Best of the best for Mother's Day - Early!

Song Stuck on the Brain: My Mother My Daughter by Janice Kapp Perry

There are some really great Mother's songs out there though, and this one by Carrie Underwood is another favorite.

Mother's Day is just around the corner and my sister and I have been busy making plans for mom. After all the menu options we've tossed around though, we've all decided that fried fish sounds good. So amongst the broccoli salad, Aunt Betty's Strawberry Jell-o salad (family recipe and the only jello I can eat), and organic fresh watermelon - we're tossing in some good ol' Captain D's. All I can say is, as long as Mama's happy - I'm happy!



The Erwins: Angel, Linda and April

My mom is a pretty amazing woman. She's been a foster mom to over 28 kids, adopted 2, gave birth to 2 and raised a total of 5 of us all together. One foster brother aged out before he could be adopted, but we still claim the goofy guy. :)

You'd think that would have been enough for anyone person, but she's also helped raise grandkids, taught art and music classes and been church music director off and on for many years. She plays piano and organ and played the cello too. She sings and recorded a CD with my sister and I (The Erwins Acappella). She writes, paints, draws and sews. She ran her own health store for many years.

I could probably go on and on, but one of the things that impresses me most about mom is her attitude. She's a very positive person and has a very strong faith in Jesus. Although she and our family have been through some very rough situations, her faith has remained strong. She's gained a lot of wisdom in her life and she willingly shares it in a way that is helpful and kind.

I'm not ashamed to say I want to grow up to be like my mom. :)

I've found my token of appreciation to share with her this Sunday and I hope you found one for your mom or 'mom like' person in your life. If you haven't yet, let me share a few ideas with you.

My latest book, Dysfunction Junction is on sale for 75% off this weekend only! It's a pretty good price to start with, but on sale? It's ridiculously affordable! Be sure to check the sale out HERE.



and don't forget Missing Pieces, my first novel. It's also at a great price right now if you go HERE.



Looking for something other than books? How about giving pearls back to the one who is so priceless to you? My sister Angel is the designer and creator of Angels Divine Designs and she has some great offerings. Check out her page at www.AngelsDivineDesigns.com







Happy Mother's Day everyone, have a happy and blessed day!

Kindle or Kindling?

Song Stuck on the Brain: Help! by the Beatles

I found out today that my book Missing Pieces is available to purchase for Amazon's new Kindle book reader, and I'm not sure what I think of that.

Watch the Kindle Video to find out more.

It's not that fact that it's available for digital download, it's the idea of Kindle period. The Techie/Geek side of me thinks Kindle is the coolest thing since Cheeze Whiz. Think of the space I'd save in my office? I have six bookshelves crammed to the gills and more books stacking up on my desk. Buying new books on download saves space. It also allows me to have my books with me at all times. Yippee! An electronic security blanket! I would carry it around like a long lost appendage and read during every free moment.

Then there's the downside. Like how it makes it harder to trade books with friends. Or how it would cost me a fortune to convert my current library to disc. And heaven forbid, I know as an author I should oppose buying books at a discount or off ebay because it damages the profits for the writer and publisher, but I don't oppose it. I highly support buying books at a reasonable price and re-selling them to save waste. But with Kindl'es download, there's no way to do that. True it saves on paper, but the book price is set. You have no other options.

But for me, the biggest downside is the loss of my friends. I love being surrounded by their whispering pages and colorful jackets. Feeling their weight and presence fill a room like a comforting presence. Seeing their sheer numbers makes me smile. Holding a Kindle in my hand doesn't give me the same feeling. There are no pages to touch or smell. No colorful images to admire. Kindle saps all the romance out of books, and yet I can see how it could also be the salvation for the written word. Books are expensive to produce, people are going green more and more and that means examining our use of natural resources for paper.

Does that mean traditional paper printed books are on their death beds? No. Not completely. I think there will always be hold outs, romantics and traditionalists that want to feel the paper under their fingertips. Just like some photographers will use traditional film over digital until the day they die (or film manufacturing dies).

I for one hope that we can find a happy medium. Would I buy a Kindle? Yes. As soon as the price drops to a more reasonable level. Will I give up all my paper books? Not on your life. I'm loyal to all my friends through thick and thin.

A.

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations, Lucie!

Lucie won the Missing Pieces gift pack, which includes an autographed copy of my book, plus a cute magnetic puzzle frame.

For those of you that didn't win, you can still get an autographed copy. Just click through the link in the sidebar for Signed Copies.

A.

Signed by the Author

I've signed up with a great new website called Signed by the Author. They sell hundreds of books in every genre, all available to be autographed to you personally by the author. My book Missing Pieces just went up. I'm very excited about the program. To go directly to my page, click here, or click the button in the side bar. Check out the other authors though, autographed books make great Christmas gifts.