Dreams, Motivations, and a Spotlight

Here it is Thursday, and already I'm lagging behind on a plan I made only last week. Don't worry, though, I have an author to spotlight and will get to her and her work short order.

I've been thinking a lot about dreams. Not the kind that come to us as we're asleep, (or while other people are asleep if you're Janie in the book, Wake by Lisa McMann. Great book, by the way) but rather, the kind that float into our minds during waking hours. The dreams we have for life and love, and that some of us set aside for other things once we get married and start having children. Or we set them aside for a job, or other obligations, thinking we'll get to them later.

Why do we do this to ourselves? What are we waiting for? There will always be lots of reasons why we should put off the things we want most in life. The trick, I think, is looking past those reasons to find the other list. The list that reminds us why we should get started right now. Now I'm probably sounding melancholy. I actually wrote a whole blog about this topic over at LDS Writer's Blogck. Click here to read it. Don't worry, I'll wait...

*hums a tune*

On to other topics. I've noticed a trend in the YA market lately, and it's one I love. I'm becoming addicted to books written in present tense. First person, third person--it doesn't really matter which. I like them both, depending on the author. I've decided that the reason I love it so much is because everything that's happening in the book feels so much more immediate, more pressing. And the immediacy makes me loathe the idea of putting the book down. So I end up reading present tense books super-fast. I get nothing else done. But I've read a lot lately. Hey, it's part of my job to keep up with the market. So, technically, reading = working. I also wrote a post about this topic at Writer's Fortress. Click here to read that post. Again, I'm willing to wait...

*Drumming fingers*

Are you back yet? Good. Now I have a quick question before I get to the spotlight. What motivates you to write? Or, if you're not a writer, what motivates you to do the things you love--or the things you hate but can't stop doing? (There are days I hate writing. Loathe it. But I still do it.) Does something drive you to continue on, even when you're continually rejected, frustrated and criticized? For me, it's my dreams of the future. Hope. For tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, five years from now and on. Not that I'm patient, mind you, I'm totally not. But I have all these hopes, and I know that none of it will happen if I don't do something about it. So I am driven to continue on. No blog post about this topic, by the way. Just a random stray thought.

Oh, but tomorrow, I'll be a guest blogger on the Daydreamer blog. Drop by and say hi! Maybe I'll blog about hope and drive after all. Or friendship. Something.

Today's author spotlight: Christine Thackeray

Who is Christine Thackeray?

The Short Answer

Christine currently resides in Newberg, Oregon and is the mother of seven amazing children. The oldest two boys are on missions. She graduated from BYU with a B.A. in English in 1986, thanks to her devoted husband (hah, long story and this is the short answer.) 

Daughter of author Jaroldeen Edwards, Christine has always loved writing, but more than writing itself she loves the sharing of ideas. As a young mother she was a frequent contributor to the local newspaper. Later she designed a number of brochures for the town of Fairview, used to welcome new residents. She has participated in a number of technical writing projects including a nation real estate study and several university studies. She has also written numerous Roadshows, Christmas Programs and Young Women's events.
     
After her youngest went to kindergarten, Christine decided to try writing her first novel. Surprisingly, it was accepted by CFI for publication in the spring of 2008 which has opened an exciting new chapter in her life. 


Her novels include:


The Crayon Messages:
A Visiting Teaching Adventure

and




C. S. Lewis: Latter Day Truths in Narnia

and

Her upcoming release:
Lipstick Wars (second installment in The Crayon Messages series.)


To learn more about Christine Thackeray, visit her website or blog.


**The author of this blog has received nothing, nada, ziltch for spotlighting this or any other author. No free books, no money, not even any praise. This program is done solely with my discretion and out of respect for the authors discussed, and sometimes friendship—but not always. Sometimes, it just feels like a good thing to do. Nuff said.