Chasing Squirrels with author Teresa Slack

20 Dec 2011 11 Comments

by Heather H. in 12 Days of Christmas, Book Shelf

Today I’m hopping aboard the “Arctic Express” for a magical train ride around the world with conductor Steve Somers.The “Arctic Express” is stopping by my local public library as a part of the annual Christmas program. Through classic children’s books and with help from a few friends including Hopper the rabbit, Steve teaches children the importance of giving and sharing. When Steve makes it snow inside or as he brings to life the “Polar Express” with a magical bell trick, everyone is mesmerized, even the adults, who for a few minutes become kids again.

While I’m gone, my friend and writer Teresa Holey Slack is here with her guest post “Chasing Squirrels.”

Teresa Slack is the author of five novels. EVIDENCE OF GRACE, her most recent release, debuted nationwide at #18 in the Christian market. Three jobs, three grandchildren, two dogs, and a needy husband have conspired to temporarily derail her writing career. But she’s determined to get back to writing and procure another book contract for her latest novel, JOY REDEFINED…just as soon as she finishes her Christmas shopping. To learn more about Teresa and her writing, please visit www.teresaslack.com.

Teresa is giving away 2 books to the winner! Leave a comment & you will be entered to win two of her titles, STREAMS OF MERCY & A TENDER REED. (See end of post for Bonus Entries.) You can enter now through Friday, Dec. 23.

Don’t forget, you can enter each giveaway of the 12 Days of Christmas. Click here to see what (and who) you’ve missed.

Chasing Squirrels by Teresa Slack

Behind our house is a few hundred acres of state owned property. That means I have miles of hiking trails at my disposal. It is a rural area, and I have never run into another person on the trails. But I run into wildlife nearly every time I’m out there.

The other day while hiking with my dog Molly, she spotted a squirrel. She laid her ears back, lowered her body to the ground, and dug up paws full of dirt as she gave chase. She wanted that squirrel so badly she could taste it. Literally, I’m sure.

I immediately noticed the difference in her pursuit of something larger. We often see whitetail deer in the woods too. I always hope to spot them first so I can enjoy their majesty and beauty before Molly scares them away. As soon as she spots them, she’s off. But there is hesitancy in her stride. She doesn’t lower herself to the ground. She doesn’t run so fast it looks like her feet are missing the ground. She’s curious, but I can tell she’s wondering what in the world she’d do if she caught the thing.

Sometimes I wonder if we do the same thing with our writing goals. We say we’re going to write the next great American novel. We attend conferences and read the right books and groan in indignation when a celebrity or ex-president’s wife signs a multi-million dollar book deal.

But are we like Molly chasing the deer? We want it, but not badly enough to put our chests to the ground and paw up earth the way we do when we’re chasing squirrels.

You see the squirrel isn’t a threat. We can handle an overgrown rat. But a deer, well, that’s different. We’ll never catch something that moves that fast. Even if we did, we aren’t strong enough to bring it down on our own. So we begin our pursuit but hold back. Even while we’re running, we wonder if we’ve bitten off more than we can chew.

Writing is not as romantic as we’ve been led to believe. It takes blood and sweat and a strong constitution to stand against the frustration and rejection. That’s why you probably know someone who’s talked about the same book idea for years but hasn’t written the first word.

Molly thinks she wants that deer when she sets off down the hill after it, but she knows she’s outmatched. She’ll put forth a half-hearted attempt every time because she’s a herding dog and it’s in her nature to chase anything that moves.

It’s in our nature to want affirmation. We want the pat on the back, the accolades, the respect of our peers, the right to say we’ve done something that most others only dream about. But are we willing to get down in the dirt and go after it? Only you know how badly you want to catch the illusive dream of writing a novel or seeing your name in a national magazine’s byline.

Don’t be afraid to chase your dreams. Don’t let your dreams be stopped by the fear of what happens should you catch them. Pretend it’s only a squirrel you’re chasing and see how far it takes you.

**************************************************************************

Now for the contest. But First the Rules. Please read over them, they’ll likely answer any questions you have about the giveaway-if not, ask away.

This giveaway is open to US residents, with the book mailed to the winner by the author.

Here’s how you can enter to win a free copy of “Streams of Mercy” AND “A Tender Reed.”

1. Simply leave a comment under this post your name and email address.
2. Tell us about a prayer that God answered in an unexpected way.
   

BONUS ENTRIES (Leave a Separate Comment for each action you complete stating what you did along with your name and email.)

• Visit Teresa’s website
• Subscribe to my blog
• “Like’ my blog on Facebook
• Read any blog entry on my page and tell me which one you read.