Here we go with Part III of my Homeschooling Today interview with author C.J. Darlington. Although this concludes the main portion of the article, be sure to check out Wednesday’s post for C.J.’s hints for breaking into print as well as her tips for young writers and their teachers. I’m a bit late posting my blog today because we were shopping for our family mega-cooking in which we prepare meals to stock our freezer. On a morning trip to Sam’s Club in Sanford, Florida, I made my customary visit to the book section. I was thrilled to see Thicker than Blood among the stacks of novels! M.P.: What would you say to encourage today’s homeschool students? C.J.: First, recognize the gift homeschooling has given you. It’s hard sometimes (especially for students like me who never knew anything else) to see what you’ve been spared by not attending conventional school. You don’t have to face peer pressure and temptations other kids encounter daily. If someone says you’re sheltered, be thankful. Then show them that your knowledge reaches far beyond your home. You’re not missing out. Really! Also, realize that it’s okay to have many interests. I used to feel like a failure if I didn’t master everything I tried. But my mom always reminded me that I had to explore many areas so I could discover what interested me most. It’s fine to have a hobby for a few months and then move on. That’s how you develop into a well-rounded person. M.P.: Do you have words of encouragement for homeschooling parents who may be weary in well-doing? C.J.: By homeschooling, you’re giving your kids an awesome gift. On those days when nothing seems to go right, know that you are not wasting your time. It will pay off. Homeschooling works. I’m living proof. Also, be willing to adjust your curriculum for each child. Change gears if necessary and try different techniques until you find one that works. And don’t be discouraged if your child doesn’t excel in every subject. I was a horrible speller. But now Tyndale House is publishing my first book! M.P.: Tell us about your family’s response to your winning the Operation First Novel Contest. Were they present when you received the award? C.J.: My dad wouldn’t stop crying, my mom wouldn’t stop screaming, my sister wouldn’t stop talking . . . for a week! And yes, Mom was with me when they announced the winner at the Christian Writers Guild’s annual Writing for the Soul Conference in Colorado Springs. The second I left the stage, Mom and I ducked into a hallway and called my dad and sister who were waiting beside the phone. M.P.:...

The other day, God reminded me of a familiar lesson on prayer: carpe momento, or seize the moment. I’ve written before about my friend Anne Nigels and her immediate prayers when she became aware of a need. She prayed this way over the phone, in the grocery aisle, in line at the bank, in the hallway after a church service, and on countless other occasions. Anne was hospitalized several times over the years I knew her. As pastor and wife, my husband and I prayed during every hospital visit we made. Anne was the first patient who turned that around and prayed for us. Last week, I had the blessing of attending the Florida Christian Writers Conference at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center. Almost as the conference began, I became aware of someone whose heart was tuned to the things of God. Barbara Eddings, a close friend of conference director Billie Wilson, has served as conference chaplain for many years. Each general session included a season of prayer in which Barbara poured out her heart before God and the rest of us got to listen in. Public prayer can prove a challenge. The enemy raises his head and makes it easy to concentrate on the audience of people rather than the audience of One. Barbara’s focus was right. Her prayers made that clear. God gave me glimpses of this woman of God throughout the conference. She was often seated at the hospitality table—but just as often, she was up to run an errand, answer a request, or meet a need. Her official title was “chaplain,” but I think it could have just as easily been “servant.” She seized the moment and moved to meet needs as her Father directed. God gave me the opportunity to seize a moment with Barbara, too. One evening, I had stayed in the main building later than I intended. Bone-weary, I was heading toward the door when I almost ran into her. Barbara looked more tired than I felt. God had already spoken to me about praying with her, and I knew that—in spite of our exhaustion—it was time to seize the moment. What followed became a time of blessing for us both. Barbara later told me to describe it as a time when “the Holy Ghost came down.” He was there. He was present. And He ministered to us both. In a conversation after our prayer, something else happened. A twist in our discussion led us to realize that we have a beloved mutual friend. Our friend now lives in Alabama, but we both met her in California. Only God could have added this special touch to our divine encounter. And it touched...

Today, I continue my conversation with C.J. Darlington, homeschooled author and winner of the 2008 Operation First Novel award from the Christian Writers Guild for her novel, Thicker Than Blood. Watch for parts III and IV next week! M.P.: Let’s discuss your school experience. Do you have a favorite homeschool memory? C.J.: It’s hard to pick just one! Here’s a favorite: at age twelve, Tracy and I became licensed amateur radio operators. This was back when Morse code was required, so we had to study hard. When we finally passed our exams, our parents (who got licensed too) bought us a ham radio. I remember hurrying through my schoolwork so I could run downstairs, fire up the radio, and make contacts with people across the world. This was before we had a computer and before the Internet, which made it even more exhilarating. M.P.: What was the most difficult challenge you faced as a homeschool student?C.J.: I can’t think of any. Like any student, I had subjects that challenged me. But overall, homeschooling was a great experience. Even as a kid, I was aware of the privilege I was being given. Mom made sure we understood that if there was ever anything we wanted to learn, she’d go out of her way to give us the materials to learn it. We were literally on the frontlines of the homeschooling movement and knew people who’d had their kids taken away. People would say to my parents, “Homeschooling? What’s that?” M.P.: What further education (formal or otherwise) do you have beyond your home high school experience? C.J.: Because my interests were creative writing and entrepreneurial business, I never saw the need for college. I knew I could teach myself anything I didn’t know. With the support of my family, I taught myself to write fiction through how-to books, magazines, and great novels. When Tracy and I decided to build www.TitleTrakk.com, we learned the code and design skills necessary to create it from scratch. If we didn’t know something, we asked questions and searched the web for insights. Homeschooling taught us that the world lay at our fingertips. M.P.: What foundation(s) did your parents have in place for your family and homeschool that helped you become the person you are today? C.J.: Our family’s firm foundation is without a doubt our Christian faith. Our courses always focused on the biblical aspects of a subject. We studied constitutional law from a Christian perspective and American history from textbooks that didn’t have all the God stories removed. Science focused on creationism and journalism on free speech. One course required us to read the Bible through in a year. My parents also emphasized treating each...

Homeschooling Today magazine recently published my interview with homeschooled author C.J. Darlington. I’ll share it with you in four parts over the next four “Read” and “Write” blog days. In spite of its homeschool slant, I believe non-homeschoolers will be equally blessed to read about this gifted young writer who’s also become my friend. Enjoy! Keep the foundations strong.Our family watched this principle come to life when faulty construction forced a neighbor to vacate her home. Within two years of its construction, huge cracks appeared in the floor. An improperly laid foundation threatened the home’s integrity and its owner’s safety. Today, the house sits abandoned—beautiful on the outside, hopelessly flawed within. Homes that endure time and testing provide encouragement to keep the foundations strong. In the same way, we find hope when we look at longtime homeschool families and the fruit of their labor. Often, this fruit comes in the form of people: students who succeed, parents who persevere, and lives that are changed. As a writer and veteran homeschooler, I took particular delight in the news that homeschooled writer C.J. Darlington had won the prestigious 2008 Operation First Novel Award from the Christian Writers Guild. C.J.’s prize, presented by CWG owner and bestselling author Jerry Jenkins, included $20,000 and a contract with Tyndale House for her novel Thicker than Blood. Homeschooled throughout her school years, C.J.’s story offers unique encouragement to parents and students alike. Although Thicker than Blood releases in January, C.J. and her identical twin sister, Tracy, have already earned a strong reputation in the world of Christian publishing and entertainment. In 2006, they began www.titletrakk.com to promote Christian books, music, and other media. The Darlington family also runs an online store dedicated to the same type of book search featured in Thicker than Blood. But I’ll let C.J. tell that story herself. Marti Pieper: Can you tell us about your family? C.J.: The cool thing about being a twin is that I had an instant fellow classmate. We were in the same grade with similar interests, which made homeschooling a lot more fun. It was also easier for Mom since she only had to teach one grade level. But although Mom did most of the teaching, our dad taught us science and took us on most of the field trips. I’m not sure who had more fun, Dad or us. M.P.: Please describe your interest in antique books and explain how that developed into a business.C.J.: For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to read and visit the library or bookstores. At age seventeen, Tracy and I became book scouts who bought used books and resold them to retailers. As the Internet dawned,...

“We can do no great things—only small things with great love.”—Mother Teresa God drew me to himself through authentic prayer. I don’t mean that others prayed for me, although I’m sure they did. I don’t mean I prayed for myself, because I didn’t know how. Instead, God showed me that real prayer flowed from a real relationship. Up until then, my prayer life consisted of 911 calls: “Lord, help me pass this test” or “God, help Grandma feel better right away.” But the more I encountered real prayers that expressed genuine faith, the more I realized my need for Christ. As I grew in the Lord, my prayer life enlarged and expanded. In fact, my first major writing opportunity came through a prayer project. Since then, God’s allowed me not only to pray but to speak and teach about prayer. A few years ago, I began to pray a simple request almost every day, “Lord, teach me to pray.” Who knew he would use pain as a teacher? The pain came because someone didn’t like me. Someone really didn’t like me. That realization came as a shock because I barely knew this person (we’ll call her Jane). Not like me? How could it be? Nonetheless, the situation existed and, because of the circumstances involved, I could do nothing to change it. Nothing, that is, except pray. And that’s what I did. I typed out a list of specific Scriptures to pray for Jane and added more as time passed. My first prayers were selfish. I prayed for her attitude to change and for truth to prevail. But as time passed, I began to pray in new ways. I prayed that she would know the surpassing love of Christ. I prayed that Jesus would increase and abound in her life. I prayed that God would keep her in his name. I prayed that her marriage would be strong, that her children would rise up and call her blessed. I prayed, but I didn’t see God’s change Jane—at least not right away. What I witnessed instead were the ways he worked in mine. I found myself praying for her more and more. I began to see how precious she was to other people and to God. She mattered to him, so she mattered to me, too. Praying for Jane became a joy, not an obligation—a delight, not a duty. One day, I whispered a prayer of thanks as I realized that my wise Father had used this broken relationship to teach me to pray. What he whispered back shocked me: I wasn’t teaching you to pray. I was teaching you to love. Who’s the problem person in your life? Pray for...