Author Spotlight
Princess Leia Freyja and I went on an adventure last weekend! Yes, here she is hogging the bed at our hotel. How can a dainty princess possibly hog a king-sized bed? Well, she managed just fine!
Thankfully, I brought a good supply of dog cookies which were useful for bribing my spoiled companion to scooch over a bit.
We got lost several times on our seven-hour trek to McMinnville, Oregon. I know what you are going to say, “If you would just get a phone, it would tell you where to go, Kristen.” Well, I hate phones! So much hate for the phones!!! Blah! Being at the beck and call of anyone and everyone at all hours of the day. This introvert is does not need that kind of intrusion! And yes, even my 103-year-old grandfather has a phone, but not me. I’m the last hold-out. The yearly cost of a cell phone adds up to the price of an amazing writer’s conference, yay! Plus, I have borrowed Scruffy’s phone and as it shouts out directions to me while I’m zipping along, I still get lost, ha! So, I printed off directions there and back. And … still got lost! What on earth could have lured me and the furry pup off our mountain and into the jungles of the city? Yes, we had to drive through Portland with all of those roads and bridges and crazy lanes going hither and yon in unfathomable directions.
Writer friend Sandra Bensman (pen name Annika Klanderud) asked me to come to her church (CalvaryMac) as a guest author in their Author Spotlight program!
So, I dug out Grandma’s pearls and my make-up, traded my snow boots for actual woman shoes (yes, they were uncomfortable, though very cute!) and brushed up Princess Leia Freyja to fluffy perfection and set out! It was so delightful to discover folks interested in clean, Christian stories. My particular goal is to write the fun and crazy things that the Lord allows into our day. If He gifts me with moments of hilarity, I think that He wants me to use those to spark stories that honor Him. Getting dragged across the park by your dog, story! Chasing beloved pet chickens through the forest, story! Having a homeless person refuse your gift of granola bars because the Bible you were offering was not in the King James, story! Yes, I also got lost on the way back home, even though I’d driven it all before. It was so worth it! I was even invited to be on their Story Night Podcast talking about camp ministry. A true adventure for a girl and her dog. I’m happy to be back, though. Content with my mountain roads, three pesky teens, even peskier husband, and of course my snow boots with the Yak Tracks on so I don’t fall on the ice. Adventures are great, but it’s good to be home!
