From Robin's Nest

Journal Entry for 8/4/2008

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

Summertime Smiles!

I hope you are having a lovely, restful summer. My days have been full, full, full but my heart is at peace. I'm working on the edits for the 8th Sisterchicks novel and have to admit I was caught laughing out loud a little earlier while I was re-reading part of the book. How silly is that? I forgot what I'd written several months ago and when I went back to it the scene seemed brand new.

Speaking of brand new, if you can believe this, our washing machine, dryer AND our dishwasher all decided to stage a shut down within the past month. The new washer and dryer are working just fine. The dishwasher is amazing! It is so quiet I don't even know it's on sometimes. And it holds twice as many dishes as the very old one that coughed and sputtered every time I asked it to do the simplest task. I'm crazy about my new dishwasher! I probably appreciate the dishwasher even more because we didn't have one for most of our early years when the kids were little. The only good part about washing a lot of dishes by hand for all those years was that I wrote out verses on cards and put them on a stand in the kitchen window. A lot of God's words took root in my heart during the many hours of plunging my hands into the soapy water. A blessing in disguise.

If you haven't yet signed up to receive Robin's Nest newsletter, please come by www.robingunn.com and sign up. I love offering free books through the newsletters as well as give little updates on what's happening.

I'll be thinking of all you wonderful Sisterchicks as I work on the edits for Sisterchicks novel #8! As soon as I have an okay I'll announce the title and release date. Until then, Happy Summer!
Robin

Journal Entry for 5/12/2008

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

SISTERCHICKS GO BRIT! IN STORES MAY 20th!!

I have been so eager for the release of this next Sisterchicks novel! As I've posted in the past, I've had the privilege of traveling to the places I've written about in the Sisterchicks novels. The trip to England was an absolute delight. At the back of this book I added a bonus section with photos and bits of "story behind the story" to give you a feel of how the story came about.

One thing my editor Julee and I experienced on our research trip to England was a sense of God's direction and His overwhelming goodness to us. He expresses this same tenderness to us at home but being out of our normal routines put us in a place of trusting Him more. And that is always a good thing.

It's so fun that the release of Sisterchicks Go Brit! is on the heels of the release of Prince Caspian at the theaters. While in England we took a tour in Oxford of the home and "world" of C.S. Lewis. We visited the church where Lewis and his brother worshipped for almost 40 years. We sat in the pew where he always sat and looked to the front of the church. Behind the altar was a stained glass window of Christ the Prince of Peace seated on a throne. What surprised us was that the image of Christ was very Anglo-Saxon looking with blond hair! I turned to Julee and said, "What a great inspiration for Prince Caspian!"

I've put a few photos from the England trip on the Sisterchicks gallery. May the Lord continue to draw you close to His heart and I do hope you enjoy this latest Sisterchicks adventure!
Robin

Journal Entry for 2/11/2008

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:00:00 AM GMT

Fabulous February to all of you, dear Sisterchicks!

I'm catching my breath after an amazing weekend in Colorado at the Christian Writer's Guild "Writing for the Soul" Conference. The location was breathtakingly beautiful but what made the conference so wonderful was having the chance to meet so many writers and visit with friends old and new. If you'd like to listen to some of the workshops I taught or the keynote address from the banquet, you can order the CD or an mp3 of the talks at:
www.BestChristianConferences.com

On the gallery page I've posted a picture of me at the conference with my friend Sue, who is the editor at Zondervan for the new Katie Weldon book, Peculiar Treasures. We received a terrific review of the book on Publishers Weekly. I'll paste the review below. The book releases one month from today and I'm very excited about it!

May the Lord fill your Valentine's Day as well as all of February with hidden little reminders of His unending love for you.

Sending my love, too,
Robin

Publishers Weekly Review
Peculiar Treasures
Robin Jones Gunn, Zondervan, $14.99 paper (304p)
“Gunn has been writing about Katie and her friends for years, most notably in the Christy Miller series, and this is the first in Gunn’s Katie Weldon series. Katie’s dilemmas may seem like the stuff of unabashedly light fiction, but they aren’t without gravity and intrigue. Gunn is adept at denuding light fiction of its usual tics – mediocre prose, clichéd characters and predictable plots – and imbuing it with the hallmarks of literary fiction. The characters are multidimensional and ring true at nearly every turn. The dialogue that ensues is at once heartbreaking and utterly familiar to anyone who has ever been in Katie’s shoes. Moreover, Katie’s religious faith never feels sentimentalized or tacked on, but is integrated beautifully into the charming plot.”

Journal Entry for 12/3/2007

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:00:00 AM GMT

Blessed Advent, Dear Sisterchicks!

Something exciting has been happening with the sales of my new Christmas novella, Finding Father Christmas and I wanted to tell you about it.

First, a portion of the profits are going to provide clean water in Africa through Living Water International (www.water.cc). Our church is partnering with Living Water as part of our “advent conspiracy”. The objective is for us to find ways to celebrate the birth of our Savior relationally and to give to others compassionately. All of you who have picked up a copy of Finding Father Christmas have partnered with me in giving a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name. I’m so grateful!

Also, last month readers who have signed up for my newsletter at www.robingunn.com were invited to request free, personalized bookplates for Finding Father Christmas, We thought it would be a nice way for readers to give a special gift to someone they love. I couldn’t believe it when my assistant forwarded me the list with over 400 names of readers requesting personalized bookplates!

As you might imagine, I’ve been signing bookplates like crazy and popping them into envelopes as fast as I can. I’ve been having such a great time praying over each name as I write it on the bookplate. My prayer is that our Heavenly Father will draw that person close to His heart this Christmas. That’s what I pray for all of you.

I just had to tell you what a huge joy this has been! Money is being raised for clean water from sales of Finding Father Christmas and 400 readers and their friends are being prayed over. This is already the best Christmas ever!

Love and Joy Come to You this Advent Season,
Robin

Journal Entry for 9/13/2007

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:00:00 AM GMT

Happy End of Summer Days, Sisterchicks!

Are any of you as crazy about this time of year as I am? I LOVE the lingering warmth in the air, the long shadows and the first hints of gold in the trees. The best thing we ever did years ago was buy a hammock with a stand. I move that baby all over the back yard in order to catch a nap in the late afternoon when the sun is at its most agreeable slant in the sky. Yesterday I felt like a human Snickerdoodle. I positioned the hammock just right in the toasty sunshine and stretched out for a twelve minute bake. Mmmmm. My favorite sort of power nap. I am a huge fan of short afternoon naps -- especially in the sunshine.

Next week I'll be in Dallas for the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference. I hope to meet some of you there. Be sure to say hello! From there I go on to Colorado for a one day meeting with Jerry Jenkins and the board from the Christian Writers Guild (christianwritersguild.com) I'm on the Board of Directors and will also be speaking at their annual conference next January. Good times ahead.

In the meantime, I'm having a grand time working on my second Christmas novella, "Engaging Father Christmas". I've already had a few chuckle out loud moments as I've been writing it so I hope it brings some cheer to readers, too.

The first Christmas novella, "Finding Father Christmas" will release in October and I'm really excited about that one because it will be available in Sams and Walmart as well as other general markets. "Finding Father Christmas" carries a tender gospel message and I'm already praying that many readers will come to know the true Father of Christmas through this story -- their Heavenly Father. Pray with me, okay? And share this little story with your friends and family who don't yet know the Lord.

Now here's a little secret. For all you Sisterchicks going on the cruise, we're trying to arrange for free copies of "Finding Father Christmas" to be included in your goodie bags. My sister, Julie, is pulling all that fun stuff together right now. So when you pull your copy out of your bag, if Julie is standing nearby, be sure to act surprised so she won't know that I told you. (hee hee!)

Blessed, blessed autumn to each and every one of you. May the golden afternoons bake your spirit to sugar cookie perfection!

Robin