Around the time of my birthday this year, I reeived a signed copy of a wonderful little book by author, Debbie Macomber, titled Once Upon a Time. If you're familiar with Debbie's name, and you probably are, you no doubt know her for her wildly popular women's fiction, especially her Cedar Cove series. Well, this book isn't fiction--but it is all about story.    

It's about many different kinds of stories, but at the center it has to do with helping the reader discover God's story for our lives--the story He's writing through each of us. In it, Debbie shares her own love of story, which really resonates with me beause of my own lifelong love of story. This is indeed Debbie's story: a look at her life and her writing. But it's also about your story. Whether you've thought of writing a book or want to know more aobut journaling or starting a blog or just writing in general--it has a number of helps and ideas and brainstorming questions to spark your own efforts.

There's much included about writing--about characters and plots, talents and gifts, inspiration and mentors and meaning and symbols. But it's just as much for those who have no interest at all in writing. More than anything else, it seems to me it's a book of encouragement. Written from a Christian point of view, as well as from a much-experienced and excellent writer's point of view, there's something for everyone. Even if you're not looking for any particular "message" or "theme" or "story ideas," this is a book that offers one of the finest exploratioins I've ever read of what the idea of story encompasses, an exploration by one of our finest storytellers--a storyteller who understands how to creatively illustrate God's working in our lives.

Once Upon A Time is a book I'll read more than once, because it's an important book and a great read. And by the way--after mentioning Debbie's Cedar Cover series, let me just add a note here that the first of the new TV series based on her Cedar Cove novels can be seen on the Hallmark channel this coming Saturday, July 20. 

Enjoy!

BJ