Australian Flavour

Today, Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are visiting our small town of Longreach, in the QLD outback.  It is hot here (40C hot), it is often dusty, there are always flys, and McDonalds is a good four hour drive away.  However you will never find more friendly people. You cannot walk past someone in the main street and not nod your head and smile in greeting.  The businesses are thriving, and people know how to make their own fun. When the royal couple descend upon our humble town they will be treated to a welcome they will not forget in a hurry, and a BBQ with many from the local community.  Those attending the BBQ were also given a list of etiquette rules as long as your arm, but their country charm will still shine through.

As Australian authors we have our own flavor flavour.  We should be so proud that our writing does not blend so easily with the international market. Our work has a unique and zesty freshness that once tested cannot go by unnoticed.  Australian authors are beginning to break through in the market place, due to the hard work of many persistent and enthusiastic authors and their publishers. This coupled with God's blessing for His Kingdom's work more than promises our success.  We are pioneers in essence, a rising tide of Christian voices that refuses to be squelched or knocked back for long. The more we write, the more we fight, preparing the way for future voices to be heard. I am honoured to be a part of such a community of inspirational people, who are obediently using their gifts for God's glory.  A special blessing for each of you:

 

May your heart be at peace and with knowledge of purpose.  May your mind be filled with all manner of inspiration and stories yet to be told.  May your words be sent far and wide in print, to countries you yet to set foot upon. May your work and profit be multiplied according to God's riches. 

Nicole Watson
Facebook Author Page
Facebook-Sam's Heart
www.samsheart.com.au

Ask For What You Want

Did you know that God desires to give you not only what you need in life but also what you want?  For so many years I thought it was only OK to ask for what you really needed to get by, that God only gave you just enough, and to ask for anything more was not right.

Reading Luke 18 and the story of the woman persisting with the judge until her petition was answered, speaks mountains to me.  This woman knew she was right in asking for what she wanted. She was a widow that had been wronged, and in Old Testament law she was due justice.  She was in right relationship with God and so she never gave up in asking for what she wanted.

The same is true of us in prayer. Jesus knows the desires of our hearts and waits for us to open our mouths and ask Him.  He waits patiently for us to come to the realisation that He wants to give us more than we could ever ask for.  I am not talking about prosperity gospel, I am talking about practical things, like wanting our writing to be the best that it can be, for Him to open up new doors of opportunity to share our work and heart.  He wants to be the one we go to to increase business and ministry opportunities. He wants to be the one that receives glory for all we do, not just the things that seem more holy.  All things we do are holy unto God, when we follow Jesus. 

So many times as writers and Christians we are knocked back.  Time and time again we struggle and toil, some of us for a great many years. 

DON'T GIVE UP.

If God has placed a dream in your heart, a promise that you know is from Him, hold fast.  Never give up.  Continue to pray and believe that God will answer your prayer.  And I ask that this week  God will provide a new revelation to you of that dream, that promise that was given solely to you.  God will will not fail in His promise to you.

Nicole Watson
www.samsheart.com.au
www.comefollowmewatsons.blogspot.com

Words of Affirmation

Day by day God is teaching me to be intentional with my words.  What I speak, write and even think have a profound impact, not only on myself, but also those around me.  Words and experiences help form our ideology and beliefs.

For example when we are pregnant, everyone asks, "How is the baby and when is your baby due?"  Nobody asks, "How is your fetus, when is your fetus due?"  Yet, when difficulties in pregnancy arise the baby suddenly becomes a fetus therefore changing perceptions, rendering a baby less than precious, even dispensable.

When I am asked what I do for work, how I reply often depends on my state of confidence.  At times I reply, "I write." And if I am having a particularly daring day, I tell others, "I'm an author." There are many days that I don't 'feel' like an author, as if there is some kind of grand author ideal out there and I don't measure up.  Yet, despite my feelings God is teaching me to embrace and share the fact.  I think part of the problem in announcing my 'authordom' is I don't like labels. People put you in a box when you tell them you do something for a living.  So sometimes I like to mix it up, keep it fresh and be defined by who I am not what I am.

So I wanted to ask you all how would you like to introduce yourself?  It doesn't have to be something you would actually say aloud in public.  If you could declare to the world in full who you are in one sentence, what would you shout?  At the risk of blowing my own horn and doing something entirely against the Australian grain, here is what I would say:

My name is Nicole Watson, princess in the Kingdom of Heaven,  God's salt and light upon the earth, perfectly imperfect thanks to Jesus, speaker of truth and encourager of others.

Now, share yours with me and do something really brave and say it aloud.  Remember your words and thoughts impact your beliefs.

Nicole Watson
Author of Sam's Heart
www.samsheart.com.au
www.comefollowmewatsons.blogspot.com

Faith, Hope, Love

Have you been to the book shop lately?  I mean actually into a mainstream retailer, and had a look at the selection of books that are on offer.  Worse still have you seen the books that are targeted at teenagers and even children?  They are dark and twisted.  Recently my son and I went on a quest to find a kids joke book. Not a crude one, not one full of evil, but a collection of giggles that would not leave a young mind traumatised.  It was not an easy task.

It got me to thinking that I am so thankful for each one of you.

I am so glad that God has called you on this day, in this hour, to weave faith, hope and love into your works, to add a glimmer of light to an often dark retail bookshelf.  I am so thankful that you are passionate and don't give up in the face of continual challenges.  I am blessed by your stories, works of art and factual insight.  I want each of you to know that God fights for you. 

When you are rejected by yet another publisher....He comforts you.

When you struggle to make ends meet...He gives you what you need and a little bit more.

When you succeed...He celebrates with you.

When you spend hour after hour combing your manuscript...He is guiding your hand.

Writing is not simply a product of the mind, but an expression of the innermost recesses of the human heart.  We are born again believers in Christ, filled with His light. If we do not persist in creating and expressing, then how will the world ever truly see faith, hope and love?  Only God is the source of faith, hope and love, and we know Him.

We dare to be different, knowing that if we plant a spark in the heart of the reader, God will do the rest. 

Nicole Watson writes non-fiction and resides in the Yarra Valley, Victoria.  You can find out more about Nicole here:

Blog:  www.comefollowmewatsons.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Watson-Author/181785301923586

Sam's Heart on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/samsheartbook

Web: www.samsheart.com.au

Nothing New Under The Sun

This is one of the phrases that resonated through me at the Word Writers Fair in Brisbane.  It was a simple statement but one that has been glued to my memory since.

I struggled with this phrase because I wondered 'Why then do we write? Why then do we continue to craft stories, prose and instruction in an effort to entertain and inspire others?'  Often when you submit a manuscript to a publisher they require that you research into other books that  may be similar to your on the market.  The publisher wants to know how yours is different.  What does your work have to offer that this other work does not?  Why would someone want to read your work? There is after all nothing new under the sun, is there?

Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes that he has discovered there is nothing new under the sun (Ecc 1:9).  And he is right, to a point.  You see when Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, Jesus had not yet come. Jesus was the first fruits of an entirely new race, the children of the living God.  Solomon could not possibly have imagined the inheritance that God has so mercifully bestowed upon us.  He could not have known that our relationship with Jesus would open up whole new worlds of understanding and experience.  When we become a new creation in Christ, the veil is torn and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, giving us new and exciting revelation among a myriad of other things.

 And so although there may not be anything new under the sun, I can guarantee you that there is plenty that is new under the Son.

With God there is always something new. There is always something to keep us wanting more, something to keep us seeking his mystery and holiness.  How privileged we are that he would reveal the secrets of the kingdom of God to us to glorify Him in this age of grace.  I count it as an honour to be ranked amoung those who would give voice to his name upon the earth in this time.  I count it as joy that we struggle and toil in a world that is blinded by darkness.  And so we will continue to weave our manuscripts and herald them to the ends of the earth.  And so we will continue to intrigue others with stories that speak life, when the world offers darkness.  May God be glorified by every word we breathe, published or not.  For we may still toil under the sun, but we live and breathe and write for the Son.

Nicole Watson is a non fiction writer, speaker and author of Sam's Heart.  Nicole blogs regulalry here.  And you can meet up with her on Facebook here and here.  It is her passion that all people would know the reality of God's love and precence in their life. 

'Let me introduce you to the God of Miracles'

Tools of Creation

We have such a vast array of tools today to help us with our writing.  Computers provide ways in which we can speed up the writing process with spelling, grammar and formatting all part of the package.  Traditional pen and paper are fantastic for  those moments of instantaneous inspiration.  Voice recorders are useful for notes on the run.  Each type of writing tool has it's benefits, and it's pitfalls.  I believe every one of them has it's place, in the practice of writing. 

I guess you could liken the creation of a new work, to creating a garden. 

When seeds are sown, a trowel and watering can are needed to plant and water them in. When the weeds appear, a different tool is required. In the Winter pruning tools are used.

So it is with writing, each tool is useful in it's season. So now instead of worrying if I am doing it all the right way, I let the season dictate the tools I use.  I must say though, there is nothing quite as satisfying as rolling up your sleeves, donning your gloves, and ploughing away long hand.  It's seems to do something for my soul, that a computer cannot, and the fruit is usually much more flavoursome.

For Such a Time as This

I have always loved to read.  However the love of writing is relatively new to me.  My love of writing bloomed when I began a blog to detail our journey with our little boy Sam, who was yet to be born with Congenital Heart Disease.  I was one of those kids at school who used to freeze when asked to write a story.  My mind would go completely blank, and then I would try and recreate a story I had read somewhere else.  I loved to speak and I loved to read, so I guess it was only a matter of time before writing also emerged.  I have discovered, with some dismay, that I cannot write of my own accord. My first book Sam’s Heart entailed the journal I had kept, and other God inspired words that completed our story in its entirety.  I seem to have to live books before I can write them.    I have another book in my heart that must be written, and as I sat and tried to plan it out, I discovered that I quickly lost interest.  Although I have passion for the topic, tremendous passion, the approach I was taking was not for me.  I have discovered that God needs to give me the words.  I find myself writing on random bits of paper, the backs of envelopes, church newsletters, and dare I say, even cardboard box flaps; all because God gives inspiration at the most unpredictable times.

This is what makes writing fun for me.  Listening to God and then letting him guide the words on the page.  Many times I feel unqualified to write what I do, but I know that if God has changed my life through experiences with him, they are too valuable not to share.  I have a passion for encouraging the church and any other soul that will stop long enough to listen. 

When I was introduced to this wonderful world of writers, I was amazed to find such diversity, complexity and gifting.  I have found such encouragement and camaraderie among the Christian writing community.  I have learned useful skills and tips to improve my writing ability, and had my eyes opened to the challenging world of Christian publishing.  I have enjoyed reading new and inspiring writing, from the keyboards and pens of many newly discovered Aussie authors.  Such a rich tapestry is created, when all of these inspired authors come together.  I believe that each of us has been called for such a time as this.  I desire earnestly for our outstanding literature to be embraced by the wider Australian retail community, to create diversity of choice, and breathe life back into the souls of Australians.  I am not content to receive rejection after rejection, simply because our books speak about Jesus, some more openly than others.  The risk of offence to a third party is not a good argument.  Many of the top selling books in big name retailers offend me, and are just plain evil, but that does not stop shops selling them.  We need to pray for breakthrough into the so called secular markets, where our messages and stories can reach the ears of those who need to hear them.  There seems to have been some progress with the move from traditional bookshops to online retailers, but I am praying for bigger and better things for all of us.  Will you join me? 

Nicole Watson is a non-fiction author, with the aim of encouraging readers to live for God.  She is an Aussie Mum to two young boys.  She and her husband, are currently undergoing training to serve with Mission Aviation Fellowship.
Her passion is sharing God's amazing love with who ever will listen and ispiring others to share their own God stories.

Nicole blogs regularly here.
Her book Sam's Heart can be found here.
You can join Sam's Heart on Facebook here.