Short Stories and Covers

I have been working on a few small projects for Christmas - namely, writing short stories for my three youngest sisters. I am very grateful for the Lord allowing me to complete them in good time to get them self-printed and ready for their gift bags! I also praise the Lord for the ideas that He gave me and also allowing me to see the completion of these projects. As I write, I realize how very much I must rely on God for the ideas, the flow of the story, the message He wants me to teach, and of course, the completion. Wow! He is so good!

Some of you may remember "Maggie's Hope Chest" from a post a few months ago. This was the hardest cover to design, for some reason and I'm very thankful for the many friends who pitched in to give me advice and ideas. As you may remember, the story idea was one that I had several years ago but it wasn't until this year that the Lord allowed me to complete it.

Front Cover:

Back Cover:

"Noelle's Gift" began with the title. Only the title. As I pondered ideas and prayed, the Lord gradually gave me a skeleton of an idea and one day, blossomed the idea to completion. For once, I yielded to the temptation of designing the book cover before I actually wrote the story. :) After the rough draft of the cover was designed (which was slightly different than the cover below), the Lord helped me to write the entire short story the same night - rare. 

Front Cover:

Back Cover:

Last but not least, my baby sister is just learning how to read. After I had decided to write stories for my two almost-youngest sisters, I prayed about the possibility of writing one that my five-year-old sister could read for herself - and hopefully learn from. Again, the Lord gave me an idea.

Front Cover:

Note: I may decide to replace the little girl on the cover if I get a picture I like better . . .

Back Cover:

 I am praying about what the Lord would have me to do with the short stories I've written for my sisters. For now, however, if you would like to read them, send me an email at withajoyfulnoise(at)gmail(dot)com and I can get you a PDF.
At this point, critiques and feedback are most welcome!

What are some Christmas projects that you've been working on?