"Who keeps company with wolves will learn how to howl."
~ Spanish proverb

I don't know why it j.u.s.t. occurred to me, but my friends write books…a lot of them. <– purposefully ambiguous as to whether or not I mean "friends" or "books" but I guess it doesn't matter since the answer is "both".  <– which, feeling the need to explain, might be why I'm not yet published.

It's embarrassing to admit but the one I've been most looking forward to is Shannon's and Melanie's "TypePad For Dummies"; I'm not sure if they wrote it with me specifically in mind, but the title hits uncomfortably close to home.  They were kind enough to use my blog in a few examples (see page 267, 270) and perfect compensation was a hot-off-the-press copy.  Oddly, I'm nowhere to be found in Chapter 17:  Ten Bloggers Using TypePad Well.

I'm working my way through, trying to memorize every page….decidedly miffed not to have "photographic memory" over "mom-eyes in the back of her head" as a super power.


If you're thinking about starting a blog, I strongly recommend TypePad; their customer support makes a substantive difference. If you're already a TypePad user, buy the book and prepare to be amazed at how much you DON'T know!

"As iron sharpens iron,
so a man sharpens the countance of his friend."

~ Proverbs 27:17

Next, there are my Compassion Blogger friends…the amazing people with whom I traveled to Calcutta, India ~

Angie, doe-eyed and pint-sized, will woo you with her words, though hers is a heart-puncturing story; and it ends where it begins:  with hope (I just love her)….

Anne, young and shy and bold, has a pierced past and a promised future; she seizes the day in the quietest of ways, and writes with heart, soul and honesty (I love her, too)….

Pete is a husband and a daddy and a preacha, but a lot of the time just a guy wrestling with his faith.  There's a reason his church has grown to thousands in just a few years….because he listens and cares and engages (How can I not love him for that?)….

Their books are worthy of your hard-earned dollars; you can buy the trio for under forty bucks!

"You shall know a man by the company he keeps."

~ Old proverb

And then there's sugar and spice and spicy-sugar:  Holley and Randy and Patsy.  

Holley is one of my (in)courage bosses; at Blissdom last month, she autographed a copy of her devotional (that has since penetrated to marrow).  Her words buoy me; she speaks encouragement and life and love into every letter…even in email! 

Randy I've "known" from afar, having cross his blog-path when he traveled with Compassion to Uganda two years ago….until we met in January.  Everything I perceived him to be he is, and whether you agree or disagree with "Sex, Lies & Religion, his provocative new offering will make you think.  Beyond previous thought.  

And Patsy…I found her through her blog; then followed her on Twitter; then met her at a Woman of Faith conference where I discovered the person she presented in words on a page was the pixie I met on stage and in hug :).  She's infectious and funny and profound, and she'll have you crying through laughter or laughing through tears–to me, a gift (and two of my favorite emotions).  Her newest book title, Kaleidoscope: Seeing God’s Wit and Wisdom in a Whole New Light, sounds just like something she'd write about (though I haven't yet seen this book, due out 3/16).

(Yep, you know I love these three.)….

“One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating.  And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends.”

~ Laurie Colwin, "Home Cooking"

My "go-to's" for HELLO-LICIOUS recipes:   Obviously, my BFF Paula made the list with her newest.  I haven't actually seen this one, either, but I'm pretty sure she's STILL trying to kill us with butter!  And Ree aka Pioneer Woman?  Well, she and I go back.  Waaaay back.  I knew her "when" and she knew me "when". Except she lives in another stratosphere now. Which is fine, because she inspired me then and she inspires me now….and I couldn't be more tickled with her success.    –


DagGUM I hope some of what they've got rubs off on me!  Do you think it's possible to become more prolific by association?  I'm prayin' for osmosis here. 🙂


Your turn:  Which books do you already own?  Which one are you going to buy before leaving this post?  Do you have aspirations to write a book?  If so, what genre?  Who have I left off this list?  Clearly fiction writers and ebook authors, so maybe a separate post for them…I just don't know-know many of those.

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