Hey there. OK, it's been like a year since I wrote anything for my news section so I thought I'd do that today:

   Well, school is back in full swing and Labor Day is over. Time to put away those white shoes and get ready for football tailgating. Whoo hoo! (Go Bedford Middle School Cutters! Go BNL Stars! Go Indiana Hoosiers! Go Indianapolis Colts!) On a personal note, we've finally moved into our historic home! It's not totally done, but we're close. We've been asked to be on the American Cancer Society Holiday Home Tour in Bedford, IN, this year, and we've agreed to do that, so we'll have to be finished by then. Ugh! Abby is a freshman this year, and Ally is in the 8th grade—both are cheerleaders. So, we're attending lots of junior high and high school football games these days. So much fun!

   I wanted to let you know of some upcoming speaking engagements on my schedule in case any of you can attend. September 27-29, I'll be speaking twice at the "Red Hot Monogamy/Marriage Fest 2007" couples conference in Galena, Illinois, sponsored by The Rock Church of the Quad Cities. I will also be speaking on Sept. 30 at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning service at The Rock, 4730 Tremont Avenue, Davenport, Iowa 52807. For more information, call (563) 386-ROCK or visit www.rockchurchofthequadcities.com online.

   In October, I'll be heading to New Mexico for one of my all-time favorite writers' conferences—The Glorieta Christian Writers' Conference, Oct. 17-21. I'll be co-teaching a continuing session called, "Quit Your Day Job! 30 Secrets to Turning the Corner and Making a Living As a Writer" with highly-acclaimed and totally hilarious author and friend Steven James (www.stevenjames.net). Here is the description of our class: Together, your instructors have written thousands of articles and stories for more than 100 different publications, and 62 books since becoming full-time writers. They are here to tell you, "Hey, you can do it, too!" So you've finally decided to do it, huh? You want to write and sell what you write, right? Well, in this intensive seminar, you'll learn how to locate and land new writing assignments, write killer query letters and book proposals, and generate ideas for tons of articles you can write without doing a shred of research. Steven and Michelle will also teach you the secrets to writing the kinds of articles and book proposals that editors are craving. From the idea stage to landing your assignment to submitting a fabulous finished product, this seminar will give you the tools so you can start earning a living as a writer. Join Steven and Michelle for a wild, wacky, "way-too-much-fun" but totally rewarding time! Oh, and Michelle promises to bring chocolate.

   To learn more about this fantastic conference or to register, go to http://www.classervices.com/CS_Glorieta_Information.htm online.

   In November, I'll be teaching at the Wesleyan Publishing House Christian Writers' Workshop "Developing the Writer Within You" in Indianapolis, IN on Nov. 2 and 3. I'll be teaching "10 Tips to Double Your Freelance Income," "Ten Misleading Myths About Writing for Children," and "How To Write a Children's Book and Get It Published." For more information, go to http://www.wesleyan.org/ME2/Sites/Default.asp?SiteID=6DFD844FC25A4D3B8F119325068DCDF5 online.

   That's it for now. Happy Fall! I can't wait to put out lots of mums, drink hot chocolate, and break out the sweaters. It won't be long now. Many blessings to you! Oh, and happy writing!