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Dear Reader,
It's an inspiring column, don't miss it. Welcome today's guest author, Mesu Andrews, author of The Pharaoh's Daughter. You'll want to enter Mesu's book giveaway. There are 5 copies waiting for readers. Email: [email protected]
But, most of all you'll be thankful you read Mesu Andrews' guest column today. It's an inspiring read. I'm so glad I invited her to visit...
The Book Lover's Rose-Colored World
by Mesu Andrews
Do you look at life with rose-colored glasses?
Does anyone out there want or need these ideal-saturated filters to make it through the next few hours--or days?
Many of us dive into a good novel and enter the romance, suspense, or historical worlds of heroes and heroines, forgetting the angry boss or moldy leftovers taking over our lives.
I must confess this book lover's rose-colored world has been a relatively recent discovery. For the first thirty years of life, I was an off-the-charts extrovert. My good-ol'-boy daddy often described me as, "A fart in a skillet." I couldn't sit still to make a grocery list let alone read a book.
In the late 90's that all changed. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and my energy level plummeted. I incorporated formal exercise into my daily regimen and read for thirty minutes while on a treadmill. Yes, thirty WHOLE minutes. Astounding, eh?
In the summer of 2002, my health declined further, and I found myself bedridden for six months. Doctors were stumped. Elevated blood tests showed something was going on, but none of the docs could agree. They shook their heads, and the extrovert in me withered. Chronic illness is wearing not only on those suffering but also on those around them. Long-time friends visited less and less, and a solitary life became my new normal.
That's when I learned about the rose-colored book reader's world. It's also when I began writing. Those long hours alone in my bed were spent with either a laptop or book in my hands. I learned the fellowship of self and the contentment of silence before God.
In November of 2003, I spent two weeks at Mayo Clinic, where they diagnosed four separate chronic issues that were treatable but not curable. I would deal with pain and fatigue for the rest of my life. Solitude would become a constant companion.
Did I look at my illness with rose-colored glasses? Not at first. I was angry, bitter, and discouraged. But I believe that even the most difficult life challenges can become our best launch pads for achievement if we don't give up or give in.
I kept writing. I kept reading. And I used my passion for study and teaching to shape the stories of biblical characters that have fascinated me for ages. The books I write reach far more people than I ever could have reached if I hadn't gotten sick. And I would never have had the opportunity to meet you, Dear Reader.
So welcome to my rose-colored world.
--Mesu Andrews
Please email and say hello to Mesu and when you do, you're entered in today's book giveaway. There are 5 copies of The Pharaoh's Daughter waiting for readers. Email: [email protected]
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
AUTHORBUZZ: Meet authors, win free books and more at this week's Authorbuzz. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus enter to win a free copy of NIGHT BUDDIES GO SKY HIGH by Sands Hetherington, illustrated by Jessica Love. For a chance to win, say hello to the authors and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.
* This month's Penguin Classics book is A PRINCE OF SWINDLERS, by Guy Boothby. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFE3FA722E&c=CLASSICS
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