The parable of the Lost Coin is actually the second in a series of three parables.

SCENE: Jesus is surrounded by tax-gatherers and sinners. They know they are “bad,” yet they press in to hear all that Jesus has to say. Also in attendance are Pharisees and scribes, who are their typical snooty selves, questioning Jesus and his allowing Bad guys to be in his presence.

The first of the three parables Jesus tells in succession is the story of the Lost Sheep; the second is the Lost Coin, followed by the Prodigal Son.

We have a picture of that which is lost: humanity. And we have an illustration of Jesus’ attitude and activities in the midst of derelict humanity.

The sheep is lost through stupidity. The coin is lost through carelessness. The son is lost through deliberate, self-centered pride.

I don’t know about you, but I can see myself in all three parables: I’ve sinned because I’ve done something stupid, I’ve been careless of decisions I’ve made, and then I’ve even willfully known what I was about to do was wrong, wrong, wrong, yet I did it anyway.

Next posting I will tell you about a very special Lost Coin. You won’t want to miss out hearing about it! Check back within the week!

In the meantime, which parable do you most relate to?

            A sure-fire recipe for failure to make positive changes in my life is for me to make New Year’s Resolutions. Why is this so? Hmmm, if I could figure it out, then I could fix it!

            What if I changed it to New Year’s Intentions? Well, you know about the road to hell being paved with good intentions . . . not going down that road!

            But what about New Year’s Possibilities? Now that sounds doable! No pressure to succeed . . . and because it doesn't involve goals, exactly, I can't fail. Possibilities seem intriguing. Kind of like the “what if” game. I could ask myself, “Is it possible to do this, or to change that?” Then if I attempt the possibility and can’t pull it off, I won’t feel like I’ve failed. Rather, I can tell myself, “Well, that didn’t work, so what if I try this?”

            Yep, I think I’ll toss New Year’s Resolution making and go with New Year’s Possibilities. The possibilities are endless . . .

It’s 11 am. My office window is wide open. The cool air chills my warm skin after a workout on Wii Fit. I lean back, kick up my feet onto my desk, and grab Stephen King’s On Writing. Immersed in this prolific writer’s memoir, something in the back of my mind niggles me to awareness of the quiet. The stillness draws my attention like a bellowing foghorn. Car and trucks and milk tankers typically rush by at 45 mph this time of morning, but not today.

It’s Labor Day. And few laborers are out an about. I should be working on one project or another, but no. I’m going to rest from my labors and enjoy the peace, the calm, the quiet that will be shattered tomorrow morning by the big yellow kid transporter that rumbles by at 7:26 am, signaling the end of summer and all its fun. Time to get to work.

How did you spend your Labor Day?

Thank you for visiting me on my virtual book tour stop with Erin K. Brown! Visiting Erin on the tour was an obvious choice for me, not only because she a fabulous editor, which is reason enough to stop by her Web site, but she also happens to be the co-author of The Lost Coin. When I completed the original draft I was put in touch with Erin and began working with her to create a great final story.  

Erin and I have yet to meet in person because we live a few states away from each other, but our countless e-mails have caused us to become fast friends. Although we have completed The Lost Coin project, I do believe Erin and I will be friends for a very long time, and hopefully we will have the opportunity to work together again soon.

During your visit, I will answer questions that have been asked of me about The Lost Coin, what it’s like to be an author, and about the publishing process. Enjoy your time here and after your done, be sure to go back to my Web site www.abreathofinspiration.com to find out where the next stop of the virtual book tour will be so that you can learn more.

Q. Where do your ideas come from?

A. I regularly pray and ask God to show me what things He wants me to write. Usually an idea will hit when I’m reading Scripture or an inspirational book. I’ll read one sentence or one verse, and suddenly an entire story pops in my head, and I’ll feel an overwhelming desire to write about it. It really is a God thing.

Q. Why did you choose Manteca as the hometown for your main character?

A. I once read that authors should write about towns, settings, and environments they are familiar with, unless of course they are planning on doing extensive research on a place unfamiliar to them. When an author writes about the places they know well, it comes across more realistic to the reader. My main character makes her way from her hometown (and mine) of Manteca and ends up in my personal favorite vacation spot, Santa Clarita. Two towns I know and enjoy.

Q. Are there different ways to publish a book?

A. Many people don’t realize that there are different ways to go about publishing. The three main are Traditional, Print on Demand, and Self Publishing.

Traditional Publishing is going with a publishing house that agrees to publish your manuscript and completely covers the cost for the publishing/marketing process. A traditional publisher will usually maintain the rights to your manuscript for seven years or longer, with the author earning a small royalty from each book sold. Bigger publishing houses often place copies of your book in bookstores, but it doesn’t guarantee sales.

Print on Demand (POD) publishers will publish your book for a fee and make it available to numerous online bookstores. Authors usually maintain complete rights to their manuscript and receive a larger royalty for each book sold. A POD publisher usually offers some Marketing and Promoting for an additional fee; however, it is primarily up to the author to get the word out about his or her book. If authors are passionate about their books and willing to promote them, POD is a very nice option.

Self-publishing means an author does everything from scratch. Beginning with formatting the book, editing the manuscript, creating a cover, purchasing an ISBN number, which is needed if the book is sold in stores. In addition, the author handles the printing, promoting, and distributing the book. Every detail is on the author. Though it is a lot of extra work, the good part of self-publishing is that the author has complete creative control, full royalty benefits, and will never have to share his/her rights to the manuscript.

Q. Is your family excited about your being a published author?

A. Although my family is happy that I serve God through writing, I honestly think they are more impressed when I remember to buy cookies and goodies when I go grocery shopping.  Desserts are big deal in our house.

Q. What do you hope readers will take away from The Lost Coin?

A. Naturally I hope readers will be entertained by the story and that they’ll tell their friends about it, but more than that, I really want readers to see how God works in the lives of these characters and understand that while the characters are fiction, Gods grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love are very real.

Q. Do you think there will be The Lost Coin Part two?

A. The story certainly ends with plenty of opportunities to develop a part two, but I honestly don’t know yet if that’s the next project God has in mind for me, or if there is something else brewing. One thing I know for sure, I hope to work with Erin again.