It’s Valentine’s Day and I challenge you to take care of yourself today! Whether it’s giving yourself a great big hug and saying out loud, “I LOVE ME!” or virtual meeting with friends or family, sending silly text messages, or slow dancing with your sweetheart with a YouTube video playlist!
I challenge you to screenshot or snap a picture of your favorite Valentine’s Day cards I made for you and share out to those you care about! I’m including all the Valentine’s cards below! Keep scrolling!
I was up early this morning on the One Word Writer Podcast sharing the behind the scenes of Love Over Pizza! The host, Tish Bouvier, shared more tips on how you could spend your day! I was so blessed to be invited to her show to share my story! She also gave me a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift this morning! Listen to find out more!
If you’re looking for a sweet, romantic playlist check out my Love Over Pizza playlist!
Here’s my playlist for Love Over Pizza!
This is the last day to get Love Over Pizza on sale for $3.99! Grab a cup of hot chocolate, stay warm, and snuggle up to your Kindle and spend the day reading!
Love Over Pizza by Jen Lowry on Kindle
Free Valentine’s Day Cards to share! If you send it out on social media, don’t forget to tag me @jenlowrywrites and I’d love to retweet or share!
Valentine’s Day CardsValentine’s Day CardsValentine’s Day CardsValentine’s Day Cards
I hope that you have a blessed day. Remember, Jesus loves you. If you haven’t given your heart to Jesus, today would be a lovely day to start.
I would like to introduce a dear author friend who has wonderful news! We’re here to celebrate this Sunday and are just in time to for her launch week of her new picture book, Lenny the Last Lightning Bug. Join me in celebrating author and podcast host, Alison Hendrix, as the Sunday Spotlight Author of the week!
Meet Alison Hendrix
Alison Hendrix lives in North Carolina with her husband and daughter. Her writing is inspired by her family and her faith, and she enjoys finding magic in everyday situations. Though she’s always enjoyed writing, her career as an author actually began when her daughter was born. Alison has written and illustrated children’s books, middle grade novels, short fantasy stories and poems.
When asked what authors have inspired Alison, here was her response:
“Hands down, C.S. Lewis is my favorite, his Narnia series sucked me into a whole new world of adventure when I was too young to even read them. My father read them to my brother and I, and most of my kid’s stories are heavily influenced by Lewis. I am also inspired by Charles Dickens, his writing is just beautiful, if not always happy. Frank Pretti introduced me to spiritual battles, and my WIP Pastor Rising, is heavily influenced by that. I think, too, that Madeleine L’Engle created a world that I am so inspired by in A Wrinkle in Time. I could go on and on.”
We should know better than to ask an author to recommend books! Here’s Alison’s list:
“I’m currently reading “Much Ado About Nothing,” and “Stop Asking Jesus into your Heart.” Hmm, only three to recommend, well, of course the Bible, then “Jane Eyre,” “Last of the Breed,” and “The Silver Chalice.””
She also had advice for our author friends.
“I highly recommend finding writer’s groups, online and in person, to keep yourself accountable and to share ideas! I found my local group on Meetup.”
To find out more about Alison and her books visit her on Amazon and social media. She’d love to hear from you and connect! Trust me when I say she’s an amazing friend and writer!
Jen is the author of clean books for all ages. She has eleven published books, and another YA Contemporary Romance, Sweet Potato Jones, with Swoon Romance, publishing 2020! To check out Jen’s published works, please visit Amazon & Barnes & Noble!
I’ve got that plastic life that screams for me to stay surrounded by the noise to make it all fade
When parts of me just keep drifting away
But no one is wiser of the truth
One step in front of the other
One move to cover the next mistake
And all I do is find myself on the floor about to break
There’s a part of me that let go long ago
Where it went I can’t rightly say
All I know is that it brought me pain
Watching pieces of us float away
And I’ll never get it back
There’s no going back
And all the parts of me cry out
Why did I let it go
But there’s no turning back
And no point in living life in rewind
The past is just that
It’s not here right now
And neither am I with you
And I keep floating away
Why did you have to leave me
Why did you have to go
To the place that divides us
And I can’t get there on my own
There is this gulf of separation
A heartbeat that is not yours anymore
And I just know
This isn’t the way it was supposed to go
I hear you whisper through trees at me
You call out to me in the gentle breeze
You tell me it was no ones fault
To stop blaming God and stop getting caught
In all the traps and snares the devil and man keeps leaving for me
To pick myself up
I’m your girl
And if you could you’d still give me the world
You left enough for me to be able to believe
But there’s a part of me that let go long ago
Where it went I can’t rightly say
All I know is that it brought me pain
Watching pieces of us float away
And I’ll never get it back
There’s no going back
And all the parts of me cry out
Why did I let it go
But there’s no turning back
And no point in living life in rewind
The past is just that
It’s not here right now
And neither am I with you
If there’s no going back
And I know that’s the truth
Why do I still watch pieces of me float away
Inspired by the Sweet Romance, Offbeat by Jen Lowry
Follow me to share the love:
Patreon – Writing Warriors for Jesus (Christian Author Community – Where I can be your author coach and you can connect with other Christian writers): https://www.patreon.com/join/JenLowry
I am so blessed to share with all of you a “God Thing” that happened yesterday. Mrs. Rachel taught me that saying and to believe that God is in the midst of even the smallest workings of our lives. God showed up yesterday and gave me just the confirmation I needed at the beginning of my author journey that what I was doing was pleasing in His sight. He loves me and knows the ins and outs of all of author life, right down to the color of the yarn. Amen.
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch – I rate it 5 Stars
On my road to discovering 70 books this year of different genres, I finally had my sigh moment when it came to the just-what-I-needed book at the exact-time-I-needed-it experience.
I’ve had The Last Lecture on my radar to read for awhile. Just the title and premise alone catches my attention. As a teacher and previous college professor, if I had to stand up in to present a presentation that was meant to capture the essence of the journey, while leaving an impression on the audience that could do exactly what I did – sigh – that’s a serious undertaking. And with the undertaker right at your door and you know it … not much time for contemplating or revising. Or a million read overs and edits and second guesses.
And so, I read the book with the end in mind. I knew what was to come. I had heard the story before, but I plowed on through rows and fields of wisdom and quirkiness that I adored. I felt seeds planting page by page and Miracle-Gro of the Spirit already bringing me a recognition of peace and understanding. And by the end of the book, tears watered that field. It wasn’t perfect rows of corn that were planted, but a field of haphazard wildflowers, of every color imaginable, bursting forth towards the sun just hanging out. Doing their thing. The wildflowers were free and happy to be, but they still dominated with voices saying, do better next time … and on to the next help … get that right … mark those words … hold on tight to that same attitude … dream bigger … dream out loud …
And it was truly a read where at times I felt as if Randy was right there, slanting his eyes at me, saying to not deter from the work before me, “Brick walls are there for a reason. And once you get over them-even if someone has practically had to throw you over-it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it.”
Because for the past year that’s been my mission, and what I have tried to do with not a big fan fare or accolades, not a flood of five star reviews or explosive applause. Just be there for other authors and writers. Others with shared dreams as me … to be there … here … and how does it all work, and how can we keep learning, and what do we need to think about next … and the day in and day out of it is all out there for my children to one day grasp the work that was put into it. To leave behind the way their momma took her passion and didn’t let go of that thing until it became.
There is no overnight success for me. There are people that literally have to pick me up and throw me over walls. There are more days than I can count that I just trudge along, praying that all of this is going to come together somehow … and until that day happens … let me tell others how I am doing it on the podcast, on videos, and now on this author blog.
Listen to my podcast review and application to my author life
This book had a profound effect on me. These are the types of books that matter. They make you smile, visualize hot air balloon rides on honeymoons, want to put down the book to go hug your children (which I did, more than once), and then start back reading to rocket the way to the end so the heart doesn’t break before the last word of wisdom. It causes reflection. It causes shifts.
Those are the kind of books for me that make the five star heavenly review. This tiny little book is now going to be passed along to my sixteen year old son to read. He has already agreed. I’ve already texted Tonya – “Have you read it yet?” She hadn’t. But I hope she will. She said it will be on her list.
If you, like me, are coming late to this party of The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, then here is your personal invitation. I challenge you to read The Last Lecture. Will you accept?
Original Country Song By Jen Lowry
Monarch - Dr. Jen Lowry 