by Jocelyn on December 4, 2010
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!
by Jocelyn on November 27, 2010
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: [click to continue…]
by Jocelyn on November 4, 2010
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!
by Jocelyn on October 5, 2010
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! [click to continue…]
by Jocelyn on September 20, 2010
by Jocelyn on September 1, 2010
Drumroll please . . . after several months of praying, planning and posting, I am pleased to announce that the official online magazine of Christian Military Wives ministry is born:
Wives in Bloom is live, and ready for your viewing enjoyment at
www.wivesinbloom.com. The name
Wives in Bloom comes from CMW’s motto, “Bloom Where You Are Planted.”
As the editor of this new online magazine, I’ll be collecting and posting stories weekly. If you like to write and are a military wife, see the Writer’s Guidelines at the top of the page of www.wivesinbloom.com. See you there!
by Jocelyn on August 23, 2010
My kids, Ethan and Elsa, on July Fourth
In the course of 24 hours, I lost one of my two major freelance writing/editing clients, and then decided to drop the other one as well. It made sense to drop out entirely, because my husband’s design studio (CutterAgent.com) is really taking off. He had been watching the kids in the morning for two days a week so I could write, but he could really use the extra 10 hours in the studio each week. So while my monthly income is now $0, we expect that Rob’s company will make up for that in the coming months.
Still, it’s a big lifestyle change for me. I’ve been writing for these same two clients for the better part of ten years. Losing one and deciding to put an end to the other was a huge deal for me. [click to continue…]
by Jocelyn on August 2, 2010
Last week I was happy to learn that both of my books, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, and Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan, were nominated for a national award in the spiritual/religious category of the Military Writers Society of America contest.
Well guess what? Faith Deployed won the Bronze Medal, and Battlefields & Blessings won the Gold Medal! I will be accepting the awards at the society’s annual conference in Pittsburgh in early October.
Neither of my books were written alone- check out all the ladies who contributed to Faith Deployed here, and read about my two Battlefields & Blessings co-authors, Jane Hampton Cook and John Croushorn, here. Without these 16 other people, and without the nearly 100 people in the military community who shared their personal stories, these books would not have been possible.
I am so grateful that others are officially recognizing the amazing stories of all the faithful individuals represented in both of my books. These stories have the power to change lives. I, for one, am a different person for having written them. I pray that each person who reads them will be changed, for the better, as well. When you meet the men, women and children within the pages of the books, you will also meet the God they serve. You can’t help but be inspired.
by Jocelyn on July 29, 2010
I am thrilled to announce that thanks to the hard work of veteran small group leader and Marine wife Catherine Fitzgerald, we can now offer you a FREE small group study guide to be used with my book Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives! (You can download it at the end of this post!)
This downloadable PDF offers a six-week topical study drawing from the Bible, first and foremost, and from selected passages from Faith Deployed. The weekly topics covered are:
- Loneliness
- Fear/Anxiety
- Contentment
- Bitterness
- Temptation
- Weariness
[click to continue…]
