I was on the Harvest Show yesterday. Wearing my fun red jacket. And babbling on about Russia and You Don’t Know Me. 
In case you didn’t catch it – here it is. (sorry for the crazy picture on the front - I sort of look like I want to hurt someone.)
Did you know that You Don’t Know Me is only 3.99 until Friday on Kindle? Check it out here: amzn.to/SMcQw6
Have a great day!
Susie May
If you want to read the first part of the story, click here. (http://www.susanmaywarren.com/blog/2012/11/09/birthday-surprise-for-pete/)
The Rest.
It all started with this:
Peter, my senior running back son, #33, scored 8 touchdowns in one late season football game. He wasn’t trying to run up the score – it was just a rainy night and we couldn’t pass the ball, so he got it. For those who know football, he only got 2 touches in the 3rd quarter (both he scored on) and didn’t play the 4th quarter. So, he made six touchdowns in the first half.
He set a new Minnesota high school state record for most points score in a game – 52. And made national news. In one of his many interviews, he mentioned that the one person he’d loved to meet was his hero, MN Vikings Running Back #28 Adrian Peterson.
For his birthday, we had already planned on going to the Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions football game. Had already purchased tickets. But we thought…hey, wouldn’t it be fun for Petey to meet AP? A parent’s dream – to arrange for your kid to meet his hero.
So, we wrote to the Vikings Community outreach department and asked if Pete could meet AP before the game. In truth, we wrote an email, we called and left a voice mail, we faxed an information packet and we put a packet of information in the mail. Just in case. And then, because I felt it was such a longshot, we prayed.
A week went by, and we heard nothing. Andrew and I both figured, ‘oh well, we tried.’ But I hadn’t stopped praying.
Another few days went by and Andrew attended a big corporate meeting for his chain of hotels. Among the folks there was an old friend who had just joined the company. He overheard another friend ask Andrew about Pete’s record and while he was listening, googled Pete. Andrew said nothing about the request we put into the Vikings – he’d long put it out of his mind. But this friend read the article where Pete mentioned his hero.
And…without telling Andrew, he texted a friend of his. A friend who happened to work in the marketing department of the Vikings. A day later, the friend texted back that yes, he would mention Pete’s request to the community outreach department. Only then did he tell Andrew what he did – and we all held our breath.
And prayed.
A day later, Andrew got the email he read to Pete. It arrived ON HIS BIRTHDAY. Nice timing, Lord.
So, you see – the story isn’t that Pete is awesome (which he is), or that his parents are amazing (which we aren’t), but rather that God hears the prayers of his children, no matter how wild and unnecessary and seeks to bless us good things. We expected nothing, and God certainly didn’t have to delight us with this gift.
But He did.
Here are the amazing pictures of that day.
Adrian Peterson and Pete!
Jared Allen is awesome! (#69 – Defensive End).
Pete, talking with MN Head Coach Leslie Frazier.
A big thanks goes out to the MN Vikings for making a young football players dream come true and especially Chuck and Kurnel.
And now you know…the rest of the story.
Believe Big in a God who loves you today!
Susie May
Colleen: I’m here. So, what do you want? I know you’ve already talked to my parents, and grandma, and Uncle Frank—and even my boyfriend? Listen, I only have a tiny little microscopic pitiful role in your story, You Don’t Know Me, so I don’t know what the big deal is.
Susie: Yeah, well, you might think you have a tiny role, but the fact is, you play a huge part in this story. You’re the only daughter of Annalise and Nathan and the powerful motivation to why Annalise does everything she does, not to mention the catalyst for her decisions. And you give me a way to bring Tucker into the story.
Colleen: Tucker, Tucker, Tucker—everybody loves Tucker. Sheesh. I’m the volleyball star.
Susie: And the spoiled brat.
Colleen: Do I have to stay?
Susie: Sorry. But I pretty much thought you should have been grounded the entire story, so—
Colleen: I’m so misunderstood.
Susie: A little true, and you have a few redeeming qualities, so I didn’t kill you off.
Colleen: Should I be thanking you? Sheesh.
Susie: Colleen, help me and my reader friends love you—what do you want? Really want?
Colleen: (sigh) I want . . . I want less pressure. I want everyone to realize how hard it is to be a teenager today, and my mother expects me to be just like her: perfect. But I’m not perfect, I’m just . . . I’m just normal and confused and overwhelmed.
Susie: What if I told you that your mother wasn’t perfect?
Colleen: Have you met her? She’s the PTA mom, she attends every game, brings treats and never has a bad hair day. My mother is a superstar. No, she’s perfect. And I’m not. Period.
Susie: Colleen, I think you need to read the book. You might find a few surprises. And, by the end, you might even change into someone we all like.
Colleen: I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not. I’m so confused.
Susie: Colleen Decker is played Rooney Mara. Check out her story in my new book, You Don’t Know Me, in stores October 1.
You can read my other character interview here (Annalise, Nathan, Frank, Helen, and Tucker). You can also enter my latest contest! I’ll be hosting an video chat party and giving away awesome prizes (like copies of You Don’t Know Me and a $200 weekend getaway)! More info can be found here.
Susie: I think we’ll be OK, Frank. Thanks for being here today to talk about your role in my upcoming book, You Don’t Know Me. Like you said, you’re a witness security agent. How long have you been in this business?
Frank: Too long, probably. But about thirty years.
Susie: Too long?
Frank: I might be getting a bit jaded. See, because I help people hide, I feel like I live a life of deceit. I have come to hate the fact that I do this—especially when it comes to people like Annalise/Deidre. She had a good life, and it was destroyed . . . not that I did this, but telling her parents that she had to leave them permanently was awful. And worse . . . I’ve had to lie over and over and over to loved ones.
Susie: But don’t you protect people?
Frank: We do our best. Although I’m not sure what I do is good—yes, we get rid of the bad guys, but the truth is that too many in the Wit Sec program are not like Annalise. They don’t follow the guidelines, and they end up getting hurt anyway. And then there are cases like Annalise’s where a client builds a new life and the past shows up to destroy it anyway. So, I am not sure it’s working, especially in this social media age.
Susie: So, that’s your greatest fear: working hard to hide someone and then having them hurt or killed anyway.
Frank: It happens, especially when a client doesn’t want to be moved because they’ve built a new life. I had a wit-sec client who was murdered. Afraid, she came to me, and I tried to move her. She wouldn’t leave, so I went to find her . . . and she’d been murdered. Worst part was that I had to tell her family, who hadn’t seen her for years, and it was terrible. That’s when I decided when it was a permanent move, it was better if the family thought they were dead.
Susie: So Annalise’s family thinks she’s dead?
Frank: You tell me. You wrote the story.
Susie: You know Frank, for all your tough-guy talk, I think there’s a softie inside. I think you get too involved with your clients; you start to care. Isn’t it true that for most of this story, you’re called Uncle Frank—
Frank: That wasn’t my fault.
Susie: Um hmm. And what about Helen, Nathan Decker’s mother? Didn’t I see you and she—
Frank: This interview’s over. Listen, I’m just the guy who gets the job done, OK? I will keep Annalise safe. Whether she likes it or not.
Susie: Frank, you scare me.
Susie: Frank Harrison is played Harrison Ford. Check out his story in my new book, You Don’t Know Me, in stores October 1st.
Susie: I like the name hero for you, Nathan. Have you always seen yourself as a hero?
Nathan: Seriously? Not in the least. It’s hard to do that when you come from the legacy I do. See, my parents split when I was thirteen, and my dad took it hard, started drinking and destroying his life—my life. Especially the night he drove drunk and killed himself and the father of another kid in my school.
This is a small town, and mistakes like that hover over a kid. I’ve been pretty much trying to prove to everyone I’m not my father for the past twenty-five years. Thankfully, things are starting to turn around. I’ve built a solid business, my mother survived her cancer, and I’m running for mayor. And then there’s Annalise. She’s solid and dependable, and she loves me and our kids. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.
Susie: But?
Nathan: Fine. OK. So, I have a few secrets. Doesn’t everyone? Like, I might have blown up the credit card with debt for this election. But I’m not going to fail my family, like my dad did. I’m going to figure out how to get out of debt and win this election, make them proud of me. They’re my entire life.
Susie: So, you’d say that your greatest fear is having your reputation that you’ve worked so hard for destroyed, especially in front of the entire town.
Nathan: Yeah, but really, that’s not going to happen. I promise, my wife will see to that. She’s my anchor, my voice of wisdom.
Susie: So, nothing could tear you apart? Even Annalise’s secrets?
Nathan: What secrets? Hey, what aren’t you telling me?
Susie: Nathan Decker is played by Scotty Foley. Check out his story in my new book, You Don’t Know Me, in stores October 1st.
In celebration of the release of You Don’t Know Me, I’m giving away advanced reader copies to 10 lucky readers! Simply head over to this form to find out how you can enter. Winners will be announced September 30.
I’ve been travelling a lot this spring in between writing Duchess, my final Daughters of Fortune book for Summerside/Guideposts. Duchess is about a starlet in the Golden Era of the Silver Screen, the 1930s, and I’ve been furiously researching everything from MGM, Warner Brothers, Irving Thalberg, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable and generally all things iconic Hollywood.
All I lacked was a trip to LA.
And then my publicist called and asked if I’d like to be on a talk show in L.A.
Ummm…would this include a tour of Hollywood? Jean Harlow’s House? Beverly Hills? How about the Walk of Fame?
Even better, would it include a tour of Hollywood with my writing guru friend James Scott Bell? During which time I could pick his brain about all things Hollywood (he’s like a walking encyclopedia of film lore) and Writing (he’s also a brilliant writing teacher!)
SCORE!
So, a couple weeks ago, I headed to L.A. to tape a show with Lifestyle Magazine.I felt pampered.
This is me and my makeup artist Steffi Berens.
This is her awesome makeup room. (I want one! Actually, I just want to bring Steffi home with me.)
This is Julie Bruce, (and Steffi!) who kept me company and made me feel like I wasn’t going to blow it on set.
In fact, the producer even thanked me for my extensive babbling.
It’s nice to know I am good at something.
Hollywood pictures with my friend JSB will be posted next week! (When I tell you about the cool car chase and my crash landing! You think I jest?)
Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to find one of those makeup blow guns Steffi used on me. I didn’t wash my face for a week.
I love Hollywood.
Susie May
It is simply dangerous to give warm weather too early to northerners. We don’t know who to do with it. It’ll be 50 degrees out and we’ll announce Heat Wave, don our short sleeve shirts and roast hotdogs outside on the fire pit!
And pay for it the next day when it snows.
Recently we had a string of nice days. I decided we’d do some spring cleaning.
Noah found the floor of his room.
Peter discovered the shoes he thought he’d lost.
I walked into their rooms to check on their progress, and this is what I saw:
Goggles, mardi gras beads and a New Years Hat!
Look Mom, I found my football pads.
Hocky gear from 4th grade. Yes.
We are cleaning Studs!
at least…we finally got to this.
Thanks for all the hard work, boys!
Your Mom, aka, the Dungeon Master
I just love it when Sarah comes home from college. Especially when she brings her friends.
And they make beautiful music in my home.
Come back. I’ll make you more cookies. I’ll do your laundry. I’ll fluff your pillows. I’ll let you sleep late and stay up all night with you and listen to you talk about boys. Hey, I’ll talk about boys with you!
Come back, Beautiful Things, come back!
With love and affection,
Mama Warren
I love my weekends. After working hard, barely looking up from my computer all week, I happily close it to spend time with my family every weekend. It’s not like we have exciting, adventure filled weekends. They’re normal. With singing and game-playing.
Okay, maybe that’s not normal.
But, I thought I’d capture one of our recent weekends for you.
And me.
So I can watch it in Mondays.
and Tuesdays.
And Wednesdays….and, well, you get the point.
Hope your weekend is filled with Family and Fun!
Susie May
So, we’re pretty serious about football around here. You may have noticed.
Last year, we took it up a notch and began awarding a trophy for the NFL Football Pick Champion.
Guess who won?
(read about it: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/blog/2011/02/11/super-bowl-2011/)
Well…the 2012 Run for the Trophy got serious this year, with a family Facebook page, online voting and a party.
Here’s this year’s winner.
Whatever.
Goodbye Football! (and Congrats Giants – I picked you!)
See you next year!
Susie May