Where I Talk About My Book and The Three Amigos Movie

Most of my writerly friends have gone on to publish many books, so I sometimes feel a little left behind with my one and only little creation. 

I worry that my family and friends will get tired of seeing this same orange book cover showing up repeatedly in their newsfeeds on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

But I might be a "one and done" writer. I just don't know right now. I put my whole heart into this one message and I am very proud of the book that carries such a huge and powerful piece of good news. 

The news that God loves me is still a big deal to me. It is a simple message. It is also a very complicated truth. 

When I hear that God loves me, (tell me if you do this) my mind immediately goes to my most negative traits and habits and the argument begins. 

How could the Creator of the Universe even KNOW me, much less LOVE me? And if He really KNOWS all my stuff, then why in the world would He love me? 

Is He in denial? Does He have a blind spot? Maybe He is a "glass half full" kind of being and only sees what He wants to see in me. 

But that would not be an honest view, would it? That would mean that God is pretending to know me and therefore pretending to love me. 

I don't want pretend love. And He is not a pretender. I believe that God knows all the little hidden bits about me and He loves me still. He is not loving the potential me, the possible me, the future got-it-all-together me. 

God loves the today me.

The good news that God loves me and God loves you is complicated, isn't it? It is also very simple. 

He loves you. Period. Full stop. 

It took a long time for me to believe this good news. God went out of His way to convince me that this was the truth. He set me up over and over again in situations and relationships that would highlight this truth. 

My book, Walking Butterfly is a collection of these moments, when God caught my attention long enough to say, "Hey, I love you Susie." 

As I wrote that last sentence I could not help but remember a favorite scene in one of my favorite movies, "The Three Amigos". Lucky Day is trying desperately but secretly to get the attention of Dusty Bottoms and Ned Nederlander. 

Lucky begins with simple and subtle bird calls, but his friends do not notice him calling. He changes the bird calls to a weird "LookUpHere, LookUpHere!" sound and finally he just yells, "HEY, YOU GUYS!"

God was sending me love notes all the time, but He finally had to just yell, "Daughter! Look up here, I love you!" 

God is constantly sending us messages of His love. But some are too subtle for us to hear. Our world is a noisy, clamoring place. It is difficult to hear Him sometimes. Often the quiet, subtle love notes from Him are unrecognized because we have a false view of how God speaks. 

He's GOD! Doesn't that mean His voice is loud and bold and GODLY? A crack of lightning-clouds parting kind of voice makes sense, right? 

Only in the movies, apparently. In real life I have found God's voice frustratingly similar to mine. "Was that me? Am I just imagining this?" 

I have the choice in a fraction of a second to ignore and disregard the thought (voice) in my head. It comes as a thought, a question, sometimes a declaration. I have been known to actually stop and ask God if that thought was from Him or not. 

Then I picture Him going, "Duh, been doing bird calls at you for at least an hour now!"

All of this to say that my book is now available in another format for your convenience. Yay! Many have asked me to get my book into digital access so they can have it with them all the time and I am excited to finally get Walking Butterfly on Kindle now! 

I hope this enables the good news of God's love to reach beyond what a little paperback can do. This simple and complicated message needs to be spread far and wide in today's world. Don't you agree? 

Blessings, Susie

My Book On A Beach!

Sent to me by a reader...on the beach!

I grew up about 20 minutes from the beach. My West Coast beach was usually cold, windy and rocky, but I still loved staring out at the waves as they crashed ashore, again and again and again. 

The photo above was sent to me this week by a new friend who was reading my book on a beach while vacationing in Florida. The message that accompanied this picture means the world to me. It is more than I hoped for while writing my book, Walking Butterfly.

She wrote....

"I am enjoying your book right now...on a beach...with constant repetition of waves coming toward me, reminding me of God's love.

I am by myself on a beach and I was thanking God for my blessings right before I picked up your book to read a couple more chapters.

Tears came to my eyes as I read your words about the waves! You are an angel to me."

She also sent me a video of the waves crashing to the shore so I could see and hear it for myself. The relentless waves have always reminded me of God's love. 

Would you like a peek at Chapter 11 where my friend was reading? It is titled "God's Song For Me."

"The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17"

God sings over us? Have you ever thought about that possibility? My daughter-in-law has written a beautiful multi verse song that she sings over our first grandchild. I heard her sing it to him one night when she did not know I could hear her from a different room.

It was beautiful and encouraging and full of valuable declarations about who this little person was and how important he would be to the world. God is a creator and His people are full of creativity too.

Special songs can sooth us and significantly alter our mood in minutes, can't they? Even the robotic and socially awkward Sheldon Cooper on "The Big Bang Theory" admits to needing the comfort of a song in times of illness. He often asks his friends to sing the song from his childhood...Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty.

As silly as that little song is, it was easier to believe than the whispering song I heard during a desperate time of struggle in my life several years ago. I am not musical, so I cannot translate the tune that accompanied this song, but it is in my head and heart forever. I sometimes hear myself humming it and I know that God is singing it over me. 

You are loved, you are loved,
I am loving you.

You are loved, you are loved,
I am loving you.

I am loved, I am loved,
He is loving me.

I am loved, I am loved,
He is loving me.

Sometimes He adds my name to make sure I get His message. God is romancing me; He wants me close. He is wooing me and drawing me to Himself. The little song says the same thing over and over, like waves, because He so desperately desires that I believe the words.

I often picture a beach scene and the constant repetition of the waves coming toward me again and again, reminding me of how God's love for me is completely relentless. He knows about my doubts and He is trying to convince me. Like a fairytale lover beneath a window, God is calling, enticing and promising me His complete love. 

When this little song slips into my mind and heart, it makes me smile, but the intensity is also a little bit scary. I ask myself if I am enough for Him. I wonder how I can possibly be worthy of this attention. His desire is for my complete surrender to Him. Can I do that?

God knows my heart. He knows that there are areas that are not all His. But this knowledge does not stop His desire or His deep pleasure in me. He sees, knows and wants more. So He is wooing me to give Him more because He loves all of me. Not just the sweet and pure parts, but all of me.

Everything in me wants to just drop into those eyes that are full of so much love. And it is easier to do than most of us think. All it takes is a small nod of the head and the whisper of a "yes."

And He has us.

We are His.

He is loving you. 

At the end of each chapter I closed with a section called "Your Turn"....

You are His.

He is calling you to move even closer.

God wants you to know that His love for you is complete and true and pure.

As you read these words, I believe Father God is leaning forward in anticipation of you and your response. He knows you, warts and all, and He desires you still.

God is singing over you. Feel free to borrow my simple little song, but I am convinced that He has a special song just for you. Ask Him to sing it over you. Why not? It may feel silly, but whatever tune and words that come to mind just may be from Him. Can't hurt to ask, can it? Go for it.

My little song from God came to me way back in 2007, but it is still as clear as ever while I sit here typing this message for you. My eyes are brimming and my heart is excited to know that you may be hearing your very own God song right now. I pray you will hear it and believe that the Ruler of the Universe, the King above all Kings, is singing over you because He adores you and wants all of you for His own. 

My prayer...Dear God, I ask You to share Your song with this reader. Would you open her or his eyes and ears to the magnitude of Your love for them? Whisper, shout, sing, or write a message that cuts through all the doubt and wondering and makes the message of Your love unmistakable and impossible to ignore. Thank You Father, amen.

I do not live near a beach anymore, but water still seems to be my happy place in so many ways! I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Walking Butterfly. 

Waves of love still move me. 

Susie

I Am Still A Writer, Right?

I am still a writer. 

I will always be a writer, because I was one long before I was even brave enough to call myself one. So I am a writer, even though my posts are now more of what you see here; my classroom. I love my classroom and the little people that filter in with huge smiles and warm hugs.

My writing has been pushed aside while I try to give these kids all that I have. They keep me awake at night and my writing desk is overflowing with projects for them. 

I hope my writing life is not over. From what I have experienced in recent years, you never know what is around the corner. Life can change in a moment and the unexpected turn can be better than anything you have imagined. 

I am still a writer. I will find a way to send my little words out. I have thoughts, you guys. I do. 

Stringing words together to create a sentence still gives me great pleasure. I love the act of writing. I even enjoy editing what I have already written! The challenge to cut words, add words, clarify meaning and convey emotion is so stimulating that it becomes all consuming and time stands still. 

When I was writing my book I set my alarm to get up an hour or so earlier than usual because mornings are my most creative times. I often woke up before the alarm had to do its job. At first I resisted the early morning writing routine, even though so many writers recommended it. I was not working at the time and I knew that I had all day, every day to write my heart out. Why in the world set an alarm when it was not necessary? 

But, NEWS FLASH to my dear aspiring writer friends; Blank days in which to write can still result in a blank page. (For some people.) My empty days remained empty as I procrastinated sitting at my desk to write. It made no sense really. Why was I cleaning closets and organizing shelves when I love to write? Why did I procrastinate? 

Knowing that I had unlimited time to write a book made me lazy. I need a deadline. I require an outside motivation apparently. My outside motivation came from friends, old and new.

I have some online friends that I have never met in person. Two of them became my cheering squad to finish my book. Pam has a book in her and it sneaks out in her frequent blog posts. Her observations of nature as it surrounds her woodland home are captivating and they always gently lead the reader into a moment of marveling at the Creator of such beauty. 

Dawn is another special online writer friend who seriously nudged, pushed and badgered me into finishing my book. We talked about our book dreams over Skype and promised to ask about progress made with a specific deadline in mind. 

She asked me about my creative process and encouraged me to find the same time each day to write. I began to set my alarm and it changed everything. Both of us are now published authors with books!

The beauty of morning writing is that the guilt of not writing is taken care of for the rest of the day. I could enjoy my day knowing that I had produced some pages and will do it again the next morning. I found myself taking little notes during the day in preparation for the next morning appointment at my desk. 

I loved walking through my dark and silent house with a cup of coffee in hand, heading for my laptop. My dog Layla would pull herself awake and follow me quietly. She curled up on a chair in my office and accompanied my typing with her snores. 

I am not sure what is next for me. I am not a novel writer. My one little book is a nonfiction inspirational. So it's not like I can conjure up a new story to tell. I am waiting for a message I guess. One that only I can tell...or one that I can simply add my voice to. 

In the meantime, I will continue loving on the little people that fill my classroom with noise and silliness.   

Susie

Fun Surprise in Book Publishing

It may have started when my sister posted a photo of herself holding my book soon after it arrived in her mailbox. She was so happy and excited for me that she just wanted to share the joy. 

Then more and more pictures started to pop up all over my Facebook feed. I can not tell you how fun it is to open up your account and see so many smiling faces holding your first ever published book! 

 It is a thrill and a half, that's what it is! I am overwhelmed at the beautiful support of my friends and family as they help spread the word about my new book, WALKING BUTTERFLY. 

The last pic is me enjoying an author's high as I hold my book in my hands and realize a dream come true at last.

Why not hop on over to Amazon now and see for yourself? WALKING BUTTERFLY is full of personal stories about my slow transition from fearful, legalistic church lady to a free flying believer who knows without a doubt that she is loved by God. What a difference it makes when you truly grasp that you are cherished by the God of the universe! 

You can know this for yourself. This little book will walk you through the process of moving from doubt to belief in a gentle and practical way. You will be more loved on the last page than the first. 

Come and Get It! My Book is Published!!

Walking Butterfly is now available on Amazon!!
 

I know, weird chapter title huh? I promise it's a great true story.

I love how my designer made the inside as pretty as the outside!

Just a little excited!

 Susie

My Book Journey Continues...

Oh my goodness, you guys!!! I am one humming and grinning lady around here lately. I can hardly believe what has been happening. 

It was just a few months ago that I began tentatively mentioning on my personal blog that I was getting serious about publishing a book that I'd been working on for years. Even then, it felt like I was kinda being careful to just quietly whisper it at the end of a post...because who knows if I would really stick with it? I certainly didn't know. 

And now, now I am anxiously watching the mailbox in front of my house, expecting the PROOF COPY of my book within the next 8 days or so! 

I did it. I completed my christian nonfiction book, and uploaded it to Create Space, Amazon twice to get it right. It passed their review and now a print paperback is in the mail on it's way to my house so I can make sure it is good enough for you guys. Once I am happy with it, I will hit PUBLISH and it will be available for purchase on Amazon. Sometime in the first 2 weeks of February hopefully. :) It will only be available in paperback for now, not digital at this point.

So today.....DRUM ROLL PLEASE......

I'm ready to do my COVER REVEAL right here and now for my friends!!!! Lucky you! The first to get a peak at my gorgeous book cover, created by my gifted friend Lorraine Box. I could not be more pleased!! I am doing the cover reveal inside my blog, not as the top pic so that it only shows up for the ones who came to my blog. Aren't you that special? SO....time to scroll down.....So excited!!!

Isn't it a beauty? I wanted the book cover to be super simple because my message is very simple and I am a pretty simple lady. Hubs may disagree, but whatever. 

So I am now stalking my mail box waiting anxiously for my proof copy to arrive. very soon after it's arrival I will let you know how to buy a copy..or two or three! 

Susie

- See more at: http://www.recoveringchurchlady.com/#sthash.4aDPsTft.dpuf

Never Wanted to Write a Book

I am a writer who never wanted to write a book. Yes, I swooned as I watched Jo March (Gone With the Wind) run her hand gently over her name on the cover of her first book, and I filled pages and pages of my journal, but for the first 58 years of my life I had no desire to see a book with my name on it.

When I was much younger I spent the night at the home of a friend. On the night stand next to the bed in the guest room was a book written by a member of that family. As I picked it up, dust floated into the air. The book had never been opened and there were more copies on a high shelf. I knew that I did not want my hard won words to end up like this.

My desire for my writing was something more alive and fresh. Here today and gone tomorrow, like my hero Erma Bombeck, the newspaper columnist. I loved the idea of getting to know my readers and they getting to know me.

As the pastor's wife of a small church in a small town I found an equally small way to fill this desire of my heart. I wrote a weekly unpaid newspaper column for the Religion Page of the local paper. I loved it and found time for several years to fit it in, between school car pools and church committee meetings. I wrote about my life with God and family. My little column was upbeat and always encouraging and sometimes a little bit funny. When I began to hear that others enjoyed it and that some even cut it out and posted it on their refrigerators, I was in Heaven! (Our refrigerators were the original FaceBook walls.)

Then along came the wonderful world of blogging! This was the perfect venue for my style of writing. The updated version of an interactive newspaper column at its best. Recovering Church Lady is my second blog. I created my first one in 2008 and it was called Walking Butterfly. I told no one in my real life about it and loved making new friends online that were in totally different walks of life and from all over the world. Many of them followed me over to Recovering Church Lady when I started this blog in 2010. (This post was originally published on my personal blog, Recovering Church Lady.)

I have written for devotional magazines, ministry newsletters, several online magazines and businesses. My rambling words are scattered all over the place. And now I come back to a desire that hit me between the eyes in 2011...to write a book.

At the time I thought that I was going to write a book for pastor's wives who were struggling. The outline came to me smoothly and easily one day in my journal and I believed that God had given me an assignment. I excitedly told everyone! That shocked me and made me even more convinced that I was on a mission from God. :)

It took many months and tons of research to get myself so confused and overwhelmed with the writing and publishing process that I found myself frozen and the project stopped for months at a time. I lost the message and purpose for such a book. I felt embarrassed for my bold declarations to my friends and family and feared that I had become that old cliche` of the wannabe writer who is enamored with the writing life more than the actual work of creating a book. (I still worry about that today.)

The first book idea was set aside as I discovered that the main message it carried was really for a much broader audience than just ministry wives. When I tore it apart and brought it back to the core, I found my life message about the love of God. The huge, simple and complicated love of God.

So this year I have been working on book idea number two. Each chapter begins with a true and intimate experience between God and me. Then I do my best to expand on it and help the reader apply it to their own life. I believe that this is the book God meant for me to write and I am so excited to see it take shape beneath my fingers. Recently Hubs asked to read it for the first time and his response made it suddenly feel very real. He is a bit of a sarcastic and cynical soul and his words after reading it are the best thing a faith writer would ever want to hear about her book. I am keeping them to myself...too precious to me.

Ack, cannot believe I am spilling all of this to you! But writing a book involves a good amount of sticking one's neck out, doesn't it? Mine feels kind of chilly right now. An editor friend took a quick look at what I have written and gave me the encouragement to go for it and so I am. I plan to self-publish because my research has shown that it is a smart way to go in recent years. The deadline may change but I am hoping to have my book of love release in time for Valentines Day 2016.

I would love your good thoughts and prayers for me as I figure out how to navigate this new world of publishing. I cannot afford an editor or cover designer etc, so I am working hard to get it in the best shape possible on my own..... ( UPDATE: One day after posting this on my personal blog, God provided me with a fantastic COVER DESIGNER free of charge! I honestly did not expect this, but a sweet reward from my community after being vulnerable. Thanks LB!)....  It is a daunting task, but I am loving the process because I love helping people see God in a whole new way. So many of you have encouraged me through your comments on my blog posts over the years. Thank you for reading me! It means everything to me.

Susie

- See more at: http://www.recoveringchurchlady.com/p/the-book.html#sthash.100vws1N.dpuf

Symptoms of a New book Arriving

My heart is racing, my stomach is flippity flopping and I cannot concentrate. But a doctor visit is unnecessary. These are symptoms of a new book being born. My first is nearly here. I am days away from self-publishing WALKING BUTTERFLY at last.

An early reader described it like this....“Reading Susie Klein’s ‘Walking Butterfly’ is the equivalent of standing with arms outstretched, face upturned and heart wide open under a God shower as the inescapable reality of His love saturates every molecule of your being, suffusing your soul with restored identity." R.G. Ryan, author

Do I keep reading those lovely words over and over again to myself? Yes, yes I do!

Walking Butterfly is a love message from start to finish. In this short non-fiction book I share intimate encounters between God and me. It is a book about how much God loves me and the ridiculous lengths He went to convince me of His love.

At the end of each chapter you and I will explore together what His love means for you in your daily life. Because His big love for me is not mine alone. If God can love me as thoroughly and as well as He does, then He certainly loves you just as much.

This book has been a labor of love, hitting many obstacles and seasons of silence along the way. But any day now it will be ready to emerge from the cocoon and show off it's gorgeous wings!

I will be keeping you posted as we near the publication date.

More info about my book and the lady behind the book can be found at my personal blog, RECOVERING CHURCH LADY.