I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I read a great book that got me in the right mind and mood for Christmas. It is "A Bethlehem Christmas" by Charles Swindoll. I highly recommend it. It is a retelling of the Christmas story in a first person form from three different viewpoints: Mary, then Joseph and last the angel Gabriel. It gives details from that time that are meaningful and make the story come to life.

I read the Christmas story to my kids and nephews Christmas Eve before everyone opened gifts. They were so excited about presents that they kept interrupting the story to ask if it was time to open gifts yet. The sad burden on my mind was, what if we were all as excited about Jesus as we are about Santa and his gifts? What a difference it would make. Well, again, that is what Hoo Hoos is all about. I think the kids needed a little injection of Hoo Hoos that night. Anyway, I hope everyone is well and blessed and excited about all that God is going to do in this next year. His faithfulness is new every morning. We truly have a great God!

12-21-08
Thanks to everyone who came out to the book signing at Borders yesterday. It meant a lot to me. I really do appreciate all of your support. My husband brought my kids by for a few minutes to see me. I asked them later what they thought about it and they said, "nothing". I asked them if I looked like a real author and they said, "No, I just looked like a mom". Oh well, I guess that is the best thing to be. When the book was first released, my husband asked my kids several different weeks, if they wanted to take the book to show and tell at school/daycare. They looked at him like he was crazy and said no. They would rather take one of their action hero toys (for the dozenth time). It is reeaallly hard to impress your own kids. They are a humble, but joyful reminder of who we are and Whose we are. All I really need to please is my Lord. Thanks again to everyone. You truly are a blessing!

I hope you all will bear with me. I am not sure what to write about. I am new at this blog thing. I am used to writing books that only I see. Well, at least until "Hoo Hoos" was published. I have written about 30 children's books and have tried a few adult Christian mini-novels. But "Hoo Hoos" is the first and currently only book to be published yet. My desire is to give people a glimpse of God and Jesus and help them through their times of doubt. I know that I have gone through periods of dryness and doubt regarding God's goodness. I already told you that, that is where the book "Hoo Hoos" came from.

Anyway, besides that, I have written a few books to help stimulate developmental skills in children. I work full time as a Speech-Language Pathologist with the birth to three year old population in the Sooner Start program. It is the state of Oklahoma's early intervention program. It provides free testing for all kids ages birth up to age three. If the child tested presents a certain amount of delay, he or she qualifies for free therapy. It is provided in the client's home or at the child's daycare. It is more of a parent/caregiver education service. We try to provide activities for the caregivers to do in the home throughout the week and in between visits to help the child gain skills in whatever area they need help. It is a great program. I feel so strongly about it that I have worked there for 16 years!

I know, blah, blah, blah. I could ramble on about work stuff forever and bore you to death. Sorry. Well, the point of all of this is that I would love for my books to get out to others to help them. If God wants to use any of my books in any way, then I have to trust Him to create a way. It is hard to be patient. Who knows, He may have other plans. Who am I to guess? I will just step forward and keep working and walking leaving the results and final destination to Him.
Thaks for reading. His, Dindy

Book Information

The book, Hoo Hoos for God and Jesus is for kids between the ages of two to eight. It currently sells for around $6.99. It is available through Tate Publishing Company ( http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60604-811-5 ), Borders ( http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1606048112 ), Barnes and Noble (
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Hoo-Hoos-for-God-and-Jesus/Dindy-Banzet/e/9781606048115/?itm=1 ), and Amazon.com ( http://www.amazon.com/Hoo-Hoos-Jesus-Dindy-Banzet/dp/1606048112/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228678646&sr=8-4 ). This is the first book of mine that has been published. I am a newbie at this. The biggest hurdle in the process of being published is getting the word out that the book even exists. It may be available at these sites, but not visible on the store's physical shelves. Most of the time it is available by ordering it, so people have to know in advance about it to even know to ask for it. There is no opportunity for incidental sales, people seeing it at the store, liking it and getting it. So I hope to get the word out to everyone that it is available. Run and get it! Tell anyone that you know about it. That would be a huge help. Only then can the book be a blessing to others and not just me.

By the way, it is a great gift for Christmas, stocking stuffers, birthday gifts and baby showers. Many of my friends have used it for this purpose and loved it, besides with their own kids. I am also offering up an invitation!!! I am going to have a book signing coming up and would love to see you there. Here's the information for it:

When: December 20, 2008 between 2:00-4:00
Where: Borders-21st and B.A. expressway in Tulsa, OK
SEE YOU THERE!

The Beginning of Hoo Hoos

I'm writing to you about a book - a book born out of suffering, a book born from a child's questioning about the big things of life and of God . . .

A few years ago, my husband came down with a mystery illness - no doctor or specialist could figure it out. My husband, children, and I prayed nightly for his healing, but as time passed his symptoms continued to worsen. Eventually he was unable to work, and fell into a deep depression. This illness lasted more than 18 months with no answers or relief in sight. I and my two boys Max and Sam continued to pray in faith.

My oldest son, Max, now a kindegartener, was especially shaken by what he saw. To have your dad be sick was hard enough, but Max was especially disturbed by the seeming ineffectiveness of his prayers! If God would not heal his dad, then Max saw no reason to pray. This book was created to combat this thought pattern, and to instill an attitude of praise into our children.

I brainstormed with a dear Christian friend of ways to encourage the kids to pray and to praise God through difficult times. We had to instill our family's evening quiet time with energy and fun - this book is the result. Every evening we would give our praises - our "Hoo Hoos" to God. I would lead the kids through various attributes of God's nature, which the kids would shout in reply. "You're our King! You're our Lord! You're our Savior! You're our Healer! You're so big! You make me big!" As time went on, the kids began to lead us, and we would shout our reply. Max and Sam would create new praises, and were so excited they would race to be the first to get their praise out. This brought about a wonderful transformation, not just in Max, but in our whole family. It was a great way to end the day. When I was frustrated and tired and didn't feel excited about God, and I have to honestly say, struggled with feelings of doubt regarding God's goodness in my life, doing Hoo Hoos changed my attitude every night. To have to act excited, shout praises, hear and speak the words of truth made all the difference. And besides, who could doubt God's goodness when I saw my two little boys standing up in bed, shaking thier bottoms and waving their arms in a circle over thier heads while shouting praises. Thier excitement was contagious and they were so stinking cute! Anyway, Hoo Hoos made prayer time exciting for the whole family!

Eventually God did lead us to the doctor who was able to make the correct diagnosis. My husband is fully restored to health, but more importantly, my family and I are much more spiritually healthy, thanks to Hoo Hoos. Hoo Hoos have also increased the kids' self-esteem by making them realize that they are given so many magnificent qualities by our creator - so important to children in today's world.

My prayer is that you would look at this book and try it with your family. I hope that Hoo Hoos for God and Jesus would be able to bless many other children and families. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. I hope Hoo Hoos will be a blessing in return.