Exciting News!

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