Choose Your Own {Couch} Adventure

Image by emdot

Last month at Blissdom, I attended a workshop sponsored by Hallmark. The topic was inspirational writing, and in addition to two card writers, we got to hear from Casey from Moosh in Indy and Stephanie from Adventures in Babywearing.

I heard lots of anecdotes and advice about sharing our most meaningful stories, and then the panelists challenged us with a writing prompt. They asked us to write about couches.

Actually, they first suggested we write about our top ten couches, but then they said we could just pick one if we wanted. It’s been a while since I over-achieved much of anything, but today I’m going to do that prompt one better.

I’m going to list my top ten couches. And then I’ll write about one. Which one? That's up to you. 

Vote in the comments, and the couch that has the most votes by the end of the week will get the starring role in a post next week.

In no particular order:

1. Blue flowered couch I grew up with at my parents’ house
2. Wicker couch with blue cushions that my mom inherited
3. My grandparents’ brown, gold and orange flowered couch
4. My other grandparents’ plaid couch that is called a divan
5. The bright gold, ridiculously heavy couch I had in my college dorm
6. The first couch Mark and I bought – a blue and green plaid one
7. The same couch with a red twill slipcover
8. My current chocolate brown leather couch
9. My parents’ new couch
10. Our friends’ dark green couch

I know. That doesn’t tell you much, does it? And there’s no going back. Once you pick one, you can’t go back and read the other chapters to see if they had better endings.

Yeah. I’m harsh like that. A couch blog post reader survey rules dictator.

(Unless I decide to write about the other couches later.)

[Please don’t pick a bad couch.]

{No pressure.}

So, what’ll it be?

This post will be linked to OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday.

----------------------------------------

Can't get enough of Giving Up on Perfect? Subscribe here, follow me on Twitter and join my Facebook page.

Daisy Chain: Book Review & Giveaway

Things aren’t always what they seem. At least I know that’s true in my own life.

My family always seems to have some sort of drama going on. Some sort of tragedy or disagreement or issue. But that’s the new normal, right? Putting the fun in dysfunctional, or however that saying goes?

Maybe. But I remember one particularly dark season when I was a senior in high school. My family went through something so traumatic that I didn’t know how to deal. I didn’t know how to work through it. I didn’t know if anything would ever be okay again.

But I couldn’t tell anyone about it. Because there are some things you just don’t talk about. Even if it eats you up inside.

Have you ever felt that way?

Jed Pepper has. He’s the main character in Mary DeMuth’s new novel, Daisy Chain. Here’s a synopsis of the book:

The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1973 spins three lives out of control-Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter’s demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis.

In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He’s convinced it’s his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed’s pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he’s been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom.

I’m in the middle of this book right now, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to work tomorrow. Not because I’ll still be reading (It’s not that long, and I’m not that slow!), but because there’s no way I’m stopping to do laundry. And I’m pretty sure the black pants I want to wear tomorrow are dirty!

Here’s the giveaway part:
If you’d like a chance to read the book, today is your lucky day. Well, actually – dare I say, ironically – this Friday, the 13th, could be your lucky day. Because three readers will receive a FREE copy of this book. All you have to do is leave a comment by midnight (CST) on Thursday, March 12. I’ll announce the three randomly selected winners on Friday.

If Mary DeMuth’s name sounds familiar, it’s because I wrote about her a couple months ago. You can find her giving great writing advice at The Writing Spa and Wanna Be Published, and you can read more about her in the interview below.

Tell me a little bit about your background and your family.

You can read my testimony on my website (http://www.marydemuth.com/). I came from a difficult upbringing, but Jesus saw fit to find me at fifteen. He has utterly changed my life.

I’ve been married 18 years to my husband Patrick (who’s been told he looks like George Clooney on more than one occasion). Interesting side note: I’ve been told I look like Laura Dern, and we share the EXACT same birthday. Twins separated at birth? Possibly. If you’re reading this and you’re chums with Laura, could you probe a bit?

How did you get involved in writing?

I’ve been writing since college when the bug hit me. I wrote my first short story about a missionary going to Russia (when it was firmly encased behind the iron curtain) and having to do all these clandestine things to share the gospel. I’m embarrassed to write this, but the piece started with these four words: Thump, thump, thump, thump (representing the protagonist’s heartbeat, of course).

I’ve been actively writing since 1992 when my daughter Sophie was born. I created a newsletter that helped moms manage their homes. I bought my first computer from the proceeds. I also designed and edited church newsletters, wrote homeschooling curriculum, and even wrote a script for an ultrasound training video. Soon after, short stories started flying out of me. When we moved from East Texas to Dallas for my husband to go to Dallas Seminary, I decided to get serious. I met my friend Sandra Glahn then, a professor at the seminary and a published writer. She shepherded me through the query-letter-writing process and has been an incredible cheerleader.

In 2002, I wrote my first novel. In 2003, I signed with an agent, then signed two nonfiction books. Since then, I’ve had five books published (those included), Daisy Chain being my sixth book. The first novel I wrote is yet to be published.

Where did you get the idea for Daisy Chain?

I had a friend who shared a difficult story with me. He grew up in a Christian home. His father was in leadership in the Christian community. From the outside, all looked perfect. But behind closed doors, life was very, very hard. I wanted to expose that kind of abuse. That’s why the idea of family secrets plays heavily into all three books of the Defiance, Texas trilogy.

What do you hope to accomplish with Daisy Chain?

I liken this book to an Oprah book, but with hope. Yes, there is darkness and meanness abounding in this world, but God’s light has a way of fully penetrating that darkness. I hope Daisy Chain cradles the reader through its deep, scary journey clear through to the end because redemption will shine brighter in the midst of darkness. That’s my own personal testimony, so it can’t help but leak out on the page.

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter the drawing for your own copy. Or, hey, go out and buy a copy of your own! (Or both...I really love it when you comment!)