Do you let God use your pain?

Last week, in addition to containing our anniversary -- Yeah!, contains the anniversary of our first miscarriage. The two are tied together in many ways. The first year after the miscarriage the grief pulled my under. The second year I still felt it. By this year, a part of me spent the week wondering what that child would have been like. What he or she would have added to our family. But I also praised God for our three and a half year-old. I can't imagine our family without her. At all.

Part of rejoices in the idea that healing has come. I didn't spend two days under the waves of grief. Praise God! God has answered my prayers to bring good and beauty from our miscarriages, and He has. There have been seasons of struggle, questioning, and pain, but through it all God was there.

Looking for an alternative to Twilight?

Today, I'm delighted to introduce you to my friend Heather Burch. Isn't that cover incredible? It's for her debut YA novel, Halflings. I got to know her through first time orientation for the ACFW conference last year. Then I got to spend time with her at the conference. I was delighted to win a basket she donated for the silent auction. And part of that is the copy of her book which is winging its way to my house as I type. I could wait to post this interview until I've read the book, but her book is available now, so wanted to introduce you to her as soon as I could!

Thanks Cara for asking me to stop by and answer a few questions.

Heather, Halflings is your debut novel. How did you come up with the idea for this book?


It had been in the back of my mind for a long time. I wanted to someday write a story about teenagers saving the world. I'm also an X-Men fan so the idea of teens with supernatural abilities was too much to resist. One day I was working on a completely different project and the entire multi-book story arc started forming. I fell in love with the characters right away. They took over my thoughts and very quickly I forgot about the other project and gave Halflings my full attention.

I love it when characters become so real to me they take over my thoughts! This book is targeted at the YA audience. What draws you to write for this group of readers?

Chasing Mona Lisa Review with Giveaway information

In Chasing Mona Lisa, Goyer & Yorkey bring back characters from the Swiss Courier and add a host of new characters to a thrilling tale set in Paris and beyond during World War II. This time, the hunt is on to save art that is disappearing into the Nazi abyss while also trying to be in place when Paris changes hands.

I love how this duo finds true happenings from World War II and incorporates them into a story that doesn't stop moving. The characters are so real and identifiable. These aren't perfect people and they are thrust into situations I can only imagine, but in their responses I find shadow of myself.

This is a great book for lovers of World War II or readers who love a historical novel set against the backdrop of real events.

Chasing Mona Lisa is the continuing tale of Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler (first introduced in The Swiss Courier). This time the due are on a relentless quest to save the most famous painting in the world  - the Mona Lisa. You can help Gabi and Eric with your very own spy pack when you enter The Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway!

One passionate protector will receive:

• iTouch (The must-have device for any spy. Camera, Maps & Music.)


• Starbucks Gift Card (For all those late nights.)


• Moleskin Notebook (For those important notes.)


• Invisible Ink Pen (Don’t want anyone reading those important notes.)


• Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey (Great handbook and intriguing tale for any spy-in-training!)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on January 31st. The winner will be announced at the Chasing Mona Lisa Facebook Party on 1/31. Tricia and Mike will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from Tricia's website) and giving away their books and a Book Club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Tricia and Mike.)

So grab your copy of Chasing Mona Lisa and join Tricia and Mike on the evening of the 31st for an author chat, spy training (do you know how to pick a lock?) and lots of giveaways. 

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 31st!

Here's a quick way to train for a mini-marathon

The first weekend in May, Eric and I will run the Indy 500 mini-marathon. This will be my third time, Eric's fourth. While I'm by no means the fastest runner, I actually enjoy the way training forces me to do something those dreary winter months when it's easy to keep my posterior planted on the couch. So how do I get ready?

I'm so glad you asked. This month (January) I've tried to get on the treadmill three times a week...if for nothing more than to remind my body how to move. I quickly learned I needed new shoes and then had to take the week to break those in. But now I'm ready to move to the next level. Official training.

But starting February 1st, I'm pulling out a three-month training program that has worked great for me.

In honor of romance...some reviews!

My anniversary is this week, so I'm in a romantic mood. So I wanted to tell you about two books I've read recently that I loved! One is The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter, a contemporary romance set in Montana with a cowboy flair. The other is The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, a delightful regency by Julie Klassen.

In The Accidental Bride sets up an almost impossible situation...two people who planned to elope as teens, now find themselves married through a fake ceremony. As I was reading I kept waiting to see how she would pull it off -- boy did she! Shay can't stand the thought that her neighbors are watching her to see what another man wiill leave her. Travis just wants a do-over of the past tired of living with his regrets. The valid marriage license seems to be the ticket to make Shay give him a chance. She needs money to save her ranch and he needs time to prove his love is real.

Want to take your writing to the next level?

I'm thrilled that my friend Tricia Goyer and I will be co-teaching a continuing education class at ACFW's conference this fall. This is just one of six sessions -- the only thing that makes me sad about teaching is that I can't attend one of the other sessions!

Here's more about our sessions:

In this class multi-published, award-winning authors Cara Putman and Tricia Goyer will show you that while there may not be one right way to write a novel, there are the best tools to use to take you from unpublished to holding your freshly published book in your hands. We will cover many of the essential aspects required to move from good writing to a story that gets an editor or agent’s attention.


 If you're interested in writing, if you have a complete manuscript resting on your hard drive, if you're not sure how to get started or what to do next, or if you have 20 published novels, the ACFW conference will have something for you. Check out the website to learn more.

Looking for a Game Changer on Prayer?

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson is a game changer for me on the way I approach prayer. While prayer is a practice Christians are urged to do as soon as they make a profession of faith, Batterson brings a new approach with the concept of circling our dreams with expectation. And the challenge that if our dreams are small enough that we don't need God's intervention, then we need to ask God for bigger dreams. This book released at a time that I received a major disappointment...the perfect time to dig deeper and ask God how to approach the reality that dreams don't always come packaged the way I'd like.

Mark Batterson writes with a style that is similar to Max Lucado. His writing is very approachable and filled with stories that illustrate his points. He also pulls from a variety of illustrations. For me, it makes the book easy to come back to and memorable.

I'm also challenged to circle my kids, my spouse, my marriage, my work, every area of my life with more intention. Through the tips in this book I'm ready to keep going, circling both my dreams and my disappointments in prayer trusting and believing that God will move -- not always with the answer I expected or in the timing I craved, but that He will move.