A month ago, I received an unexpected gift in the mail….
A WHOLE BOX of Bordeaux chocolates from See’s Candies. My absolute favorite! Three reader friends — Joy, Crissy and Amy — sent it to me.
The note accompanying the chocolate indicated that I should be on the look-out for more gifts. More gifts? But why? It wasn’t my birthday. Nor had anything celebration-worthy occurred with my writing.
Soon after, I received…
A gun toy that shoots rubber bands. I knew my friends were aware that Let It Be Me, the book coming out next month, is a milestone book for me. It’s my tenth Christian fiction novel. Clearly, this toy gun held significance. I wondered if it represented my book Her One and Only. In that one, the bodyguard heroine carried a handgun.
All of a sudden the chocolate took on an additional meaning. I, personally, love chocolate. But the heroine of Sweet on You is a chocolatier.
Ah! I told my daughter that I suspected that they were sending me gifts to commemorate all ten books. Joy, Crissy, and Amy confirmed it. So charming! So thoughtful.
My daughter’s imagination (and mine) have been captured by these mysterious gifts. She asks me every day, “Has a new gift come in the mail?” I finally had to tell her, “You don’t have to ask. You can trust me to let you know when a new one arrives.” Which it did.
I guessed Meant to Be Mine on this one, because the heroine is a baker. I was right!
I was visiting my sisters when the fourth gift arrived. My daughter took it upon herself to open it for me. When I returned home, I found an empty box that looked like a raccoon had torn it open. It took a little digging to discover where the raccoon my daughter was hoarding the items.
Three adorable bowls. This one wasn’t as easy to guess as the first three. After some thinking, I settled on Falling for You because the heroine buys housewares when anxious.
I was right! (Though I won’t be at all surprised if they stump me before all is said and done. To be honest, they remember the books better than I do.)
Praise be to God for equipping me, by His grace and strength, to write ten books! I’m always so aware that I’m able to do this job only because of His provision. And I’m also aware of how fortunate I am to have friends like these — who are a steadfast source of encouragement and support. They’ve made this journey so much sweeter.
I’d love to hear about a gift you’ve received that meant a lot to you!
Before I go, I wanted to let you know that Baker Book House is currently offering a wonderful pre-order deal for Let It Be Me. 40% off the list price for a signed copy + free shipping! Click here or on the image below to order.
Becky Wade
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Oh my Becky, that is THE cutest idea! What sweet friends. And congratulations on 10 books, I can’t wait for many, many more!
Thanks so much, Shelley!
I think perhaps I’m having even more fun than your little raccoon. Haha! Gifts 5 and 6 are enroute… Gift 5 is at least in the state.
The raccoon will be so pleased to hear this news! (Also, I don’t think it’s possible to be more excited about this than the raccoon and me.) 🙂
What a blessing your friends are! I wish I could tell readers how much their encouragement means to writers. They often appear just when I need it most.
Yes! It seems that God stirs the hearts of readers to encourage a writer right when he knows that writer needs it.
Pre-ordered “Let It Be Me” yesterday and it was actually even MORE than 40% off, so I consider that a gift that meant a lot to me 😉
Woo hoo! Thanks, Amy!
Fabulous, supportive and super creative friends!!!
How thoughtful of your reader fans to treat you to special gifts! They obviously really appreciate your books and want to let you know how special you are to them!
So incredibly thoughtful. I’m blown away!
How fun, Becky! What a thoughtful and special set of gifts. It just goes to show how much your readers love you. And how creative they are! Delightful!
The gifts have been such a fabulous surprise! Those three women are amazingly supportive. My ministry is writing. But part of their ministry is encouraging authors. I’m so thankful!
Congratulations! What a wonderful idea!
My sister is always surprising me.
My daughter surprised me with a Ring doorbell all the way from CA to Virginia because she thought I needed it and surprises me and her father often.
Recently, an online reading friend surprised me by sending me two lovely crewel embroidery spring pictures. We discovered during our reading together that we both do needlework. Thank you to Lynne in Spokane who follows this blog.
Blessings to you, Becky! I will order through Baker – they are wonderful.
Surprises are a delight, aren’t they, Betty? They add such unexpected joy.
So fun! What a great way to show their support for their favorite author!
One of my favorite gifts wasn’t a tangible unwrap-and-enjoy gift, but a surprise visit from my daughters. It was 7 years ago in a season when I was so sad and weary from my mom’s decline in health and all our kids lived out of state and our oldest out of country. I was missing them horribly and sad that a planned gathering had been canceled. On the Friday night of Mother’s Day weekend, I was already in bed for the night when my phone rang and my youngest daughter asked me if I could do her a favor and go outside and look at the moon. I didn’t think a thing of it since she was a teacher and often pulled Ken and me in on class projects. I figured she wanted to know if the moon was in the same position in Kansas as it was in southeast Missouri or something. But when I opened the door, there stood my two daughters and our three oldest grandsons! These two teachers had driven 8 hours, leaving right after school to come and celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with their mama! I cry tears of joy every time I remember that visit. It was literally life-changing because I’ve never felt so sad and alone since then. (I learned later that Ken had told the girls I was struggling and asked if they’d just be sure and remember Mother’s Day. Boy, did they ever!)
Deb, that story brought tears to my eyes. Loved it.
What a fun and clever idea! One of my favorite gifts came from a friend when I returned from my first writer’s conference. It was a “writer’s survival kit” full of little things with notes attached. One was a sheet of bubble wrap with the note “Stress relief. Pop 2 as needed.” A little bag had two cotton balls and the note “‘Do Not Disturb’ help. Stick in ears and write.” A note with a rubber band said, “To remind you to be flexible.” Another with an eraser said, “Everyone makes mistakes. Keep going, trying, and praying.” This same friend once shared a saying of her husband’s: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” She applied to writing–like any big project, we just do small bits as we can until it is done. Then a few days later she brought me a cute pink elephant figurine to remind me.
Another meaningful gift was when my adult children pitched in together to buy me an Apple watch after I was hospitalized with atrial fibrillation since that watch can detect afib and falls and do an EKG.
Those gifts are amazing! I smiled over your description of the “writer survival kit”. That’s such a great example of the encouragement, understanding, and support writer friends bring to our lives. They’re crucial!
Hi Becky! What fun surprises! But it’s no surprise that your readers love your books, they are wonderful. One gift that meant a lot to me was the gift of a family vacation. A few years ago I had one of the birthdays that end in a 0, and my son took our family – he, his wife, their 1 and 1/2 year old, my daughter and her husband, and me to Hawaii! I was the only one who had never been there, and we had a great time. My best memory of the trip was of my granddaughter running to greet me yelling Grandma Linda is here! We all live pretty far apart so the extended time together was priceless. I’m so looking forward to your next book, it’s pre-ordered and I’m carving out the time to read it.
Thank you for pre-ordering! A family vacation is such an amazing gift. Not just the treat of visiting Hawaii — but the time you spent together, and the memories you made.