Cover Artist chosen for Bearing the Saint!

Have a look at the wonderful artwork of Sarah Marina-- I have already seen a rough sketch for the cover of Bearing the Saint, and she will also be working on some maps for the interior of the book. I think perhaps a bit of spot art as well. As you can see, as well as doing figurative illustration, she is also an accomplished calligrapher.

Writing from the Lost & Found: Mere Faithfulness

I'm moving. So I'm decluttering. And my writer's study is the part of the house that hasn't had that done since, probably, forever.

It's fun to come across old work....which will eventually, some of it, lead to new ideas. It's like turning over the soil in the garden, I think. Well, what do I know, I have a black thumb...but anyway, I have turned up a few poems and things that have never made it onto the computer, unless maybe onto the big old floppies that died a long time ago in the pre-internet age. So perhaps I'll put a few of them up here.

The one below is so old I have no idea what might have originally inspired it, but it still speaks to me about something I have grown to believe ever more strongly as I age: faith is not about flash, not about drama, not about success. Faith as we find it in Scripture and Tradition is not an irrational belief that can't be dislodged from our heads despite all logical argument, nor is it some warm fuzzy feeling we've squirreled away in the deepest recesses of our heart. Faith in the true Christian sense is mere faithfulness.

This is not the faith that sells books or builds TV 'ministries', that makes observers go Ooh-aah! Faith that does those things verily hath its reward. This is the faith of fall down and get up, fall down and get up. This is the faith of going into your closet to pray rather than blowing a trumpet before yourself in the market place.

This is the faith that moves mountains....even if only, sometimes, by chipping away at them one bit at a time.

What a Heaven is For

Heaven or Babel—

How do we know?

Reaching, by Browning’s advice,

Perhaps we grasp

Nothing

Perhaps idolatry.

Better first grow roots

Deep in the soul

To drink of still waters;

Sleep stone-pillowed

Beholding angels;

Tend sheep and keep watch

For fire from above.

Do not forget

To take off your shoes.

Donna Farley/1991

Dropping a few literary names....

The novel is handed in to my terrific editor, Katherine Hyde, who as well as editing for Conciliar Press and doing freelance editing and layout is also a writer with a new picture book out about Saint Lucia.

I had a lot of last-minute feedback on my YA historical novel Bearing the Saint from my two generous and perceptive regular beta readers, Bev Cooke and Linda Finlayson, who both have some wonderful books in print.

While finishing I had a lot of patience from my whole fabulous family and especially from my fabulous husband who is also, you guessed it, an author of oh, a few volumes......

The Ravens of Farne , the Saint Cuthbert picture book is scheduled for publication in February 2010. Wonder if I can work some kind of Olympic spin on it.......that one was shepherded through the editing process by my other super editor, Jane Meyer . Guess what, she is an author too........

Thanks also to everyone who has been encouraging and praying for me through these projects-- writers and non-writers alike! .

I'm too tired to post anything more creative now. If no-one has ever told you, believe me, writing a book is a lot like having a baby.

It's a Writer's Life

Okay, not all days are like this one for writers....but such days are possible!

The upside:

• Walk to the park= workout= brainstorming session
• jeans+walking shoes+ Tilley hat= dress code
• picnic bench= work cubicle
• lake + trees= office view
• ravens, mallards, chickadees=co-workers
• meadow clover, live cedars=office air freshener

The downside:

• pay does not = number of hours spent researching, writing, editing & marketing

More important than up or downside:

• setting up two characters on the page and just watching them go at it till the story progresses
  

Happy NamesDay!

Happy Names Day to my husband, the brilliant and wonderful Fr. Lawrence Farley.

This icon of his patron saint, Lawrence the Deacon, was written by Seraphim Smith.


St. Lawrence is well known for his witty tweaking of the authorities' noses. As a deacon, he had charge of the church's financial resources; when the persecution broke out, he quickly gave it all away to the needy. When the arresting officers came and demanded 'the treasures of the church', he pointed at the poor and said "*These* are the treasures of the church."

This remark earned him a spot on a red-hot grill. Undaunted, while being roasted he called out "I am done on this side-- you had better turn me over now!"

If you know my husband , you won't be surprised how pleased he is to have St. Lawrence for his heavenly patron.




Fr. Lawrence was recently added to the roster at the Orthodox Speakers Bureau. His latest Bible commentary study book, St. Matthew: Torah for the Church will soon be released by Conciliar Press.

Amazon is currently offering a substantial discount for pre-orders.

Bearing the Saint in progress sneak peek reading Coming up AUG 12TH

I will be reading at this event along with a number of other local writers. My selection will be from the opening chapter of my WIP, Young Adult historical novel Bearing the Saint.

The Summer Reading Event

at the

Whalley branch of Surrey Public Library

10347 - 135 Street, Surrey BC

takes place

7 p.m.

Wednesday August 12th 2009

there is a $5 charge which includes refreshments

no pre-registration required

Note that this is the NEW DATE due to a mixup in the booking of the two summer readings at the Whalley and Semiahmoo branches of Surrey Public Library. Hope you can make it!

Back in print, apparently....

Stumbled upon the fact that Catfantastic is now back in print, apparently....or at least, Amazon says there are New as well as Used copies for sale. Nobody tells the writers these things! :-)

My very first professional fiction publication, "It Must Be Some Place" was a quarter finalist in the 1986 Writers of the Future competition, but did not make the final cut for publication.

The story then sold to this inaugural volume of a highly successful series in 1988, edited by Martin Greenberg and Andre Norton.

Click the picture to go to the "Look Inside" feature at Amazon. My story does not appear in the preview, only the opening of the first story in the book does. But I will be posting a short teaser either here or in my story archive as soon as I have time. I need time because it won't be a quick cut and paste-- This story was originally submitted in a photocopy of a typed manuscript back in the olden days! So I'll either have to get hold of a scanner, and see what quality that produces posted on a blog, or just re-type a couple of pages from the story.