Beautiful, Bountiful Books

Six of us gathered around the hundred-year old table yesterday for our time of critiquing. Fortified with coffee and cookies, we Cozy Critters enjoyed an especially hilarious two hours. I think we were glad to all be together again.

Jane, fresh from her Chicago trip, had much to share. She read a recent poem, “The Longest Walk” about walking along the shore of Lake Michigan. The highlight of Jane’s trip was visiting the Art Institute of Chicago. Particularly memorable were A Sunday on LaGrande Jatte by Georges Seurat and the Van Gogh Bedrooms exhibit.  She also read a poem dedicated to Cozy Critter Carolyn, titled Carolyn’s Accident Report.

We can always count on Peg to supply us and you, our readers, with titles and authors of the books she has read. She enjoyed Rest in Peach by Susan Furlong, Blood Orange by Susan Wittig Albert, Breach of Crust by Ellery Adams, The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton, Kernel of Truth by Kristi Abbott, and Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by A. J. Lang. I have read all three of the Chef Maurice books and I agree with Peg; they are delightful.

Helen has had another devotion published in The Secret Place, Tested By Fire. She also brought additional devotional pieces for us to critique: Our Joy is God’s Joy, Ruts in the Yard, and Following Blindly. Helen’s writing never fails to encourage and inspire me.

Nancy had some really great news to share. Her book of devotions, The Grace Impact, won The Next Generation Book Award for Christian non-fiction. The cover for her book is a finalist in the DaVinci Eye Awards. In addition, she is continuing with her radio show, Living Life Unedited. She just finished an informative and uplifting interview.

Carolyn, our newest Critter, has not had any more close encounters with four-wheelers or irate cows. She has, however, been hard at work on illustrations for her most recent children’s book, Silly Snake. She shared with us her oil-color samples of captivating animals that she is perfecting. I love those pictures! We all dissolved in giggles when she read two of her poems, The P.J.s and Grocery Store.

These astute critiquers are also my support group. When I read the current chapter of Fright of the Silvery Moon, they decided it definitely whetted their appetite to know what happened next. And, they applauded when I told them my publisher, Pen-L, has asked for three more cozies. They gave some good pointers on how I could sharpen a transition in the chapter, to make it flow more smoothly.

The Cozy Critters are always willing to pose for a picture (well, maybe not always willing, but they do it and I appreciate it.) Here they are happily engrossed in the adventures of Darcy and Flora or Ned McNeil. They look like they are enjoying the read, don’t they?