and when he called to say he was up on Saturday, about 10 am, I went to pick him up, and we drove to Home Depot where we weighed the pros and cons of which insulation to buy for my basement. I thought I would have to buy some wood for framing and then put these panels of pink stryofoam between the studs.

No, Ernie assured me, that’s now how it’s done any more. We have to glue the styrofoam sheets right to the cement walls of the basement. We settled on the half -inch thick sheets, and by my calculations we would need 21 sheets. (My math wasn’t quite right, but it was more than enough).

The sales clerk wrapped plastic wrap around the bundle at checkout and then Ernie tied this 8 foot x 2 foot stack up on the roof of my car with some ropes I had in the trunk. I drove home carefully, and then we managed to get that through the right angles of my front porch doors, and Ernie took them downstairs while I whipped up a quick lunch. (I had already put potatoes into a crock for supper).

It turned out the old caulking gun of Dad’s I had bent in Ernie’s hands, so I had to dash out to a hardware store for another and a can of “Great Stuff” as Ernie really didn’t want to mix cement to fill in the cracks in the basement walls. After a while I had to go out to buy more of those tubes of carpenter’s glue that he put into the caulking gun, and by which Ernie applied the pink sheets to the walls.

I had thought that if he helped with the south wall I would be very grateful for a good day’s work, but I guess Ernie is also a child of our mother, for he persisted and we also got the east and west walls done except for one small patch by the stairs and an short area where I had stacked up a lot of stuff and there was no place to move it to get into that corner. (The north side faces the crawl space that is almost as big as the basement area. It has a hill of dirt so that you have to crawl around on your knees if you want to go in there. I don’t!)

Instead of putting the panels up vertically, Ernie put them up horizontally, because the basement walls are only a little more than six feet high. This made them go much further. When I have finished those two small corners, I will still have two panels left.

At 5:30 I had a supper of mashed potatoes and minute steaks with mushroom gravy ready and we took it to our brother Tom’s where we ate together at his table. We had quite an amicable visit - us three siblings. I feel very pleased about that day!

I found a poem the other day that strikes me as a great Valentine’s poem of the kind I would like to write. So I’m going to use it today in Ruthe’s Roses. May it bless you too.

I took two copies of my novel along to church on Sunday evening and afterwards was able to sell them immediately to the two women to whom I showed them. That tickled me too!

Last week I had two Kathys come for tutoring and computer trouble-shooting sessions. Yesterday they both called and asked if they could drop by for another quick sessions. Another good day, except that I have to put my own web business work on the back burner for a while.

For sure I am spreading myself rather thin, in dividing up my mornings to work on my web businesses, and it seems that I make such slow progress. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am creeping forward.

On Ruthes-SecretRoses.com I am re-doing the book review section, revising and improving things, and while I’m at it, creating some bookstore pages, but it seems I only get to it on Mondays if I have no clients.

Tuesday mornings is for writing this RoseBouquet blog/ezine and RSS feed.

Wednesday mornings is for computer repairs, upgrades, etc, and the WTM staff meeting.

Thursday mornings is for articles and updating on the BouquetofEnterprises.biz site. Right now my goal is to gradually write articles on all the lessons and topics I would teach in my projected four-month mentorship course.

Friday mornings is for articles and development of Aloe-Vera-and-Handy-Herbs.com

I know they would grow and become profitable much faster if I were spending that much time each day on each of the web businesses. - But!

(Sigh!) what can I do? The rest of my days are spoken for by other commitments. I can pray for amazingly productive mornings, right? I do pray too, that God will screen when and who I have for clients, as I do need them for income, and I like to give them priority when they seek me out.

Oh, did you check out the story game last week? My friend Barbara Good did, and she wrote a short story using almost the exact same ingredients that I had, but her story came out quite differently. You’ll want to check it out - Not the Way to Swim