The Writing Process

Because I'll be leaving Sydney soon, I've been madly running around the garden, taking photos of the spring flowers as they bloom. The above pic shows the flowers from a succulent I planted years ago. This is the first year it bloomed. Probably because I remembered to water it. I had to share.

Do you have a green thumb? (I definitely don't). What are your favourite flowers?

Today I'm over at Rachna's blog, sharing my writing process for Cling to God, my debut daily devotional. Please pop on over and say hi.

Reviews, Interviews, and Ninjas

I wanted to share some quotes from some of the reviews for Cling to God that have trickled in:

"Honest contemplations from a consecrated heart."

"What a wonderful way to start each day with a small, edible bite of God's Word that applies directly to everyday life."

"On good days and bad there is something in these short messages that will lift the reader’s faith, give guidance and direction about the truths of scripture, about God’s unfailing love, power and greatness."

"This will make a good gift for anyone who has a habit of reading devotionals."

The reviews have warmed my heart and confirmed that I did the right thing to share my devotional with the world despite the crazy times I've been going through. This experience has shown me--again--that the only right time is God's time.

Amazon Paperback, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Oz Kindle, Nook, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Goodreads.

Today, for something a little different, I'm over with the Ninja Captain himself, Alex J Cavanaugh. I'll be interviewing him rather than the other way around. Please pop on over to check it out.

Please also visit, Bish Denham. She is featuring my book on her site. Thanks, Bish!

What great plans do you have for this week? How do you get through the chaos?

On Gratitude and Twitter Warriors

The launch for my debut devotional, Cling to God, was wonderfully successful and a whole lot of fun. If you haven't yet, but would love to buy my book, you can find it here:  Amazon Paperback, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Oz Kindle, Nook, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Goodreads.

Again, I couldn't have done it without you and I wish to thank more people who are continuing to spread the word:

Please drop in on  

Lori L. MacLaughlin 

and 

Lexa Cain 

Both are featuring my book on their blogs. 

Thanks guys!!!

I would also love to thank all the Twitter warriors who have tweeted and retweeted my book. In particular, I'd like to thank those who tweeted multiple times. You guys are so awesome! Thank you to Tyrean Martinson, Medeia Sharif, Crystal Collier, Victoria Marie Lees, Carol Kilgore, Gwen Gardner, Julie Flanders, Beverly McClure, Denise Covey, Bish Denham, Alex J Cavanaugh, Rachna Chhabria, Jemi Fraser, Jenni Enzor, Chrys Fey, L.Diane Wolfe, and the irrepressible Lexa Cain.

If you'd like to help spread the word about this devotional, then feel free to copy/paste some of the tweets below, or make up one of your own:

For an uplifting read, Cling to God: A Daily Devotional http://amzn.to/2dVFHTg @LyndaRYoung #Faith

A great Christmas gift: Cling to God: A Daily Devotional http://amzn.to/2efAyD6 @LyndaRYoung #Faith

Something to challenge you everyday? Cling to God: A Daily Devotional http://amzn.to/2efAyD6 @LyndaRYoung #Faith


Pic: My publisher sent me a pick of my print copies. So exciting to see them like that.

Cling to God Launch Day!

I can't believe this day is here at last. It was both super fast and painfully slow to get here, but here we are: Cling to God, my debut daily devotional with a devotion for every day of the year, has now been released into the world. So exciting!

To find Cling to God: Amazon Paperback, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Oz Kindle, Nook, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Goodreads.

Below is a glimpse into the current chaos I'm facing in my life:

What do I do when everything gets so overwhelming and chaotic (like having a book launch right in the middle of selling up and moving interstate)? I cling to my God. He brings me a peace the world can't even come close to offering. I find refuge in His love and acceptance.

Also, I couldn't have done this launch without YOUR help. A big thank you to everyone who has offered to help spread the word. I will have a proper roll-call of thanks later, but in the meantime, I wish to thank those who will be posting today on their blogs (Please let me know if I've missed anyone):

Beverly Stowe McClure - I'm there sharing the setbacks

 faced while writing Cling to God. Please visit!

Also please pop in on these generous people:

Cathrina Constantine

Julie Flanders

L. Diane Wolfe

Alex J Cavanaugh

And tomorrow please visit JQ Rose 

There will more people sharing the happy news in the following days and weeks and I'll spread the word on those days too. Also there will be many tweeting and sharing on Facebook. A huge thanks. If you'd like to help too, then yes please do share this post, and below are a few tweets you can copy paste to make it easy for you, or make up your own tweet:

Launch Day for Cling to God: A Daily Devotional http://amzn.to/2efAyD6 @LyndaRYoung #Faith

Cling to God: A Daily Devotional http://amzn.to/2efAyD6 @LyndaRYoung #Faith #NewReleases

For an inspiring read, Cling to God: A Daily Devotional http://amzn.to/2efAyD6 @LyndaRYoung #Faith

To find some calm in the chaos of life: Cling to God: A Daily Devotional http://amzn.to/2efAyD6 @LyndaRYoung #Faith

On Being Finished and Needing Help #IWSG

The big question this month for the Insecure Writer's Support Group is, When do you know your story is ready? 

With my daily devotional, Cling to God, coming out later this month, this question has been on my mind a lot lately. It's a question I've struggled with for a while, and will continue to struggle with for each separate piece I write. I may be too much of a perfectionist. Consequently I love deadlines because they keep me focused and there's only so much faffing and doubting and nail-biting and questioning a person can do before the final edits have to be in.

Honestly, I believe a piece of writing is never completely finished. If you had all the time in the world, you could tweak it endlessly. And it gets worse as time passes because as you grow and change, your ideas or the way you express yourself also grow and change. The piece will never be perfect. So don't try for perfection. All you can do is make sure the story has gone through all the stages of critiquing and multiple editing passes, and also make sure you've taken a break to get some eye-clearing distance. After that, if all you are seeing is tweaks, then send that baby out. That's when you'll really know if it was ready or not.

How about you? When do you know your story is ready?
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The IWSG Short Story Contest 
Happy news!! Due to a number of inquiries, we've decided to drop the word count limit for our Fantasy 'Hero Lost' short story contest to 3000-6000 words. So get writing! For more info on the contest, go here.

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Help! As I mentioned earlier in this post, my book is coming out later this month. October 18th to be precise. I am also in the middle of sorting through my horded collection of junk, which was the result of living in this house for almost thirty years, and trying to either sell, giveaway, or pack it for an interstate move to sunny Queensland. Madness, I say! I need help! No, I won't make anyone rummage through the dust bunnies at the back of closets. Instead, I need help with my book launch.

If you would love to help me spread the word about the daily devotional on or after October 18th, then please send me an email (lynfaw at gmail), or leave your email in the comments section. A quick tweet on the day would be awesome, or a Facebook share, or share the news on your blog, or if you'd like me to guest post on your blog some time just let me know. Whatever you'd like, I would be deeply grateful!