BY GEORGE I THINK SHE'S GOT IT

I was going to call this the "Rule of Three" until research revealed that in addition to referring to a mnenomic device and a math formula regarding proportions, it also can refer to a wiccan practice. Oops. I am NOT going there.

Often I find the same Bible verse brought to my attention three different times within a short period. Or someone makes the same kind of remark three times. After three repetitions, I begin to register the pattern and my brain says "sit up and listen."

So ... at the risk of once again sounding like I'm bragging (me? never!) ... I've finally started to realize that people within the writing community recognize my name. I am becoming "known."

I still feel so low on the totem pole. I am low on the totem pole. I have written novellas and books for book clubs. Don't misunderstand me. I am proud and pleased with my work, but Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, or Liz Curtis Higgs, I am not. To my mind, I am still that neophyte writer fighting for every contract and seeking to "break through" into longer fiction.

So the Lord nudged me to say "wake up." Three, now four, things have happened:

• A writer friend attended a conference where one of her novellas was on sale. She saw a buyer approach the table, pick up her book, and set it down, saying, "Oh, I thought this was the one with Darlene Franklin in it."
• I introduce myself to writers, and they act like they know all about me.
• In an interview over at http://apenforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/ Shirley says, "You are fast becoming both a well-known and talented writer."
• I am being asked to help other writers with their marketing.

When/how did this happen?

Perhaps the application for all of us ... even when we feel stagnant ... We're growing. I have seen this past year as a whirlwind of writing and making a living by it. My marketing efforts are fairly simple. Yet, in spite of that ... God has taken care of it. The credit goes to Him.

I apologize for the lengthy delay in not blogging. I had a wonderful vacation. I came home, exhausted and sick, and missed two Mondays. This week has had its downs (car problems) and ups (another contract promised!) but I began to feel human again. Now I am once again struggling with motivation. I have done next to no writing. Am I scared by success? I don't know.

Maybe next month I should put a word count on my blog so I can stay accountable to all of you!

As always, leave a comment for a chance to win a book this month.