Hi and thank you for stopping by my new Shout Life page. My name is Debbie Sickler. My husband Mark and I have been married for about six and a half years now. He works as a tech support specialist for a surveillance camera company so that I can stay home with our three children. They are Jonathan, 10; Matthew, 4; and Jacob, 2.

Since I quit my last job as a receptionist to stay home with the boys, I've begun writing and taken up photography. I enjoy both so much, I don't know which I would choose as my favorite.

FaithWriters.com is where I started out my writing. All of my short stories of every genre imaginable can be found on their site. I've placed in their Editor's Choice for their weekly challenge twice, landing a couple of my stories in their books. "Winter of the Heart", a story dealing with postpartum depression, was my first EC win and can be found in "Come Away With Me." My second EC win was a much more light hearted entry, "When Henry Met Halley". It will be in an upcoming anthology, yet to be titled. A ton of my stories and devotionals have been printed online a few have even been printed in a newspaper in Texas and a newsletter with several thousand subscribers. So although I've yet to be paid for my writing, I guess that all qualifies me as an author. :)

Most of my photography can be found online as well. I've entered some competitions with a little success, which I'm proud of since I just got my first digital camera this year! My first win came in the Last Photographer Standing competition. It was my first entry and I was shocked to see I placed in the top ten, landing me a spot in the Semi-Finals round, which I failed at miserably. :)

Shortly after that win, the same photo was chosen as Editor's Pick on another site where I also won 1st place in their contest for a picture of Sponge Bob!

My latest adventure has been returning to my love of writing after taking the last year or so off while learning about photography. I am proud to say the rough draft of my first novel is almost complete! I'm down to the final couple thousand words of a young adult/youth adventure with elements of fantasy, romance and a dose of comedy thrown in for fun. It will still need the second draft. And third. And probably a fourth and a fifth by the time I'm done, but I do hope, pray and plan on having it published someday. I can't wait for my sons to be able to finally hold "Ne'Ikio's Journey" in their hands!

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Can't procrastinate that rough draft much longer or it will never go beyond rough.