Meet Bonita

I'm a simple girl. In fact, my life can be summed up in four words: Christian, wife, mother, writer.

Christian: I love Jesus, plain and simple. In 1980 I invited Him into my heart and we've been having a love affair every since. He is truly the love of my life!

Wife: They say that opposites attract. My husband, John, and I are living proof. He is the fun-loving, easygoing, relaxed part of our marital equation. I'm glad to be his wife because he adores Jesus as much as I do, he's a terrific father to our kids, he never complains about the fact that I'm domestically-challenged, and he makes me laugh every day. Plus, he gives the best foot rubs around!

Mother: I can't remember a day in my life that I didn't want to be a mother. God has granted me the privilege of playing mom to two of the greatest teenagers on earth. "Techie Boy" is our local genius and fixer of all things broken. "Baby Girl" is a domestic goddess and gourmet chef. Loving and raising my kids is pure joy.

Writer: I've wanted to be a writer ever since the fourth grade when my beloved teacher, Mrs.Kirtley, returned my stories with positive comments written on them. Writing is my passion. It's the thing I could do every day for the rest of my life and be perfectly content. I'm so grateful that I get to spend my life doing what I enjoy.

My name means "one who is blessed" and that pretty much sums up my life. I'm grateful for the life I've been given. My mission at Streams of Living Water is to help and encourage others by sharing the things God has shared with me about writing, homeschooling, and life in general. I hope that you will stop by often and be refreshed.

Writing

I don't have a degree in English and I'm not one of those writers with a bunch of initials behind my name. I simply have a passion for writing. It's my bent, the way God designed me. I'd write whether I was ever published or not, but I do enjoy being published from time to time too.

BOOKS AND CURRICULUMS

My "firstborn" book, curriculum, big publishing hoopla is Hands-On Essays. It's a DVD/handbook combo that uses fun teaching methods to help teens master the essay and prepare for the writing portion of the SAT. It's simple, direct, and written to the student, but also offers helpful information for parents and teachers. I wrote this curriculum because I received so many requests to teach writing classes and I simply couldn't teach them all so I needed a way to multiply my efforts. I tell people that Hands-On Essays is the equivalent of me coming into your home or classroom and teaching your student for you.

My writing has also appeared in books written by others. Lysa TerKeurst used one of my articles in her book, Living Life on Purpose. I have several articles and poems in the book The Best of the Proverbs 31 Ministry. Sharon Jaynes also used a story from my life in one of her books. Just as soon as I remember which book I'll be sure and post it here.


ARTICLES AND DEVOTIONALS

I'm a regular contributor to TEACH magazine as "The Domestically-Challenged Housewife."

Over the years, I've written quite a few articles for The P31 Woman and from time to time my devotionals show up on the Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Devotionals. I contribute randomly to other publications as well.


EDITING

Recently, I got to try my hand at editing. I did first edits on a brand new book, An Untroubled Heart by Micca Campbell. It's a fabulous book to be released in mid 2008 so look for it in stores near you.


WRITING CLASSES
My life changed a few years ago when a friend asked a simple question, "Will you teach my kids to write?" That one question launched a career/ministry teaching writing classes to homeschoolers and eventually led to the creation of four writing curriculums, all of which I hope to publish at some point. I started teaching classes at Growing Scholars, a bookstore owned by friends of mine. Currently, I teach at The Teen Learning Center.


FREE STUFF FOR WRITERS
Each Monday I send out a free email called Encouraging Words for Writers. Some of the emails offer writing tips while others are purely motivation and encouragement for writers and wannabe writers. To subscribe simply send an email to bonita(@)bonitalillie(.)com. Omit the parentheses. Include the word "subscribe" in the text and I'd be happy to add you to the list.


CONSULTATIONS
I get a lot of requests to offer advice on writing, to read things people have written, and to help parents and teachers decipher how to teach kids to write. Unfortunately, I can't do all of those things and remain focused on the calling on my life to write and to be a wife and mom. I'm giving the matter some serious thought and prayer and will let you know if the Lord leads me in the direction to offer consultations. In the meantime, will you pray along with me?

Speaking

Speaking was the one thing I told God I would never do. As you can see below, I'm sure He had a hearty chuckle over that one.


TOPICS

How Do I Teach This Kid to Write?
Do you wish someone would come alongside and lead you step-by-step through the process of teaching your child to write? This workshop offers the nuts and bolts of writing instruction and shows you how to create a confident writer while having some fun along the way. You may enter the workshop flabbergasted, but you will leave with the tools and inspiration needed to teach your child to write.


Adding Sparkle to Your Homeschool
Whether you're stuck in a rut or just want to add a little fun to your homeschooling days, sparkle is what you need. In this workshop you'll receive a treasure chest of practical, easy-to-implement ideas that will bring delight to your children's faces and turn ordinary homeschooling days into extraordinary adventures. Your children will thank you for attending!


BONITA'S 2008 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

May 22-24
NCHE North Carolina Home Educators
Benton Convention Center
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Conference speaker
http://www.nche.com/


June 13-15
CHEC Christian Home Educators of Colorado
Denver Merchandise Mart
Denver, Colorado
Vendor speaker
http://www.chec.org/


July 10-12
CHEA California Home Educators Association
Long Beach Convention Center
Long Beach, California
Vendor speaker
http://www.cheaofca.org/


July 25-26
SHE Southeast Homeschool & Educational Expo
Waverly Hotel & Convention Center
Atlanta, Georgia
Vendor speaker
http://www.georgiahomeschool.com/


I'm a graduate of the She Speaks Conference.

Shopping

Check out this terrific curriculum, Hands-On Essays, that helps kids master the essay and champion the writing portion of the SAT test! Click on the image to go directly to my publisher's website for more information. You can view sample pages and a demo of the DVD portion of the curriculum there.

Contact

I look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to contact me via email at bonita (@) bonitalillie (.) com, but be sure to drop the parentheses.

My publisher:
Teach4Mastery
1-800-745-8212
http://www.teach4mastery.com/