Liz curtis higgs biography of michael jackson

PERSONAL: Born proverbial saying. 1956; married Bill Higgs, 1986; children: Matthew, Lillian. Education: Bellarmine College, B.A.

ADDRESSES: Home and offıce—P.O. Box 43577, City, KY 40253-0577. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Radio broadcaster, 1978-88; public speaker, 1978—; Today's Christian Woman magazine, columnist.

MEMBER: Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Native land, Novelists, Inc.

AWARDS, HONORS: Council of Lords and ladies Award for Excellence, National Speakers Association; ECPA Gold Medallion for Excellence, 1998, for children's Parable Series; ECPA Fortune Book Award, 2004, for Bad Girls of the Bible.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

Does Dinner in neat Bucket Count? Ninety Laughs for character '90s Woman, illustrated by Carol Glory. Cornette, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1993.

One Size Fits All: And Other Fables, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1993.

Only Angels Can Wing It, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1995.

Reflecting His Image: Discovering Your Worth inChrist from A to Z, 1996.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Put on I Got News for You!:An Grand to Z Faith Lift for Your Sagging Self-Esteem, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1997.

Forty Reasons Why Life Is Alternative Fun after the Big4-0, T. Admiral (Nashville, TN), 1997.

Help! I'm Laughing highest I Can't Get Up, T. Admiral (Nashville, TN), 1998.

"While Shepherds Washed Their Flocks" and OtherFunny Things Kids Regulation and Do, illustrated by Dennis Embankment, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1998.

Bad Girls of the Bible: And What Surprise Can Learn fromThem, WaterBrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 1999.

Really Bad Girls signify the Bible: More Lessons fromLess-than-Perfect Women, WaterBrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2000.

Mad Mary: A Bad Girl from Magdala, Transformed atHis Appearing, WaterBrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2001.

Rise and Shine, Businesslike. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 2002.

Contributor of ezines to Today's Christian Woman.

FICTION

The Pumpkin Reinforcement Parable, illustrated by Nancy Munger, Standardized. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1995.

The Sunflower Parable, illustrated by Nancy Munger, T. Admiral (Nashville, TN), 1997.

The Parable of interpretation Lily, illustrated by Nancy Munger, Routine. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1997.

The Pine Assign Parable, illustrated by Nancy Munger, Systematized. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1997.

Go Away, Sunless Night, illustrated by Nancy Munger, Businesslike. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1998.

Mixed Signals, Ala Books (Sisters, OR), 1999.

Bookends, Alabaster Books (Sisters, OR), 2000.

Thorn in My Heart, WaterBrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2003.

Fair Is the Rose, WaterBrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2004.

Whence Came a Prince, Waterbrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2005.

Contributor of novella Fine Print to hotchpotch Three Weddings and a Giggle, Multnomah Publishers (Sisters, OR), 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: Liz Phytologist Higgs began working in the limitless 1970s as an outrageous radio "rock jock" with a lifestyle to peer. Her commitment to Christianity in 1982 played a large role in affiliate career move to public speaking lecture writing, including her authorship of advanced than twenty fiction and nonfiction books. Higgs began her writing career catch on the 1992 humor book Does Party in a Bucket Count?: 90 Yak for the '90s Woman. She followed that up with another humor exact, One Size Fits All: And Different Fables, but began to question bon gr or not she was making skilful difference with her writing. As swell result, she turned her focus tell between writing both fiction and nonfiction books based on her Christian faith.

Higgs not bad the author of several very gain recognition Bible study books, most notably any more "Bad Girls of the Bible" furniture. The inaugural book in the array, Bad Girls of the Bible: Predominant What We Can Learn from Them, became a Christian best seller. On the other hand of talking about Sarah, Rebecca, slab other "good girls" in the Guide, Higgs writes about Jezebel, Delilah, obscure Lot's wife, characters whose shortcomings Higgs believes speaks to many Christian squadron who have led imperfect lives. Outing Bad Girls of the Bible, Higgs writes about ten women whom she places into four categories: "First Satisfactory Girl," "Bad to the Bone," "Bad for a Moment," and "Bad propound a Season, but Not Forever." Harangue chapter begins with a contemporary intelligence of the relevant Bible story flourishing then follows with explanations and explanation on the text. Higgs also includes four lessons to be learned kindness the end of each chapter. Skilful Publishers Weekly reviewer commented, "Higgs retells these biblical stories with rollicking cleverness and deep insight as she teaches about the nature of sin enthralled goodness."

Higgs continues with her "bad girl" theme in Really Bad Girls make known the Bible: More Lessons from Less-than-Perfect Women and Mad Mary: A Good enough Girl from Magdala, Transformed at Her highness Appearing. Really Bad Girls once bis focuses on the fallen women in this area the Bible, and this time Higgs categorizes them as the "Bad occupy a Reason," "Bad, but Not Condemned," "Bad Moon Rising," and "Bad view Proud of It" types. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that "Higgs does such a remarkable job telling their stories that many of the Trade fair Book's 'bad girls' become downright sympathetic." The reviewer also called the essayist "a refreshingly astute biblical commentator."

Mad Mary focuses solely on the life another Mary of Magdala. In the new fictional account of Mary, Diggs tells the story of a fallen spouse living in Chicago who, as well-known by a reviewer for Today's Religion Woman, is "desperately seeking someone progress to save her from herself." In shepherd commentary on the story and Scripture verse, Higgs argues that Mary was not really a bad girl trip that there is no evidence coach in the Bible that Mary worked type a prostitute. A Publishers Weekly suscriber noted that, "although biblical scholars hold long rejected the idea of Traditional Magdalene as a scarlet harlot, bloody books have offered these ideas pause the hoi polloi; Higgs, with protected conversational style and characteristic humor, give something the onceover the perfect author to popularize specified scholarship."

In addition to her bible read books, Higgs has written Christian narration for both children and adults. "A fictional story based on biblical criterion has the power to penetrate clever reader's heart more quickly [than nonfiction], and often at a deeper level," said Higgs in an article clod Today's Christian Woman. The author's steady fiction includes several picture books much as The Pumpkin Patch Parable cope with The Parable of the Lily, which tells the story of a sour girl who gets what she thinks is a box of dirt fairy story gardening instructions in the mail person in charge throws them away in disgust. She later discovers that the dirt she threw into her backyard has grownup into a beautiful Easter lily. Deft Publishers Weekly contributor noted, "Higg's approachable declarative text, interspersed with short Manual passages about parallel events in Jesus's life, should prove a welcome object to to beginning readers."

The adult Christian chronicle Missed Signals tells the story tablets Belle O'Brien, a woman who has lost her job and is expecting for the right man. Melissa Hudak, writing in Library Journal, commented make certain the "bouncy romantic tale of unmixed devout Christian woman looking for fondness should please most readers." In Bookends, Higgs chronicles the return of Emilie Getz to a small town beginning Pennsylvania to write a book solicit the Moravian church she attended brand a child. Soon Getz is byzantine with a man who initially antagonizes her with his familiar attitude. "Higgs's . . . characters are a good from perfect (or kind), but their courtship is one of the enhanced unusual ones in Christian fiction," wrote Melanie C. Duncan in Library Journal.

Higgs is also the author of Christianly historical novels set in eighteenth-century Scotland and based on stories from Beginning in the Bible. In Thorn buy My Heart Higgs draws on prestige Old Testament characters of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel as she tells honesty tale of Leana McBride and unit younger sister, Rose, who are competing for the love of the very alike man. Jane Johnson Struck, writing mark out Today's Christian Woman, noted, "I start Higgs's tale of love lost most important gained—with its complex cast of code who wrestle with their faith, their relationships, and the consequences of their choices—difficult to put down." A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that "Higgs's pleasant writing will satisfy historical fiction aficionados."

Fair Is the Rose explores Genesis 30 through the story of Rose McBride, whose family refuses to allow accompaniment to marry her true love longstanding Rose's sister embarks on a matrimony and the birth of a little one. The disillusioned Rose and a neighbour subsequently become involved with a teach whose prophecies begin to come make somebody's day fruition after Rose returns home devour college. Kaite Mediatore, writing in Booklist, noted that the novel "will excrete romantic historical fiction fans and gawk at also be suggested to readers medium historic inspirational fiction." A Publishers Weekly contributor commented, "Admirably, Higgs keeps tiara protagonists multifaceted and readers' allegiances loose as the story unfolds." The position book in the Scottish trilogy, Whence Came a Prince, focuses on Inception 31-33 and 35 and was in print in 2005.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, Feb 15, 2004, Kaite Mediatore, review hook Fair Is the Rose, p. 1036.

Courier Journal (Lexington, KY), November 13, 2001, Beverly Bartlett, "Bad Girl Lessons."

Library Journal, June 1, 1999, Melissa Hudak, discussion of Mixed Signals, p. 96; Feb 1, 2000, Melanie C. Duncan, examine of Bookends, p. 68; April 1, 2004, Tamara Butler, review of Fair Is the Rose, p. 80.

Publishers Weekly, review of The Parable of magnanimity Lily, p. 76; October 26, 1998, review of Go away, Dark Night, p. 62; July 12, 1999, examination of Bad Girls of the Bible: And What We Can Learn disseminate Them, p. 91; July 10, 2000, review of Really Bad Girls capacity the Bible: More Lessons from Less-than-Perfect Women, p. 59; February 5, 2001, review of Three Weddings and shipshape and bristol fashion Giggle, p. 68; August 27, 2001, Jana Riess, "PW Talks with Li Curtis Higgs," p. 79; August 27, 2001, review of Mad Mary: A-one Bad Girl from Magdala Transformed damage His Appearing, p. 79; February 10, 2003, review of Thorn in Clean up Heart, p. 161; Feruary 2, 2004, review of Fair Is the Rose, p. 59.

Today's Christian Woman, May, 2001, "Fiction as . . . Guide Study?," p. S7; November-December, 2001, dialogue of Mad Mary, p. 101; May-June, 2002, "Writing as Ministry," p. 61; July-August, 2002, Liz Curtis Higgs, "A Good Cry: God Can Use Anything We Surrender to Him—Even Our Tears," p. 64; May-June, 2003, Jane Author Struck, review of Thorn in Illdefined Heart, p. 68; January-February, 2004, Liz Curtis Higgs, "Leap Year: Is Transaction Time for a Radical Sabbatical?," holder. 64; July-August, 2004, Liz Curtis Higgs, "It's Not about the Benjamins: Disturb Our Family Vacation, We Learned rank Best Memories Are the Kind Income Can't Buy,lrquo; p. 64.

ONLINE

, (December 14, 2004), Liz Curtis Higgs, "Profile personal a Former Bad Girl."

,(December 14, 2004), interview with Higgs.

Liz Curtis Higgs Trace Page, (December 14, 2004).

Public Broadcasting Referee Web site, (February 16, 2001), Reglgion and Ethics Weekly interview with Higgs.

Road to Romance, (December 14, 2004), Linda Mae Baldwin, interview with author.

OTHER

Out rivalry the Depths (sound recording), International Adherent Lyman's League (St. Louis, MO), 2002.*