A Softer Voice, the Book

      

          It's been roughly 14 months since I promised my mother, Goldie Opal Anderson McCall, that I would fulfill her request to gather several years' worth of poetry, blog posts, and Christian Women's Voice magazine articles into a collection. And now she resides in the realm of eternity in Heaven where time is no longer a factor.
          I tried to wiggle out of this project with some very creative objections and excuses, but I knew too well by the look in those brown eyes that she wasn't buying into any of them. So…I promised to honor her request. She knew I would keep my word and (eventually) complete a labor of love simply because she asked me to.
          When Mother's health began to rapidly decline, it became evident that my late-night typing would not speed the process enough for her to see the finished product. To reassure her, I took the Introduction, Acknowledgement and a few articles, read them to her and vowed to complete the task.
          Here's to you, Mom. Thanks for a lifetime of love, encouragement, support, and...patience. I may not be able to place the first copy in your hands (I think we would enjoy a little laugh over the yellow roses on the cover), but I do surrender A Softer Voice in book form to the Author and Finisher of our faith, Christ Jesus.
          I'm so blessed to have landed on www.FaithWriters.com a few years ago. This network of likeminded Christians with a heart for sharing our faith through writing has become a very special circle of friends who are the first to offer encouragement and support to others. What seemed to be a small and tenuous step led to a writer's conference, a blogging class, Clearing the Blog Fog, by Patty Wysong, the opportunity to share at www.JewelsofEncouragment.com, and an invitation from Debbie Dillon to be a contributor for Christian Women's Voice magazine (www.christianwomensvoice.org). God knew I needed to be led through this wonderful maze with baby steps.  The beautiful new face on this blog is the creative work of another FaithWriter friend, Marita Thelander. Thanks, Mari! 
           Mandy Sullivan Kniskern is a proofreader extraordinaire and just happens to be my daughter. When God placed her (and her sweet family) in our home this past year, she couldn't have known she would be spending late-night hours reading through heavy eyelids looking for typos and other errors. Thank you, Mandy!   
          And a heart full of gratitude to my very best friend, Bud, whose patient character is the benchmark for our marriage in ways too many to list. His hard work each day has allowed me the privilege to be a stay-at-home wife and, at one time, mom. This quieter time in my life means I get to pursue what I enjoy. Thank you, Bud!  
          Following is the link to Friesen Press where A Softer Voice can be purchased for download, paperback or hardback. Many thanks to Mariam Ordubadi, Author Account Manager; Ashley Good, Book Promotion Specialist; and other team members (known to me only by their first names) Geoff, Carmen, Shari, Ceilidh, and Publishing Consultant Tim Plakeolli. A special thank you to the Art Department for the beautiful original art for the cover. Each one of you helped to make this self-published effort blossom into the best it could be.

http://www.friesenpress.com/bookstore/title/119734000012346379

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/nancy-k.-Sullivan

http://www.amazon.com/Softer-Voice-Sharing-Family-Friends/dp/1460229533/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400524115&sr=1-2&keywords=A+Softer+Voice

http://www.amazon.com/Softer-Voice-Sharing-Family-Friends-ebook/dp/B00KC1KQMY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400524211&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Softer+Voice

"For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth,
 visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities
---all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
(Colossians 1:16-17 NASB)