Of course, while I was in Atlanta, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to look into the local history since my third novel in the Civil War series is set in this fascinating city. I paid a visit to the Atlanta History Center and enjoyed the Civil War exhibits as well as a tour of a plantation-plain house built in the 1840s which survived the near-total destruction of Atlanta in 1864. It was a whirlwind trip, but very fruitful!

If you haven’t already noticed the buzz on Facebook and Twitter, I am thrilled to announce that the highly-anticipated sequel to Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives is here! Faith Deployed . . . Again has even more devotions in it, written by even more contributors from every branch of service. There is something in this book for everyone–even Blue Star Moms! I recognize that many military wives become Blue Star Moms when their sons or daughters enlist in the military, which ushers in a new range of challenges. So Faith Deployed . . . Again offers a bonus section of devotions written by and for mothers of service members. I’m sure it will encourage even those Blue Star Moms who are not also military wives.

Get to know all the contributors here. Pictured below: Jocelyn Green and Kathy Guzzo hold their first copies of the book. (Kathy, a contributor to the book, was in Jocelyn’s hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa, for a writer’s conference last week when the books arrived.)

Now here’s a sneak peak at what’s inside. More than 100 devotions are categorized by the following sections:

• Basic Training: Guiding Principles for Military Living
• Intimate Allies: Protecting Your Military Marriage
• Tour of Duty: Overcoming Deployments and Other Separations
• Soul Armor: Guarding Against Spiritual Attacks
• Stationed in Christ: Dwelling in the Lord, Near and Far
• In God’s Service: Living for the Lord
• Home Front Hope: Moving Forward in God’s Strength
• For Blue Star Moms: Trusting God with Your Service Member

There are so many topics in this new book that we didn’t cover in the first one. We go into marriage and deployments in more depth, we talk about infertility and miscarriage, reintegration, in-law dynamics, financial strain, insomnia and nightmares, care giving for a wounded warrior, finding healthy ways to cope, and much more.

Find out more about the book here.

I can say this because I didn’t write this book by myself: If you are a military wife, or a government contractor’s wife, or a Blue Star Mom,you need to have Faith Deployed . . . Again on your nightstand. You will underline it, dogear it, highlight it. You will find that you are not alone in whatever you are dealing with. And most imporantly, you will discover that the Bible has something to say to you about exactly what you are experiecing right now. God has something to say to you. He cares about your life more than you can even imagine.

I admit I have been a little quiet on the blog lately–now I can finally tell you why.

I have just signed a four-book deal with Moody Publishers for a historical fiction series set in the Civil War! Each of these four books are inspired by women who actually lived, who I discovered while doing research for Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front. The first book, Narrow Passages, focuses on the work of female nurses (during a time when that was revolutionary) aboard the hospital transport ships in Virginia during the summer of 1862. I’ll share more with you later– but it’s due to release next spring, to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the events which occur in the book. It will be a novel, not a biography, but will have plenty of interesting (and accurate) historical details.

So if you don’t hear from me on the blog for a while, know that it’s not because I’m not writing. I’m just writing something else!

Last night I experienced a first. A day of very unsuccessful potty-training with my two-year-old son was made a whole lot sweeter when I brought the mail in and found not one but TWO book contracts for new books! Moody Publishers will be releasing Faith Deployed . . . Again in August 2011, and AMG Publishers will be releasing Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front some time after that (not sure when yet).

Faith Deployed . . . Again is a sequel to my first book Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, and I am again relying on the talents of more than a dozen other contributing writers from every branch of service. The Battlefields & Blessings book will be the sixthe book in that series, and will be co-authored with Karen Whiting. (I co-authored the Iraq/Afghanistan volume as well, which released in November 2009.)

If you are an aspiring writer and would like to take your writing a step further, consider asking for it for Chrismas this year: a course, a book on writing (see my recommended books in the “On Writing” section, or registration to a writers conference.

For some great online courses on writing, check out this link from one of my good author friends: http://janiceathompson.com/blog/?page_id=52 She has a couple of excellent courses that can be taken online in two different genres- fiction and freelance.

If you are looking for conferences to attend, we have a great one coming to my hometown, Cedar Falls, Iowa, in June 2011, where I will be speaking a couple of times. Registration isn’t open quite yet, but will be soon. Click here for contact info in the meantime..

There are also very good ones in other locations. Here are some links:
http://mounthermon.org/adult/professionals/writers-conference/ (California)
http://www.writetopublish.com/ (Chicago)
http://www.writewithpurpose.org/ (Muskegon, MI)
http://writehisanswer.com/colorado/ (Colorado)
http://www.brmcwc.com/ (North Carolina)

Find something you would enjoy and put it on your Christmas list this year!

First of all, I should say that my trip to Dallas went very well. The book research was fruitful, my workshop for military wives at the PWOC conference was well-attended and generated positive feedback, and I absolutely loved being able to meet so many military wives. I counted it a privilege to hear their stories, pray with them and even cry with them at times. Now back to the current subject:

I’ve been invited to speak at two events in 2011 so far, and I’m very happy to do so:

Chicago

1) I will be offering two workshops at the Evangelical Press Association convention in Chicago, which will take place May 4-6, 2011. Here’s the first session description: 

Work While You Sleep: Make Social Media Work for You
This workshop will show authors, publishers, ministry leaders and editors how to use social media platforms and online tools to build their followers to reach more people and generate sales-without being pushy. The session will cover Web sites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and e-newsletters and ezines. Which tool is the most effective? The most user-friendly? The cheapest? How much time is required to make the effort profitable? In this workshop, I will showcase a portfolio of the best ways other people have used social media and the Internet to gain exposure and further their ministries.

This workshop will be a lot of fun to offer. I’ve learned a lot from managing my own Facebook page for my book Faith Deployed, and the results have been more than I expected. We are approaching 16,000 fans right now. I’m also going to poll several other professionals to tap into their expert insights on their own Web-based tools.

The second workshop I’m giving at EPA will be:

Making Work at Home Work
Working from home only works if you know how to do it right. Come hear veteran work-at-homer Jocelyn Green share the best advice on organization, policies, scheduling, boundaries, self-care and balancing family time. Tips will be based on best practices from a variety of seasoned professionals who have done this successfully. If you work at home or are considering doing so in the future, this practical session is guaranteed to make your life easier.

2) I’ll be presenting two workshops at the Cedar Falls Christian Writers Workshop, which will be hosted in my own hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa, June 15-18, 2011. I’ll give one on social media but gear it specifically for writers and authors, plus another one:

When Skipping a Byline Pays: How to Find and Use Hidden Markets for Income
The need for good writing is plentiful! You just may have never heard of the Web site, organization or magazine who can put your talents to work. Learn how to find these mysterious markets, and how to succeed when working for them. These markets are often repeat business for proven writers!

This workshop will show how I was able to make a predictable and steady income with freelance writing for several years, and show other writers how they can do it, too.

In a few days, I’ll be Texas-bound! I’m excited about this trip for two reasons:

1) I will be going to the PWOC International Conference. PWOC  stands for Protestant Women of the Chapel- they are a great organization with women’s Bible study chapters at military bases all over the world. This year I get to co-lead a workshop with Ronda Sturgill, one of the contributors to my  book Faith Deployed. I’ve never met her, so this will be a treat! I also will be meeting Rebekah Benimoff and Sara Horn, two other FD contributors. Between workshop sessions I’ll be at my book table in the vendor area and hope to meet many of the women I’ve come to know through the Faith Deployed Facebook page.

2) I’m making a side trip to the Dallas Historical Society to do research for my next book, Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front. In this book, my co-author Karen Whiting and I will be writing devotions based on stories of the family membes and civilians at home during American wars. While I’m in Dallas, I’m going to be looking up stories from the Mexican-American War, the Texas War for Independence, the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.

I can’t wait!

Adams County Historical Society. This building once held wounded soldiers from the Battle of Gettysburg.

I just returned from a jam-packed trip to Washington, D.C., Gettysburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! From Sept. 29-Oct. 3, I used just about every mode of transportation available to get around- plane, rental car, subway, taxi, and Amtrak train (no boats this time). The trip was a great success. Here are the highlights:

1) Spent my first night with Bettina Dowell at her home outside of Washington, D.C. She has written for FaithDeployed.com and we’ve spoken on the phone, but this was my first time meeting this kindred spirit, a Navy wife, in person. And bless her heart, she had just had knee surgery the day before, but that didn’t stop her from being a great hostess from her recliner!

2) Drove up to Gettysburg, PA, to do research for an upcoming book: Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front. My first stop was to comb through the civilian accounts of the Battle of Gettysburg in the archives of the Adamas County Historical Society, which is housed at Lutheran Seminary on Seminary Ridge. The historians there were so helpful, and my co-author Karen Whiting drove down from her home in Maryland to meet me there and do her own research. I had never met Karen before either, so this was a real treat! (I still haven’t yet met my two co-authors Jane Hampton Cook and John Croushorn from my second book, and I’ve only met two of my 14 contributors from Faith Deployed!)

Outside the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitors Center.

The next morning I headed over to the National Military Park at the Gettysburg battlefield and did more research in their private reading room. Such a gorgeous day, I wished I could have toured the grounds, but time did not permit.

3) Pittsburgh, PA, was originally my one and only destination for the trip, before I started adding on the side trips. I went to Pittsburgh to receive in person two awards from the Military Writers Society of America: Battlefields & Blessings (Iraq/Afghanistan) won the Gold Medal (spiritual category) and Faith Deployed won the Bronze. I was honored to receive the awards on behalf of all my co-authors and contributors. The theme of conversation at my table, however, seemed to be how young I looked. Someone even told me he thought I was 16, and I must be attending because my dad was receiving an award. I just kept reminding myself of 1 Timothy 4:12:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

I didn’t really mind, I just hoped my youthful appearance didn’t discredit the serious “grown-up” work that my books represent!

At the Military Writers Society of America Awards Banquet

I did make one contact at my table- a man from USO is going to try to help me get Faith Deployed in the USO airport lobbies in major cities around the world. How incredible would that be!

The icing on the cake for this trip was that three of my best friends from college decided to meet me in Pittsburgh for a mini-reunion. It was short but oh so sweet, since one of them had just had her first baby, so we all got to meet the little guy.

I’m exhausted, but utterly thrilled with how everything went!

I just learned this afternoon that my book have both placed in the inspirational category of the 2010 Branson Stars and Flags Book Awards! Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan won second place, and Faith Deployed: Daily  Encouragement for Military  Wives took third.

This is icing on the cake after learning that the Battlefields & Blessings book won the gold medal from the Military Writers Society of America this year, and Faith Deployed won the bronze (spiritual category for both of them).

Credit also goes to my co-authors for Battlefields & Blessings, John Croushorn and Jane Hampton Cook, as well as the 14 other ladies who contributed to Faith Deployed. Congrats to all of you!