Anita Higman

I'm Moving to a Reader Page

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 13:59:00 +0000

To My Dear Friends,

I wanted to say that this is a new season for me. I need to lighten my work load a bit. I see that I have not been all that faithful with my blog, and for that I apologize. I've simply been trying to do too many things, and I don't have enough hours in the day to get it all done. It's hard to write books as well as keep up with social networking sites as well as a reader page and a blog. So, I'm moving to my reader page on facebook. It will be more interactive. You'll be able to make comments there, and we'll all be able to interact with each other. I think this might be a fun change. More personal. So, this is my last post and fairly soon, I'll be closing down this personal blog on my website. If you'd like to stay connected please feel free to drop on over and "like" my reader page, and we can stay linked that way. Thank you all for your support here. You each mean a lot to me...

Here's the link to make the switch. I think all you have to do is simply hit the "like' button when you get there. http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaHigman

Blessings always!!!
Anita

A Special Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:41:00 +0000

Recently I found myself in a rather painful situation, but one of my friends came to my rescue. It was so amazing to watch her support me and lift me up that I broke into tears of joy. It's the kind of friendship stuff that makes God smile. Thank you, Janice Thompson. If humans could be like celestial bodies then you are one bright star...

Anita

Just a Smile

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:19:00 +0000

Sometimes when I run errands I'll come back in a good mood or maybe a not so good mood. And some of what influences my state of mind is merely how many people have smiled at me or how many have frowned. Such a simple thing--it's facial muscles! But those upturned lips or those furrowed brows can make such a big difference in my day. So, I try to smile at as many people as I can when I'm out and about. I don't always succeed, but I try. A smile is a free gift, and so easy to give away. It's so appreciated and so memorable and people usually give you the same lovely gift in return. With all the benefits, you'd think folks would give more of them away!

Anita

Free Kindle Download

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:17:00 +0000

I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday weekend.
I found out that my novella, The Perfect Blend is now (from May 29th to the 31st) a free Kindle download. Here's the link. Click if you like inspirational romance.
Anita
http://www.amazon.com/The-Perfect-Blend-ebook/dp/B007L5PO0S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1338300321&sr=8-3

Those Sheltering Wings

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sat, 19 May 2012 19:54:00 +0000

In the process of making our beloved homemade blueberry pancakes this morning for our weekend treat we saw a sight in our backyard that was a bit unusual. Five baby black-bellied whistling ducks had somehow scuttled in through a small space in our fence and couldn't get out. The mother and father sat on the fence, looking down at their brood, wailing and whistling as only whistling ducks can, wanting to be reunited with their ducklings but not knowing how. The adorable little fuzzballs were trying to fly-climb up over the fence toward their parents. After much distressed whistling, two of the friends of the parents landed on the fence to help them whistle for help. Needless to say, we were overcome with a need to intervene, so my husband scooped up the ducklings and released them back into the retention pond area behind our house. Once the family of ducks appeared to be reunited (hard to tell for sure since there are a zillion black-bellied whistling ducks behind our house) we went back to making our pancakes. But I thought of a possible scene in the novel I'm about to start working on, and I realized our duckling drama could become a poignant moment when the antagonist must face her failures as a mother. She will need to see how desperate one's offspring is to reunite with one's family, to settle under those safe and sheltering wings...whether duckling or child. So, I'll be making notes today to add that scene when the time comes. A lot of life that happens around me ends up in my work, and this was the perfect backyard drama to incorporate into my novel. By the way, this new work will be, Winter in Full Bloom. Let me know what you think of that title...

Anita

Those Firefly Summers

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:12:00 +0000

Well, summer is coming. It's too hot in Houston, where I live, to dream of summer. Here, we relish every breath of spring and then long for autumn. But today I was thinking about summers in Oklahoma where I grew up. And I was thinking about my grandmother who made that season memorable. We'd stop by her house after church and sit out on her glider with a glass of iced tea and a bowl of her homemade cherry cobbler. When we were finished with our delight-filled gorging I would catch fireflies and listen to everyone chat in the fading light. No matter how hot it had gotten during the day, the air would cool down and the breeze would blow and we were refreshed for another week. So pleasant. Such a summer hug. So grandma. Do you have any special memories of your grandmother from summers long ago?

Anita

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:25:00 +0000

I have to say this was a stellar Mother's Day weekend for me. I saw my kids. I ate with my kids. I yakked with my kids. And reminisced. And dreamed. And laughed. And generally had a wonderful time. Plus I got to see the new Avengers Movie (3-D IMAX) twice. It was a blockbuster weekend all around.

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend too...

Anita

The Landscape of My Guts

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:42:00 +0000

Today I was in the hospital so my doctor could do an endoscopy. They took photos of my guts. I'm fine, but as I sat at my computer later, I realized that was what I was doing with the characters in my novels. Giving you, the reader, a view of the landscape of my character's insides. What they think. What they feel. What they fear most. What secrets they have lingering in their past. What drives them forward or backwards. What they love most in the world. I hope I can be as revealing with my characters as the tummy photos I brought home today. Of course, it helps when what you see are healthy, redeeming qualities and not just red splotchy irritating qualities. But I'm hoping when you really see my characters, that you'll come to know and love them as I do.

Anita

My Reader Page on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:27:00 +0000

I now have a reader page on facebook, a place where people can go to find out more about my novels, chat about my characters, ask me questions, and win free autographed books. Once I get some traffic I'll start running some contests.

Here's the facebook link to "like" my page.

Thank you for your support!

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaHigman

A Story for Unwinding

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:34:00 +0000

My novella, The Perfect Blend, came out as an e-book. I'm hoping it'll be a good story to help readers unwind after a long day at work. Let me know what you think...

Anita

http://www.amazon.com/The-Perfect-Blend-ebook/dp/B007L5PO0S/ref=sr_1_41?ie=UTF8&qid=1336162517&sr=8-41

Conversation is a Dance

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:29:00 +0000

Conversation is a dance. Have you ever noticed that? And if you talk too much or say the wrong things or you choose not to really listen it's like slipping on the dance floor and stamping on a partner's toe. Only verbally. Conversation, if done well, takes discipline, patience, and kindness. Boy, is that hard, especially since dialogue, the audible kind anyway, is becoming more and more scarce. But it is worth the effort, to do it well and do it right. It can produce lifelong friends, and satisfying exchanges, and understanding...a commodity that is searched for and prized, but not easy to come by...

Anita

Flowers on Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:24:00 +0000

Every Friday I buy flowers for our table. It has become a tradition. Why? It helps me to celebrate that wonderful invention called the weekend. It helps me to enjoy my food more. And it helps to keep my mind on the good and lovely things of life. Give the 'flowers on Friday' tradition a try. Even if you can only afford a tiny bouquet of posies, see if they don't light up your weekend.

Anita

War Horse

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:27:00 +0000

I'm not a big fan of horse movies, but I just saw War Horse on DVD and loved it. Why? Because it was such a beautifully told story with a perfect story arc. And John Williams did the music. He is so very gifted at making big sweeping orchestra pieces that are perfect for epic movies like this. In fact, the music is still playing in my head. It would be a great sound track to buy all by itself. Anyway, if you haven't seen War Horse I highly recommend it.

Anita

Queen of the World

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:47:00 +0000

We are overrun with squirrels in our neighborhood, and I'm not talking about the neighbors. I think the little varmints are cute, but they gnaw on everything. We had to replace some of the wood on the outside of our house because they were chewing their way through. Cost us $1,000. We just think we own our home, but I'm beginning to believe they own our house and we are just living here. The other day I saw one of the squirrels at the corner of our house way up there, a breeze blowing its fur...kind of like Rose on the stern of the Titanic. That is, not the scene where Rose is terrified and about to jump, but the one where Jack is holding her and she's looking like she's queen of the world. Yep, that is the 'tude of our local squirrels. What to do? I guess I just need to accept them and love them and be grateful they let us live in their house.

Anita

For Beauty's Sake

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Yesterday was our yard day. I clipped and wrestled with an unruly vine until I had it under submission. Or at least I thought I did. A herd of wasps, which had become one with the vine, came after me and one of them trampled me! Boy, did that poison burn! Anyway, I got so mad that I thrashed on that bushy vine until the wasps were so terrified they decided to flee for a while. Then I went back to gardening. By the end of the morning I was tired, filthy, and bitten. And I wonder now, "Is it worth it? All this work? For beauty's sake?" Why do we do it? Oh, but when we're done, and we gaze at the brilliant flowers and the budding trees and the blooming vines, our spirits rest awhile. And we need that. We all do. The toil. The rest. The beauty. But more than that, I think God gave us nature to give us a glimpse of heaven's splendor. Something to long for on the other side. Something here on earth to get us by until we can see and live the real thing...creation as it was meant to be...

Anita

Downton Abbey Withdrawals

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:34:00 +0000

Well, Downtown Abbey is over until January. My husband and I bought all the DVDs so we could watch all the episodes over again. But now we've done that, so we're experiencing Downton Abbey withdrawals. The way I got through it was to throw myself more deeply into the novel I'm working on and make it the best it could be. I decided to jazz up the action, turn up the emotions, develop the characters more, and give the end of each chapter a bigger cliffhanger. Yes, like Downton Abbey. Needless to say, the show has influenced my work. I hope for the better. I'll let you, the reader, decide if I succeeded. This novel will be out next year. But in case you're wondering, I do have three books coming out later this year, starting in September. Thanks for your patience...

Anita

Christ is Risen

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:41:00 +0000

Easter is a holiday of the most beautiful kind...to celebrate when God came down to earth to say, "You are precious. You are loved. You're even worth dying for. I did, and I rose again...for you. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I'm all that you seek, even when you look elsewhere. Like pure rainwater against the muddied streets, I can wash away your dust-coated past. You may start anew, and you may fellowship with me for all time. Please accept my invitation!"

Blessings to each of you on this resurrection day of Christ...and this holy day of invitation.

Anita

The Garden Path

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:51:00 +0000

My husband and I built a lovely winding path through the trees in our yard. The pathway starts in front of our house and ends around back when you come face to face with an ornate wrought iron gate. There are two tiny woods and plants like rosemary and heavenly bamboo along the way. I also have statues tucked here and there. When I sit in my office on the second story I can see a bit of this path, and I'm always amazed at how frequently people are wiling to trespass on our property to walk on this short path. Why would they go out of their way to do this? I think people are longing for mystery...that is, what is around the bend? Where will this winding path take me? The mystery is even more enchanting when you know it will end happily. And maybe people are starved for the simple and beautiful things of life. Aren't we all longing to have our hearts moved? To have our spirits aching with delight? I hope in some small way my garden path fulfills this longing, and I hope my novels do the very same thing...

Do you have a favorite garden path?

Anita

Telling a Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:41:00 +0000

Thanks for reading my tiny blog about my life and my writing. If you gain any joy from it I would be eternally grateful if you would tell a friend to drop over for a visit.

Thanks for your support. You are appreciated!

Anita

Eating Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:11:00 +0000

I'm not a very good cook, but last night I tried a recipe I created on my own that was surprisingly tasty. I added course cracked pepper, basil, and culinary lavender flowers to my pieces of chicken before I baked them in the oven. (You'll want to add salt as well.) It was so good. I love spring, and it always seems to me that to fully enjoy the season it would be fun to not only pick the flowers and smell the flowers but to eat the flowers too. Well, this was the perfect spring recipe for me.

Unfortunately, you can't eat all of spring. I'm sure some flowers are quite poisonous. Also, in case you're wondering about where I got my lavender, it didn't come from my backyard. I bought a package of culinary lavender (the kind to eat, not the potpourri kind) from a shop that specialized in lavender products of every kind.

Anyway, you might want to give culinary lavender a try if you have ever wanted to eat spring!

Anita

Baby Turtles

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:50:00 +0000

Because of all the recent rain we found two baby turtles in our tiny decorative pond in our backyard. They were so much fun as we watched them swim around, but my husband got worried that they had no way to sun themselves. So, I put a board in the water, and sure enough, up they crawled on the board to do that very thing. But when I wasn't looking they walked up the rest of the way and left. No good-byes. Nothing. No longer were they a part of our world. It was silly because for days I looked for them, and was disappointed when I didn't see them. I actually had baby turtle withdrawal!

Ever missed an animal you got attached to?
Anita

What is it to be Real?

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 23:31:00 +0000

The other morning I stopped to read the small picture book, The Velveteen Rabbit. I was amazed and warmed all over again. Have you ever read this little "big" book? I loved remembering what it is that makes us real. That is how I hope to be before God. That I'm not so fresh out of the box and persnickety and worried about my new soft fur that God cannot use me for good, but that people can see me as approachable and someone who can love and be loved...someone who is real...

Anita

Thank You

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:40:00 +0000

I wanted to thank each and every one of you who downloaded the Kindle version of Another Grave Matter this past weekend. You put this cozy mystery in the top 20 Kindle bestsellers for its category. I don't think that's ever happened before. Anyway, I appreciate you. A writer without readers...well, it's like an actor up on stage with no audience. No applause. Nothing. He or she would eventually just walk off the stage.

So, I thank you...

Anita

Free Kindle Download Today

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:47:00 +0000

Saturday, March 17th, Amazon is offering a free Kindle download of my cozy mystery, Another Grave Matter. Here's the blurb and link to Amazon. Enjoy for free!
Anita

Volstead Manor has caught on fire, and the last of its murderous secrets flare hot enough to drive Bailey back to her sleuthing. A villain, who remains shrouded in darkness until the end, threatens to destroy Bailey, and once again the mansion ignites with malevolent mischief. While she unearths a family secret from Prohibition that’s hidden deep within the cellar, she becomes entangled in a ticking-clock race to save her own life. Will the foul surprises never end at Volstead Manor, and will Bailey’s desire to marry Max go up in smoke?

http://www.amazon.com/Another-Matter-Volstead-Series-ebook/dp/B006VH1Y9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331980799&sr=8-1

A Reason to Smile

noreply@blogger.com (Anita Higman) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:07:00 +0000

My husband and I have had a special weekend tradition for many years. We make homemade pancakes on Saturday and Sunday morning. Mostly berry pancakes, but sometimes we live on the edge and try pear or apple spice. We always use real maple syrup and we usually wash it down with a dark roast organic coffee. I thought it was just me who truly enjoyed all this, but on Friday my husband mentioned how much he was looking forward to our pancakes on the weekend. His delight gave me a reason to smile (sometimes inside, sometimes outside) every time I thought of it. I also enjoy our coffee time. After we consume our pancakes we take our coffee into the den. We talk about anything and everything that tickles our fancy. I love this part of our ritual too. Makes me feel loved. Maybe that's what traditions do for us...bring us together, bond us in special ways, and make us feel safe and cozy like a quilt wrapped around our hearts.

What traditions do you have that bring you these delights?
Anita