#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Barbara Britton @BarbaraMBritton

Good Morning!

Well, we've moved out of freezing temperatures into warmer weather. Still below comfortable in the mornings but nice in the afternoons. More rain heading our way and I'm sure there'll be more cool fronts and cold snaps up through Easter. Speaking of which, we're a week into the Lentin season - How are you doing with your fasting, prayers and almsgiving or other Lentin practices? Whether your particular religion observes Lent, it never hurts to set aside 40 days each year to spend more, quality time with our Lord.

Enough from me though, let's welcome my fellow Pelican Book Group author, Barbara Britton back as she shares some thoughts with us on the importance of having writer friends. Take it away Barb!

Thanks for having me back on Wednesday Words, Pam. I’m sharing about some of my friends today.

Many people think that writers are introverts typing away in a writing cave on a story they hide from prying eyes. While many writers are introverts, a lot of books wouldn’t see the light of day without writers having friends. I am blessed to have friends who read and critique my writing before any publisher gets a look at my manuscript. I’m thankful for the comments that help shape my stories.

Recently, I sent my opening chapter to my critique group. Half of the group was confused by the first paragraph. They thought the dog was in the vehicle with my main character. The dog wasn’t in the car, so immediately I knew the picture in my head wasn’t translating to the page. 

Every writer has strengths and weaknesses. I love to write dialogue and action scenes. I struggle sometimes with inner thought and having a character reason their actions inside their head. My writing friends help me know when to go deeper into my character’s motivations or emotions.

Critique groups are also great for accountability. If I have a chapter due to my writer friends by Tuesday, then I have a deadline to meet. When I’m stuck on a chapter, well, I can ask for help brainstorming the scene. A flurry of ideas and possibilities is better than my lone train of thought.

You’ve probably heard Proverbs 27:17. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Building a writing support group is key to writing a successful story. Every writer has unique perspectives, talents, and experience. Don’t be afraid to have a trusted group of friends help you become a better writer. You could say that after my critique group on Tuesday, I’m crafting Wednesday’s words with the help of my friends.

After I finished my series on the daughters of Zelophehad, I was sad to end my time with these five brave sisters. In the most difficult of circumstances, they had each other for support and encouragement. The girls didn’t have a writing support group, but they had a similar sister support group. Make sure you have people to encourage you along your pathway to publication.

Where can you find a writing critique group? Professional writing organizations. Local writing groups. Online groups. Friends and family that will give you an honest opinion. Writing contests can give you feedback, but remember the comments are subjective and aren’t geared toward your writing level. Check local colleges and libraries, too.

BIO: Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. Barb is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. Her Christian WWI Historical launched in 2020 with “Until June.” Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Find out more about Barb’s books at http://www.barbarambritton.com/books.html  Connect with Barb on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or BookBub.

While the Israelites struggle to occupy the Promised Land of God, Mahlah bat Zelophehad is orphaned and left to care for her four sisters. But daughters of the dead are unable to inherit land, and it will take a miracle for Mahlah to obtain the means to care for her sisters and uphold the vow she made to her dying mother. 

Mahlah must seek Moses, the leader of her people, and request something extraordinary—the right for a daughter to inherit her deceased father’s land. A right that will upset the ox-cart of male inheritance and cast her in the role of a rebel. 

But, God is the protector of the orphan and the widow, and five orphaned daughters need His help. With God, anything is possible. Even changing man’s tradition.  Find “Lioness” on Amazon.

You are so right, Barbara, having friends who are also writers can help us tremendously in our own endeavors. Thank you for sharing with us today. We wish you the best of luck and God's blessings.

Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends, and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight. You can check out Barbara's previous Wednesday Words with Friends post HERE and Saturday Spotlight posts Here and Here.

Until next time take care, stay warm and safe and God Bless.

PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Barbara Britton!

Good Morning from Nacogdoches, TX!

A couple friends and I have been here since Sunday afternoon for a short writing retreat. Double blessing for me as I get to visit my son too. If you haven't filed your taxes, today is the day. We were given a reprieve when the IRS extended the file date until July - something I don't recall ever happening before, but many people will put off until the last moment what they had the ability to do months ago. Human nature I guess. I'm happy to admit mine are done so that's one less thing on my plate to worry about. But enough about me!

Our guest today has been in our spotlight with her book Until June and Benjamin so please welcome Barbara back to share some words with us on Encountering Invisible Wounds.....

My latest release was a bit different for me. I usually write Biblical Fiction, but “Until June” is set in Alaska in 1918 and not in Bible Times. Why a WWI Historical? Many years ago, I took an Alaskan cruise with my family. We ventured to a lodge outside of Juneau and heard a story about how a WWI veteran and a nurse stayed at the lodge year-round. In winter, when the river froze, the couple was cut off from society. A man and a woman alone in a lodge? That was the beginning of “Until June.”

What would make a veteran decide to go to a remote lodge instead of staying in Juneau? I thought of a veteran I met in a VA Hospital in Waco, TX many years ago. I remember meeting him, but he won’t remember meeting me. The veteran was living in another reality due to post-traumatic stress disorder. In WWI, soldiers experienced severe trauma that affected their lives as well. The disorder was called being shell-shocked.

In “Until June,” Geoff Chambers overcomes the hardships of war and learns to live again due to the persistence of his caregiver. PTSD is a heavy topic, but I hope I have brought it to life with respect and humor that shows the realities of war.

Until June can be purchased on Amazon, B&N and other book retailers.   

Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. Look for Barb to venture into Christian Historical fiction with “Until June.” Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America, and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. You can find out about Barb’s books on her Website. She is also active on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Thank you so much, Barbara for sharing your inspiration behind Until June. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your life and writing!

Hope you enjoyed the post, friends. Barbara is travelling today but she will check in and visit with you when she gets a moment so please leave her a comment.

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on @BarbaraMBritton & Until June!

Good Morning!

It's been a wonderful few days with near-perfect weather....cooler nights/mornings and warm/hot days. Best of all, no rain and none in the forecast for several days. Perfect camping weather. Couldn't find a spot this weekend but hopefully soon.

Today's guest has been in our spotlight before so please welcome, Barbara Britton back with her newest release, Until June....

Thanks for having me in the spotlight, Pam.

When seventeen-year-old seamstress, Josephine Nimetz, agrees to take care of a WWI amputee in a remote Alaskan lodge to escape the influenza of 1918, there’s enough friction to melt the Mendenhall Glacier. Her position is only until June, and it pays well enough to overlook the hardship of managing a rustic home and a shell-shocked veteran, Geoff Chambers.

Geoff makes it clear that he isn’t too fond of the “runt” sent to take care of his needs, nor of her painful mistakes. Dealing with a depressed and addicted amputee, pushes Josephine to the brink of leaving, if not for the money her salary brings.

But Josephine is a perfectionist, determined to get Geoff back on his feet—figuratively. Though, sending a rich, handsome veteran back into society may cost Josephine the man she has grown to love.

Excerpt:

The wheelchair stood empty next to the bed. Through the bathroom doorway, she saw Geoff propped against the side of the tub, bare-chested, wearing only his underwear.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

His head flopped backward and rested on the tub. “It’s going to be kind of hard for you to assist me from way out there.”

She laughed. She actually laughed. He laughed, too.

Emptying the hot water into the tub, she asked, “How did you get in here?”

“I used my arms. Thank heaven the blast didn’t blow off all my limbs.” He motioned toward some cupboards. “We’re going to need lots of towels.”

Nodding, she asked, “How are we going to do this?”

“You’re going to do as little as possible. I’ll get a hold on the outside of this tub and stand myself up. You will lift my legs over the metal edge and back out again. I don’t need you in between.”

Thank heaven. Josephine ran her fingers through her locks, curling some behind her ears.

“Can you wash your hair?”

He scowled at her. “Of course, I can.”

“You’ll need to soak those bed sores.”

“Yes, doctor.”

Geoff grasped the sides of the tub and lifted his body straight off the floor. “Up and over,” he huffed, arm muscles bulging.

With her back to Geoff’s chest, Josephine wrapped her arms around his legs and hoisted them into the tub. A shallow minefield of divets covered the skin beneath his left stump. Her ring finger sunk into his flesh.

Dropping into the water, Geoff caused a small tidal wave to crest at the rim of the tub. A few drops splashed the side of her dress, hip level. She didn’t mind the dampness. She had to take care of him.

“Anything else?” She laid a washcloth on the rim of the tub.

He shook his head. “Come when I call.” 

Josephine jogged upstairs to her bedroom and dead-dropped on to the hospital-white bedspread. She had a double bed all to herself—–no Ann—a window with a view of the inlet, and a brand- new Singer sewing machine, compliments of Mr. Chambers. She unpacked a few clothes before heading downstairs to check on Geoff.

“Are you decent?” She tapped on the bathroom door. Water gurgled down the drain.

“I’m always decent,” he replied. “I’m covered if that’s what you mean.”

Barb got the idea for Until June while visiting the Taku Glacier Lodge on an Alaskan cruise excursion over a decade ago. She heard how a man and a woman resided at the lodge and were cut off from society when the Taku River froze. A man and a woman alone in a lodge….

Until June can be purchased on Amazon, B&N and other book retailers.   

Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. Look for Barb to venture into Christian Historical fiction with “Until June.” Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America, and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. You can find out about Barb’s books on her Website. She is also active on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Congratulations on your new release, Barb! Until June sounds like another winner! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it.

Thanks for dropping by to support Barbara, friends. Be sure to leave a comment and enter my monthly gift card giveaway.

Until next time take care and God bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Barbara Britton & Building Benjamin

Hello from Packwood, WA!

It'll be a month tomorrow that I started my west coast vacation. You can see where we've been so far by visiting these four posts: #1, #2, #3, #4. I'll be sharing more with you next week.

Meanwhile, Pelican Book Group author, Barbara M Britton is in the spotlight with her newest novel, Building Benjamin. This is Barbara's first visit to my blog so please give her a great big warm welcome!

Barbara M. Britton was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, but currently lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. Barb writes romantic adventures for teens and adults in the Christian fiction and mainstream markets. She is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little known Bible characters to light in her stories. 

Barb’s debut novel, “Providence: Hannah’s Journey,” released in October of 2016 from Harbourlight Books and kicked off her Tribes of Israel series. Her second book, “Building Benjamin: Naomi’s Journey,” released in April of 2017. Her Biblical fiction series will continue in November with the release of “Jerusalem Rising: Adah’s Journey.” 

Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate.

You can find out more about Barb on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads, or visit her website.

So very nice of you to drop by Barbara! Tell us more about Building Benjamin....

(fiction from Judges 19-21)

Love Grows Where God Grafts the Tender Shoot.

Naomi desires to dance well enough to catch the eye of a wealthy landowner. Her father needs a substantial bride price due to the deaths of her brothers at the hands of the tribe of Benjamin. But when Benjamites raid the Ephraimite feast and capture young girls, Naomi is bound and carried from her home by Eliab, a troubled shepherd who needs a wife.

As Naomi awaits rescue, she finds Eliab has a strong faith in God and a just reason for abducting her. A reason that affects all the tribes of Israel. The future of the tribe of Benjamin hangs in the balance, but if Naomi follows her heart and stays with Eliab to rebuild his lineage, she must forfeit her family and become a traitor to her tribe.

Excerpt:

Eliab uncoiled the rope. “Isa tended my father’s flocks with my brother, Joshua. His word is trustworthy.”

“Must you bind my hands?” Her wrists ached at the thought of the prickly cords.

“You fled from me into the cave. Do I have your word that you will not run from me again?”

 Should she vow submission to Eliab? What if she had the opportunity to escape? Were they near the border? Near the lands of the tribe of Benjamin? Or still in the land of Ephraim?

Eliab grabbed her hand and tugged her close.

“Wait.” Should she agree? Her confidence began to crumble. “What did I do wrong? Would you not have gone off to help Isa if you thought he were in trouble?”

“Yes, I would have gone.” He snapped the rope and removed the gag from his satchel.

Saliva pooled in her mouth. She would not be bound like an untamed animal. Not again.

“I will not run away.” She spat out the words as if spitting sand from her mouth. “Do not bind me.”

She punched Eliab’s chest. He did not move. Not one step.  

He caught her arm, encircled her waist, and lifted her onto the mule.

“Rest, Naomi. You are a tower of stones. The mule listens to one master.” Eliab’s arms closed around her, holding her next to his body. His tunic wasn’t the most comfortable bed, but his body was warm, and up until this point, he had not harmed her.

She prayed her father would find her before Eliab desired a union and made her his wife.

Wow, Barbara! Great excerpt. I wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your series. Where can we get them?

Building Benjamin as well as, Providence: Hannah's Journey can be purchased on Amazon or Barnes&Noble or your favorite book retailer. 

Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT