Thanks, Dad

by Jean Kavich Bloom

What encouragement to write do I most remember? I'll tell you, but first, about that name, Kavich.

Kavich was my last name before I married into the Bloom family decades ago. Shortened from a Polish name, it's a challenge for people to know how to pronounce it. Yet the pronunciation is simple, if not phonetically a hoot.

Say it with me: “cave-itch.” 

Despite my maiden name’s challenges, I decided long ago to include it on anything I published. Why? To honor my father and his encouragement.

Way back in my teens, Dad encouraged my writing and to “maybe work in publishing one day.” Not in a pushy way, but enough that it made an impression on me. I wish I had fully embraced that idea when I entered college, although I don't think many programs related to writing or publishing were available then. And I thought all you could do with an English degree was teach. Instead I majored in social work and then established a short career in that field. Guess what I enjoyed most about my work in a crisis intervention position. Writing my reports.

When my husband and I decided it was time for me to go back to employment after I’d been a stay-at-home mom for ten years, I was hired into one of a nearby publishing house's editorial departments. (That was one hundred percent a God thing.) From the start, my dad’s encouragement rang in my ears, giving me courage to take advantage of opportunities there to train and learn editing and all aspects of the publishing world. I worked there for twenty-four years, and after becoming a freelance editor and writer, I was commissioned by that company to write a couple of children’s devotional and activity books.

“How do you want your name to read on the cover?” my editor asked. Without hesitation, I told her, “Jean Kavich Bloom.” 

My father, who passed away a few years ago, wasn't too impressed when I handed him copies of those books. By that time, his frail, ninety-plus-year-old body had begun to take its toll on his spirit. He wanted nothing more than to be with God (and soon after that, he was). Yet his lack of response didn’t dampen my gratitude for his encouragement, way back when I was a teenager and an avid reader, dipping my toe into writing. 

And as I write now, his encouragement still rings.

Thanks, Dad.  

Has a parent or someone else significant in your life encouraged you in your writing? Do you know someone you can encourage?

Jean Kavich Bloom is a freelance editor and writer for Christian publishers and ministries (Bloom in Words Editorial Services), with thirty years of experience in the book publishing world. Her personal blog is Bloom in Words too, where she sometimes posts articles about the writing life. She is also a regular contributor to The Glorious Table, a blog for women of all ages. Her published books are Bible Promises for God's Precious Princess and Bible Promises for God's Treasured Boy. She and her husband, Cal, have three children (plus two who married in) and five grandchildren, with foster grandchildren in their lives on a regular basis.

Photo credit: https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=222174&picture=father-and-daughter-at-beach

A True Hero (by JoAnn Durgin)

One of my favorite books of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Published in 1960, it became a popular and enduring novel in American literature, winning the esteemed Pulitzer Prize. Although the book deals with tough issues such as rape and racial inequality, it also has endearing warmth and humor—two things I always incorporate in my own books. But the primary reason I love this great novel? The lead character, Atticus Finch, is a sigh-worthy hero in every sense of the word. 

A widower, Atticus patterned moral strength and deep integrity to his two children, Jem and Scout. As opposed to some of the tough modern day heroes in books, Atticus was a gentleman who wore three-piece suits, preferred to walk instead of drive, used his mind instead of his fists, and loved to read books, especially with his children. In his kids, Atticus fostered a sense of empathy, tolerance, respect and fair-mindedness. According to some accounts, Atticus is probably best remembered as an exemplary father.

As an avid reader of Christian romance, both historical and contemporary, I adore a hero who loves children. I’m talking about a man who does more than nod, smile and pat a child on the head. I’m referring to a man who really listens when a child speaks, a man who values their opinions and treats them with respect and honor instead of merely dismissing them.

The Bible has many verses about children and admonitions for men concerning raising children, and here are two of my personal favorites (ESV version):

Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
~Proverbs 29:18

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. ~Ephesians 6:4

I’ve decided to incorporate my admiration of Atticus Finch and my love of To Kill A Mockingbird into my current manuscript, Prelude, a short novel prequel to The Lewis Legacy Series. This is actually considered a historical piece since the setting is 1962 and my hero (Sam Lewis, the father of the core character in my series and his namesake) is an Air Force pilot returning home from the Vietnam War. I’m having a great time doing the research. Although it can be read as a stand alone novel, this book will hopefully entertain as well as enlighten the faithful readers of my series as to some of the family history and highlight certain characteristics and qualities of both men. The heroine in Prelude (Sarah, mother of Sam Lewis) is reading To Kill A Mockingbird, and one way she bonds with the returning war hero is by discussing the book’s finer points.  

Have you ever included one of your favorite books, movies, etc. into your novels? If so (or if you plan on doing so in the future), I’d love to hear. Please share!

Blessings, friends.

~JoAnn Durgin
Matthew 5:16