A Life in Pages

Our blog has moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:37:00 +0000

Angela Hunt's blog has moved to a new site.

We hope you will join us there!

Angie

Announcement: New Website, New Blog site

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Hello!

Every five years, we authors are told, we need an updated author picture. And since our author photos often form the basis of our website mastheads, maybe we need an updated website about that often, too.

On Friday, Lord willing, Angela Hunt Books.com will feature a brand new look. And this blog will be moving to Word Press, a different blogging site.

If you have signed up for a blog subscription through Blogger, you'll have to move it--sorry for the inconvenience. But if you simply visit my website every day and then click "blog," you won't have to change a thing. The new WordPress blog will be featured right on the first page of the new website design.

So if you get some time on Friday, visit http://www.angelahuntbooks.com and let me know what you think of the new design. I like it--probably because aqua is one of my favorite colors. :-) The design is clean and easy to navigate, so my hat is off to Author Media for the new design.

Thanks for your faithful reading over the years. Come join me over on the new site!

The Angela Hunt ipad/iphone app has a new look, too!

~~Angie

Matt Dancing

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I don't know who this "Matt" is, but this video made me smile and then brought tears to my eyes--because it's beautiful, and because I couldn't help thinking of how God created such a diversity of people and he loves each and every one of them. A beautiful video, well worth watching. Enjoy. ~~Angie

Like Your iPad, Dad? LOL!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:20:00 +0000

You don't have to understand the language to understand this one. Daughter is asking how Dad likes the iPad she got him for Christmas. :-)

Angie

Labor Day Weekend with Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:47:00 +0000

Moi, Robin Lee Hatcher, Frank Peretti, Randy Alcorn, Terri Blackstock

I've just flown home on the red-eye from Los Angeles to Miami and Tampa--I'm going on no sleep, but my heart is full and my spirit has been renewed (and my energy will catch up after a good night's sleep).

This past weekend my writing pal Bill Myers hosted several old friends for a few days of conversation, laughter, music, and prayer. We have all been writing in the Christian publishing industry for 25+ years. I joined my dear friends Terri Blackstock, Robin Lee Hatcher, James Scott Bell and his wife St. Cindy, Frank Peretti, Randy Alcorn, and Bill, of course, as we talked about personal and professional challenges. We had church together on Sunday morning, and we laughed, wept, and prayed together.

Hanging out as Randy talks about heaven . . .

Writers have writer friends, you know, and the friendship between Christian writers is sweet and supportive. We are iron sharpening iron, and for years we have prayed and celebrated with one another. But we don't often get to BE together in a casual situation--oh, we meet at conferences where we are busy teaching and mentoring and running around, but it's RARE that we get to hang out together in someone's back yard, munch on pretzels, and play with the resident dogs.

So this was a rare treat indeed. Thank you, Bill and Brenda Myers for opening your home to us, and thank you, my writer friends, for understanding that I can't talk about the deep things in my heart without the spigots turning on and my voice getting all high and squeaky.

. . . and we listen.

I love you all. And I'll be meeting you at the throne as we pray for each other.

Now . . . let's get back to work!

~~Angie

Me 'n Chaucer. Man, I keep good company!

Singin' a duet with Frank Peretti. The man is a first rate guitarist.

Frank, Randy, and Terri doing the photographer's "Yeah!" ;-)

~~Angie

A Stone-Still Squirrel

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:28:00 +0000

I stepped outside to get the mail today and saw a squirrel flattened to a branch of my crepe myrtle tree. He had a huge magnolia tree pod in his mouth, and he just sat there without moving. I knew he'd make a great picture, but didn't think he'd still be there after I walked by, went into the house, slammed the door, etc. But on a hunch, I got the mail, went inside, and came back out with my camera.

The little darling hadn't budged--in fact, I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with him. Did he have that huge pod stuck on his front teeth? Had he been frozen in fear? Was he dreaming of all those little red seeds inside the pod?

I may never know, but he let me take several pictures without even flinching, and when I went back inside the house, he still hadn't moved.

Friends, meet squirrel. He's all set for winter.

~~Angie

Ecclesiastes

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:34:00 +0000

I'm reading the Bible through this year historically, meaning in the order the various books were written. It sort of jumbles things up, and makes me view things at angles I've never considered.

I've just finished reading the book of Ecclesiastes. I've never paid too much attention to the book, and have even heard that Solomon was a little off his rocker when he wrote it near the end of his life. By then, of course, he had been pulled away from his devout love of God by his foreign wives, who influenced him to do all sorts of terrible and idolatrous things.

But Ecclesiastes is chock full of wisdom--it's just a sort of wry and slightly jaded wisdom, and its truths aren't exactly what a lot of folks want to hear. Give it a read sometime soon, and you'll see what I mean.

I particularly loved this passage found in chapter six:

Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind.

Angie here again: A friend of mine used to paraphrase this by saying, "A lot of people spend all their time wishing for things they could have if they didn't spend all their time wishing."

And this verse: Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny.

Lots of folks who imagine themselves champions of their own destiny will be dismayed to read this. But nonetheless, it's true. God, who is eternal and lives outside of time, has already written the book of our lives, and the story includes the choices we freely make/made. It's all been decided in eternity. But we live in in the present, so our choices are free and real to us.

And here's a great verse for a writer/speaker: The more words you speak, the less they mean. So why overdo it?

Why, indeed?

Over and out,

Angie

Pianos and Paintings

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 02:03:00 +0000

Two things:

First, my latest digital painting:

And second, a video I think you'll enjoy. :-)

Have a great weekend! We are all buttoned down for the Isaac storm, so we hope to be back and ready to go in the morning!

~~Angie

Hurricane watching, puppy picture-ing

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 22:17:00 +0000

While we keep an eye on the hurricane charts (we have shutters and a generator, so if it comes around we're not too worried), I went to the SPCA this morning. It's like a puppy paradise there! I don't know why, but we've had lots of pit bull puppies, and they are adora-bull. :-)

I also met a Corgi today who could be a canine model. He knew how to pose and really didn't take a bad shot. And a Shepherd mix and some other really sweet dogs --

Anyway, here's a sampling of today's beautiful dogs. And after I share those, I really need to clean my house!

Angie

Abby

Bella

Covu

Eddie

Ellie

Kiarra (most photogenic of the day!)

Nala

Cody

Scout

Simba

Gracey

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 01:54:00 +0000

While my granddaughter sat on my lap tonight and watched BABE (I was babysitting), I did a digital painting of Gracey, one of the SPCA dogs who has been happily adopted.

I don't know if this qualifies as fine art, but I like it. Maybe I'll move on to doing people--once I get the animals figured out. :-0

--Angie

Puppies at the SPCA

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 02:17:00 +0000

I took a break from my researching today to go to the SPCA to shot pictures--and they had PUPPIES! What fun. I got lots of puppy kisses and lots of pictures of wriggly rear ends, but I also got some cute pictures of pit bull mix puppies. AND--I've been learning how to turn digital photos into digital oil paintings. :-) (No, you can't do it with one click--it takes hours.) Cli

So tonight I turned one of today's puppy pictures into a painting. It's lacking details like whiskers, etc, but you can get the general idea. Click on the first photo to see the painting details. The second photo is the original photo.

Have a great week! I have to go back to work tomorrow.

Angie

Spca--PUPPY time!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Spent the morning in a downpour at the SPCA--and despite the rain, I got some lovely pictures of puppies--and people were adopting them left and right. I was lucky to get shots before the puppies went home with their new families. I wish them all the happiness in the world.

Here are the doggies of the day: Bear, Anita, Crystal, Harley, Lou, Oddball, Odie, Perdy, Rucy, and Leola!

Anita

Bear

Crystal

Harley

Leola

Lou

Oddball

Odie

Perdy

Ruby

Reunions and Rumination: Ministry Redefined

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:19:00 +0000

Last weekend I was thrilled to fly to Nashville for a reunion of my musical pals from Re'Generation: one of the most formative years of my life. In the year spanning August '76 to '77, I was part of Re'Gen Seven and traveled all year to do 500 concerts in nearly every state with twelve other wonderful musicians.

Pastor Derric (far right) and Re'Gen 4-5

And last weekend we met in Nashville, in part to catch up with each other and all the other Re'Gen alumns, and in part to wish our founder and director, Derric Johnson, a blessed 80th birthday. And as I listened to Pastor Derric encourage us to remember how God had blessed, but to keep dreaming and keep working for the Master, I left feeling inspired to go home and . . . do something!

And when I got home, I found a book waiting to be researched, puppy pictures to process, a husband, a daughter, and a precious grandbaby to love and support. I fell into my usual hectic routine, and today, while talking to the hubby, something struck me.

The conversation went like this: Hubby mentioned someone else who was being taxed while helping out an adult child, and that friend said something about how the devil always seemed to find a way to distract us from the ministry we should be doing . . .

Then hubby said, "But I know in the sovereign plan of God, this is supposed to happen. God could have prevented it, but He didn't, so He has a plan for this."

And as he said those words, I mentally redefined ministry: it's not what we do out in public, on a stage, or for publication. Sometimes it's what we do within our own walls, in our own family, in our own hearts. It is serving--and loving--those God has placed in our path because He meant them to be there so we would have an opportunity to love and serve no matter what the consequences. No matter if we see results or not. No matter what.

Because we love God, we love people.

That's ministry. It's not the kind that gets applause or recognition, and on some days you may wonder if you accomplished any good at all. Sometimes your efforts result in a broken heart--your own.

But God values obedience more than sacrifice, more than anything we do on a platform or out in the world. Especially, I think, in the home, where the only people who see are the ones who see us at our best and at our worst. When we obey in this most private arena, God sees. The angels write it down. And our reward will not come in the form of applause or accolades, but in the wedding garment we wear at the Lamb's supper, when Jesus comes for his Bride. We will stand adorned in the righteous acts we performed for His glory. (Rev. 19:8).

So I will keep dreaming and working on whatever the Lord places in my path. These things are not the devil's distraction, they are my ministry. They are my daily bread.

They are my joy.

~~Angie

Giving thanks.

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 03:35:00 +0000

I am in Nashville with many alumni of the Re'generation. As Pastor Derric closed out our meeting tonight, he told the sorry of the time he found his then four-year-old daughter, Jaycee, praying. He knelt to pray with her, folded his hands, and listened as she said, "Dear Jesus. Thank you. Amen.".

He lifted his head and looked at her. "Is that all?"

"That's enough," she said, standing.

And isn't it? We are to give thanks in all things, in times good and bad, lean and lush, easy and hard. In all things.

Dear Jesus. Thank you. Amen.

That IS enough.

Angie

Bark in the Park

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This afternoon I went to the Rays' game as a photographer for the SPCA. It was "Bark in the Park" day, and ball fans were allowed to bring their dogs! They set aside a certain area for the dogs, but it was really well-run. They even had outdoor areas with artificial turf for the dogs' potty area.

Several dog rescue groups, including the SPCA, brought adoptable animals to the event, so there were doggies everywhere. Below are just a few of the photos I took (over 700 in all!) Such a fun day, but now I'm ready for a little rest. :-)

Kudos to the Rays for drawing attention to the many wonderful adoptable dogs in our area. and thanks to the many who posed for my camera. :-)

~~Angie

Most of the SPCA crew

One of our young ladies got to throw out the first pitch with Dexter.

The new manuscript begins/Re'Generation Reunion

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 02:07:00 +0000

I began serious research today for my next novel, and wow, was it eye-opening. I suppose I should go ahead and tell you that I'm working on a novel about Esther--she has always been one of my favorite Bible characters, and I know there's a lot more to the story than the abbreviated version we read in the Scriptures. So I have begun to read reliable extra-biblical texts, and hoo boy, you wouldn't believe some of what I'm reading. But I can't spill the beans here, or the book will hold no surprises . . . and you know what I'm all about--expect the unexpected! LOL!

But I do hope you'll trust me to not insert anything that is impossible or not credible. But this was a fascinating period of time, the Persians were an amazing empire, and King Xerxes was quite the interesting fellow.

Re'Gen 7 in 1977

I've read other novels about Esther in my lifetime, and none of them contained any of what I'm reading. But I love research, so I'm going to dig deep through any materials I can find. :-) Should--Lord willing--have the book finished by January of next year.

August looks to be a busy month--some of you remember the musical ensemble known as The Re'generation, which traveled throughout the United States from about 1970 through '82 (I think). And there is still a group led by Derric Johnson still singing today!

(Also, if you've heard the Voices of Liberty at Disney's Epcot, you're hearing the music--and many of the voices--of Re'Gen.)

Re'Gen performing at Disney World.

In any case, Re'gen is having another reunion next weekend in Nashville, TN. August 11th is Pastor Derric's 80th birthday, so we're going to have a party and sing "Happy Birthday" Re'Gen Style--acapella and in ten parts. :-) Should be a blast. For the first time in history, ALL of the girls from Re'Gen seven, my year, are coming!

So I hope you're doing well. The photos are from Re'Gen now and then. We don't grow old . . . we just keep singing. :-)

Pastor Derric at our last reunion--2 years ago, I think. :-/ (My life is a blur).

~~Angie

Free Kindle Book, Research Begins

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:41:00 +0000

Life has been so busy lately--my daughter and granddaughter are staying with us for a while, so you can well imagine how busy that can keep us. I love babysitting, though--we nanas never know when we'll have these opportunities, so we snatch them when we can!

Having handed in THE OFFERING, I am also ready to begin my next project, so it's time to do research. This will be a historical, so I'm collecting all sorts of thick books and settling in to figure out what I need and what I don't. People often volunteer to research for me, but I really don't know any way to get information from a book into my head without absorbing it directly.

And of course I'm keeping up my work with the SPCA. Went there today in the sweltering heat and snapped five doggies; then came home and had to change out of my wet clothes. One nice thing about living in the south--we have very moist skin! :-)

And I have news for all of you who like ebooks--my latest animal venture, Snapping Shelter Cats, will be FREE from August 3 through 7, so you can download and read it free on your Kindle, your iPad, your iPhone, or even your laptop. Amazon has free readers for all those devices and more.

Even if you're not interested in photography, I hope you'll download it to look at the pictures. :-) The book is quite similar to Snapping Shelter Dogs, but the snapping part is completely different, as cats and dogs operate in different modes. Dogs are happy to cooperate, cats have to be, um, well, let's just say that we have to cooperate with THEM.

Here's a link where you can download the book beginning at midnight tonight. :-)

And here are some pictures of the lovely puppies I snapped today and last week. :-) Enjoy your weekend!

Angie

Dexter

Gracey

Jesse

Jubba

Magnum

Philly

Rebel? Rascal? I can't remember.

Roxxy

Sweet Pea

Snapping Shelter Cats Now Available!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 02:57:00 +0000

I'm happy to report the release of Snapping Shelter Cats: Using Your Camera to Help Shelter Animals Find Loving Homes. This book is similar to Snapping Shelter Dogs, which released a month ago, but because photographing cats is nothing like photographing dogs, it differs in many ways.

If you enjoy photography and if you've ever wanted to do something for animals at your local shelter, this book will give you practical instruction and lots of examples about what and what not to do.

So download your copy of Snapping Shelter Cats today! Available for the Kindle, and can be read on the iPad or any computer via Amazon's free Kindle reader.

All proceeds from these two books will go to support the Largo, Florida SPCA until the kennel renovation project is completed. Help us spread the word!

~~Angie

Book is done, so I can play!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 01:52:00 +0000

Since I handed in my book Wednesday morning, I took the day off to go to the SPCA and snap puppies. Today was "little dog" day, coincidentally, but they were all sweet. Here is my crew:

Gretchen

Melina, who must be adopted with Miller

Miller

LOL! I love this picture because I whistled, hence the tilted heads. :-)

Sweet little Sam

Adorable Spike. He gives delightful puppy kisses.

Vicky, Gretchen's sister.

SPCA and Sixties Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 01:02:00 +0000

Spent the day snapping dogs AND cats at the SPCA, then hubby and I went to a surprise birthday party for some friends of ours who are married and have both turned sixty. Their daughter threw the party based around a sixties theme, so we ate, enjoyed root beer floats, and listened to sixties music. Fun!

Anyway, here are the doggies and kitties of today. Still snapping kitties in their cages, which works sometimes and sometimes doesn't. Hard to get enough light in there if the cage is in a bad position, and I've learned something--cats close their eyes before the flash, resulting in narrow-eyed kitties every time. Bummer. Have to come up with a plan for better light, for sure.

Anyway, here they are: the lovely ladies and gents of an SPCA Saturday (and a few mixed in from Thursday):

I'm Branching Out! Into ART!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:50:00 +0000

I never thought I'd type the above headline! But here I am, delving into art for a couple of reasons. First, I want to do something to help the shelter animals and the folks who have been so gracious to me. Second, I love photography and playing around with pictures. Third, I love words, so why not "marry" the two?

And so I've opened a little studio at smugmug.com. And I believe you'll find a link in the slideshow below. You can order any print in any format you like--photo, canvas, or even on a tee shirt or mug. Enjoy! You can bet I'll be adding more as time goes by (and I find the time to create more!)

Angie

Rinse. Repeat. Recycle

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:29:00 +0000

I will freely admit that writers--including me--have favorite bits of dialogue and phrasing that we tend to use a lot. For a while there, I had a "sag-bellied rat" running through my books, and at other times every gun couldn't be picked up without the hero "slamming the cartridge home."

This video is a clever look at Aaron Sorkin's recycled bits, and it's rather eye-opening. Makes you appreciate just how influential a writer's words are, doesn't it? And all this time, I wanted to believe it was the characters speaking . . . ;-)

HT to Jim Bell for pointing me toward this video.

~~Angie

Photomosaics--very fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 00:38:00 +0000

Years ago I worked on a book in which photomosaics were a major theme. What's a photomosaic? Easy--a mosaic made of photos. :-)

In any case, I suspected that now there might be easy computer programs to put these works of art together for us, and yep, I found a free one on the web (you can find one, too, just use Google.)

And I created two photomosaics using only my SPCA doggie photos. :-)

To best view these, click on them to enlarge, or save to your own computer and then zoom in to take a closer look. Pretty cool, huh? They would make great posters. :-)

First, a landscape, and then a cartoon. Enjoy!

~~Angie

SPCA day

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 21:26:00 +0000

It was quiet this morning at the SPCA, but I enjoyed taking pictures of some new dogs. Also went into the cat wing and took a few shots, but they were rough, as I had to take pictures while the animals were still in their cages. Still, I suppose a rough shot is better than no shot at all. :-/

Anyway, here are today's dogs . . . I fell in love with Caesar. I've been watching him for about the last month as he went through treatment and evaluation, and I just love this boy. Isn't he beautiful?

Agatha

Caesar

Chi Chi

Noel

Rodeo

Still Alive, No Thanks to Me

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:35:00 +0000

Yesterday was one of those days that left me breathless.

I got up and cleaned the house as usual, but had to take Babe, one of my mastiffs, to the vet for a checkup. She had an ear infection (as usual), so the ear cleaning and slobber shaking was one for the record books (I caught a couple of slingers in my hair, so simply wrote off the day as one where I hoped I wouldn't have to go anywhere.)

Home to work, where I worked on the revisions for THE OFFERING, due at the end of this month, when the UPS man brought some outdoor curtains I'd ordered. Our back porch gets the afternoon sun, and in the summertime it's simply too hot to sit out there--ever. So I saw these curtains in a catalog and thought I'd give them a try. Fortunately, on our back porch there's a high bar with circle rings through it, installed there by the hurricane screen guys. (We put up super duper protective screens when we're under threat from a hurricane. Which has been exactly ZERO times since we had the things installed. And took out a second mortgage to pay for them.)

But I digress.

So I stopped working to haul out the 20 foot extension ladder to hang the curtains. Unfortunately a thunderstorm was rolling through as I figured out a way to hang six curtains on ten rings and one string, and as I stood atop the extension ladder, it occurred to me that being high up on an aluminum ladder wasn't very smart when lightning was flashing all around me. So I kept climbing DOWN the ladder, waiting a while, then climbing back UP, but every time I went up the lightning would flash again.

Anyway--finally I got the last curtain hung, and my ladder shifted. Now some folks will call Jesus's name as a curse word, but trust me, his name was the first thing that flew through my mind when that ladder shifted with nothing but me and a flat concrete floor, but it was definitely more like a "take me home now and don't let me lie here on the back porch with a broken neck and two mastiffs slobbering on me until my husband gets home, which will probably not be until almost ten p.m." prayer.

(A few years ago, during February, I tried to hang curtains on that back porch--found that two painters' drop cloths were the perfect measurement to cover the opening top to bottom and side to side. But they were HEAVY and they had a tendency to MOLD, so when the wind wasn't whipping and ripping them to shreds, the rains left them moldy. I think they lasted a couple of months, then I couldn't stand it any more. But that's when I became quite adept at scaling said 20 foot ladder.)

These new curtains are supposed to be weather proof and they're short--they're more like a fringe of flags than drapes. I'll be happy if they simply dim the sun a little bit.

Anyway--got the curtains up, didn't fall off the ladder (thank you, Lord!), and went back to work. And then my computer alarm chimed, reminding me that despite my sweaty appearance and slobber-strung hair, I had to be at a board meeting in ten minutes. It's not like I'm an essential person on the Homeowners Association Board, but I am the one who keeps the minutes, so they DO call if I'm missing.

So I ran out with my computer, went to the board meeting, and made it just in time. Fortunately, the meeting was brief, so I was soon back home and working again--finally finished my page quota around nine. As I went to bed, I consoled myself that tomorrow (today) would be my SPCA day, which is always a lot of fun.

So this morning I went to the SPCA, and found that the path to our "pho-dog-raphy studio" was underwater--completely flooded. So I had to find a new spot to take photos, and thank goodness I only had to snap three dogs.

I had also planned on snapping several cats, so I went out to my car for my lights and stands and all that stuff, then hauled it all into the cat wing--only to find that we now have SO MANY CATS that there wasn't a spare inch of workable space for me to take pictures in! You have to have an enclosed space, or the kitties will run away and possibly get hurt, so the kitty photos were a no go.

So I came home to post-process the dog photos (I just love saying that), and then I caught up on cleaning my house. Tomorrow it's back to work on revisions.

And that is all the excitement my life can take today. :-)

Enjoy the photos: Freckles, Dugan, and Tanner. Fun little pups.

~~Angie