Useful Resources: Free articles I’ve written about issues I’m familiar with — adoption, being a stay-at-home parent, home schooling the twice-exceptional child, Biblical equality, and other odds and ends. Also links to helpful websites about these and other issues from my books. For Writers: help yourself to tips and articles written by me and other authors. Yours for the taking! Embryo Adoption Parenting Stay-At-Home Parents Infertility Women Biblical Equality Links to Other Helpful Web Sites Embryo Adoption: www.snowflakes.org Parenting/Stay-At-Home Parents: Christian Mommies: extensive site with lots of articles, a discussion board, and other resources. Hearts At Home: this website offers a magazine, conference info., bulletin boards, and extensive links. SlowLane.com: this is an online resource for stay-at-home dads. It’s not limited to any particular faith or belief system, so be prepared for a wide variety of viewpoints and ways of expression. .top. Infertility: Hannah’s Prayer Ministries – Christian Support For Fertility Challenges. This online ministry includes support for both male and female infertility as well as miscarriage, the death of a child, etc. .top. International Adoption: RainbowKids: This extensive website is a great starting place to begin researching international adoption and related issues. Great Wall China Adoptions: this is the adoption agency we used to adopt our oldest daughter from China. I highly recommend them if you want to adopt from China. Adoption Advocates International: this is the adoption agency I used as a model for when my characters Zelia and Tristan Muzuwa, in SAHM I Am, adopted from Ethiopia. AAI is one of only three agencies in the U.S. allowed to have an Ethiopian adoption program. This is the article that Tristan makes Zelia read in SAHM I Am that convinces her that they should adopt from Ethiopia. It brought me to tears the first time I read it. .top. Women: Her Well-Being, email discussion group: “A practical how-to list for Christian women, offering a listening ear, practical advice, and a safe place to talk about 'women's stuff' and share our stories and concerns.” Christian Women Today: an extensive web site with articles, discussion forums, advice columns, and just about any other resources to help and encourage women in all stages of life. .top. Biblical Equality: This is the belief that God created men and women equal and that, as we are in relationships with each other, we show an aspect of what it mean to be made in God’s image that cannot be demonstrated alone. Biblical equality rejects the notion that roles in ministry or in male/female relationships are assigned according to gender (with the exception of biological roles such as childbirth). It asserts that our roles and function in life are determined by the gifts and abilities and passions God has given us, and that interdependency between all people is God’s design instead of a hierarchical structure in relationships. Christians For Biblical Equality: I am a member of this excellent organization. There are several free articles on this site that will explain the Biblical foundation for gender equality, as well a tremendous bookstore. Egalitarian Christian Alliance: In addition to some other resources, this site has a great forum for exchanging views on Biblical equality. God’s Word To Women: such an encouraging, informative site! A wealth of articles and studies on various sections of the Bible that have been historically controversial on the subject of gender relations. Helpful Articles (click on the title to read article in a new window) Stay-At-Home Parenting Articles Christian Work At Home Moms Christian Work At Home Dads Ten Reasons To Consider International Adoption (Other Than Infertility) *New By Meredith Efken A SAHM I Am... And So Much More By Meredith Efken Should I Stay Home? By Meredith Efken Home Schooling a Twice Exceptional Child By Meredith Efken Articles and Resources for Writers Escape the Catch 22: Attend a Writers Conference By Meredith Efken Getting Bogged Down By Rejections? By Meredith Efken Writing Mom-lit? Here’s a How-To For You! By Meredith Efken *New Attention Fiction Writers! Need an editor? My editing service for fiction writers, The Fiction Fix-It Shop is now open for business. Also, visit the FFS blog, the Fiction Workbench, where you could receive a FREE CRITIQUE! American Christian Fiction Writers - the premier professional organization for Christian writers of fiction. If you are serious about your fiction, this is an organization you must join. Find out more at their site. Author, Speaker Randy Ingermanson: This page is chock full of excellent writing tips and informative articles. This site is Randy’s Advanced Fiction Writing site. You can sign up for his fabulous e-zine and get his Tiger Marketing and novel writing advice delivered straight to your inbox once a month. (And if you do sign up, do me a favor and put my name in the referral blank, please.) Want to chat with your favorite authors? Read a review? Learn to write reviews? Check out Dancing Word Writers Network. Brandilyn Collin’s Forensics and Faith blog—this blog says it’s for writers of suspense. I don’t write suspense, but I find Brandilyn’s blog to be incredibly informative and fun, regardless of what genre I write. Check it out! Faith In Fiction—if you haven’t yet become acquainted with Dave Long’s blog, you are in for a real treat. He’s an acquisitions editor, and an award-winning author, and has a challenging, thought-provoking perspective on the world of fiction and faith. If you want to grow in your thinking and understanding of literature, this is the place to hang out. After you stuff your brain full of all the great posts, you can chat about your thoughts at the discussion board.