| Giving up the Dream of Being a Radio Star | | Posted by Taryn on Monday, March 8, 2010 at 3:24pm | My first radio interview is now history and I have mixed feelings about it. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to tell people about my book and grateful the station chose me. But I'm not sure how it went. I realize that while I love speaking in front of a roomful of people, talking on the radio is a whole different animal. I need the constant feedback you get from a live audience's body language and facial expressions. Are they laughing at the right times? Does a hush come over the crowd and their eyes begin to glisten at the appropriate moments? Are they yawning or winding up their throwing arms and grabbing for tomatoes?
I'm also thankful that I know better what to expect if I'm fortunate enough to get this opportunity again. The day before the interview, the station called me to confirm my phone number and told me they'd call again 10 minutes before we go on air. The phone didn't ring until one minute beforehand; I was getting a bit nervous. The talk show host said hello and welcome, and I answered back with an enthusiastic greeting, trying to be larger than life as I'd been instructed. We were chit-chatting about Pennsylvania and North Carolina when suddenly he interrupted me and said hello all over again. I realized that was the moment we went live. I'm talking about my parents' hometown of Prospect Park, Pennsylvania while he's introducing me to the listening audience.
My publicist had prepared eight questions and I'd practiced my answers. However, the questions that day were entirely different ones, which is the preogative of the interviewer. That would have been fine except they weren't always the most pertinent to my book. Really, does it matter whether Yugoslavia split into 5 or 6 countries when that's only one sentence in We Wait You? I tried to segue to the matter at hand a few times but should have done that more often. Another guest was squeezed in after me so the interview ended earlier than I expected, before I could give the phone number for people to call in to order copies.
I think I will not try to start a new career in radio broadcasting. Book Events
| | | | | The Matter at Hand | | Posted by Taryn on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 9:37am | I wanted to let you know about an exciting opportunity to get the word out about We Wait You. I will be interviewed live on WGRC radio's award-winning talk show on Friday, March 5 at 11:30 AM Eastern time. This is a 30-minute show, called The Matter at Hand, with call-in questions accepted beforehand. The station is located in central Pennsylvania, but anyone can listen live on-line. You could even email questions before the show. The information on how to do that is located on their website at http://www.wgrc.com/content/christian-talk-program
This is my first live radio interview and I'm excited but also a little nervous. Stay tuned to this blog and I'll let you know how it went afterward. Book Events | | | | | An Inspiring Evening | | Posted by Taryn on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 8:41pm | One of the highlights of our trip back to California happened the other evening. We witnessed two miracles upclose. You may remember that I wrote about two college-age brothers from our church with severe brain trauma after a horrific car accident just before Christmas. Well, we had dinner with these young men and their parents the other night. Yes, that's right. I have goosebumps recalling how God protected them and healed them. They showed us pictures of their car and it was truly miraculous that anyone survived that crash.
We rejoiced with their stories. A friend woke up at 4:00 the morning of their accident, at the exact time of the crash, feeling compelled to pray for the boys. Some people they’d never met drove past the accident and prayed for whoever was involved. Weeks later, in Spain of all places, these people met a family who shared about an accident in California. Turns out they were all praying for the same boys. The oldest boy came out of his coma first and kept the night shift in stitches. Each night, he spoke entirely in a different language - Swiss German, Spanish, or with a British accent. But he doesn’t know Spanish; he was mimicking lines verbatim from Happy Feet. He has no memory of those linguistic nights. The youngest son caught more of the impact of the crash and was in a coma three weeks longer. His memory ends abruptly two days before the accident. He had to call his friends at college to fill in the missing pieces - what he did those last two days and who took him to the airport the day of the accident.
Their story inspired people all over the world, many of whom they don't know, to pray fervently for them. But God didn't need these prayers to do His job. Prayer is a mystery to me. We're told to pray and that prayer is effective and that God is moved by our prayers. But we don't always get what we pray for. And when we do get the result we want, our prayers didn't do it. God did it. He alone healed these two brothers. I suspect He has something more in store for these two young men. He used their trauma to galvanize His church to demonstrate love and pray fervently and grow in their ability to believe Him for the impossible. And I believe He'll use their story to draw many to His Son.
Living a Life of Faith | | | | | My Two Favorite Little Girls | | Posted by Taryn on Friday, February 26, 2010 at 1:32pm |  Emmy and Lucy | This week we met our littlest granddaughter, Emmy, who will turn three months old in a matter of days. Emmy is happy, laid-back, mellow, and sweet. She sleeps most of the day and when she’s awake she’s usually smiling (except for the afternoon Steve and I babysat). That is quite a contrast to her big sister, Lucy, now 18 months old. As a baby, Lucy was hyper-alert and hardly ever blinked, not wanting to miss one second of the action. Lucy makes her presence known wherever she is. She is a toddler on the go. She keeps us all laughing with her ever-changing expressions and running to catch up with her.
Steve and I are exhausted, and proud, grandparents this week. We’ve shared everything with the girls: pre-licked orange slices, fistfuls of Cheerios, slobbery kisses, the girls’ colds, and pieces of our hearts. Every time I get down on the floor to play, I think, “What else can I do while I’m down here?” My knees creak and my head throbs from congestion, but I wouldn’t trade this time with these two girls for anything.
Family News | | | | | I was a Sudoku genius | | Posted by Taryn on Friday, February 19, 2010 at 10:30am | For a week, I was a Sudoku genius. Except for the fact that I couldn't say the word. Numbers aren't my thing, so I always passed by the Sudokus in the paper. One day, Steve explained how to play and asked me to look at his puzzle. "That's an 8," I said, while watching my husband's jaw drop.
He showed me another troublesome spot. "Oh, a 2 goes there." Right again.
Steve thought I was some sort of savant. I never knew I had such a gift. For seven days, I basked in the glory of his admiration.
That ended when we boarded a plane a couple days ago. I tried to work the Sudoku in the flight magazine and after making so many mistakes (in ink) that it became completely unreadable, I realized my gift had disappeared as quickly as it came. It was a fluke. I'm not a Sudoku genius after all.
That really is too bad since I happen to be married to a Rainman type of person. Steve merely has to look at a jumble and his mind sorts it out. On the plane, while I struggled with my Sudoku, he finished a few crosswords, jumbles, and even a Mensa puzzle. Mensa. Now there's no living with him and his enlarged brain.
We read once that these kinds of puzzles help us fight dementia, along with learning a foreign language and ballroom dancing, of all things. Steve will be well-fortified against senility. Of course, today he can't find his keys. Or his wallet. Or his sunglasses. . . . . Ramblings | | | |
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About Me My Book  | We Wait You Soft Cover Retail: $17.99 Our Price: $13.13 ISBN:
1-4141-1174-6 |
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