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2008-02-26T23:23:00.001-05:00

Weight Loss Goals

2007-04-10T13:15:00.000-04:00

I've been so terrible about exercising because of deadlines, being mom, being wife, eating junk food while on deadline ... the excuses could go on and on. The truth is that I'm not comfortable at my present weight--I've always been thin, but then one day I woke up and found myself 50 pounds overweight.

I've decided to do something about it and stick to it this time. Starting next week, I'm going back to the gym to work out and do water aerobics. We're actually making it a famiy affair. I also have a wonderful accountability partner who is going to keep me on task.

I'm going to do this!!!

NEW BOOK: REDEMPTION

2007-03-02T09:58:00.000-05:00

My new book, REDEMPTION drops this weekend and I'm very excited about it. This story is set in Hollywood but is an adaptation of Hosea & Gomer's story in the Bible. It's a wonderful example of just how much God loves us. If you haven't had a chance to read Hosea's story--please do so. It's one of my favorite books in the Bible.

Working on this project gave me insight to how God must feel whenever we go against His word. It really spelled out for me how His grace and mercy endures forever. I was blessed by Hosea's story in the Bible and amazed by the love this man had for his wife despite her actions. I really enjoyed writing this story and hope that readers will enjoy it as well.

TALK BACK: How forgiving are you when it comes to your spouse If he or she breaks marital vows, leaves, then comes back? Are you willing to honor your committment to your marriage? Would you listen to God if He tells you to allow your spouse to come home?

BEING THANKFUL ....

2007-02-22T21:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm still working at this. I'm pretty proud of myself as I've posted more in a few weeks on my blogs than I did all last year. Hope life is treating everyone well. I'm having some trials but I'm still thankful to see another day.

How do you handle the day to day issues of life? Are you fighting depression or feeling angry--disappointed in life? I used to feel that way a lot, but then I began to think about the goodness of God and how he's blessed me throughout my life. I enjoy every single day I wake up even when times are hard. I truly have an attitude of gratitude.

As you look over your life--how many ways has God blessed you?

KEEPING IT REAL WHILE KEEPING IT HOLY

2007-02-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

I get email from aspiring writers all the time asking for advice on how to keep their stories real when it comes to writing Christian Fiction. My personal opinion is that all books published in this genre should be realistically drawn in addition to keeping it holy. I do not believe in writing profanity or graphic sex scenes. As a writer, we are skilled enough to paint a picture without making it so vivid that our readers find their resolve weakening. Nothing we write should cause them to turn to the world.

For me, everything I do has to please God. It is because of Him that I have this gift and I know the call He's placed on my heart. Therefore I want to honor Him with each story that I write. If I had to stand before God and read my book from cover to cover--I know that I can do so because I've written no reason to be ashamed. Granted, this is my opinion, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

How do you feel about the books you're reading in the Christian Fiction genre? Please do not name any authors or titles. I'd just like to know your thoughts in general.

THE LIFE OF AN AUTHOR

2007-02-09T15:49:00.000-05:00

How do you imagine my life to be?

Do you suppose it's filled with days of writing books from beginning to end; spa dates with friends and family; exotic vacations or shopping sprees spending that hard-earned advance?

That's what I'd like my life to be, but it's not. Sure I write daily but the words don't always flow as easily as I'd like. Spa dates are few and far between because I simply don't have a lot of time to spare when I'm writing on deadline (which always seems to be the case). I'm not complaining, however. I love what I do and I'd like to have a personal goal to publish 100 books before my life is over. Exotic vacations are what I live for, but there are times I travel so much that just being home is vacation enough. As for shopping sprees--that's always a dream of mine. First, I need to secure college tuition for my son, pay off my mortgage and make sure I have a little nest egg for the future.

My life may not be all that glamorous, but I'm content with my career and my personal life because I believe I am exactly where God would have me be. I do the very best I can and I just trust Him for the rest. I've sold 34 books to date and I'm thrilled, but mostly I'm grateful. I am a true testimony that if you seek God first, He'll give you the desires of your heart.

TO SING OR NOT TO SING

2007-02-06T20:46:00.000-05:00

I've been watching the American Idol auditions and while I know that most of what we're seeing is edited for pure entertainment--I can't help but wonder if some of these people are really believing that they truly have talent when it comes to singing. I'm by no means a singer, although I am hoping to be a part of the Heavenly choir when my life on this earth is over.

I've been in churches where the choirs where filled with talented singers and then there were the ones with the not so gifted singers ... My novella in HOW SWEET THE SOUND actually speaks to this issue of whether only people who can truly sing deserve to be in the church choir. I believe that when it comes from the heart--God even loves bad singing.

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Checking In

2007-01-30T14:47:00.000-05:00

I'm so bad when it comes to blogging! It's one of my resolutions this year. I intend to try and do much better. I can't believe its already January 30th. Time really is flying by. I'm in the phase of my life where my birthday seems to come around every 3 months. I'm okay with it though. I am thankful for every day that I am given.

I'm excited about my second Young Adult book coming out in February. The title is Divine Confidential and is the second in a series. I love writing books for teens--I have a heart for young people because they are faced with so much today. Communication is key.

There were things I could never discuss or share with my grandmother when I was growing up. I don't blame her because she did the best she could for me--I made certain choices in my life, but I often wonder if I'd been able to really talk to her--would it have changed anything?

I may not have been able to talk to my grandmother, but I could always talk to God. We have the Bible and while, I knew in my mind that the answer to all my problems was in the Word--I still chose to follow my flesh. However, my heart yearned for the Lord so I never strayed too far away. I have been so blessed in knowing that God loves me and that doing those times I was out of fellowship with Him--He never once abandoned me. He continued to bless me and to love me.

We have to be this way with our children. And we have to make ourselves available when they need to talk. Sometimes we have to just sit and listen without judgement. They need to know we are here but most importantly--they need to know that God is the answer to every problem.

Doing It My Way!

2006-08-22T12:57:00.000-04:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything on my blog but life truly got in the way. I promise to do better starting now. This note that I've copied in the section below actually inspired this entry:

Just one to say that I really enjoyed the Curtis Black series. Still haven't found anything to compete with this series. Tried reading others, but nothing has toppped with series yet. Hope you will get to writing something on this, or nearly like it. Thank you for listening.

Kimberla Roby is a fantastic author and I enjoy her Curtis Black series as well. However, I don't want to be Kim Roby or any other author. I enjoy being Jacquelin Thomas and have worked very hard to develop my own unique voice and style. I'm aware that all readers will not love my work, but I write for me and I write for the scores of readers who want a Jacquelin Thomas original.

Authors love hearing from readers and we are open to suggestions, but I personally find it in poor taste to have someone suggest that I write like another author. I think it's just best to read books by your favorite authors and keep quiet about it. It's like me telling James Patterson that I'd like for him to write more like John Grishom. It's an insult.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but when it comes to my writing like or emulating the style or storylines of another author--I really don't want to hear it. I write from my heart and write the stories I enjoy reading. Little on earth is in my control--therefore when it comes to my writing--I'm doing it my way.

Quiet Time .........

2006-03-06T08:01:00.000-05:00

It's 8:00 am, the house is quiet and I'm sitting in front of my computer screen...I'm loving the quiet. The stillness. Right now I really need this time. As a writer I've come to respect the quiet times.

My weekdays are crazy with getting kids up and ready for school, making sure they eat something and then rushing them out the door. By the time they are safe in their classroom under the protection of their teachers--I'm already exhausted.

While 'resting' I answer a few emails and make a few phone calls. I relish the quiet time and prepare to write. It seems I'm always on deadline so I have to write everyday. Really. I've trained myself to do this.

I meditate for a moment. I sit back and relax because you really have to be comfortable when you're working on that next book. Who knows, it could be the next great masterpiece. My fingers poise on the keyboard and I feel like a literary fountain is about to burst, spilling forth a great scene.

Then it hits me ... It's too quiet. I actually need the sound of little feet running back and forth past my office. I need to hear the sound of my husband telling the children to be quiet in loud whispers because I'm working.

But what I need most is to look up through glass doors and see a little person as cute as can be, standing on the other side grinning and blowing kisses to me. This is both distracting and motivating at the same time. But it is this little person who keeps me writing in ways he will never know.

If you are a writer, what motivates you to write? For readers, when is your best reading time? I love to read in the evenings after everyone settles down.

Great New Writing Reference Book

2006-03-01T12:52:00.000-05:00

I just discovered a great new writing reference book. Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. The book walks readers through each step of the structuring process--from identifying characters to weaving in subplots to building conflict. These techniques apply to every genre. Anyone wanting to take their writing to the next level should run out and purchase a copy of this book.

When Competition Turns Ugly

2006-03-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

When I read Donald Trump's letter to Martha (copied & pasted below), I thought to myself: Okay ..... whose is bigger?

It's a shame their friendship has dwindled down to this .... Competition can wear down a friendship and the truth of the matter is that all of their successes is because of GOD. Without Him, they are nothing .... I think back to King Solomon and the two women fighting over that child ... I would rather let the other person have all the success, money, etc than be reduced to this.

Dear Martha:

It's about time you started taking responsibility for your failed version of The Apprentice. Your performance was terrible in that the show lacked mood, temperament and just about everything else a show needs for success. I knew it would fail as soon as I first saw it -- and your low ratings bore me out.

Between your daughter, with her one word statements, your letter writing and, most importantly, your totally unconvincing demeanor, it never had a chance -- much as your daytime show is not exactly setting records.

Despite this, I did nothing but positively promote you. Your only response to your failed show was that, "I thought that I was supposed to fire Donald Trump!" You knew this was not true -- NBC would never fire me when The Apprentice was, for a good period of time, the #1 show on television and my recent finale, where I hired Randal, was the #2 show for the week, easily beating the competing finale of Amazing Race and others. Even Mark Burnett said, "Thank God that didn't happen," when asked about firing Donald Trump.

Essentially, you made this firing up just as you made up your sell order of ImClone. The only difference is -- that was more obvious. Putting your show on the air was a mistake for everybody -- especially NBC.

In any event, my great loyalty to you has gone totally unappreciated.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Trump

P.S. Be careful or I will do a syndicated daytime show, perhaps called The Boardroom, and further destroy the meager ratings you already have!

Stewart fired back late on Tuesday, releasing a written public statement response:

The letter is so mean-spirited and reckless that I almost can't believe my long-time friend Donald Trump wrote it. I am very proud of the work we did with Mark Burnett Productions and Mr. Trump, who was an executive producer, on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. Many young entrepreneurs learned so much from the show and enjoyed it. Many families sat their children down weekly to watch it. We are even more pleased with our excellent daytime show Martha – syndicated by NBC Universal – which has just been nominated for six daytime Emmys (including best show and best host), was touted by The New York Times as one of the best shows on television, and has been embraced by our wonderful audience throughout the country.

Why Do Authors Read Reviews?

2006-01-12T14:41:00.000-05:00

Because we want to know what the readers think of our works and yet we really don't. Reviews are nice but they can get ugly. I know first hand. Although I tell myself that I don't care ... that it's subjective ... that anyone with a credit card and a chip in their shoulder can post one ... it dosn't matter. A bad review can really sting.

I read them because I do want to know what people think and I want to get better as a writer. Not every negative review is a personal attack and not every review is motivated by jealousy or stupidity on the part of the commentor. As much as we hate to admit it, sometimes our books are flawed (did I really say that?)

The truth is that we should always write the best book we possibly can and even then, there will be people out there who won't like it. We can't please everyone. With that knowlege in hand, I've decided to quit trying.

I'm going to write from my heart and I pray all my readers will enjoy my books. But even if they don't--it's not the end of the world for me. I'll keep typing away.

The Things Children Say .......

2006-01-11T16:21:00.000-05:00

When my son was no more than three years old, my grandmother used to tell him stories about Jesus and she would read to him from the Bible every night before he went to bed. Well, one morning, Jonathan came running to me all excited and wanting to tell me what Jesus said to His father.

He held out his arms, describing the way Jesus was on the cross and said, "Mommy, Jesus was on the cross just like this. He looked up at his Father and told him: Father, forget about 'em cause they know not what they do!"

I laughed because my baby was so sincere and I tried to explain that Jesus actually asked His Father to forgive them. But it wasn't until after Jonathan went back to his room, that I realized just how blessed we are. What if Jesus had said, "forget about em'?"

Going On When You're Going Through A Storm!

2006-01-11T14:57:00.000-05:00

Some days it's just hard to stay motivated. This can certainly hurt a career when you're a writer because so much of what you do is tied to your emotions. But God is so good because He usually sends someone to call or visit. I thrive on words of support and encouragement. I think we all need this--we need to support and encourage one another when we are experiencing trials.

I keep a prayer journal and when I'm going through trials, I go back and read over the times when I needed God the most. It reminds me of His goodness and how He's never left me alone. There isn't a prayer request that has gone unanswered in my journal. It may not have been in the way I wanted, but God answered nonetheless.

In order to go on when we're going through--we have to constantly remind ourselves that this too will pass; and that on the other side of the storm is a blessing waiting to be manifested in our lives. Stay in God's word and know that we will be stronger for having gone through.