Memoirist Marian Joins Rave Reviews Book and Blog Party
Welcome to the #RRBC "ROCKIN' 2020 AWAY" BOOK, BLOG & TRAILER Block Party! @martabeaman #Giveaways * * * Here's What I'm Giving Away Today: $ 10.00 Target Gift Card Post a comment to go into the draw - Good Luck! (One winner only) Dear readers: Thank you...
13-Year-Old Ian: Not Quite a Bar Mitzvah
Ian Christopher Beaman Born in 2007 2 pounds, 5 ounces Now age 13 Strapping young man, full of vigor, praise God! A precarious beginning, indeed Our fourth grandchild appeared unexpectedly in early October, on his mother’s birthday, not as anticipated in early...
I Didn’t See that Coming: My 2020 Schedule
The book promotion part of my life started out robust in early 2020. My calendar was chock full of goodies, bulging with Ways to engage with readers and market Mennonite Daughter. Here is what January looked like . . . Then came February . . . How...
Remembering Sunday Dinners, PA Dutch Style and a New Author
The tradition of Sunday dinner with guests, thriving in our Mennonite (and larger) community as late as the early 1970s, was an expression of a communal spirit. It was an equally culinary and sacramental Sabbath experience. Now, except among the Plain...
Grandpa Sam’s 80th Birthday Party
Great Grandpa Sam, born in 1863, was honored with a party for his 80th birthday. My great grandfather Samuel Brinser Martin's birthday party was even written up in the Middleton (Pennsylvania) newspaper. I don't know whether my family was invited to the party,...
Slights and Offenses: How Do You Handle Them?
“Uh, oh, look here.” Husband Cliff was perusing local news online in our city newspaper. “Here’s a photo of Kitty and Karl Ellison’s house. A big, old live oak fell on their roof yesterday!” I shivered as I glanced at the disturbing sight. Seconds later, I felt a...
School Opens: Aunt Ruthie’s Diary Speaks
At Rheems Elementary School in Pennsylvania, classes began right after Labor Day, just like clockwork. My aunt was my teacher in the first four grades, the charms and challenges of which I describe in my memoir. Miss Longenecker, aka my Aunt Ruthie, taught...
Girl, Wash Your Face
Rachel Hollis is In your face Real Relevant Author Rachel Hollis' story is a rags to riches narrative, the heroine moving from Weedpatch (actual name!), California, to luxurious Bel Air, near Hollywood. Her book, published by Thomas Nelson in 2018, is also a...
The Astonishing Story of Little Ruby Bridges
Little black girl Smartly dressed in white Beginning first grade in New Orleans Who is Ruby Bridges? Ruby Bridges, a six-year-old African American girl, is pictured on her first day of class at the William Frantz School in New Orleans, Louisiana....
Taking Steps
A breeze brushes my face as I walk through our neighborhood. Homes in the early morning sit politely on manicured lawns, some with pulsing arcs of water irrigating the grass. Here and there, crepe myrtle trees tout torches of fuchsia, lavender, or cream. I spot a fire...
Compensation: A Wedding Anniversary Meditation
How is a married couple like a herd of African wildebeests and zebras? Herds of African wildebeests and zebras migrate together because their strengths compensate for their weaknesses, making them more compatible and less vulnerable to attack....
Wordless Wednesday: Shiny Red Shoes
Guess Who’s Turning 80 in July!
It’s not me . . . at least not yet (Gotcha going there, didn't I!) Not long ago, Peggy Wheatcroft turned 80, and she did something amazing to mark the milestone. Rather than receive presents, she gave one, a gigantic one! Her gift(s) became a birthday surprise...
Fresh!
“The ground is terrible here. You can’t grow anything decent in this dirt!” Years ago, that was my dad’s pronouncement when he assessed the state of affairs in my sister Janice’s garden close to our house in Florida. True, in a land where juicy oranges, plump...
A Toilet Tissue Tale, Ukraine Style
Toilet paper and lecturer’s chalk, these were two essential items, which preceded our arrival in Kiev, Ukraine, nine years ago in April 2011. Dozens of toilet paper rolls cushioned the fragile sticks of chalk, needed for the nineteen art & music performances...
Secrets from the Game Girl Vault
I like to play games! Check all that apply: ___ Board games ___Solitaire ___Sudoku ___Crossword puzzles ___Other (__________________) I hate playing games! Check all that apply: ___Games are pointless, a waste of time. ___I never win. ___I’d rather talk to...
Cherry Ames and Curious George, What Do They Have in Common?
Do You Remember the Bobbsey Twins Books? Recently I read Jennifer Weiner’s novel, Mrs. Everything, which alluded to iconic books and products of the 1950s, like the Bobbsey Twins, Almay soap, Prell shampoo and Ship ‘n Shore blouses. Overall, her book is not a...
Mennonite Daughter: Creating a Book Trailer
What happens after a festive book launch and a fruitful book tour? Mennonite Daughter is still peddling. The Story of a Plain Girl is still logging “book-mobile” miles. But now she has a book trailer! A book trailer helps build hype for your book. It interjects...