Well, The Diamond Caper is in the final editing stages and it won't be long now before it'll be on the shelves, ready for purchase! :)

Good news!

I heard from the editor earlier this morning and the book has been sent off for proper formatting! Which means it won't be too long before The Diamond Caper is available for reading! YEAH! 8) I'm so excited! I'll keep you all updated on how everything's going. :)

Hello! It's been quite a while since I've blogged. Well, to give you a little update, I have a novel coming out next month! It's a Young Adult mystery novel and the title is . . . drum roll please . . . The Diamond Caper. Here's a little summary of the story.

Meet fifteen-year-old Crystal O'Mally. Red hair, braces, long legs, an annoying little sister . . . basically the average American teenager. The only thing that sperates this girl from all the millions of teenagers out there is she wants to be a detective. Now! The excitement, intrigue, fame all make the life of a detective sound wonderful to Crystal. However, when her first real chance to help on the detective force finally comes her way, things don't go quite the way she expected. The suspect list adds up almost overnight, her sister insists on being Crystal's partner, and some cute guy keeps trying to get Crystal's attention. But the biggest blow is when Crystal's long time friend, Terra, starts lying and keeping secrets. And things get even worse when two innocent people vanish and no one believes Crystal when she goes for help. How is Crystal going to handle it all? Will she be able to live her dream and become the youngest detective ever? Or will she give it up entirely when things get too hard?

Only one way to find out. (No, I'm not going to spoil the ending for you! :) )

I will keep you all updated as to the release date of the novel.

Hard to believe at the moment.

A classmate of mine, Jake, passed away about a month ago in an auto accident. However, I wasn't told this until about a week ago. I find it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that he's gone. I didn't know this young man very well, but from what I'd observed by listening, watching, and talking a little bit to him, he struck me as intelligent, alert, independent, but at the same time, easy going. I was deeply saddened when I found out he'd passed away. My main regret is that I didn't take the time to really get to know him. As we had a few moments of silence for Jake in class today, I reflected on how fragile, yet precious, life is and how each moment needs to be treasured.
 Please keep Jake's family in your prayers as they go through this difficult time.

And It Shall Be.

And It Shall Be. By: Grace E. Easley

And it shall be as it was planned,
In spite of crowns and kings and things,
The dusk, the dawn, the blessing peace
Beyond our weary wanderings.
And it shall be as it was planned,
I must believe in greater things,
Who hear God's whisper through the pines,
And in each feathered throat that sings.
And it shall be as it was planned,
How can I doubt the evidence
Of fertile field and mountain range,
Of shadowed pool and ivied fence?
But ask me now how it can be
... I only know He walks with me.

Friends. By Grace E. Easley

Friends are for sharing
The good and the bad,
Smiling through happy times,
Sighing through sad,
Friends are for telling
Things that we feel,
Full of compassion,
Because they are real.

Friends are forever,
As endless as time,
Growing more precious,
The higher we climb,
Blessings that shine,
As bright as a star,
Because our friends love us,
... The way that we are!

My goodness!

Wow! What happened to 2011? It's more than halfway over. It's hard to believe that soon the weather will be growing colder and the air more crisp. The leaves will change color as they welcome fall. I say enjoy summer as long as we can before the cold weather hits and we start complaining about that.