Funny book has serious purpose

With a whimsical cover and a clever title, a new little devotional book geared toward women just oozes fun and lightheartedness.

But there's more to "Be Still ... and Let Your Nail Polish Dry" (Summerside Press; $15) than meets the eye. It has a serious purpose.

"We believe God is a merry, joyful God, with a great sense of humor," says Sandra Bricker of Tampa, one of four Christian writers who contributed to the collection of essays with spiritual themes culled from real-life experiences.

Bricker, a former Los Angeles-based publicist for soap opera actors who switched gears to write Christian fiction full time, had to draw upon that humor after a very scary experience. Six years ago, she was researching how one of her characters would deal with having cancer when she realized she had many of the same symptoms.

After medical tests and subsequent surgery for stage 1 uterine cancer, doctors made an even worse discovery: She also had stage 3 ovarian cancer. Bricker underwent a hysterectomy and five weeks of radiation.

Now cancer-free, she knows how this insidious disease - called "the silent killer" because it can go undetected for a long time - could make a return visit at any time. In fact, she faces an 80 percent chance of reoccurrence.

She and her co-authors will each donate some of their personal royalties from "Be Still" to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The organization focuses on finding ways to detect the disease earlier and cure it.

"That makes this book a lot more personal to me," she says.

"Be Still" is affectionately subtitled "A Devo for Women on the Go." The premise is that women today are tugged in so many directions - family, work and other commitments - that sometimes their faith lives and personal needs end up taking a back seat. Because a daily reading program may be too much, readers are encouraged to reflect on just two essays and their accompanying Scriptures each week.

Besides Bricker, the authors include Debby Mayne from Palm Harbor, Andrea Boeshaar of Wisconsin (a co-founder of the American Christian Fiction Writers), and Loree Lough of Maryland. This is a prolific group: Together they've published nearly 150 novels and novellas.

Though separated by miles geographically, the women are all good friends, connected by e-mail and their blog, bestilldevos.blogspot .com. They contributed alternating stories about the demands and rigors of life, how to slow down and be grateful and ways to handle difficult situations.

"It's really a global book, because we're connected by many of the same challenges and concerns," Mayne says. "We know women will relate to this, because it's written by sisters in spirit who are going through the same things. Think of this as a time-out, an excuse to sit back, relax and reflect."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Book launch and signing for "Be Still ... and Let your Nail Polish Dry"

WHEN: 2 t o 4 p.m. today at Barnes & Noble, Carrollwood; 1 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at Family Christian Bookstore, Clearwater.

INFORMATION: (813) 962-6446 or (727) 726-7335