Ace Collins: What Does Zacchaeus, Trevone Boykin, and Writing Have In Common?

He's back… and Everyone's Story is happy and thrilled to again host author Ace Collins. I hope you will enjoy the many facets of Ace this week, from talented and award-winning author, collector, pro at using clever advertising, to last but not least, a heartfelt writer who always delivers a much needed message. Do check out Ace's awesome BookGiveaways. Both Ace and I look forward to hearing from you!

                    BookGiveaway:

Ace is offering a two-book-BookGiveaway to 2 luck winners! Each package will contain a copy of his novel THE FRUITCAKE MURDERS as well as  a special hardback edition of HOLLYWOOD LOST. The winners will be announced here on Friday, November 20th between 5-6 PM EST. To be entered in the Giveaway, please leave your contact information within your comment (you may choose to use the Contact Me form to privately send me your email address--the form is in the right-hand sidebar on the blog's main page, toward the bottom).

Little Things Really Do Mean A Lot Ace Collins

On October 17, 2015, Iowa State hosted Texas Christian University in football. ISU was struggling while TCU was ranked #3 in the nation. There was no upset on the gridiron that day, the Cyclones fought hard but the Horn Frogs from Fort Worth had little trouble winning the game. The story that resonated with the nation on this afternoon was not what happened on the field, but rather an image of a quarterback kneeling in front of a small child’s wheelchair.

Trevone Boykin is one of the best players in the nation. During his career, he has engineered several late game comebacks and is the principle reason for his team’s high ranking. Therefore it is not surprising that he is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Yet, during the moments just before kick off on October 17th, the Frog’s signal caller noted a small child sitting in a wheelchair wearing an Iowa State jersey. During the coin toss Boykin asked the child her name and spent a little time getting to know her. A photographer noted the moment and took a picture of the Frog quarterback and the seven-year-old Cyclone fan. That photo went viral. When it appeared on a Twitter feed, Boykin tweeted, “It’s bigger than a game. I love touching young people’s lives.”

The girl in the wheelchair, Abby Faber, has spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. There is no cure. Like many who are handicapped, she often gets overlooked or ignored. Even at her tender age, it is something she understands well. Therefore she was just as shocked as the tens of thousands of Iowa State partisans in the stands that one of the nation’s greatest players wanted to know who she was and hear her story.

As I look at the photo of Trevone Boykin kneeling before Abby Faber I am reminded of the biblical story of Zacchaeus. At the time the little man climbed the tree, Jesus was the center of the world’s focus. On that day thousands were lining the road and demanding His attention. Yet, Jesus was not so fixated on where He was going or the fame He was experiencing to miss seeing Zacchaeus. That meeting changed a tax collector’s outlook and taught a lesson that is just as relevant today.

Trevone Boykin going to a knee and getting to know a little girl, coupled with a photographer capturing that moment, has led to more than $25,000 being raised for Abby’s treatment and therapy. The little girl has also received messages from all over the world. Boykin’s simple act has changed Abby’s life and brought a spotlight to the disease that has handicapped her. It has also proven that little things really do mean a lot.

I think vision is the most important element of being a good writer. The same holds true for life. If we get so caught up in our schedules that we fail to note the needs of those around us, we will never really make a lasting impact. So each day we need to stop and look out the window to see who can use three of the most powerful forces on this planet…a kind word, a loving touch and a warm smile. If you don’t believe these three things have the potential to make a mighty impact then ask Abby Faber, Trevone Boykin or Zacchaeus.

Ace's Previous Appearance on Everyone's Story:

When The Dedication Page Inscribes the Heart
What Wyle E. Coyote And A Muti-Award-Winning Author Have In Common
The One Thing We Don't Want An Editor To Say

Ace's Ah-hahs To Tweet:

Like to read whodunits? Hate fruitcake? Visit award-winning author @AceCollins for sweet revenge. (Tweet This)

#SuspenseReaders: Just in time for the hoidays, check out @AceCollins’ special #BookGiveaway. (Tweet This)

@AceCollins: What do Trevone Boykin, Zacchaeus, and #writing have in common? (Tweet This)

Author's Bio:

Citing his Arkansas heritage, Christy Award winning author Ace Collins defines himself as a storyteller. In that capacity, Ace has authored more than seventy books for 25 different publishers that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His catalog includes novels, biographies, children’s works as well as books on history, culture and faith. He has also been the featured speaker at the National Archives Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted a network television special and does college basketball play-by-play.

One of Ace’s most talked about books was released in late 2015. The Color of Justice earned the Christy Award winner for Best Suspense Book. This novel is a courtroom drama examining racial prejudice in 1964. Also in 2014, Abingdon released Ace’s Man’s Best Hero at the Book Explo of America. This nonfiction book earned the IndieFab Book of the Year Winner and has generated interest well beyond the dog community.

Beyond books, Ace has penned more than 2000 magazine features, appeared on every network morning television show, as well as CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and Fox. He also does scores of radio interviews each year.

Ace is married to the Chair of the Department of Education at Ouachita Baptist University, Dr. Kathy Collins. The couple lives in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and has two sons.

Places to connect with Ace:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Amazon

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Please note:

--I have a title change for my novel coming soon from Elk Lake Publishing: Always With You.

--I will soon launch a specially designed website that will incorporate Eveyone's Story blog. I hope you will follow me on this new site. When it goes live, I'll make the announcement!

Linda S. Glaz: Our True Walk In LIfe

Everyone's Story gives a warm welcome to Linda S. Glaz, author, literary agent, and a most lovely woman. I'm proud to say Linda's my agent and I had the privilege of meeting her a couple of weeks ago at the Maranatha Writers Conference in Michigan--one extraordinary opportunity, let alone wonderful conference. Please enjoy Linda's uplifting words below and check out her BookGiveaway offer and the blurb on her new suspense release that you won't want to miss. Both Linda and I look forward to hearing from you!

BookGiveaway:

Linda is offering 1 copy of her novel, FEAR IS LOUDER THAN WORDS, to 1 randomly chosen commenter. The winner will be announced here on Friday, November 13th between 5-6 PM EST. To be entered in the Giveaway, please leave your contact information within your comment (you may choose to use the Contact Me form to privately send me your email address--the form is in the right-hand sidebar on the blog's main page, toward the bottom).

Blurb of FEAR IS LOUDER THAN WORDS:

Rochelle Cassidy has the perfect life as a radio talk show host in the Detroit market, but her celebrity status doesn’t stop an angry listener from wanting her…dead.

Ed McGrath’s ideal life as a pro-hockey player doesn’t include a damsel in distress until the night he discovers Rochelle being attacked in a deserted parking structure.

Circumstances throw them together in more ways than one when Rochelle’s producer plays matchmaker. A sick boy, a corrupt politician, and questionable medical practices put more than merely Rochelle in danger, and still, her attacker shadows her every step.

Will Ed be able to break through her trust issues in order to protect her, or will she continue to see him as Detroit’s bad boy athlete? Her life AND his depend on it.

Putting In The Effort by Linda S. Glaz

Well, I’ll just be honest here. I thought for fifteen years that my writing was the next best thing to ice cream and hot fudge…it wasn’t. I hadn’t learned to hone my craft. I hadn’t learned to put in the work required for the expected result.

And we can all relate. Whether it’s trying to lose weight, get healthier, write a book, learn to play an instrument, or how to cook like a gourmet chef, we have to put in the effort. None of these things happen on their own.

So I walked the writer’s journey for years before I got serious. And I tended to whine and question God. Why am I not being published? You know, I’m so very glad He didn’t answer. It would probably have included a LOT of laughing about how horrible my writing was. So I kept plugging away until I finally got serious enough to do it the right way. I studied. I studied my own poor writing, the writing of others, and I got into a lot of writing classes and books on the craft. Finally, when I thought I had it all down pat, I sent a sample off to a giant in the industry to do a short evaluation.

Do I hear God laughing again? Yup!

So I studied some more. Read more. Worked at the art of writing more. Joined writing organizations and attended conferences.

You see, there are no shortcuts if you want to excel at something, or even do a fair job at it. No shortcuts whatsoever. It doesn’t mean you need a PhD in literature to write, but you do have to study even if you do that on your own.

Was God getting me ready to be an author? Probably not. Although, I did, after eighteen years finally have my first novella published. Whew! All the mistakes I had made contacting agents and editors. All the mistakes I had made in my writing. What use would that ever be to anyone?

At a conference in Denver, I connected with my agent. Well, my soon-to-be agent. And we hit it off. Long story short, I eventually became an agent myself. And all of the hard learned lessons were put to use helping other writers do everything right that I had done wrong. I think God was preparing me more for that walk more than the one as a writer. Thought things fell into place shortly thereafter, and I am now multi-published.

Why do I bother to tell others this? Because we don’t always know why we don’t get what we want when we want it. First and foremost, we have to work hard at anything we desire. It won’t be dumped into our laps. We have to let God lead us…might save us eighteen years of struggles.

We have to look around and see who we might help with our abilities.

Life has a funny way of pushing us in directions we never thought possible. Would I ever have figured I’d be an agent today? Not on your life. I made every mistake possible as a writer when it came to agents, but I grew because of it.

None of us are better than ice cream and hot fudge, even when we are at the pinnacle of what we perceive as success. Our walk in this life is to help others. Be there when others fall, stumble, or merely need a hand up. So many folks along my path offered help. Offered encouragement. Offered to be there when times were tough and I thought of quitting.

One judge from a contest actually called me personally and told me she felt led to let me know I should always persevere even if I wasn’t quite ready yet as a writer. I’ll never forget that call. That was the day I wanted to stop writing!

Linda's Ah-hahs To Tweet: 

Everyone’s Story: Meet author/agent @LindaGlaz & see why you need to persevere. (Tweet This)

Like #InspirationalSuspense? Check out @LindaGlaz’s #BookGiveaway for her newest release! (Tweet This)

@LindaGlaz asks: Do you really think your #writing is better than ice cream & hot fudge? (Tweet This)

Author's Bio:

Linda is a wife, mother, and grandmother who draws most of her stories from life experiences and lifelong fears. Nothing like fear to weasel out a great suspense idea. Many of her story ideas come from her eclectic background. Linda is also a literary agent, so she stays on top of what the industry is looking for. Join her as she runs her characters through dark alleys, hospital morgues, and maybe a funhouse or two when she brings you heart-pounding Suspense Sealed With a Kiss.

Places to connect withLinda:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon

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Please note:

--I have a title change for my novel coming soon from Elk Lake Publishing: Always With You.

--I will soon launch a specially designed website that will incorporate Eveyone's Story blog. I hope you will follow me on this new site. When it goes live, I'll make the announcement!

Susan B. Mead: Moving From Grief To Dancing With Jesus

Everyone's Story welcomes author and speaker Susan B. Mead. Susan joins us this week from Israel with the Proverbs 31 Ministries. I admire Susan for both her inner strength to move forward with her eyes on God despite life's stresses as well as her willingness to help others through tough times. It's my pleasure to host her and I hope you will enjoy her video, short interview, and her BookGiveaway offer. Both Susan and I look forward to hearing from you!

BookGiveaway:

Susan is offering 1 copy of her non-fiction book, DANCE WITH JESUS, to 1 randomly chosen commenter. The winner will be announced here on Friday, November 6th between 5-6 PM EST. To be entered in the Giveaway, please leave your contact information within your comment (you may choose to use the Contact Me form to privately send me your email address--the form is in the right-hand sidebar on the blog's main page, toward the bottom).

Questions for Susan Mead:

You come from a very tender place in wanting to help others move from grief to grace: the passing of your sister by her own hand, and then the passing of your son. Has this helped in your healing process?

I needed to see and or read about someone else who had lost and was living again-joyfully. I found a profound need to share my path for the next individual needing a helping hand and a guide along the healing journey. Someone who has been there and understands without any questioning, that’s one thing I bring to the table.

Does the calmness you speak about finding in the midst of chaos change daily? How can we learn how to be so adoptable?

Calm in the chaos of life does change, however, I choose to recalibrate often by renewing my mind daily. When I start my day in the Word of God, He calms the chaos of my day and orders my steps. Does it solve everything? No way! Yet it changes and settles the atmosphere. 

The song Lord Jesus Come is playing in the background right now.  How appropriate! To me calm is spelled J E S U S. He calms our chaos, just like He calmed the stormy seas, saying, “Quiet. Be still.” And the storm was quelled. So I invite Him into my storms and ask Him to quiet them for me.

Do more women than men tend to deal with guilt issues over “lightening up” after tragedy? If so, how can we overcome this?

I’m not an expert in this area. More women TALK than men, that we know, so the perception may be this is so. I learned that we have to accept the differences of individuals as they grieve. 

We can offer some possible things folks may (MAY!) experience, yet people simply grieve differently. And each person deserves respect for their needs, as long as it is not self-destructive or destructive to others. Then that would need a referral to someone else to guide them from a destructive to a constructive path.

So many folks simply need to know what they are experiencing is NORMAL feelings/behavior in an ABNORMAL situation. That brings a measure of calm into the chaos and is where being trained as a chaplain comes in handy!

On a lighter note, do you have a go-to favorite comfort food or other indulgence for one of life’s just-plain-old-yucky days? Myself, I find comfort watching movie-musicals!

How fun! I’ll have to try that sometime too. A great book with me curled up, tucked in and snuggled under a soft blanket on my little red love seat or sitting on a dock over water calms me. Or a massage – that always works to dump the junky stuff!

And Nestle’s Toll House chocolate chip cookies…RARE treat that my 91 year old mom makes for Thanksgiving each year-and we are getting close, so I’m thinking about them already! (Why is my mouth watering?)

Susan's Ah-hahs To Tweet: 

Everyone’s Story: Visit with author/speaker @SusanBMead to see how she went from chaos to calm. (Tweet This)

#BookGiveaway of @SusanBMead’s DANCE WITH JESUS: From Grief to Grace. (Tweet This)

@SusanBMead wants to know how you spell the word “Calm” and no, this isn’t a trick question! (Tweet This)

Author's Bio:

Susan Burfoot Mead is blessed to be married to my soul mate, Holt Mead, since 1979. She is the mother of two sons, Matthew, who lives in South Louisiana and Kyle, Forever 20 and in Heaven, where he is doing a Dance with Jesus. Kyle’s been there since March 29, 2008.

She wrote the book Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace as the answer to a question posed in the Experiencing God Bible Study she was in the midst of doing. The question asked was what does God want you to do, right now?

With the passing of her son Kyle, Susan realized things get broken, discarded or replaced. People Matter. She HAD to create time for the people who mattered MOST to her! Susan believes God gave her this gift of time to do what He wants her to do. Make His name known. Hold the hand of others as they walk a path of healing towards hope. Help others be transformed.

In 2014, Susan was ordained as a Sr. Chaplain with the International Fellowship of Chaplains, Inc. (IFOC) and certified by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation in Critical Incidence for Stress Management (CISM) in Individual Grief, Group Grief and Grief Following Trauma.

Places to connect with Susan:

Webiste

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

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Please note:

--I have a title change for my novel coming soon from Elk Lake Publishing: Always With You.

--I will soon launch a specially designed website that will incorporate Eveyone's Story blog. I hope you will follow me on this new site. When it goes live, I'll make the announcement!