Debra L. Butterfield

Stories that Stir Your Spirit

Debra L. Butterfield

Patriotism and Thankfulness

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Marine Corps League (Marine veterans) color guard.
I am thankful. – Marine Corps League members carry the colors in a local parade. That’s me carrying the American flag.

Veteran’s Day was earlier this month. I can’t let it pass without reflecting on my time in the Marine Corps. I love my country deeply and am saddened by what I see taking place today.

Thanksgiving is this week. I’m thankful for the freedoms I enjoy that men and women died to help protect.

For many, Thanksgiving has become another day off from work. A day to join with family for roast turkey and all the trimmings. The meaning and sacrifice that underpins the holiday is nearly forgotten.

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Would God Do That for Me?

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Do you question how much God loves you?

Much of this year, I’ve written in my Wednesday Word emails and on my blog about building your faith. And believe me, what I write is a much for me as it is for you.

Since publishing my Bible study, Unshakable Faith, the Devil has constantly attacked me. One of the regular darts he throws is “Would God do that for me?”

At the root of that question is doubt about my worth. Who am I that…

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Be Fully Convinced in God’s Word

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Be fully convinced of what God's Word has promised you.

What does it mean to be fully convinced—of anything?

It means to be absolutely certain, to have no doubts, that something will be accomplished.

Are you fully convinced the sun will set tonight? I’d say so. You probably didn’t even give it a thought, otherwise, you’d be in a panic.

Stop and think about what being certain of something does for you.

  • You have no doubts.
  • You have confidence in its occurrence.
  • You have peace.

Are you fully convinced you’ll overcome any tough situation that might come your way?

Your certainty may have vanished before you finished reading that sentence.

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Be Strong and Courageous

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Be strong and courageous. God is with us.
Image by Iforce from Pixabay

Do you ever wake up discouraged? I know I do. It doesn’t mean I went to bed that way. In fact, the opposite might be true.

Still and all, I can wake up in a discouraged mood. Often this mood is a spiritual attack, but sometimes it’s just me being impatient over God’s promises concerning the work He has given me to do.

I know the Israelites certainly weren’t feeling courageous when Pharaoh’s army bore down on them and the Red Sea stretched out in front of them. If they weren’t feeling courageous, I guess that means they were feeling dis-courageous (scared out of their wits is more like it).

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Jesus Is All We Need

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Last month I wrote about being an overcomer. We all want to be victorious in what life and the devil throws our way. And while the tips from last month are key, God does not leave us defenseless or without a weapon. The following is an excerpt from my book Carried by Grace (affiliate link).

Carried by Grace book

In Matthew 6:6–13 Jesus teaches us how we should pray.

  • Begin with praise (verse 9).
  • Pray God’s will to be done in your life and other’s lives (verse 10).
  • Speak out your specific needs (verse 11).
  • Ask for forgiveness and forgive others (verse 12).
  • Pray for guidance and protection (verse 13a).
  • End with praise (verse 13b).

Don’t let prayer become an empty ritual. Jesus warned in verses 6–8 to avoid empty prayers. Pray from your heart.

Prayer is our best weapon and works in the spiritual realm, a realm we cannot see with our natural eyes. It is the world of God, angels, and demons.

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It’s my Birthday. Let’s Celebrate

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When I was a kid in elementary school, we used to bring goodies of some kind to share with our classmates to celebrate our birthdays. As I remember, my mom baked cupcakes. My twin sister and I were in the same classroom for kindergarten, but after that, the school encouraged my parents that we be put into separate classrooms. So ever after, my mom had to make a double batch of cupcakes for us to take to school.

Did you celebrate your birthday this way when you were a kid?

In this grand tradition, I’m celebrating with a get-one-give-one celebration event. That means one lucky person will get two signed copies my novel, Claiming Her Inheritance, one to keep, and one to give to a friend.

For those who’ve read Claiming Her Inheritance, you know Sally Clark discovers she has a twin sister, Abby Reynolds. (Gee, where did I get that idea?) In book 2, Discovering Her Inheritance, Sally and Abby spend time together at Sally’s home in Kansas City to get better acquainted.

Book 2 is still in the draft stage, but is close to 50% completed. I hope to launch the book this October. Like my Facebook author page to stay updated on its status and release.

But I have a question for you, my readers,

that will impact future books I write.

Both Sally and Abby are single-never-married. Book 3 of the Her Inheritance trilogy (spoiler alert!) will be Sally’s romance story. I’m considering writing a fourth book as a romance for Abby.

My question to you is, would you like to see a fourth book dedicated to a romance for Abby or should I make book 3 a double romance? Leave your choice in the comments below and you will be entered to win the get-one-give-one prize.

I’m looking forward to reading your answers. Reviewers exclaiming they wanted a sequel to Claiming propelled me to write book 2 and, further, to make the books a trilogy. Yes, reviews are gold for authors, and we do read them!

I’ll draw a winner for the GOGO prize on Feb. 13, so you have until midnight Central time on Feb. 12 to leave your answer and be entered to win 2 signed copies of Claiming Her Inheritance.

Help me celebrate! Leave your comment below.

If you haven’t read Claiming Her Inheritance, it’s available all this week (Feb. 6–Feb. 12) for only 99 cents.

About Claiming Her Inheritance

Celebrate with me. Enter to win 2 signed copies of Claiming Her Inheritance by Debra L. Butterfield

The secret behind an inheritance wields far greater consequences for Sally Clark than the 6-figure yearly income.

Sally has received an inheritance of a lifetime, but first she must spend four weeks on the family ranch in Montana. Discontent and disgruntled with her job, she quits and flies to Montana to claim the inheritance. After a series of so-called accidents, she wonders whether she’ll survive to enjoy it.

Chase Reynolds is astounded that his father has willed one-third of their cattle ranch to a total stranger. Who is this woman and what hold did she have over his dad?

What Sally and Chase discover is beyond their imagination and wields far greater consequences than the inheritance.

A touch of suspense, a touch of romance, and a whole lot of fun. Get your copy of Claiming Her Inheritance today.

Ask the Author – My First Edit

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Author Debra L. Butterfield

A new post I’m starting this year is “Ask the Author.” That’s right, it’s your chance to ask your questions about me and my writing. The year’s first question comes from Chris Deanne: Tell me about your first edit.

Every writer has his/her own process. Many write the full manuscript before doing any editing at all. However, I almost always edit the previous day’s work before starting on today’s writing. One, it helps me recapture where I was in the story; and two, it helps get me warmed up for writing.

I also have a critique group I participate in each month and will make edits in the scene that day based on their feedback.

But I think Chris was asking about that first edit after completing the full draft.

First, I step away from the story for at least a week (preferably longer) to allow my brain to forget the big and little details of the story. That allows me to see holes anywhere in the story.

If I have a beta reader group, I’ll send a pdf of the story to them and give them a deadline of when I need their feedback.

Next, I read through the whole story as if I was a reader reading it for the first time. I usually print out the story to do this. Things on the printed page look different than on the computer screen.

I often encourage other writers to read their manuscript out loud or have their writing program read it out loud. (Fun fact about me: I fell asleep reading stories to my children, so I’m not sure listening to my story will work for me.)

As I’m reading through, I’ll make note of…
  • Typos and punctuation errors
  • Holes in the plot
  • Errors in time frame
  • Errors in characters’ details and their behavior.
  • Something that is unclear in a scene
  • Any idea I get to enhance a scene
  • Any item that needs research to ensure the fact is accurate
  • Clarity of point of view character

Once this is done, I’ll read through my beta readers’ feedback and make any necessary revisions.

This process is going to look different for every author. Because I edit during the writing process, this first edit of the full draft is more like a developmental edit–I’m mostly looking for big picture errors.

While writing, I might decide halfway through that I’m going to change a plot detail. Rather than revising after completing the manuscript, I’ll go back to the beginning of the story and rework every scene as needed to support that new plot detail before continuing.

I do make plot changes during that first read through, too. In writing Claiming Her Inheritance, I decided I would put a fake snake in Sally’s saddle bags. That meant I had to reread and revise as necessary every scene from that point to the end of the story to ensure every scene supported that change.

This is what constitutes my first edit, Chris. Thanks for asking, and I hope that’s what you were looking for.

Do you have a question you’d like to ask? Put it in the comments below. I’ll either reply to your comment or create a blog post to answer it.

Brainstorm live with me!

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working cover of Debra L. Butterfield's upcoming novel
This is only a working cover.

Would you like to help me brainstorm the title for my upcoming novel? Here’s your chance!

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