Life and work have been super busy and kept me away from blogging, but I also had a technical snafu. Even though I renewed my domain and hosting package, my site disappeared when the expiration date hit. Ack! A big shout-out to my writing friend Cindy Reynolds for alerting me to that so I could get it fixed! And another shout-out to my hosting service for taking care of things. It’s good to be back, and I’ll hopefully be here more regularly than in the last couple of months.

Now on to some bloggy things.

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Last week, the world lost a legend in children’s literature: Maurice Sendak. Many people probably know him best as the author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are. How many times did you hop into that boat with Max and sail to that special place? I did more than I can count.

I also had a boxed set of four more Sendak books, known as the Nutshell Library: Pierre, Chicken Soup with Rice, Alligators All Around, and One Was Johnny. They were tiny books that I loved to carry around (and my kids did, too). To be honest, I don’t remember reading One Was Johnny. I loved the story of Pierre (the boy who answered, “I don’t care!” to anything someone said) and the rhymes in Chicken Soup with Rice were fun (sipping once, sipping twice, sipping chicken soup with rice).

In honor of all that Maurice Sendak did, here are 10 facts you might not have known. Some of them were surprises for me!

• He said he set a goal of becoming a writer and illustrator when he was only 4 or 5 years old.
• Sendak never thought of himself as a children’s author. He said he was an author who told the truth about childhood.
• He wrote and illustrated more than books, either of his own or with other authors.
• He also worked as a designer for plays and ballet and opera productions, including renditions of The Nutcracker, The Magic Flute, and Hansel and Gretel.
• Sendak won the Caldecott Medal in 1964 for the book Where the Wild Things Are. He received the American National Medal of the Arts in 1996 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, D.C.
• The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia awarded Sendak an honorary doctorate degree in 1998 for his services to children’s literature.
• He was an early member of the group that eventually produced Sesame Street.
• Where the Wild Things Are was originally titled Where the Wild Horses Are. Sendak gave that up when he discovered that he couldn’t draw horses.
• Where the Wild Things Are is only 10 sentences long.
• Several of the Wild Things were caricatures of relatives who used to visit his family when he was a child.

So … did you (or your children) love Where the Wild Things Are, or did those bizarre-looking creatures give you the willies? What was your favorite part in Wild Things, or any of Sendak’s other stories? I’d love to hear from you!

The stress of living a dream public persona and a nightmare private reality threatens to destroy a family unit, taking each member in its wake. Through a variety of physical and emotional weapons, one by one they will crumble. What will it cost to get the kind of marriage and home life that match the public persona? And who will pay it?

Now for the fun part – an interview with Michael, the husband in Triumph Through Trial. Let’s sit with him for a few minutes and see what it’s like to be part of Theresa’s book.

Interview with Michael

Q.  Hello, Michael.  I’m so glad you could join us.  Will you tell us a bit about yourself?

A.  I am Michael Owens.  I am head of the Owens’ household.  My wife, Cynthia and I have three very talented young adult children.

Q.  It sounds like you’re proud of them.

A.  Proud doesn’t begin to describe my feelings for my children.  They are absolutely the light of my life.  I am the richest man in the world because God gave me these three children.

Photo from stock.xchng

A.  I am an ordained deacon serving our local church.

Q.  Are the children active in the church?

A.  Yes, they are.  Again, I will say they are wonderful children.

Q.  Is Cynthia active in the church?

A.  Yes, she is the church secretary.

Q.  Can you tell us a little about Triumph Through Trial?

A.  Triumph Through Trial is a chronicle of how God brought our family to the point where He wanted us to be spiritually.

Q.  Sounds like that might be full of challenges. What kind of marriage do you and Cynthia have?

A.  I’d rather not discuss my marriage, if you don’t mind.

Q.  Oops, sorry.  I didn’t mean to offend you.

A.  You didn’t offend me.  There are just some things that are too painful to talk about.

Q.  Then let’s move on.  I know you don’t want to discuss unpleasant things, but I must ask you about the accident you have in Triumph Through Trial.  What happens?

A.  I was parked in my car when I was attacked by a gang.

Q.  Were you hurt?

A.  Very badly, and Theresa was very graphic about my injuries.

Q.  Wow. Does she allow you to recover from the injuries?

A.  Oh, I think Theresa would be very upset if I answered that.

Q.  We wouldn’t want to upset Theresa.

A.  No, we wouldn’t.

Author Theresa Franklin

Q.  Well, why don’t we close by telling my readers where they can get their own copy of Triumph Through Trial?

A.  There are links on Theresa’s blogs and websites.  They’re also available through amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Q.  How do we get to Theresa’s blogs and websites?

A.  http://theresa-lifesjourney.blogspot.com or http://theresa-thebookmama.blogspot.com or www.storiesforchrist.com

Thanks, Michael.  I hope we get to see you in future stories from Theresa.

And for for everyone else, you can also see the story from another angle. Visit Rose McCauley’s blog for another character interview with Michael’s wife Cynthia. Thanks for supporting the authors of the John 3:16 Marketing Network!

Of course, that celebration didn’t last long. Those who despised Jesus turned the crowds against Him and put their plot to kill Him into motion. Within days, Jesus hung on a cross as a convicted criminal and died the most humiliating, excruciating type of death imaginable. All for us.

My pastor pointed out in Bible study last week that so many times we tend to focus on the physical torture and pain of Christ’s death. The thorns buried into His scalp, the gaping wounds from whips and clubs, the holes driven through muscle and bone as spikes impaled His hands and feet. “Tortuous” doesn’t begin to describe what those hours must have felt like, but that wasn’t the worst for Jesus.

The worst part for Him would have been the agony of being separated from God at the end.  Jesus took on all of our sins — for everyone, for everything, for all of time — so that He could be the only acceptable sacrifice on our behalf. As R.C. Sproul said in our DVD lesson last week, “Jesus not only takes the curse upon Himself, He becomes the curse. Once Jesus had all of our sins imputed on Him, He was the most loathsome sight ever in the universe. God placed the curse on Jesus in order that we might not bear the curse ourselves.”(from What did Jesus do? by R.C. Sproul)

Because everything about God is holy, Jesus couldn’t be with God while He took on our sins. And that was more tortuous for Him than any physical pain the Romans inflicted.

Praise God, that separation and Jesus’s death didn’t last! The story didn’t end when He died on the cross and was put into the tomb.

We’ll celebrate Jesus’s resurrection and triumph on Sunday. And what a celebration it should be! But we can’t sing and dance with the people on Palm Sunday and again on Easter Sunday without remembering what happened in between (or at least we shouldn’t). Jesus had to die and carry that curse before He could be raised from the dead and save us from God’s wrath.

So today, in remembrance of what Christ went through on the day He died — the day we call Good Friday — I’d like to share a video. It’s to a song by Nichole Nordeman that I’ve loved for years: “Why?” Most of the scenes are from “The Passion of the Christ,” so be forewarned that they can be pretty graphic. Grab some tissues, take a deep breath, and see what it might’ve been like that day. Then I hope you’ll take time to thank Jesus with all your heart for what He did — and get ready to rejoice on Easter.

Today I’m pleased to be part of a book launch tour for Tracy Krauss, a fellow member of the John 3:16 Author Marketing Network. Her latest title is And the Beat Goes On. I’ve not had a chance to read it yet, but it sure sounds interesting!

Here’s the back cover rundown:

Canadian born archeologist Mark Graham unearths a remarkable discovery while at a dig in the mountains of Zimbabwe – pterodactyl remains and giant human bones buried together. Speculation leads to the possible existence of a mythical race known as ‘Nephilim,’ a pre-flood people alleged to have descended from both gods and men.

But skepticism and sabotage delay Mark and his team as the dig site is compromised, putting their discovery – as well as his very life – in grave danger. Deceived and framed by trusted friends and colleagues, Mark struggles to safeguard his findings and protect his reputation in order to unearth the mystery behind the Nephilim.

The creativity of authors always throws something my way I wasn’t expecting – and things I would probably never think of myself. Here’s what Tracy has to say about where the story originated:

Why I Wrote And the Beat Goes On

Essentially, And The Beat Goes On is a commentary on the Creation vs. Evolution debate, while at the same time a redemptive story about one man’s inner struggles with faith. I became interested in the topic for the first time when I became a Christian and was faced with the huge discrepancy between what the Bible had to say about the origins of the universe and what mainstream scientific thought had to say on the subject. This led to much reading and research, which I later put into use when I decided to homeschool my own children. When I decided to write the book, I had already finished another novel called Play It Again – the story of an ex rock and roll junkie and a stuffy accountant whose one night stand has complicated outcomes and eventually leads them both to redemption in Christ. The protagonist’s son, Mark – a studious eleven year old who likes fossils and arrowheads – seemed like the perfect character for the this next novel. (Thus the tie in with the musical reference in the title) I am also a long time Sci-fi/fantasy buff, so I wanted to somehow include some references to the Nephilim – those mysteriously wicked people who lived before the flood.

My hope is that readers will first and foremost enjoy the book as a good story, for that is what fiction is supposed to be. I do not pretend to be an expert on the scientific aspects of Intelligent Design, but I have tried to include enough information to at least whet the appetites of those who are interested, without coming across as pedantic or bore readers with long scientific explanations. Many issues raised are left somewhat open ended, since it is my belief that intelligent people need to make up their own minds about what they believe, not just take someone else’s word for it. Also, I wanted to highlight the grace of God and point to Jesus as the answer to even life’s most difficult questions.  The book is a mystery, a suspense story, and also a romance. In the end, I hope readers will be entertained, but also left pondering the bigger questions of the universe.

Author Tracy Krauss

Does she have you intrigued yet? Visit Tracy’s website or blog to learn more, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

And, if you decide to read And the Beat Goes On, help spread the news! Just come back here and leave a comment so we can all know what you think.

Tracy Krauss is a high school teacher by profession, and a prolific author, artist, playwright and director by choice. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Saskatchewan and has gone on to teach Art, Drama and English – all the things she is passionate about. After raising four children, she and her husband now reside in beautiful Tumbler Ridge, BC where she continues to pursue all of her creative interests.

Everybody likes a freebie, and Lynn Dove of the John 3:16 Marketing Network for authors has just made it easier to find one. She’s posted a group of 38 Christian books on her blog that are currently free on Kindle (or at least they were when her post went live earlier this week).

But Lynn didn’t just post book covers. Each one links to that book’s Kindle page, so she makes it extra easy for you to learn more about each title and download it if you’re interested.

I’ve read a few of the books here and thought they were great. Maybe you’ll find a weekend treasure for yourself — check them out at Lynn’s Word Salt blog.