The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at UCLA

The cool but clear weather on April 24th and 25th brought record-breaking crowds to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. We talked to hundreds of people. At one point in time on Sunday afternoon, a group of fifteen interested readers stood three persons deep in front of our booth trying to get a better look at everything. The Times had printed a huge book insert the Sunday before. The listing brought the faithful directly to us. We met some wonderful people.

The crowd grew throughout each day. At one point in time on Sunday afternoon, a hundred people per minute strolled down the walkway! Don counted them. We observed attendees trying to keep a position behind a mother with a stroller, an automatic cut through the crowd path-maker.

A mob of people came out for the festival. There were so many people at the festival on Saturday and Sunday afternoons that a person couldn't even navigate normally through the aisles. It reminded me of the Midway at the Minnesota State Fair on Labor Day weekend. Phew!

Don took the pictures of our booth early in the morning before the multitude arrived. People showed up hours before the festival was scheduled to begin. My booth's sign said, "Peggy L. Headlund - Inspiring Teen Fiction." To the left of our booth was a vampire author. That was a juxtaposition! To the right of our booth was a word game. Between the three booths, we drew almost every young adult at the festival. It was unbelievable! Thank you to everyone who stopped by to give us the thumbs up. You are an inspiration to me.

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books - April 24th and 25th at UCLA

Come and experience America's largest literary event: The Los Angeles Times Festival of Book at UCLA Campus, Saturday, April 24th from 10:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M. and Sunday, April 25th from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Visit us in Booth 407 for inspiring teen fiction, which is funny, thought-provoking, soul-enhancing, exciting, and imaginative.

Why Did I Write Teen Fiction?

I didn’t choose teen fiction to write as much as it chose me. God has led me through the entire process. I wanted to write irresistible stories about the importance of family and faith, stories with heart, spirit, and soul. I had an extraordinary upbringing and many touching as well as riotously funny stories to tell. Our dad made certain that we had purpose and focus in our lives so that we didn’t stray into bad habits or gangs. That doesn’t mean that we were perfect. We played goads of pranks on each other, but we worked through our youth and humanness with God as our guide.

We lived on an interdependent dairy farm where everyone had his or her assigned chores to perform daily. We relied on each other to get the work done, and there was plenty of it. God bestowed two gifts upon me: a wondrous relationship with animals, and a musicality beyond my years. I had a strong relationship with my Maker from the time I was eleven years old and on, and that’s why I begin the stories at that age.

I wanted to write a series of books for young people ages eleven to nineteen that would excite and inspire them, stories that bring current-day issues to the forefront, yet incorporate a message of faith, hope, truth, and values. Young people don’t always have to go along with the crowd. They do have a choice, and maybe the choice is to lead others back onto a healthier path.

The series of five books are about an impetuous, talented, and fun-loving young woman, her family, and her friends. The books describe with scintillating details the adventures and emotions of the main character, Lilia.

You will travel with her, laugh with her, and cry with her as she faces real-life situations. With the help of her family and friends, she learns how to deal with what life throws at her in a wise and noble manner. In turn, she helps and supports many people to make positive changes as God’s hand moves across the planet.

Run for Your Life!

After they had joined hands, Lilia's dad prayed. "Dear Father, please bless this food to our use and us to your service, and help us always to remember to put our work in your hands," and everyone closed with, "Amen." The family enjoyed their evening meal. It was a time of sharing a little about what their day had held.

"Can I go first?" Lilia demanded to know with excitement.

"Go ahead, honey," her mom urged her.

"You know how that nasty Jimmy is always pulling my hair and running off so I can't catch him? I can't stand him! Today was the last straw. We played softball at school, and it was my turn up to bat. Jimmy ran over and yanked my hair so hard that I screamed! Then, somehow, he became stuck between me and the catcher, so I threw down my bat, grabbed him, shoved him to the ground, and sat on him! Everyone cheered! I grabbed his arms, and held them down in the dirt while he kicked and screamed! Defeated, that's what Jimmy was! That'll teach him!" Lilia spat out the words so quickly in celebration of her victory over Jimmy that spit shot out of her mouth towards her family, and they hurriedly jumped back to avoid it. She licked it away with her tongue and awaited their congratulations.

The three stupefied faces of her mom, dad, and grandpa stared back at Lilia. She saw startled eyes and slight smirks, but that's all. She couldn't figure out why they weren't seemingly happy for her.

Her grandpa began, "Lilia, in Hebrews 13:5, the Bible tells us 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

"What does that have to do with Jimmy, for crying out loud?" cried Lilia in complete exasperation. She slapped her forehead with her hand. This feels like a trap, she thought.

"What does that mean to you, Lilia?" queried her grandpa seriously. He gazed at her intently and waited for her to answer.

"It means that when I need God's help, he'll always be there to help." Lilia wondered if this would help at all. Gramps is so smart in the ways of the Lord, she thought.

"Yah, that's partially right. It means that he's always with you, not just if you call him to be with you." Her grandpa could see the dawning of truth in Lilia's eyes, as they grew wider.

"You mean that when I sat on that brat, Jimmy, and held him down, God was there?" This isn't good, Lilia thought.

"Yes, Child," her grandpa admitted simply.

"Oh, this stinks! Now, you're telling me that what I did was wrong and God knows it?" Lilia felt appalled and knew that she was losing ground.

"Yes, Child, he does. You see, Lilia, God is not with us for just inspiration and extraordinary circumstances, he's with us in everything we do, even mucking out the barn or feeding the cattle or riding your horse, King," said her grandpa as he drove his point home. He folded his hands together in front of him in finality.

"Well, if he's always with me, then I'll have to write a song to sing to him while we're working to remind me, something like, 'I'm cleaning the barn, praise the Lord! I'm feeding the cattle, praise the Lord! I'm shucking corn, praise the Lord! I'm hauling hay, praise the Lord!" All the smirks turned into outright laughter. Lilia's dad looked like he needed a tissue for his watering eyes.

Her grandpa brought everything back to the right tone. "You're getting closer. Child, everything that we own or have is given to us by the Lord: the horses and cattle that eat the hay, and the hay itself. If we remember that God is always with us, we can honor him with our work and our actions," he said as he nodded his head in affirmation.

"I guess I didn't honor God today when I sat on Jimmy," reflected Lilia remorsefully. She bowed her head in shame at the realization of the truth.

"No, you didn't," chimed her dad. "Someday that boy will be twice as big as you, and he'll definitely remember that you bullied him. Then, what will you do? Huh?"

"I'll sing 'Praise the Lord!' and run for my life!" Lilia cried with humor, and she could see that they threatened to burst forth with laughter.

Her mom slowed things down a bit. "Think about how you can make it up to Jimmy."

"Do you think he'll forgive me if I say I'm sorry and make him some brownies?" Lilia asked hopefully, mainly to please her mom, since she still held Jimmy in low esteem.

"That is a good start, Lilia. I'll help you after dinner," her mom replied, as she smiled encouragingly at her daughter. Lilia doesn't mean to be a bad girl, she just gets carried away in the moment sometimes, her mom thought. Lilia sighed deeply as her spirit stretched and grew with the Word of God.

Search for a Simpler Life

Never before in my life have I yearned more for a simpler life. I've lived the high life of private jet travel, designer clothes, fine wines, fancy cars, and expensive jewelry. It's hard to keep up with all those things in that lifestyle, and I'm tired of trying.

A family needed money to pay rent on their apartment, and was in despair. The son lost his job, and the mom cleaned four houses a week, not enough to support them. I retired many years ago at a young age. The family needed help, but I didn't have enough money to support them. What could I do to help?

A lot of stuff lied around our house that was a result of the high life, more things than I could possibly use in my lifetime. I owned a preponderance of a particular designer, which currently sells at inflated prices on E-Bay, and fetches a fair amount at garage sales. However, we live in a housing complex, which prohibits us from having a garage sale.

My husband and I knew what we had to do. We started in one corner of our home, and worked our way through every inch of space, drawer, and closet. We employed self-discipline through the process. We set aside every single item that we had not used or worn in a year. When we finished the process, the merchandise, including diamonds and high-priced clothing, filled an entire bedroom almost to the ceiling. It was inconceivable to us how many unnecessary things we had accumulated.

Faith and good works are a lot like good nutrition: the result is evident in your appearance just as good works are apparent from your faith. We gave everything to the family who couldn't pay their rent. They sold the designer clothing on E-Bay, and had a huge garage sale. They earned enough money to pay their rent for several months and sustain them until the son could find another job.

Today, for the first time, I sat in church wearing jeans instead of designer clothing. It feels wonderful to have a simpler life. We feel relieved to rid ourselves of the burden of maintaining the high life, and guess what? It feels great to put faith into action.

America's Largest Literary Event

Come and experience America's largest literary event: The Los Angeles Times Festival of Book at UCLA Campus, Saturday, April 24th from 10:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M. and Sunday, April 25th from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Visit us in Booth 407 for inspiring teen fiction, which is funny, thought-provoking, soul-enhancing, exciting, and imaginative.