Recently I received an e-mail from a new fan. She’s a fan of my books, a fan of this blog—hey, don’t you just love this woman? She included a one-liner that’s become my new favorite compliment. Talk about a quotable quote. (We shall ignore the fact that it takes a rather twisted mind to consider this a positive statement.) She wrote:
I didn't know how to connect serial killers with salvation..... until I met YOU!
Makes my heart sing, I'm tellin' ya.
How about you BGs? Anybody out there receive an interesting compliment? Or perhaps give someone else one? Come on and share the glory.
17 comments:
Hi Brandilyn,
I'm a new Forensics and Faith fan, thanks to hearing about you from Mary DeMuth. Your "How I Got Here" posts have been inspiring for me as I attempt my first novel for NaNoWriMo.
Here's an encouraging comment I received yesterday that reminds me why it's worth it to blog. It was from a post I wrote a couple of months ago on how to submit short stories to compilation books.
Someone wrote, "I've just started to write my memoirs, and today I was Googling for similar blogs hoping to exchange links. I found your positive post instead, and thanks for the encouragement. I feel like it was written just for me."
Wow - made my day! :)
Let me set the scene: My wife, her two sisters, her mother, and I are at the funeral home, making arrangements for my father-in-law's early demise.
My wife, negotiator extraordinaire, still in shock and mourning, manages to get a healthy chunk knocked off the funeral price after considerable bickering. The funeral director leaves the room momentarily to check on something. I turn to my wife, grin, and say, "You da man!"
For a brief moment on a sad day, we had laughter instead of tears.
-rquad
After telling Phil my story took an unexpected twist and it surprised me, he patted me on the head.
Later, I cleaned out a closet to put an old schooldesk and my laptop in so I could shut a door and be away from it all (uhm...no internet in the closet!) He patted my head and said, "Its ok honey. I still love you."
They just don't get it.
I like that pic of you Brandilyn. I can't think of any recent compliments, but I'm enjoying reading everyone else's. Hope you are having a splendid day!
Me: What do you do when you get writer's block?
An author (I've seen her here so I won't name her): Kill someone.
From a friend about his protagonist: In book two, he and the girl finally admit they love each other, then, that same night, he's kidnapped, starved, and subjected to daily beatings for a week. I had to do it. He's been way too healthy lately.
From a friend, to me: That is sick and twisted and I love you.
I think yours still wins, though. :P
Someone once told me my first published short story reminded them of Frank Peretti's writing. Boy, that made my day. I was like 18 or 19 and Peretti was really the reason I began writing.
Ah, to relive that moment ...
"Are you black, or do you have a special gift of empathy?"
A reader wrote this to me.
It was after she read my novella "Free Indeed" in the collection Sweet Liberty. My heroine was a newly-freed slave in Charleston in 1859. While writing the story, I asked the Lord to let me crawl into Winkie's skin and feel what she felt: bitterness because of the way her people were treated, etc.
That comment made me say, "Thank You, Lord."
Oh, I'm lovin' these. Thanks for the laughs on a Tuesday morning.
I got a funny comment from a critique partner. There is a phsyco pastor in my WIP who warps the Bible for his own purposes. My crit partner (a pastor's wife from TN) made the notation, "beautiful twisting of Scripture!"
I have a hunch that I know this blogger, this new fan of yours. (Wink). By the way, did you know that Jesus healed a ceiling fan? Read Mark 2.
Jannie Ernst
It feels odd to testify to this since I have 4 complete novels which remain unpublished, but . . .
One test reader of my second novel told me in tears that it was the best Christian novel she'd ever read. Another told me in tears that I had no idea how much that book ministered to her.
A single mom with two children told me in tears my third novel helped her to realize that "[my book] reminds us that Christ's sacrifice made us former misfits worthy of ALL of God's love".
A published author volunteered to read my second novel and said he was totally engaged, the characters were real and unique, and he gave me serious compliments on my writing.
Can't tell you what those mean to me amidst the tears of rejection.
I've given plenty of "attaboys" to Christian authors--who've since become friends--when they've either tickled my fancy or disturbed my complaceny with a special turn of phrase. I love to give honor where honor's due.
My seven-year-old step-son recently picked up my five pound Webster's dictionary and said, "Tina, is THIS the book you wrote?"
Those are all so funny. I'm not a writer so I can't tell any of those stories but the compliments I love best are the ones from children in all their sweet innocence. Like, "I love leaning on you Mommy, 'cause you're all soft and like a big pillow". Ummm ya thanks , I think! :vD
After reading a scene written from the PoV of a minotaur-like character one of my crit group members sat back with a rather shocked look on her face and said, "That was almost poetic."
Best compliment ever? My husband after being told about my first contract....God has blessed you, as if He said "well done".
I'm visiting from the Carnival of Christian Writers.
I received a compliment today from a critique I won from the Keep Me In Suspense blog.
Candice said, "You are an EXCELLENT writer. Your grammar is excellent. Though I didn't do a line edit, I saw nothing that jumped out at me. That is wonderful!"
So many times I doubt my writing abilites that when I read her compliment I was so happy I wanted to cry!
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