Formats Archives: Aside

During a particularly painful time in her life, Sarah Zacharias Davis learned how delightful–and wounding–women can be in friendship. She saw how some friendships end badly, others die slow deaths, and how a chance acquaintance can become that enduring friend you need. The Friends We Keep is Sarah’s thoughtful account of her own story and […]

I recently started reviewing books for Multnomah Books, a division of Random House. (Hey, free books–gotta love it!) The first opportunity they sent me was The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall. Here’s Multnomah’s summary of the book: Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against […]

I like Alice in Wonderland. I like Johnny Depp. I’m just not sure I like them together. Evidently Johhny Depp is playing the Mad Hatter in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, coming out in 2010. You can watch the trailer here if you want. But personally, I think it’s kind of freaky. I’ll […]

Arise the Dawn, the metal-core screamo (yeah, that’s really the genre’s name!) band Aaron is producing, will be playing at the Encounter in Duluth at six ‘o’ clock this Saturday. Come see what all the noise is about! Seriously, whether or not this style of music is your cup of tea (or Red Bull, as […]

My editing is coming along nicely. I am halfway through chapter 13 (of the book–I posted something about chapter 11 in my Facebook status a week or so ago, and nearly gave several friends heart attacks, thinking our music business was going bankrupt!), and I think I have come up with a philosophy that will […]

“Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature” by Robin Brande. It’s what I read tonight while I was supposed to be editing. Good book. A bit oversimplified (although it was meant for younger readers–think thirteen-ish), but vibrant and fun and engaging. Concise, snappy sentences that came off as altogether effortless. Must read more Robin Brande. […]

I have set a new goal for my novel. I am going to finish the second draft by the end of August, and have my manuscript polished up and ready to submit by Christmas. (Although of course I won’t be actually submitting anything until January–agents need vacation, too!) My goal is not as ambitious as […]

On the off chance that any of you haven’t seen this yet, I had to post it on my blog. This is the way the world should be. Talk about brightening up someone’s commute. 🙂 Read more at http://jennyraearmstrong.blogspot.com.

I know I haven’t posted in a good long while, but I’ve been busy doing, erm, important things. Actually, there’s no way to underestimate how important taking a little time off to do frivolous things has been. Taking a vacation is like hitting the reset button on your life–it takes you outside your normal, day-to-day […]

I just got my complimentary copies of Geez Magazine, which reprinted the article I originally published at TheOoze.com. I am so excited! I love Geez, and I’m not alone–this quirky, gutsy magazine has won several laurels, including (but not limited to) the 2009 Utne Independent Press Award for Best Spiritual Coverage. Is that not cool? […]

Although just barely! The vacation itself was riotously fun, but I came home feeling crummy. (Perhaps no worse than one would expect after spending nine days in a tent with five males, but still… :-D) I actually felt sick enough to go in and see a doctor, which is something of an oddity for me. […]

Hmm, Blogger seems have a glitch–I don’t see anywhere to leave comments on my last post. So here’s a test post to see if the comments icon is working, or if I have to do some more digging to find out what’s going on. I checked my settings, and everything is normal, so either Blogger […]

Okay, writer friends–here’s a video I stumbled across today about how to find freelance writing jobs online, created by Rob Ferrall, the mind behind Daily Writing Jobs. This video has a lot of great tips about finding writing opportunities targeted to the type of writing you want to do and your areas of expertise. Anyone […]

I got my first real piece of “fan mail” today. I’ve gotten nice emails and encouraging comments about articles I’ve published in the past, but this was different, a plain white envelope addressed to Jenny Rae Armstrong, Maple, WI. (One of the distinct advantages of living in a small town–the postal workers know who you […]

There was an interesting article up today at relevantmagazine.com about How the Church Can Fail Women. The thing I find fascinating is how precisely the article reflects my own experiences, and how many of the comments reflect the “it doesn’t matter” mindset I’ve encountered so often in Christian circles. I am not certain whether to […]