Update: This bundle is no longer available.

I have never written an eBook. I would like to have one available by this time next year – even just a free one for you to say thank you for subscribing. People who have written eBooks tend to say everyone should write one. They’re probably right.

Ebooks are a fantastic way to spread ideas, explore a topic you want to learn more about, and maybe even make some money for your family. Even though I haven’t yet written one, I do like to read them. Most of my friends (and let’s face it, my family) have written one and they’re good at it. 

I want to tell you about this amazing sale on eBooks incase you want to stock up on reading for the year (or 10).

Here’s the big idea: For 5 days only, I’m teaming up with more than 75 widely-known bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere to spread the word  - they are offering 97 of their most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for only $29.97. Head here to see what’s all included or you can click here to buy the bundle now.

You may have seen this sale around other blogs you read yesterday and have wondered if it’s worth it. It’s worth it to me. I’ve never seen a sale like this one.

This bundle won’t be for everyone, but it seems like something some of you would really enjoy. And even if you don’t like every single one of these eBooks, you can customize your own collection to contain exactly the ones you want and know you’ll use.

I will list all the books you’ll get on a separate page, but just to give you an idea, the bundle is filled with tips on homemaking, mothering, organization, recipes, spiritual growth, home décor, pregnancy, baby care, frugal living, health and fitness and financial tools.

Pretty much every ebook I’ve thought about downloading is included in this bundle.

For example, NOT a DIY Diva by my sweet friend Melissa @ The Inspired Room (normally 3.99), iPhone Photography: The Visual Guide by Alli @ Alli Worthington (normally $9.97), and The No Brainer Wardrobe by Hayley @ The No Brainer Wardrobe (normally $7.99). I’ve been meaning to buy her wardrobe eBook and I haven’t but now, I’m just going to get all these along with 94 other eBooks in the bundle!

I don’t want to overwhelm un-interested readers with a long list of the 97 eBooks included. So for those of you who are interested in perusing the titles, you can see a complete list of what is offered here as well as to read the details (translation: I can’t help you with download issues, but someone else can).

Visit this page to see some of the free stuff you’ll get when you buy a bundle. These brilliant women have teamed up with 10 companies to bring you over $140 in bonus offers, giving you an affordable opportunity to get products you’ll use and love for only the cost of shipping, or in some cases, entirely for free!

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered. This post includes affiliate links, and I make a portion of the sale of each eBook bundle. Thanks for your support of Chatting at the Sky!

Like many of you, my kids are on spring break this week so I’m going to be taking a little time off. I would have just not posted at all, but I felt weird about having Kiefer and his twin sister at the top of my blog all week.

Instead, you get a generic photo of spring which, to me, is infinitely better than Kiefer Sutherland as a man (and, let’s face it, as a woman.) Also, let’s just think for a minute about the name “Kiefer.” He’s had that name his whole life, not just when he became famous. Which meant the sentences “Kiefer, go clean your room” and “Honey, will you change Kiefer’s diaper?” and “Kiefer, you’re grounded!” have all been said with a straight face.

And then, when he lost his house key, his mom was all, “Well, I have to get another key for Kiefer.”

And while I’m doing this, did you know his full name is Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland? I promise I didn’t make that up. It’s right there on Wikipedia.

Speaking of names, did you know my sister finally shared her real name on her blog last week? She’ll still go by The Nester online, but for those of you who have been losing sleep over it, you can read all about it now. (Hint: Her nickname was Mikey in high school.) (I thought it was cool that she had a boy nickname even though she was a girl.)(I never had a nickname.)(My parents called me Emmy, though, which I guess half counts.) (I wonder if Kiefer had a nickname?)

She also announced last week that she is writing a book! Wrote. Wrote a book. She already turned it in, actually. And of course I’ve read it and can’t believe y’all have to wait until March 2014 to read it, too. Because it is fantastic and heart-felt and honest and hilarious.

Speaking of spring (weren’t we?), have you ever participated in Tsh’s Project Simplify? Every Tuesday in April she encourages us to tackle a different hot spot in our house – drawers and shelves, that pesky closet, piles (oh the piles!) and that other project you’ve been putting off. It’s a manageable way to spring clean without feeling like you are spring cleaning. It starts next Tuesday and I think I’m going to join in.

Speaking of books, (now I’m just confusing myself) here is a stack of books I received in the mail last month. A perk of being an author and/or/also of having a blog is people send you their books for free. I’ve read and offered endorsement for a few of them and look forward to checking out the others

Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle :: Loved every minute of this book. I laughed, I cried, I craved donuts.

The Church Planting Wife by Christine Hoover :: I haven’t read this one yet because I am a procrastinator, but I really like the way Christine positions herself as someone who is always open to learning from others. In her book she does this by interviewing other women to get their perspective on church planting.

Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist :: I haven’t read this one yet, either, but I have been reading Shauna’s blog (she got a blog makeover!) and look forward to settling in with her book.

Be The Sunshine by Angela Thomas :: Angela is a real life friend (we go to the same church and her kids are in our youth group.) (And whenever I get the chance, I sit at her feet and learn smart things.) (I don’t get that chance often enough.) This is a gift book based on a funny family moment – I haven’t read the book yet (it’s very short) but I have heard her give the Be The Sunshine talk and it was fantastic. I heart me some Angela Thomas.

Life After Art by Matt Appling :: Matt’s book just released this week but I read it around Christmas. I offered an endorsement for this one so I read it when it was only in PDF form (although Matt graciously had it spiral bound for me because I have an emotional allergy to reading books on my computer). It’s always fun to get a book you’ve already read in the mail – bound, covered, and lovely – when you’ve only seen it in a raw form.

Asking for endorsements on your work is one of the most humbling and vulnerable things an author is required to do. I have a deep respect and appreciation for other authors and know what a gift it is to receive endorsements – and the gift it is to give them.

The Artist’s Daughter by Alexandra Kuykendall :: This is another book I endorsed this year. I don’t know Alexandra personally but we share an editor at Revell and I was honored to read her memoir. I sat down one day and read it straight through without stopping. She grew up as the only child of a world traveling mother and a famous Spanish artist who wasn’t really in her life. She has a gentle voice and is honest about her struggles with identity, motherhood, and forgiveness.

Taylor’s Gift by Todd and Tara Storch :: Todd and Tara’s daughter Taylor died in a skiing accident in March 2010. With only a few minutes at the hospital to consider their options, they made a quick decision to donate Taylor’s organs. The book is their story and the story of the organ recipients. I haven’t read this one, but I have to tell you that they brilliantly sent nail polish along with the book in Taylor’s favorite color blue (also the color of the book) and I painted my nails before I even opened the book. I’m not sure what that says about me, but it does tell me that these parents are two people who love and miss their daughter and want to honor her life by encouraging others toward organ donation.

I had every intention of this post being one paragraph and now I’ve gone and told you all about my free books.

Speaking of books, I don’t always think to tell you about the books I’m reading 1) because I’m embarrassed that I tend to have several going at once and 2) because I don’t always finish the ones I start. I plan to add a small section in my monthly newsletter dedicated to the books I’m reading.

Speaking of the newsletter, I’m sending out a letter every week in April to gain some momentum. After that I plan to make it a monthly thing. I’m enjoying the challenge of sending it out weekly, though. So far, of the more than 12,000 people subscribed to Chatting at the Sky (those who receive blog posts in a reader or through email), a little over 10% of you have signed up to receive the newsletter.

If this blog is like a house, then the newsletter is like a smaller room within the house. The house is still home, but in this small living room I can share a little more intimately with a smaller group of friends.

If you would like to receive that monthly living room letter, you can sign up on this page – make sure to click the box next to “newsletter.” The next one goes out on Tuesday.

Speaking of going out, I’m out. I’m finished. Now I’m going to officially take some time off for spring break. Which means I’m going to vacuum, play airplanes, visit my parents, sit outside in our cul-de-sac, and give the dog a bath (and when I say “give the dog a bath” I mean “watch my husband give the dog a bath.”)

Amen.

Fall and winter reading always feels different than spring and summer. The first time I read the Harry Potter series was a few years ago in the fall, so every fall since then I’ve had an itch to pick the series up again. Here are some books I’m reading now.

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton :: I wish I could attend a dinner party with G.K. Chesterton. It would be fascinating to watch him interact with people.

The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight :: I’m not very far into this one yet, but He asks great questions. I look forward to reading more.

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton :: I’m still only half-way through this one. I’ve renewed it 3 times at the library and I may have to turn it in before I finish it. Her prose is beautiful (I loved The House at Riverton), but this book is moving slowly for me.

I’m in line at the library for An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor. I think I’m up next.

Do you have any books or book series you like to read as the colder months approach? What are you reading now?

We still have two weeks until school starts here in North Carolina. We’ll be spending it with family, at the pool, in the Target back-to-school aisle, and finishing up those books of summer.  Also, LifeWay is running a great sale on Grace for the Good Girl. If you’re thinking of using it in your small group or church, it could be a great time to buy books in bulk. See below.

• From Beer to Eternity: A little story of addiction and beyond by Gary Morland. Gary is my dad. Some of you may have read his first ebook, Scary Hope. I loved that one. Beer is more of a memoir, documenting his 14 year addiction and escape from alcohol. Since I’m his daughter, I can’t give an unbiased perspective. But I read it in less than an hour and there was great hope in the listening. I lived through part of his story and because of that, I will always believe in miracles.

“This is a story of impossibilities: an addict who couldn’t quit, but did; a marriage that could have ended, but didn’t; a man who seemed dead, but lived. It’s the story of a nice guy’s sad journey into hopelessness, and the unexplainable, surprising change God made.”

-Gary Morland, From Beer to Eternity

• Jessica and Angie announced this week that the next Bloom book club book is 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. I have every intention of reading along this time over at (in)courage. I’ve heard great things about this book.

• My turn finally came at the library for The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. I’m only half-way through but it’s fast becoming my favorite read of the summer. If you’re missing Downton Abbey, this book is perfect for you.  I have a really bad habit of recommending books before I’ve finished them. But this one I feel confident will be good to the end.

• Finally, I have to tell you that LifeWay is running a sale on Grace for the Good Girl - 50% off! Usually when they have a sale online, they have it in stores as well. So if you want to save on shipping, you can mosey into your local LifeWay and get your half off copy. Or just save the gas and energy and order it here.

Has your fall schedule started up yet? If not, how will you be spending these last few days or weeks?

Book fair day used to be my absolute favorite day of the school year. Well, aside from Grandparents Day when the cafeteria would serve turkey manhatten, a dish I later learned was just a slab of turkey over … wait for it … white bread with brown gravy poured on top.

But the book fair? Oh the heavenly day. All those friends! Waiting to tell me their stories.

This year one of my not-very-big-deal-but-kind-of goals is to become more of a borrower. I don’t buy a lot of books as it is, but I want to buy even less of them and just use the library.

But there are a lot of books I want to read this summer. And some of them I’m in line for at the library and that is very inconveninet for me and my book list and my big self.

Last week as I was talking about books, someone said, “Have you been to Ollies? They have lots of cheap books.” So I’m all, oh good I can go there and peruse a whole store worth of books. How is it that I haven’t heard of this most wonderful book discount store with all of the books with their chapters and their spines! What joy!

But when we get there, there is an old man cartoon fellow painted on the outside of the store and also they are advertising 30 percent off washers. And also dryers.

They have patio furniture and groceries. But that does not a Target make, let me just tell you.

I would have left right then but I already told the kids I’d buy them a cheap book and I happened to notice a tiny sign also advertising discount books so in we went.

Well. It turns out Ollies does actually have some books. Only a few aisles worth, but enough to be slightly impressive. I bought some, including three that were on my list. It felt like a win.

I bought Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl for $3. Also The Spirit of Sweetgrass and A Hundred Years of Happiness, both by Nicole Seitz. (She painted the pictures on the covers of her books, which I happen to think is awesome).

I’ve wanted to read one of her books ever since I heard a recording of the talk she gave at She Speaks last year on writing fiction. The Spirit of Sweetgrass was her first novel that, she said, came to her like a script when the main character began talking to her. So I wanted to see what this character had to say, what with Nicole being a young white woman and the character being a 78-year-old sweetgrass basket weaver.

Characters talk to me sometimes, too, not gonna lie. They more spit at me, actually. Not in a rude way, more like their words come out short and thin. They don’t actually say much at all. Instead, they peek out from behind the oaks and sit next to me when I least expect to meet them. I can go months without thinking of them at all, and then I smell honeysuckle in my backyard and the air turns a desperate shade of green and I have to find my laptop before I forget what they say.

I have no intention of anyone ever reading what they say, but it’s fun to write it down anyway. Maybe everybody has a little fiction in them? Or maybe I am just a little bit crazy.

I cannot believe I’m telling you this.

But guess what? I have a lot of writing to do. A lot. Of writing. I know I only post a few times a week here on the blog, but I’m gearing up for the release of Graceful in September and, even though the book is complete, the release calls for some extra writing in the form of articles and study guides and such. Also extra thinking. And a few sleepless nights like this one.

And when Emily has a sleepless night? You get posts like this.

Here are the other books on my summer reading list, a list I clearly need to extend into fall and winter:

• Scribbling in the Sand by Michael Card (I’m nearly finished with this one)
• Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton (I’ve already read this one, but want to read it again)
• Give Them Grace by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson
• The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
• Wild Decembers by Edna O’Brien (Found this one at Ollies and giving it a 3 chapter chance – anyone read it?)
• Everything by Mary DeMuth (this one hasn’t released yet but I have an advanced reader copy – yay)
• Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (in line at the library for this one. I’m next)
• A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist (recommended by my mother. She reads bride and bargain-y type books)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (I’ve read this one but I’m reading it again with my daughter)

Is there anything keeping you up at night these days? Any books on your summer list you want to share?

The kids are on spring break this week, so I’m attempting to spring break with them. I’m a little embarrassed at the  stack of books I’m working from. And just to add to the insanity, there are 5 more I’m reading from that aren’t in this picture.

• Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg (I’m always reading this)
• Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeline L’Engle (I’m also always reading this)
• The Messy Quest for Meaning: Five Catholic Practices for Finding Your Vocation by Stephen Martin
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Reading this one for the 2nd time)
• The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (I’ve been saving this one for spring break. Will finish this week. Guaranteed.)

I wish I was the disciplined kind of person who could start one book and then finish it, but I’m not. I read books like I eat meals: a little salt, a little sweet, a drink of water, and a green vegetable. I like to mix the delightful and entertaining in with the growing food. And sometimes the growing turns out to be delightful.

In my feeble defense, since I took this photo, I have actually finished three of these books: May B. by Caroline Starr Rose (a lovely novel written in verse that I read in almost one sitting on a Sunday), Quitter by Jon Acuff (I laughed, I cried, I kept my job), and A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meisner (I love all her stuff).

What books are you reading this spring? Do you read one book at a time or from a stack?

“Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Romans 8:24-25

Yesterday I invited you to share some of the things you are focusing on in your homes, blogs, businesses or relationships. Many of you mentioned both something you hope for and some way it scares you: introverts making plans to open up; writers wanting to write more; mothers longing to release their tight grip of control. Some of you have hope that can’t be articulated with words but you know the familiar simmer of hope and  scary  in your heart.

If you’ve read my book or this blog for any amount of time, then you know that my dad is an alcoholic. He says he drank three quarts of beer a day for fourteen years. It’s important for me to follow that sentence with this one: he has been sober for over twenty years, loves Jesus, and has good sense. But the use and abuse of alcohol is part of our family history, for better or worse.

 It seems to me the people most qualified to talk about hope are the ones who have been hopeless and lived to tell about it. Dad knows hopeless. Yet, he lives. And now he’s telling about it.

Back in October he wrote 31 Days of Scary Hope. Now, he has expanded and refined that series into a free ebook. It’s called Scary Hope: Courage and a kick to hug hope, face fear, and get going. I’ve read it. Twice. Both times, I cried at different parts. Not because it was sad, but because it was true.

Hope, wonderful hope! The bright sun in the morning, the ring of twelve-string guitars, fresh red strawberries, sleeping puppies, giggling babies, inspiring choruses that never end, and the way the air smells giddy on a surprising warm afternoon in March after a long frozen winter. That’s how your dream of fulfilled hope feels, only better. But first, the scary. Do you really want change? You know you have a longing, a hope. Maybe you don’t even know exactly what it looks like. But you yearn and you dream for something beyond your reach. You have the hope, but do you want the change?

Gary Morland, Scary Hope

If you can’t quite articulate your hope yet, might I recommend Scary Hope? Dad is a storyteller, a noticer, and an encourager. His words help me see things. And as a bonus for you who may be or know an alcoholic, you can read the first two chapters of his story, From Beer to Eternity, at the end of Scary Hope.

my Mom and Dad

I’m really excited about this book, not just because of what it says but because of what it represents to me personally. My parents do not come from a long line of believers. They come from brokenness, addiction, and fear. And yet. They put their trust in a God who takes great delight in making beauty out of ash, so now we have a new heritage as a family. God is doing a new thing and because of this scary hope, I have a different and redeemed story to hand to my children and to my grandchildren. And so can you.

It takes just a few seconds to download the PDF of Scary Hope for free and read it on your computer. It may be about an hour to read. I just realized I’ve called him Dad this whole post. His name is Gary and you can read his blog or follow him on twitter @garedog919. And also? How cool is it that my dad, my sister and I have blogs? Useless trivia – which one of us do you think was the first to start one?