CONGRATS VADER'S MOM for winning Free Book Friday

Congrats going out to Vader's Mom for winning the Free Book Friday drawing. She will receive a free Steeple Hill book.


Stay tuned for another Free Book Friday drawing SOON!


Warmly,


Cheryl Wyatt

A THANKSGIVING FUNNY

THIS CAME TO ME IN AN E-MAIL. THE BLONDE IN THIS STORY IS NOT ME. I REPEAT, SHE IS NOT ME. LOL. ALTHOUGH THIS SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE SOMETHING MY FAMILY WOULD DO TO ME THAT I WOULD FALL FOR.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND ENJOY!

PREGNANT TURKEY STORY

One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the
traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided
to play a trick.

She told my sister that she needed something from the store.

When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the
stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey, and
re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven
and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit
something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird.

With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, "Patricia,
you've cooked a pregnant bird!" At the reality of this horrifying news,
my sister started to cry.

It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!
Yep.................SHE'S BLONDE!

PJ TRIBUTE DAY-What do they do?

Once a week or so I pay tribute to the real life heroes I've fashioned the fictional ones after in my Wings of Refuge Series from Steeple Hill's Love Inspired.

For those of you familiar with my books, here's a video of the real deal:

Pararescue Recruiting


As Thanksgiving approaches, I am reminded of how thankful I am that our world has people in it willing to risk their lives "so others may live."

Enjoy the video. If it doesn't post for some reason, here is the link:

Enjoy!

And Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Your readership is a tremendous blessing. Thank you for visiting my blog.

Cheryl

READY-MADE FAMILY AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON CBD

Since many of you have been asking, I thought I'd send out a note.

Christianbooks.com has my third book on Pre-order now. Here's the link.


Though this book is in the Wings of Refuge Series, you need not have read the first two to jump right into Ready-Made Family.

For those familiar with Wings of Refuge, this is Pararescuer Ben's story.

Blessings,

Cheryl

In Seekerville Today

Hey bloggies,

Sorry for posting twice in one day.

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun/leave a comment. We're woefully short on commentators. LOL!

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

FREE BOOK FRIDAY-NOVEMBER

Hey bloggies!

Today is Free Book Friday. Leave a message in the comment section of this post by next Thursday, Nov 28 for a chance to win a Steeple Hill book.

Winner's name will be drawn Friday, Nov 29. At that point I will contact the winner, so please remember to leave a valid e-mail address (with brackets or spaces around the @ so Net spiders don't getcha) in the comment section.

Winner will have their choice between several different Steeple Hill books.

Cheryl

Blush & Cringe- Editorial Assassins?

I was at a NASCAR race recently. It was during a race that an e-mail came in from one of my editors. Since there was a race going on, I couldn't use my phone to call her because the track officials jam the signals so that spotters can talk to drivers during a race.

Anyway, my e-mail wouldn't tap in on my laptop. So I was trying to type a message with my BlackBerry which is the only thing that gets a signal during a race. And we're at the races A LOT.

Anyway, I had the autocorrect function turned on with the BlackBerry and didn't realize until after I sent the message to my editor that I had mispelled "Assistant" in a cover letter. So the autocorrect changed it, unbenownst to me...until I reread the "sent" version.

I was HORRIFIED to notice that what I typed said:

Editor's Name
"Editorial Assassin"
Publishing House

Assassin?

I couldn't have been more mortified.

I really think I have a form of dyslexia that won't allow me to see typos until after they are mailed or e-mailed.

Sigh.

Thankfully, the editor has a great sense of humor and laughed off the mistake. Althouth she does very nicely kill off my unnecessary words...I don't quite think she deserved to be called an assassin.

LOL!

Cheryl Wyatt

Schultz Philosophy

The following came to me in an e-mail and is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.


1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3 Name the last five winners of the Miss America.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.




How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners .




Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .



Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.



Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia " (Charles Schultz)


Cheryl

PJ Tribute Day-Lending a hand

This photo was taken from http://www.129rqw.ang.af.mil/news/story_media.asp?id=123115835 page of an Air National Guard Web site.


129th rescuers continue the search for Hurricane Ike victims
Joint Task Force 129 pararescuemen rescue a hurricane victim Sept. 13 in Galveston, Texas. The JTF 129 crews rescued 48 peoole and pets stranded in the Galveston area. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Brock Woodward)

This is hilarious...and kewl

Cha Cha Slide USMC Style


http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=45911239

BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR SOUND ON! :-)

This made me laugh. I love how they can relax from service and have a good time. The endearing and funny part to me was how each of them eventually joined in...like it was contageous.

Enjoy!

And remember to pray for our troops!

Cheryl

Like hinds feet

Our family just camped with a few others. We went on a two-mile hike. Not so hard except the trail was fairly steep in places required to get to the top of some of Southern Illinois' most beautiful bluffs.

Most of you know I had an accident this year which totalled two cars plus my foot, ankle and soft tissues. The injuries resulted in multiple surgeries. Thankfully I live in a country with orthopedic surgeons whose skilled hands put the stuff back together.

This hike was a real physical test on my foot/ankle since the wreck. The steep hill was so challenging at one point, I had to throw my hiking stick up above me. Then lean forward and crawl on my hands and toes to get up the rock-steps. Yes, I know this wasn't Everest, but at that point, for me it may as well have been. Because that portion of the journey seemed insurmountable. The leaves had mostly fallen off trees and the rocks beneath them were moist, adding to the treachery because everything was slick. AND my feet were still too swollen from surgery to wear my hiking boots. The shoes I had did NOT grab, adding to the slippery. And did I mention I'm terrified of heights? And we'd climbed a mile upwards on the trail already. So really, there was no going back.

Though God granted me a fierce determination, there was a few seconds of the hike where I thought, "I'm not going to be able to do this. I can't make it." Then a feeling of utter discouragement at my physical limitations washed over me. I mentally debated sitting down in defeat and crying, or asking my hubby and those above me to help lug me up. Yet I felt like that'd be cheating. LOL! The other hindering thing was I was so winded from gaining weight from fluid retention after surgeries plus general weight I've gained. Stuck there, I remembered with longing the days when I had the ability to sprint up a hiking trail such as this. Wondered why 40 feels so much different than 20 in my body. LOL! And recalled how I used to think I was fat THEN, with a tiny jiggle in my thigh and wished someone would have knocked sense into me. Trust me, the metab has slowed WAY down and the scales have gone WAY up. So in that moment, leaning forward on the steep trail, the rocks beneath me seemed to groan and sneer, "Do both of us a favor and lay off the french fries." LOL!

Anyway, I dug my hands in (not the fries, the rocks) and asked God to please help me conquer this trail. Because in that moment I seriously felt dogged by defeat. The plea no more than rose in my mind when a thought zipped across my mential widescreen.

A thought that said, "I will make your feet like hinds' feet."

Now, my first inclination was to laugh. Because here I am, on my hands and knees trying to figure out whether it'd be easiest and safest to just go back down the steep rock trail, lay down and let a heart attack end this misery, or try to keep moving forward and catch up with the rest. The even funnier part was there were buzzards swirling overhead. Like they sensed my impending demise. LOL! No, actually I'm exaggerating there. It was bow season down in the woods below and hunters camping nearby had their trophies hanging upside down in trees, draining. Don't think about that too hard...moving onward...

My ankle was so stiff at this point from the cold weather and the hike that it wouldn't hardly work. Honestly it started clicking and if I'd have listened close enough I probably could have heard it creak one per step. No such thing as WD40 for feet. Believe me, I've checked. LOL! Also at this point, my foot was screaming out in pain, all except the numb spot on bottom which won't let me feel the terrain I'm on. And I couldn't really tilt my head to look because frankly it was so steep I didn't want to tilt my head, get dizzy and fall off the side of the bluff. I am not sure what the angle was at that point but, while it wasn't anything like the smooth verticle face of a bluff, it WAS way steaper than most standard steps. And tumbling down it would NOT have been pleasant. Plus most standard steps do not have slick leaves over smooth wet rock and aboveground roots trying to slip and trip a person up.

Anyway, the moment tears of impending defeat attempted to burn my eyes and make me decide to quit or ask for help, I felt His voice and remembered the scripture and the book I read when I first became a Christian: Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. Somehow fresh bursts of courage and determination overcame that sense of defeat trying to overtake me.

Yes I had to crawl a very embarrassingly cumbersome waddle, and no it wasn't with graceful leaps and jaunts and hops like a seemingly weightless deer...BUT I MADE IT!

I will post some pictures of the BEAUTIFUL area. Most of the two-miles went extrememly fast because I was too busy looking at God's creation in the beauty around me to notice how far and long we were walking. And once I got to the top, the view paused me and caused worship to well. Not only because He helped me make it, but because the view once there nearly took my breath away. His creation awes me, but not more than HE awes me in His willingness to make our world beautiful. And in His pleasure in pulling us through things we never thought we could overcome.

Enjoy the pics and remember, He will make your feet like hinds' feet too.

Whatever bluff you're facing that seems insurmountable, remember, it's just that. A bluff. A trick from an enemy who wants to trip you up and make you think you can't make it. That you won't get through this.

But God steadies our feet and helps us along the rocky terrain.

May you be blessed with a strong sense of His arms reaching, helping, tugging, then clapping when you finally make it over that portion you seriously doubted you could.

Cheryl

More hiking pictures

More hiking pics.....


Cheryl

Wanna see Wings of Refuge's setting?

I have set my Wings of Refuge series in a fictional Southern Illinois town called Refuge. If you've read books 1 and 2 (A Soldier's Promise and A Soldier's Family) you might recall the characters go hiking on trails behind Refuge's Bed and Breakfast. If so, these pictures will help you envision the beauty of the area.

I hiked this real Southern Illinois area this week.

Three more Wings of Refuge books are slotted to release in 2009 starting in April with Ready-Made Family from Love Inspired. Hopefully these photos will help you envision the area in which the Wings of Refuge stories reside.

I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed hiking the area to obtain them.

I have a funny and hopefully encouraging story to follow, regarding one semi-difficult patch of trail.

Cheryl

Sr Editor Melissa Endlich of Steeple Hill @ Seekerville tomorrow

Hey all,

Senior Editor, Melissa Endlich of Steeple Hill will guestblog all day tomorrow (Nov 13) at Seekerville.

If you're targeting Steeple Hill, or interested in learning more about the books, come join us for this interactive blog. Melissa will be there to answer questions/address comments. We have an informative interview with her to post as well.

This is a great opportunity to get to know her, get your name in front of her and learn what they're looking for in an author/story.

Come learn more about Steeple Hill and one of their fabulous editors.

Hope to see some of you there!

Please pass this on/forward to your other writing-related blogs and loops.

http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

Cheryl Wyatt

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY

TO ALL WHO'VE SERVED AND THEIR FAMILIES.

May God bless your sacrifice and keep you safe.

Cheryl

36 BLONDE THINGS-SAD BUT TRUE AND NO SURPRISE

Got this meme in an e-mail. Sigh. The person who sent it to me had only done 22 of the 40 Dumb Blonde things.

Sigh. I've done 36.

Ok, so here's what ya do: mark your answers with a little 'x' inside
the boxes if its true, but BE HONEST (I was)!! Then send it to all your
peeps and make them laugh.

1 [x] Gum has fallen out of your mouth when you were talking
2 [x]Gum has fallen out of your mouth when you were NOT talking
3 [x] You have ran into a glass/screen door
4 [x] You have jumped out of a moving vehicle. (not a plane, thank God) <-my emphasis
5 [x] You have thought of something funny and laughed, then people gave
you weird looks
6 [x] You have ran into a tree
7 [] It IS possible to lick your elbow
8 [x] You tried to lick your elbow (not until this dumb test)
9 [x] You never knew that the Alphabet and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
have the same rhythm
10 [x] You just tried to sing them
11 [x] You have tripped on your shoelace and fallen
12 [x] You have choked on your own spit
13 [x] You have seen the the Matrix and still don't get it.
14 [x] You didn't notice that in the last question 'the' was spelled
twice
15 [x] You just looked at it
16 [x] Your hair is blonde
17 [x] People have called you slow ALOT!
18 [x] You have accidentally caught something on fire
19 [x] You tried to drink out of a straw, but it went into your nose/eyes
20 [x] You have caught yourself drooling
21 [x] You've fallen asleep in a laundry basket
22 [x] Sometimes you just stop thinking.
23 [x] You are telling a story and forget what you were talking
about-(too often)
24 [x] People are often shaking their heads and walk away from you
25 [x] You are often told to use your 'inside voice'
26 [x] You use your fingers to do simple math
27 [x] You have eaten a bug (WASN'T MY FAULT. MOUTH OPEN ON MOTERCYCLE. NUFF SAID)
28 [x] You are taking this test when you should be doing something
important.
29 [x] You have put your clothes on backwards or inside out, and didn't
realize it
30 [x] You've looked all over for something and realized it was in your
hand or pocket
31 [] You sometimes post emails because you are scared that what they
say will happen to you if you don't, even when you know it won't happen
to you, like on a myspace...
32 [x]You break a lot of things.
33 [] Friends know not to use big words around you
34 [x]You sometimes tilt your head when you're confused
35 [x] You have fallen out of your chair before
36 [x] When you're laying in bed, you try to find pictures in the
texture of the ceiling/wall
37 [x] The word 'umm' is used many times a day
38 [x] You called a friend and then completely forgot what you were
gonna say
39 [x] You have spelled your name wrong
40 [] You have drawn a disformed heart (huh? I don't get this one-lol)

Send to all your friends and the person you got it from. Repost as:'I've
Done 36 of the 40 Blondest Things." tee-hee.

This is WAY cool!

Yesterday I went to the city hall to vote. As soon as I walked in, the women at the tables started mentioning my books. I don't know why I was so surprised. Writers can be sort of reclusive. So sometimes we have no idea those close to us who are actually interested in our writing journey or our books.

I've known them all since moving to this town, but I had no idea they were so supportive of my writing. And I tell you...I was sincerely blown away by their support and encouragement.

Honestly Elvis (aka me in that moment) nearly left the building in tears. Grateful. Thankful, happy tears. Okay maybe I'm just extra sensitive because I have Prehistoric Monster Syndrome (what my husband calls PMS...or at least me when afflicted by it). But it's moments like this that remind me of why I do what I do. That God can use the stories I offer Him to make someone laugh or entertain or touch them in some way...is WAY cool!

Since many of those women said they read my blog, this is a very public and very deep THANK YOU for supporting my writing with their readership.

You all have no idea how word of mouth helps authors. Especially newbie authors like me who are trying to establish themselves in a tough market with so many other hundreds of thousands of authors during financial strain on the country.

That you all would spend money to purchase my books and expend your precious time to read them...and pass them around and tell your friends and family about them...words can't express how much that means to me.


Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. To all the ladies (and gent) at the polling place. YOU TOTALLY MADE MY DAY!

Maybe even my whole year.

Hugs,

Majorly cheezin',

Cheryl

CONGRATS Marcher Lord Press Book Winners! And BOOK SURGE TODAY

Pardon for the double posting...

Congrats going out to

Lia for winning a free copy of Hero Second Class.

Lynn for winning a free copy of Personifid Invasion.

And

Cathikin for winning a copy of Summa Elvetica

Speaking of Summa Elvetica....TODAY between noon and midnight (EST, GMT -5:00) Marcher Lord Press is having a book surge on Amazon. Meaning if you planned to purchase this book, or any MLP book, NOW would be wonderful. If a certain number of people purchase the book within this time frame, Summa will likely hit Amaon bestseller status in its category. So I hope you will bop over to www.amazon.com and purchase this book by Theodore Beale.

For those who purchase one or more MLP titles from Amazon (U.S.) during this window, send Jeff Gerke (publisher/editor of MLP) proof of that purchase (like the receipt you get from Amazon--but be sure it doesn't contain any personal information like credit card number). When you do that he'll send you the link to download one or more of his e-book products FOR FREE. His contact info is on the Marcher Lord Press Web site. Marcher Lord Press

Here is the purchase link.

Summa Elvetica on Amazon

Cheryl

GO VOTE.

Or don't complain about the president for the next four years.

Grin.

Cheryl

Newsletter anyone?

Hey faithful bloggies,

I wanted to let you know that I have a quarterly newsletter. If you wish to sign up, visit my Web site and input your e-mail address in the space provided.

If this link doesn't work, simply click the e-mail "Newsletter anyone?" header to this post.

I offer contests with GREAT prizes...only available to my newsletter subscribers.

Hope you will consider joining. I only send updates a few times a year...mostly letting folks know about new releases and contests.

I respect your privacy and will NOT share your e-mail address with a third party.

Thanks for supporting my blog with your readership.

And thanks for your comments. Though I may not acknowlege or answer back to every single one, I DO personally read (and cherish!) each one.

Hugs,

Cheryl

November 2008 Prompt

November Prompt Contest

RULES:
• Write a 500 word scene using all ten Prompt Words.
• Begin each scene using one of three Scene Starter Sentences.
• Mail your scenes in the body of an e-mail to Cheryl @ CherylWyatt . com (close spaces before and after “@” and “.”) If the e-mail bounces back to you, please let me know in the comment of this post.
• Put “November Prompt Contest” in the subject line.
• Entry deadline is the last day of the month.
• Winners will be notified the first week of the next month.
• Winners will receive a free Steeple Hill book, mailed the month winners are notified.
• All monthly entrants (not just winners) will be entered into the annual contest for one of several chances to win a six month subscription to any Steeple Hill line of their choice.
• Entries will not be posted or published anywhere and entrants retain all rights to their work.
• New prompts will be posted on the first of the month.
• Most of all, have fun!


November Prompt Words
1. Cold
2. Turkey
3. Homecoming
4. Town
5. Old
6. Flame
7. School
8. Creek
9. Creak
10. Memories

November Scene Starter Sentences:
“That’s the last one.”
“Can I help you?”
“How’d I get roped into this?”

Happy writing!

Cheryl Wyatt