Our group of forty-something people went with a local leader to New Zealand and Australia in March. We had perfect weather, wonderful activities including snorkeling, riding in a glass-bottom boat, and parasailing over the Great Barrier Reef. We saw beautiful scenery, interesting animals including koala bears and other marsupials, kiwis, and crocodiles, and ate interesting food. We interacted with the native people from down under, and made new friends. I bought some black pearl jewelry and some natural opal jewelry. Our guide was knowledgeable and had a winning smile. We had a great time! I highly recommend Collette Tours. I will go with a group and the same local leader using Collette Tours in April to Greece (In the Steps Of Paul). The trip will even include a cruise to several islands. (Think Mama Mia.) I look forward to the trip. 

Two years ago before Christmas, I sold books at five events, but last year, due to the trip to Italy in November, I only sold books at the Christmas In October event and in our Pac & Mail. So this year, I am focused on selling books at more events. I have four lined up: Christmas In October, Cornerstone Outreach Ministry's Vendor Fair, Coulter Road Baptist Church's Shop-til-you Drop, and Texas High Plains Writer's READiculous Book Fair. Glenn is a retailer all year, but my retailing is mostly in the last three months of the year.

I thought my latest writing project/manuscript was finished, but, alas, I need to revise it. I can practically hear you nodding your head and saying, "Been there. Done that." Each revision makes it better, so I'm happy to make the changes even though they are time consuming and brain draining. Fortunately, I recharge fairly quickly. And there's the interesting research for the next book to keep me buoyed. I can imagine God on a ladder. Each time I climb a rung and think, "Hooray! I know a little more about you," he sprints up two rungs higher and lets me know I will never know him fully in this life.

I will skip through Halloween and wish you and yours an excellent Happy Thanksgiving and an amazing Merry Christmas. For me, the special music is the highlight of this time of year. So, go to some musical events, like First Baptist in Amarillo's annual Choir presentation, the Amarillo Symphony's Happy Holidays event, other church presentations, children's specials, and make some children happy! Try to eat healthy food even if, like me, you would rather eat every delicious dessert within reach. 

My author's mission statement is attached. Even this project needed revision. It was supposed to be "thirty words or less," she said. "Done," I finally stated. "Exactly thirty!"

Let me know what your favorite part of Thanksgiving and Christmas are! May God bless you and keep you within his comforting embrace. ​

In Christian love,  
 
Betty
​

I have exciting news! (drum roll) I finished the manuscript for Expecting and Encountering the Messiah, the first book in my new Biblical Historical Fiction series for adults, On the Fringes. Hooray! Also, I sent my proposal to a publisher. They said I should hear from them in less than a month. The title and cover may change, but I have attached it at the bottom for you to see. While I wait, I will begin researching for the second book in the series. Please pray for the best outcome for the books and the series, whether they get published by a traditional publisher or self-published by me. 

That is my big news. Please, feel free to let me know your big news, too.

In February, our Sanctuary Choir, FBC Amarillo, went to Washington DC to sing in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. We joined a couple of other choirs to sing Saviour, A Modern Oratorio, The Story of God's Passion for 
His People. Our director was one of the four soloists.

On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, we in Amarillo Master Chorale, Amarillo College Concert Choir, and a select orchestra presented the complete Handel's Messiah. The three parts are: 1. prophecy of the Messiah and his birth (Christmas). 2. passion, death, resurrection, and ascension. (Easter) 3. redemption of humankind and victory over death, Paul's teachings on resurrection, and Christ's glorification in heaven. I am thankful that I can still sing in such beautiful music.

When the children's choirs present a program at church, I sometimes play a song or two for the third and fourth grade choirs. I am usually their rehearsal pianist. I do as much as these old fingers will let me.

This past November, a friend joined me on a trip to Italy. Then, she invited me to accompany her to Australia and New Zealand. In NZ, we took a short cruise on Milford Sound in the Southern Alps. In Australia, we went to Cairns and to an island near the Great Barrier Reef. Some snorkeled at the reef while others of us snorkeled in shallow water, rode in the glass-bottom boat, parasailed, and relaxed on the island. In Sydney, we toured the famous opera house. Actually, it is the Great Performing Arts Theatres. I was fascinated with the sail-like design of the roofs. The largest ones cover the opera house, the medium ones cover the Performance Hall, an the small ones cover the Band Hall. Its construction spanned from 1959 to 1973, but it is still considered very modern.

Then, my friend and I decided to go to Greece in April, 2026. In fact, we have our first meeting about the trip tomorrow evening. Fun, fun, fun!

In the midst of all this fun, I researched and wrote, researched and rewrote, and sent it to my editor. The finished manuscript weighs in at 79,400 words. Oh, boy! But my editor is still looking through it for anything that needs fixing. 

May God bless you and yours.
Give me a shout sometime!
In Christian love,

Betty

For you who are in and around Amarillo, Cheryl Brewer, FBC Amarillo librarian, and I will lead the study using the Bible and Dr. Robby Gallaty's The Forgotten Jesus: How Western Christians Should Follow an Eastern Rabbi.

​We will meet:

• from 4:30 to 5:30 pm
• in room 102 on the first floor of Amarillo FBC (just under the church offices)
• for eight Sundays, from this Sunday, January 12, through Sunday, March 2. 

 The Forgotten Jesus will open your eyes to:

• the first-century world in which Jesus lived
• important Hebraic perspectives on the Messiah
• differences between the Western and Middle Eastern thoughts and actions.
• differences between our Bible, influenced by the Greeks and Romans, and the truth of Jesus and His people, the Jews
• essential connections between parts of the Bible that are often overlooked
• reasons that Jesus’s words on the cross had deeper meanings than we may realize.

"By uncovering the teaching of the first- and second-century rabbis and Christian theologians, and highlighting little-known Jewish idioms and traditions, Gallaty takes Christians on a biblical journey to rediscover a forgotten Jesus from a biblical perspective, deepening our relationship with God." — quoted from Amazon.com.

"The message of Jesus may be timeless. But his life, teachings, death, and resurrection were all time-stamped. They took place in the real word at a specific time and place. In The Forgotten Jesus, Robby Gallaty helps us better understand the long-forgotten culture and context of Jesus's life and ministry so that we may better grasp the timeless beauty and power of his gospel." — ​Larry Osborne, Pastor/Author, North Coast Church

The trip to Italy was amazing! My roommate was a sweet friend from Amarillo, and we joined a tour group that included people from California, Arizona, Minnesota, and West Virginia. The weather was perfect the entire eleven days that we were there. We flew into Venice and traveled by bus to Assisi, Florence, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and Rome. All our flights were on schedule (basically) and our luggage traveled with us. No hiccups. It was great! If you want to see photos, I have narrowed my 700 shots to about 350 good ones. 

Christmas is just around the corner and music is in the air! I will play piano for some programs and sing in others. The children's choirs will sing at church and at Park Central Senior Adult facilities. The Sanctuary choir and orchestra of First Baptist Church in Amarillo will present our annual musical program. It is "Bright Angel Hosts," and takes place Sunday, Dec. 8 at 4 pm and 7 pm, and Monday, Dec. 9 at 7 pm. The Amarillo Master Chorale with the Amarillo Symphony present our "Holiday Pops" on Friday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. 

Cheryl Brewer, the church librarian, and I will lead a Bible Study on "The Forgotten Jesus: How Western Christians Should Follow an Eastern Rabbi" by Robbie Gallaty. The eight-week study will begin Sunday, January 12, at 4:30 to 5:30 pm, in FBC room 101. If you do not yet have the book, be sure to contact the church office to order one for you. Of course, Amazon has the book, too.

Looking ahead, Amarillo Master Chorale will present Handel's complete Messiah with a small orchestra on the Saturday evening before Palm Sunday. That is April 12, 2025, at 7:30 pm. This will be a thrilling, meaningful experience. Fun, fun, fun!

Merry Christmas to one and all!​

Did I mention, last time, that my next book would need a great deal of research? So true! I continue researching and reading and learning and taking notes and writing and researching and rewriting because of the new information and learning and taking notes and ... Yes, this adventure is great fun like the Tilt-a-Whirl that I always loved was fun! What a literary adventure!

One of the books I read for research is The Forgotten Jesus by Robby Gallaty, an excellent book about the Jewishness of Jesus. If enough people show interest, the church librarian and I will lead a Bible study, in the spring, centered on the Bible and Gallaty's book. Some of Gallaty's references are such notables as David Bivins, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, James W. Fleming, Dwight Pryor, Ann Spangler, Joni Eareckson Tada, Lois Tverberg, Ray Vander Laan, and Brad Young.

Another book I was surprised to enjoy is Discovering Jerusalem by Nahman Avigad about archeological discoveries. I am in a "Fusion" Bible study (by Zoom) with Messianic Rabbi Jason Sobel. I could continue to wax "eloquent," but you get the idea.
​

• My next book will be the first in a new series for adult readers.
• My elevator pitch: Think of how a person's brief encounter with Christ might affect that person's life.
• The working title for the series is On the Fringes.
• The working title for the first book is The Anointed Prince.
• I also have a possible cover front for the first book, but  I'll not show it now since I will probably play with it and change it several times before the manuscript is finished.

Christmas is coming! All retailers know that this the time of the year for most of our sales. Three of us who write Christian books have a booth in this upcoming, big event:

As stated, CNO is Friday, 10/25, 12-7pm, and Saturday, 10/26, 10am-5pm, at the Amarillo Civic Center. Three of us Christian authors will have our books, including my Glops books and music books, at Booth 99, located very near the big Bake Sale, which is one of the biggest draws to the annual event. All booth rentals and other proceeds from the Holiday Market go to Sharing Hope Ministery for Bibles and materials to women plagued by addiction, criminal behavior, or other adversities in their lives. 

At present, I have no other Christmas book events scheduled, but I hope to do a couple more. If you know of a local event with openings for booths, please let me know. However my schedule prohibits my inclusion to most of the local events this year because of a trip.

Instead of the trip to Israel on October 7, last year, my "consolation" trip is to Italy, this year. My roommate, a sweet widow from church, and I are excited to join this tour group. Fun, fun, fun!

The book launch of the final book in The Story of Glops series was pleasingly successful. Hooray!

Thanks to all of you who bought paperbacks, eBooks, and/or audiobooks. Please, keep buying and keep reading. Thanks for every review you have written and posted online. Please, keep reviewing. 
  
Before the final Glops book was edited and ready for launch, I wondered what to write next, prayed about it, and thought I might feel some direction in a year or two. After all, the final Glops audiobook is still to be done.

However, in December before the book launched in April, I felt an intense, electrifying sensation on the path and direction to take. Absolutely breathtaking! It will still be Christian historical fiction, and biblically focused, but for more mature readers.

Research is needed. Lots of research. Books, people, online resources ... Processing and tweaking as I go. This may take awhile! 

The final book in The Story of Glops series, 
In a Foreign Land with Daniel, Ezekiel, & Esther: 
The Story of Glops, Book 9,
launches on Tuesday, April 2, on Amazon.
​No APRIL FOOLing! 

Did you know that each year has its own color? According to www. housebeautiful.com, the color for 2024 is "Peach Fuzz ... a light, delicate shade that sits between pink and orange. This soft, heartfelt hue expresses the desire to nurture kindness, compassion, and connection — all while fostering a deep coziness as we seek a peaceful future."

​That is good to know if you are painting a house, designing its interior, choosing wedding colors, or revising a website. Website? Yes. I would love to get positive, constructive feedback from you about changes I made on my website:
https://www.bettymreeves-author.com 

Notice the exciting announcement on the home page:

Alright, I confess that I had already picked "peach" as one of my website colors. Daughter Elayne will not be surprised that I chose a shade of "pink." It's nice to know I picked a good color for 2024, but I chose it hoping you and others will want to browse the pages and stay awhile.

Does it work for you?

Have a wonderful 2024.