Author: Writer Jenny Berlin

A Place to Belong

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

Colorado is such a wonderful place to live. Our state motto is: “Nothing Without the Diety,” which fits right in line with my motto, too! Every morning I thank God for creating my beautiful home on earth. With wonderful people, clear blue skies, awesome mountain views, and wide open spaces within minutes of my front door, I feel a strong connection to Colorado that I don’t feel anywhere else. This is home, my place to belong.

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Maya Angelou said: “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

I hope you’ve found your safe place in this world, too!

Unlikely Praise by Carla Rossi

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I’m currently reading Unlikely Praise by Carla Rossi. I read the first two pages on Amazon (don’t you love the “Look Inside” feature?) and I was hooked! Carla’s flawed but lovable characters and her writing style captured me immediately. I can’t wait to find out what happens. How will Candi and Shade get together when they have absolutely nothing in common?

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Here’s a link if you’d like to check out Unlikely Praise: http://amzn.to/17gekIs

Commuter Crush

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

Many of the scenes I described in Ask Me Again are based on my own experiences. I’ve ridden Denver’s light rail commuter trains when they were so crowded, I could hardly move.

That experience inspired the scene where Mark and Minda ride a crowded commuter bus on Denver’s 16th Street Mall and Minda finds herself in Mark’s arms.

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Like Minda, the woman in the green top isn’t in the right place to reach the grab-bars. Maybe there’s a handsome hero nearby to wrap his arms around her so she doesn’t lose her balance, just as Mark did for Minda.

Spell-Checker

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

This poem is so much fun, especially since I find auto-correct and spell-checker especially—what’s the word I’m looking for? —challenging!

I have a spelling checker
It came with my PC
It highlights for my review
Mistakes I cannot sea.

I ran this poem thru it
I’m sure your pleased to no
Its letter perfect in it’s weigh
My checker told me sew.

You can read the entire poem by clicking here.

My Idea of a Hero

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

I love stories where the characters learn something about themselves and grow from the experience. In my book, Ask Me Again, I wanted the hero, Mark, to evolve from someone who pursues wealth and possessions into a man who uses his talents and energies for others. In the story, Mark is confident he can convince the heroine to do something she doesn’t want to do by paying attention to her and charming her with his “Hollywood-caliber smile.” While I was writing Mark’s early scenes I kept this verse from Psalms in mind:

“His talk is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.”

Can you guess whether Mark is successful in convincing her to do the very thing she doesn’t want to do?

I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that Mark was definitely one of my favorite heroes because he was open to learning the lessons God was teaching him. I hope you enjoy reading about Mark’s journey as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Answered prayers

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

old_womens_hands_403“Sometimes God’s greatest punishment comes when He answers our prayers.” That’s a comment by Addy Whimple, a character in my book, Ask Me Again. In her ninety-plus years of life, Addy has seen joy and heartache, but no matter what trials she endures, she never loses her faith in God. That quality endears her to the book’s hero, Mark Cartier. Typically focused on making money and acquiring expensive possessions, Mark finds himself on an uncharacteristic mission to bring some joy back to Addy’s life. Can you related to Addy’s words? Has God ever answered your prayers in a way you didn’t expect?