Mystery and Romance

New Blog

2011-09-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping by. I am now blogging about my books here. Please visit me there. On Thursdays you can catch my posts here. I hope to see you at both sites.

Blogging Today At The Borrowed Book

2011-01-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

I've recently joined Lisa Ludwig and S. Dionne Moore at The Borrowed Book Blog. I'm blogging there today about Thomas Nelson's plan to publish Amy Sunderland's story of how she attempted to be the youngest person to sail solo around the globe. Come visit me at

www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com

Dinner at the St. James

2011-01-12T15:45:00.000-08:00

Dinner at the St. James, the second book in my Alabama Brides Series from Barbour, releases later this month. The trailer for the book is below.

Laurie Kingery Interview

2010-11-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad to have Laurie Kingery as my guest today. Laurie lives in Ohio and is an emergency room nurse. She is the proud grandma of six, plus three step-grandchildren.At present she writes tales of 1800's Texas and the Old West for Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historicals. To find out more about Laurie go to her website at http://www.lauriekingery.com/

Welcome, Laurie. Let's jump right into the interview by asking what made you want to become a writer?

Reading both the very best books and the worst books I read. As an avid reader, I aspired to create the same sort of experience reading the best books created in me. After reading those that were not so good, I thought, I can do better than this.

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

Of course. Doesn't everyone who even tries seriously to get published? I sold my first book, but I've had books rejected after that. After sixteen books in the secular historical romance field, suddenly I couldn't sell anything in that area. I tried a medical romantic suspense. That never sold, nor did a medical romance I tried. Then my agent suggested I try to sell to the new Love Inspired Historical line that was about to open.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

I started writing the book on a dare the night before my 30th birthday. I wrote longhand, in between the demands of childcare and my job, and then I typed it up. The first personal computers hadn't come out then, so it took forever. A friend with publishing contacts helped me find my first agent. After shopping the book around, she finally sold it to Leisure (Dorchester), who paid a pitifully low advance, but it sold.

What is the title of your current book?

MAIL ORDER COWBOY. It's the first book in the start of my series called Brides of Simpson Creek, published by Love Inspired Historicals, about single ladies in a fictional Texas town who advertise for bachelors (see next question).

Give us a short blurb about the book.

An enterprising young lady, determined not to be an old maid in a bachelorless Texas town after the Civil War, organizes the other single ladies to advertise for marriage-minded men. The very first man who arrives, a disgraced British cavalry officer lately from India, becomes her unlikely love.

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

I like them both, but having met my true love through eHarmony, I have a soft spot for Milly, who did the 1800's version of an online matchup.

What is the last book you read that impacted you?

I'm always reading great fiction, and it would be hard to single out any one book, but I just finished James Scott Bell's THE ART OF WAR FOR WRITERS. I sure wish that book had been out when I was starting to write. It's a must for beginning as well as experienced writers. All the information is there in compact form.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

Each book teaches me at least one thing, and usually more, about characterization, pacing, use of language, creating suspense. Sometimes a book will teach me what doesn't work, too.

What are you currently writing?

I'm working on the fourth book in the Brides of Simpson Creek series, tentatively titled COURTING CARO.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Read, read, read. Go to conferences. Hang out with other writers—there are plenty of organizations, like ACFW and RWA, that help you do that now. Be an officer in those organizations if—and only if—you can do that and get the writing done too. Don't become overly concerned about setting up a website and a blog before you even have a book to promote. Most importantly, write. Nothing teaches you about the writing but writing.

Thank you for dropping by today for an interview. I know there are readers out there who would love to have a copy of your book.

To receive a copy of Laurie's book, you must leave a comment. One winner will be chosen at the end of the week. So if you want an autographed copy of Mail Order Cowboy, leave a comment.

Susan Sleeman Interview

2010-10-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to have my good friend Susan Sleeman on my blog today. I first met Susan through her website The Suspense Zone and got to be friends with her. I was also with her when she received the news of her first contract, but I'll let Susan tell you about that.

Susan grew up in a small Wisconsin town where she spent her summers reading Nancy Drew and developing a love of mystery and suspense books. Today, she channels this enthusiasm into hosting the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com and writing romantic suspense and mystery novels.

Much to her husband’s chagrin, Susan loves to look at everyday situations and turn them into murder and mayhem scenarios for future novels. If you’ve met Susan, she has probably figured out a plausible way to kill you and get away with it. Don’t worry, she’d never follow through on it.

Susan currently lives in Florida, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law and an adorable grandson. In her spare time, you can find her traveling to Oregon to visit her children and grandson, reading, gardening or working on TheSuspenseZone.com.

Welcome, Susan. Let's get right to the interview. What made you want to become a writer?

The life long love of reading inspired me to want to write a book, but it was God who arranged free time for it to happen. I’ve always enjoyed writing from creative to technical writing I’ve done in the corporate world, and I said for years that I was going to write a book, but I was so busy working full time, raising children, and volunteering at church that I never made the time. Then in 2000, I began having health issues that limited my physical activity. Forced to sit for long periods of time, I started to research the craft of writing and began my first book. As my health deteriorated, I had more and more time available and soon I was writing fulltime and actively pursuing publication.

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

I sure did encounter rejection and I have to say that it is hard to have something someone reject something you’ve worked so many hours on. At first, I took rejections personally and they really bothered me. But once you write long enough and communicate with other writers you learn that every writer is rejected and if you want to be a published author, you need to learn to not only accept the rejections but in some cases if the editor provides feedback on the work, use it to grow as a writer. And it helps to realize that rejections don’t necessarily mean you’re not a good writer, but it could be as simple as your story doesn’t fit the publisher’s line up or may be too similar to another book that is already contracted.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

Wow, is that a story. A story that you, Ms. Sandra Robbins, had a big part in. :) At the end of March 2008, I submitted a proposal to editor Susan Downs for the then newly developed mystery line, Heartsong Presents Mysteries. Within three days received a request for the full manuscript of Nipped in the Bud. Then within three weeks I received a positive evaluation of the manuscript with a few suggested revisions. Susan was not able to contract new works until the fall, and she requested I return the revised manuscript to her by August 1 when she was in a position to make a decision. I was pumped. I’d have to wait until August for any firm answer, but surely this was a good sign. Right?

I made the revision and sent the manuscript back in late July. I’d completed book two in the Garden Gate Mystery series and sent that proposal to Susan, as well. Now all I had to do was sit back and wait for her to call. She didn’t. No phone call. No email. Nothing. No response. And when I asked my agent about it, he was vague, encouraging me, yet at the same time saying nothing. I whined to my critique group, which at the time included three Heartsong Mystery authors. They tried to encourage me, but when August came and went, I was certain Susan had lost interest in my book.

In September, at the ACFW conference when Susan Downs took the stage to award a contract for the Heartsong Presents Mysteries imprint, I sat back and said, “Man, it’s too bad Susan didn’t like my book. It would be so cool to learn of your book contract in front of 500 fellow writers.” Susan began describing the writer who would receive this contract. She started with vague clues and grew more specific. Imagine my surprise when I realized she was talking about me. I turned to my crit group sitting next to me and learned that they knew about this. Some, winking at you Sandra, since April. Ditto for my agent, of course.

What is the title of your current book?

I actually have two books releasing within a month of each other so I’m going to mention both books. The first book, High-Stakes Inheritance, released in September in Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line. The second book, Nipped in the Bud, releases in October and is part of Barbour Publishing’s new Hometown Mysteries I,print.

Give us a short blurb about the book.

In High-Stakes Inheritance, family counselor Mia Blackburn’s Uncle Wally dies and leaves behind a will that requires her to return to Logan Lake, Oregon to live at the rustic Pinetree Resort for one full year in order to inherit the valuable property. If she fails to stay at Pinetree for the full year, the property reverts to her brother.

But on her first day in town she receives a threatening message: Leave Logan Lake or you will pay. Despite the warning, Mia won't let anyone scare her from the rustic resort. But when a fire traps her in a burning barn, she fears that she won't get out alive. Just in time her ex-boyfriend volunteer firefighter Ryan Morgan rescues her from the deadly blaze. He had once broken her heart, yet she still has feelings for him. With Ryan insisting on keeping a close eye on her, Mia feels safer-and closer to Ryan than ever before. Yet the threats haven't stopped, and soon Mia's high-stakes inheritance includes a murder-and Mia could be the next victim.

Nipped in the Bud takes place in Oregon in a fictional town named Serendipity and features Paige Turner, a landscape designer and host of a local radio show with more whacky callers than legitimate gardeners. Paige, more at home with plants than people, has a quirky habit of thinking of people by the plants they resemble and treating them accordingly. Paige has secured her first landscaping contract, sprucing up the city park for the upcoming Pickle Fest. But the day of a confrontation with the city manager, she finds him dead in a mound of mulch. With no alibi for the time of death and, according to the police chief, with plenty of motive to carry out the murder, Paige must dig her way out of the mess by finding the real killer. Attorney Adam Hayes aids in her search as he works hard to keep her out jail—and his heart.

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

I really can’t say I have a favorite character as it would be like saying I have a favorite child, but if I have to choose one character in either of these books, I would choose a secondary character in High-Stakes Inheritance. Her name is Gladys and she’s a busybody in the small town of Logan Lake. She was such fun to write because she has no filter. What she thinks is what she says and she doesn’t care about the consequences. Of course, she can only get away with this behavior because she has a caring, generous heart and is willing to help others.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

Rather than listing a specific book, I’m going to give a more general answer to this question. Every inspirational book I read impacts me. I believe this is true because God has the power to use the written word to meet the reader wherever they are in their life. So just like the Bible speaks to each person differently so does inspirational fiction. Each and every book I read leaves me either questioning where I am in my faith walk, soothes me where I’m hurting, or reinforces the love of my Savior and the amazing gift He has given me.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

Besides enjoying a good story, the things I recognize most in other writers’ work is pacing of a story and characterization. I love reading quirky characters and I love seeing how an author develops those characters beyond a stereotype into a flesh and blood person.

What are you currently writing?

I have contracted another romantic suspense book with Steeple Hill, Behind the Badge to release in June of 2011 and just turned in the manuscript for this book. Behind the Badge is book two of a three book series featuring the Morgan brothers, Ryan, Russ, and Reid. I have started book three in the series featuring the third brother, ex-FBI agent Reid Morgan, and hope it too will release in 2011.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

If being published is your dream, don’t give up. Ever. No matter what setbacks may occur. But keep working at the craft, learning through critique groups, books and conferences, and have a teachable spirit so when advice is shared you can learn from it.

Thanks for being with us today, Susan. I know our readers will enjoy your two books. I certainly did! To learn more about Susan, you can visit her at any of the following places on the web.
http://www.susansleeman.com Personal website

http://www.twitter.com/susansleeman Twitter

http://www.facebook.com/susan.sleeman Facebook friends page

http://www.facebook.com/SusanSleemanBooks Facebook fan page

http://www.thesuspensezone.com Susan’s book review website

http://hometownmysteries.com Hometown Mystery Website

http://www.loveinspiredauthors.com Love Inspired Author

Vickie McDonough Interview

2010-09-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm welcoming Vickie McDonough to my blog. Vickie has been an ACFW member for nine years and is currently the ACFW treasurer. She also helped start WIN, the first ACFW chapter, located in Tulsa, OK. She is a member of RWA, CAN, Women Writing the West, OKRWA, and OWFI.

Vickie McDonough is an award-winning author of 20 books and novellas. Vickie’s books have won the Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest, Texas Gold, and the ACFW Noble Theme contest, and she has been a multi-year finalist in ACFW’s BOTY contest. The Anonymous Bride, book one in her debut trade fiction series the Texas Boardinghouse Brides, released in April, and the sequel, Second Chance Brides, released two weeks ago. Vickie's books promise An Adventure into Romance.

Vickie and her husband live in Oklahoma. She is a wife of thirty-four years, mother of four grown sons and grandma to a feisty four-year-old girl. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, gardening, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie’s books, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com

It's great to have you here today, Vickie. Please tell our readers what made you want to become a writer.

I never planned to become a writer, but it seems God had bigger plans for me than I ever dreamed for myself.

I’ve read Christian fiction for over twenty-five years, ever since I discovered my first Janette Oke book. One day, a story started running through my mind. It got to where I couldn’t sleep at night, so I wrote it down in hopes of making it go away. I finished that book and quickly wrote another one. Those books will never be published, but God used them to get my attention. Now, I’ve been writing almost ten years and have just sold my 27th book. That amazes me more than anyone.

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey?

Yes, I have—several of them.

How did you handle it?

A rejection is always disappointing, no matter how many books you’ve published. After my last rejection, I fussed for a few days, ate some chocolate, but then dusted off my hands and went back to work. I’ve always felt my career is God’s hands, so when I get a rejection now, I look at it as not being God’s timing for that book.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

My pre-published highlights would include winning several writing contests and networking in my early writing days with some of my favorite authors on the ACFW loop. I was thrilled when I got a call from Cathy Marie Hake, telling me Barbour Publishing was buying our novella collection. It was very hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I was going to be a published author.

What is the title of your current book?

Second Chance Brides. It’s book two in my Texas Boardinghouse Brides series and the sequel to The Anonymous Bride.

I’m also in a Christmas novella collection that just released called Christmas Mail Order Brides. It tells the stories of four mail-order brides who travel the transcontinental railroad to marry men they’ve never met. The other award-winning authors in this collection are Susan Page Davis, Therese Stenzel, and Carrie Turansky.

Give us a short blurb about the book.

Two mail-order brides are stranded in a small Texas with no means of support after the man they came to marry weds someone else. Both women must find a job—a difficult fete in the tiny town—or find another man to marry. With few single women and plenty of eager men, offers of marriage abound, but is it too much to hope to marry men who pull at their heartstrings?

Which character in the book is your favorite?

Mark Corbett.

Why?

He’s a good man who made some bad choices that still haunt him. He’s never told a soul about what happened, not even his brother. Mark believes in God’s forgiveness, but forgiving himself isn’t easy.

What is the last book you read that impacted you?

The Raven Saint by M.L. Tyndall. How did it affect you? Ms. Tyndall’s books always show God touching the characters’ heart at their darkest moments. They encourage me to not let today’s troubles cause me to take my eyes off God but rather to stay focused on my Savior and to turn to him when hard times come.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

As a newbie writer, I learned to write by reading other authors’ books. Now, I learn how to say common things in different ways and see God through other peoples’ eyes. I also enjoy being taken away from the hecticness of my life into the exciting world of fiction.

What are you currently writing?

I’m just starting a new book called Indigo Dreams. It’s the second book in my historical South Carolina series for Heartsong.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Study your craft, read tons of books, both fiction and non-fiction writing books, and write and write and write. Practicing your craft and honing your skills are two of the most important things a new writer can do.

If you’d like to learn more about my books, please visit my website: www.vickiemcdonough.com

Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog.

Vickie McDonough

It's been great to have you here today, Vickie. I know our readers have enjoyed learning more about your writing life and your two releases. Thanks for dropping by.

Janelle Mowery Interview

2010-09-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to have my good friend Janelle Mowery with me today. Janelle is one of the first people I got to know when I joined American Christian Fiction Writers. We became crit partners and supported each other as we traveled the road to publication.

Born and raised in southern Minnesota, Janelle Mowery spent hours reading a great many books in her childhood years. Her love of history, mystery, and stories led her toward her dream of writing novels. When Janelle is not writing, she loves reading, watching movies, researching history, and spending time in the great outdoors. She now resides in Texas with her husband of twenty-one years and their two sons. You can learn more about Janelle at www.janellemowery.com

Welcome, Janelle. I want my readers to get to know you like I do. Tell us what made you want to become a writer.

I’ve always loved to read. In fact, I have around the age of six holding my favorite Christmas present…a book. Around ten years ago, my sister told me I needed to read a book. It was by Lori Wick. I loved it and ended up reading everything she had out. It was while reading one of her books that I was certain I could write a story. I sat down at the computer and my journey began.

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey?

If so, how did you handle it? Oh yes, I’ve been rejected. It’s funny, the very first story I wrote was almost accepted the first time I submitted. The editor of one house loved it and wanted to contract it. I thought I’d be one of the lucky few who had never been rejected. Alas, a few months later, I received a call from that same editor saying they were cutting back on how many historical manuscripts they contracted. Mine was one they decided against. That was the first of several rejections. I didn’t take it well. I was so far up in the clouds that the fall was long and hard. That was probably the hardest rejection. With the others, I’d be down for a day, then dig back in and get back to work.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

The highlights? Meeting other authors who became great friends. I can see God’s hand all over my journey. He led me to a copy editor who encouraged me. She’d seen enough of my work that when she was in a position to acquire manuscripts, she wanted me to write a story for her. I received a phone call months later tell me that I was being offered a contract. I think my shout of joy was heard all over the county.

What is the title of your current book?

My current title to be released is Love Finds You in Silver City, Idaho.

Give us a short blurb about the book.

It’s 1869, and chaos rules Silver City. As Rebekah Weaver recovers from an accident that has left her badly burned, she worries that her father’s handsome new assistant won’t see past her scarred exterior. Deputy Marshal Nathaniel Kirkland is working undercover to investigate a series of explosions in the mines and businesses of Silver City. When ominous notes begin appearing on townspeople’s doors, Nate needs Rebekah’s help to uncover the identity of the perpetrator. As they work together, Nate begins to speculate that Rebekah’s “accident” was really a case of intentional sabotage—and that she might still be in danger.

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

I guess it would have to be Rebekah. Though she’d been through a horrible ordeal, she still maintained her relationship with the Lord. Yes, she had her doubts, fears, and times of insecurity, but she always ran to the Lord to get her through. She learned the hard way that true beauty comes from within.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

I was blown away by Susan Meissner’s book, The Shape of Mercy. Not only is Susan an artist with words, but she beautifully illustrates how important grace, mercy, and redemption should be in each of our lives. It’s a story that will stay with me for years to come.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

There’s something to be learned from every book. Pacing, plotting, characterization, dialogue. If you’re looking to learn, each book has the ability to teach.

What are you currently writing?

I’m doing more editing than writing. I’m working on book three of a series, Colorado Runaways, contracted by Harvest House. I’m also on the beginning stages of writing another story for a Christmas anthology due for release September next year.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Oh, there’s so much. First, read a lot. Then write a lot. Never give up. Enjoy the journey toward publication, even the rejections. It’s all part of the process and you’ll learn something from each step. One last thing—network, network, network. The contacts you make are such a huge part on the road to publication.

Good advice, Janelle. Thank you so much for being with us today. I know my readers have enjoyed learning more about you.

Janelle would love to give you a copy of her book. If you would like to receive a free copy of Love Finds You in Silver City, Idaho, leave a comment for Janelle. You can't win if you don't comment.

Winner of A Hope Undaunted

2010-09-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

The winner of Julie Lessman's book A Hope Undaunted is Michelle at
scraphappy71@sbcglobal.net.

Congratulations, Michelle.

Kay Strom Interview

2010-09-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am delighted to have Kay Strom with me today. Author Kay Marshall Strom is a writer/speaker with a heart for the world-wide family of God. She has authored 37 books, many with a global reach. Her writing credits include numerous magazine articles, prize-winning screenplays, curriculum and books for children. She had contributed to many large works including several of the NIV Devotional Bibles. More and more her writing is taking her to the far corners of the world. Kay is a sought-after speaker both in this country and globally.

Welcome, Kay. To start the interview let me ask what made you want to become a writer?

I’ve always enjoyed writing. But I think what really influenced me was reading especially moving pieces and sighing, “I wish I’d written that!” Very early on, I felt that way about the tear-jerker story The Byrd’s Christmas Carol, but also about The Tale of Two Cities and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. So many things, in fact!

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

Oh, yes! I still do. I tell my students, “Don’t complain about rejection slips until you have enough to paper your bathroom!” I allow myself half an hour to drown my sorrow in some indulgence—maybe a nice soak in the hot tub in the middle of the day. If it’s a big rejection, like a book proposal, I might need a hot fudge sundae! But then I get back to work.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

Actually, my first sale came pretty quickly. Once my kids were both in school, I took an adult extension class in writing for publication. Problem was, we spent most of our time telling each other how good we were. The result was a bunch of confident writers who didn’t know much. I took my children’s book manuscript to the Mount Hermon Writers Conference and showed it to an editor who was obviously underwhelmed. But the conference was a week long, and I took her wonderful class on writing for children. Nights I sat up and rewrote the book. By the end of the conference, I had a sale.

What is the title of your current book?

The Triumph of Grace is book 2 in the Grace in Africa trilogy.
Book 1, The Call of Zulina, came out a year ago and book 3, The Triumph of Grace, is due for release in the Spring. Come visit me at www.GraceInAfrica.com !

Give us a short blurb about the book.

West Africa, 1792: Five years after her escape from a slave rebellion in book 1 (The Call of Zulina), slavers burst into Grace Winslow’s life and tear her new family apart forever. She watches in anguish as her husband is led in chains aboard a tightly packed slave ship bound for America. An old enemy has a more sinister plan for her—a different kind of servitude in London. But Grace will not be enslaved. And she will not give up on the man she loves. In her determination to be reunited with her husband, she finds God reaching out to her.

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

Oh, that has to be Grace. First of all, because I see shades of myself in her weaker side. But also because I like to dream that, should I be in her circumstances, I would stand up to adversity the way she does.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

Every book I read impacts me in some way. I just finished reading People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, a fine author of historical fiction. As when I read her book Year of Wonder, I was impressed again that a fictional story woven from historical fact can wield such power. I do love good historical fiction!

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

So much! Technique—character development and plotting and writing dialogue. But also I continually rediscover the power of a story.

What are you currently writing?

I have begun a second historical fiction trilogy, this one set in India. Blessings in India spans three generations of two families—a family of untouchables and the Christian high caste landowners who own them. It moves from the untouchable family’s enslavement (book 1) through India’s independence (book 2) and to the religious and social upheavals of today (book 3).

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

If you want to be a writer, write and write and write some more. Never give up. Everyone gets better and better, no one gets worse and worse.

Thank you, Kay, for being with us today. You have certainly intrigued me and made me want to read Grace's story, and I'll be looking for the trilogy set in India.

ACFW Awards

2010-09-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

Winners of the Carol Awards for the best Christian fiction in the following categories were:

Contemporary Novella
Susan May Warren - The Great Christmas Bowl

Historical Novella
Janet Tronstad - Christmas Bells for Dry Creek

Short Contemporary
Mae Nunn - A Texas Ranger's Family

Short Contemporary Suspense
Jill Elizabeth Nelson - Evidence of Murder

Short Historical
Dan Walsh - The Unfinished Gift

Young Adult
Jenny B. Jones - I'm So Sure

Long Contemporary
Christina Berry - The Familiar Stranger

Long Contemporary Romance
Jenny B. Jones - Just Between You and Me

Mystery
A.K. Arenz - The Case of the Mystified M.D.

Suspense/Thriller
Terri Blackstock - Intervention

Long Historical
Allison Pittman - Stealing Home

Long Historical Romance
Mary Connealy - Cowboy Christmas

Speculative (includes Science Fiction, Fantasy, Allegory)
Kirk Outerbridge - Eternity Falls

Women's Fiction
Cheryl McKay & Rene Gutteridge - Never the Bride

Debut Author
Dan Walsh - The Unfinished Gift

Zondervan editor Sue Brower was awarded ACFW's Editor of the Year honor. Sandra Bishop from MacGregor Literary was named ACFW's Agent of the Year.

Genesis winners by category are:

Contemporary Fiction
Lynnette P. Horner, The Assistant

Contemporary Romance
Janice LaQuiere, Truckload of Love

Historical Fiction
Brenda Jackson, Principle Engagement

Historical Romance
Pam Hillman, Terms of Indenturement

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rich Bullock, Storm Lake/Storm Song

Romantic Suspense
Valerie Goree, Weep in the Night

Speculative Fiction
Andra Marquardt, Traitors

Women's Fiction
Jennifer Fromke, Docking

Young Adult
Stefanie Morris, Shyla, Desert Daughter/Shyla, Child of the Desert

Julie Lessman Interview

2010-09-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to have Julie Lessman as my guest today. Julie is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. Winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational, Julie is also the recipient of 13 Romance Writers of America awards and was voted by readers as “Borders Best of 2009 So Far: Your Favorite Fiction."

She resides in Missouri with her husband, daughter, son and daughter-in-law and is the author of The Daughters of Boston series, which includes A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied. You can contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

Hi, Julie. It's great to have you here today. I read the first three Daughters of Boston books and have been eagerly awaiting the release of the fourth one. You truly have a gift for writing. What made you want to become a writer?

Oh, easy answer—Gone With the Wind! I was twelve when I first read that amazing book and it immediately inspired me to begin my own novel at that same age, a 150-page, single-spaced manuscript that is actually the basis for my debut novel, A Passion Most Pure. In fact, I was so hooked on romance after reading GWTW, that when I was in high school, I actually dressed up as a nun to go to a free showing of GWTW for the local religious and clergy. One of my friends had a sister in the convent, so she loaned us novice habits and off we went! I sat there mesmerized, shoving free popcorn into my mouth as I watched the tug-o-war between Rhett and Scarlett. It was one of the most fun times of my teens … until we ran into the nuns from our high school! Whew, we got into trouble … but it was soooo worth it (at least at the time!).

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

“Rejection”??? Oh, girl, anyone who attended the 2005 ACFW Conference will remember me as the poor slob who waved her hands wildly in the back of the room when Brandilyn Collins asked who had the most rejections in a year. I won hands-down with 19 (at that time) and went on to garner in excess of 45 (both agent and publisher rejections, including three received AFTER I signed a 3-book contract with Revell Publishing!). Even my agent Natasha Kern blanched a bit when she first signed me, realizing after the ink was dry just how many times I’d been rejected. I believe the word she used was “daunting.” But apparently not too daunting for her amazing skills, giving a whole new meaning to the title of my latest release A Hope Undaunted! Amazingly enough (and still shocking to me!), my debut novel A Passion Most Pure went on to win the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Debut Book of the Year on the same ACFW stage I’d accepted the rejection booby prize three years earlier. Now if that doesn’t give aspiring writers out there hope, I don’t know what will!

How do I handle rejections? In the same way I try to deal with everything—I praise God in the face of adversity because I believe it unleashes his power in our lives. For instance, once when I stubbed my bare toe on the steel leg of my bed, I fell onto the mattress in such pain, that immediately a curse word from my past rushed to my lips. But instead of speaking it, I began to praise God through gritted teeth over and over again, until I was actually laughing on the bed with tears in my eyes. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people, so when we praise Him in the midst of our pain and adversity, I believe He surrounds us with strength, love and blessing. I also believe our obedience in praising God when the devil would like to see us sin instead (i.e. through our anger, discouragement, jealousy, etc.) is like kicking the devil in the teeth and affirming your faith in God at the same time, which in my experience, ALWAYS releases God’s blessings.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

One highlight would definitely be finaling in RWA’s Golden Heart contest in 2005, the most prestigious romance contest in the world, which indirectly brought me to the attention of my agent extraordinaire Natasha Kern and the subsequent 3-book sale. Other highlights include joining forces with my Seeker buds, 15 contest divas who kept butting heads in contests until we formed a blog called “The Seekers” (http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/), a group blog devoted to writing and encouraging others on their journey to publication. Of course, one of the sweetest highlights for me will always be winning ACFW’s Debut Author of the year.

“Surreal” is the word that best describes how I felt when I finally got “the call.” Everything seemed to move in slow motion when I answered my cell phone in the middle of praying with my prayer partners that fateful day. I started crying when my agent told me wonderful things about how my book had kept several of the editors on the pub board up until the wee hours of the morning because they couldn’t put it down. Of course I repeated everything she said so my prayer partners could hear, and they were screaming and jumping in the background. I felt dazed and humbled and delirious with gratitude for God’s hand in my life. Believe me, after 42 (three R’s came after I sold for the grand total of 45!) rejections and another publisher giving me a slice-n-dice rejection the week before, this phone call was balm to my battered soul.

What is the title of your current book and can you give us a short blurb about it?

A Hope Undaunted is book one in the brand-new “Winds of Change” series, and here’s the jacket blurb:
What happens when the boy she loved to hate ... becomes the man she hates to love?
The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman--smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jack fits all of her criteria for a husband--good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and eating out of her hand. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Cluny McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face to face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

Oh, hands-down, Cluny McGee! Cluny won my heart in A Passion Denied as a rag-tag neighborhood runt of fourteen who looked all of ten years old. Originally he was intended only as a one-scene bit part, but this cocky, little street orphan literally forced me to expand his role in that book, pitting him against the heroine’s sister, Katie O’Connor as her worst nightmare. So when it came to the new series, it just seemed a natural progression for the “nightmare” to grow to epic proportions for Katie O’Connor in A Hope Undaunted, where Cluny McGee is the love interest she butts heads with once again.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

Gosh, that’s SO hard because so many of the books I’ve read lately impacted me emotionally—for instance, Mary Connealy’s Doctor in Petticoats (love Mary’s humor!) or MaryLu Tyndall’s Surrender the Heart (love MaryLu’s romantic edge and tense adventure!) are both wonderful books whose characters still haunt me. I am halfway through Myra Johnson’s Where the Dogwood Blooms and as usual with Myra’s books, the spiritual message is probing and the romance wonderfully sigh-worthy. But the actual “last” book I read before Myra’s would be Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz, and I have to say that Laura always packs an emotional punch. Of course, I just finished it so the story and characters seem as alive and real as my own family right now, something Laura is as skillful at as her flesh-and-blood characters are at stealing my heart!

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

Tons! For instance, from Mary Connealy I learn comedy and timing; from MaryLu, the importance of ending a scene or chapter with high drama to hook the reader in; from Laura, the importance of setting and era and painstaking research and from Myra, fresh and unique ways to say things I’ve been saying in the same way for a long time now. I’m of the mind that we can learn something from every author out there, even if it’s just to confirm whether a particular style does or does not work for us.

What are you currently writing?

Well, I recently completed book 2 in the “Winds of Change” series, A Heart Revealed, which tells the forbidden love story of Sean O'Connor and Emma Malloy, and have just begun book 3, Steven O’Connor’s story, tentatively titled A Trust Restored. Both books take place during The Great Depression and Prohibition, providing a wealth of historical interest about this exciting era of speakeasies, dance marathons, gangsters, G-men and era criminals like Bonnie & Clyde and Al Capone. Steven will be a tall, brooding G-man-type modeled after Elliot Ness (a la Robert Stack from the Untouchables), who not only battles crime with a vengeance, but also the guilt and regret of a painful past.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Since I get asked that a lot, here is a list I compiled of the things I personally did to get published, which I hope will be of benefit to aspiring authors:

1.) Join ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers at http://www.americanchristianfictionwriters.com/), FHL (Faith, Hope & Love at http://www.faithhopelove-rwa.org/) and RWA (Romance Writers of America at http://www.rwanational.org/), both to get connected with other like-minded writers and to learn a lot about your craft.
2.) Take a fiction-writing class or attend a writing seminar or conference.
3.) Join a critique group (you can do that through ACFW).
4.) Purchase and study writing books such as Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King or Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maas, AND invest in a great thesaurus such as The Synonym Finder by Rodale Press (my writer’s bible!!).
5.) Enter contests for invaluable feedback, growth, confidence, networking opportunities and to get your name out there.
6.) Frequent websites/blogs that deal with writing, such as The Seekers (http://seekerville.blogspot.com/), a group blog that I belong to whose theme is “On the road to publication. Writing, contests, publication and everything in between.”
7.) Go for an agent first, publisher second.
8.) Then pray your heart out and put it in God’s hands.

Thank you, Sandra, for hosting me on your blog. It’s been fun! And I LOVE to hear from readers, so they can contact me through my Web site at www.julielessman.com, either by sending an e-mail via my site or by signing up for my newsletter at http://www.julielessman.com/sign-up-for-newsletter/. My newsletter is chock-full of fun info on my books and there’s always a contest featuring signed book giveaways. Also, I have a cool feature on my website called “Journal Jots” (http://www.julielessman.com/journal-jots/), which is a very laid-back, almost-daily journal to my reader friends that would give your readers an idea as to my relaxed style of writing. Then finally, I can be found daily at The Seekers blog (http://seekerville.blogspot.com/), a group blog devoted to encouraging and helping aspiring writers on the road to publication. Thanks again, Sandra, and God bless!

Thank you, Julie, for being a guest on my blog today. Julie would love to give you a copy of A Hope Undaunted, but you must leave a comment to win. Don't miss out on receiving this amazing new book from a gifted writer.

Sarah Sundin Interview

2010-09-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm welcoming Sarah Sundin to my blog today. Sarah lives in northern California with her husband and three children. When she isn’t ferrying kids to soccer and karate, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school. She is the author of the Wings of Glory series—A Distant Melody (Revell, March 2010), A Memory Between Us (September 2010), and Blue Skies Tomorrow (August 2011).

Hi, Sarah. Welcome. What made you want to become a writer?

Although I always read voraciously, I didn’t consider a writing career. Instead I chose a practical career in pharmacy which allowed me to work on-call and stay home with our three children. Then in 2000, I had a dream with such intriguing characters that I felt compelled to write their story. That first novel will never be published, nor should it, but it got me started.

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

I have five years’ experience with rejections. First would come a numb shock, then a self-pity phase—which got shorter over the years. I allowed myself a day or two to wallow, then I got back to work. The period after a rejection is a time of prayerful evaluation for me. Since God got me started in writing instantaneously, I know He can take it away as quickly. After rejections, I took it back to Him—did He still want me to write? Did He want me to write something more marketable than historicals were five years ago? What did I need to change in my writing? In myself?

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

I first submitted A Distant Melody at Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference in 2003. I received good feedback—and began accumulating a stack of “good” rejection letters. They liked my writing, my story, and my characters—however, historicals weren’t selling. But the Lord made it obvious He wanted me to finish the trilogy so I kept plugging away. Then at Mount Hermon in March 2008, everyone wanted historicals. And there I was with the Wings of Glory series close to complete, so I submitted to Vicki Crumpton at Revell.

In September 2008 I received an email from Vicki. My heart sank. I thought good news came by phone (they call it The Call after all). Her message started, “I have good news for you.” Good news? I know God uses rejections for good, but still. I had to read the message twice to realize they were offering me a three-book contract. Then I squawked like a teenage girl and did some pathetic hand-flapping thing. My kids ran in to see what was going on, and I said, “I’m getting published! I’m getting published!” My level-headed oldest son slapped the phone into one of my hands (between flaps) and told me to call my husband.

What is the title of your current book?

A Memory Between Us, Book 2 in the Wings of Glory series.

Give us a short blurb about the book.

A Memory Between Us is the second book in the Wings of Glory series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II. Each book stands alone.

In A Memory Between Us, Major Jack Novak has never failed to meet a challenge—until he meets army nurse Lieutenant Ruth Doherty. When Jack lands in the army hospital after a plane crash, he makes winning Ruth's heart a top priority mission. But he has his work cut out for him. Not only is Ruth focused on her work in order to support her orphaned siblings back home, she carries a shameful secret that keeps her from giving her heart to any man. Can Jack break down her defenses? Or are they destined to go their separate ways?

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

It has to be the heroine, Lt. Ruth Doherty. She fascinated me. On the surface she is so strong she doesn’t need another human being—and she has a great sense of humor. But underneath she has deep hurts and shame. It was fun for me to tease out what made her the way she is and to watch her change and grow.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

Athol Dickson’s Lost Mission impacted me. Through dual storylines, he showed flip-side dangers Christians can fall into when interacting with the world—characterizing the world as evil and isolating ourselves from unbelievers, or identifying so strongly with those we minister to that we forget Christ’s teachings. And never once did Dickson “state his theme.” It all rose beautifully from the story.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

So many things. Of course I observe the mechanics of how the author constructs sentences and scenes, how they evoke emotion, etc. More importantly, a good novel gets my imagination humming.

What are you currently writing?

I’m working with my editor on the first edit for Blue Skies Tomorrow, the third book in the Wings of Glory series, and I’m writing a proposal for another series set during World War II.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Be teachable and soak up all the good instruction you can. Read books on writing craft, and then read your favorite authors and analyze how they did it.

Join ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). Their e-zine, e-mail loop, and monthly courses are outstanding.

Join a local writers’ group or an on-line critique group.

Don’t submit to agents and editors until you’re ready. That means a complete manuscript, positive feedback from experienced writers, and enough knowledge of the publishing industry to know how to submit properly. You want your first impression to be stellar.

Lastly, when you’re ready, submit and keep submitting. Keep polishing your craft, and keep praying for the Lord’s guidance.

Great words of advice, Sarah. Thanks for stopping by today. It's been a pleasure to have you as a guest.

Dr. Richard Mabry Interview

2010-09-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to have Dr. Richard Mabry on my blog today. Although I'd seen Dr. Mabry before, I first became introduced to him in Denver last year when I fainted at breakfast at the ACFW conference. When I woke up and discovered I was lying on the floor, I looked up to see Dr. Mabry staring down at me. It was comforting to know that a physician had rushed over to be of help. Thankfully, I only had altitude sickness and didn't require his medical services. Now he's here to tell us about the books he's been writing.

Dr. Richard Mabry built a worldwide reputation as a clinician, researcher, and teacher before retiring from medicine. Medical Error is his second novel of romantic medical suspense. His first novel, Code Blue, was published by Abingdon Press in April of 2010, and will be followed next spring by the third book in the Prescription For Trouble series, Diagnosis Death. You can learn more about him at his website and follow him on his blog.

Dr. Mabry, I always start off by asking my guests what made you want to become a writer?

After the death of my first wife in 1999, I felt a strong need to write a book about the experience, detailing what I went through and how I handled it—the right and wrong decisions, the things I learned. After a number of false starts and setbacks, I attended a writer’s conference. My experience there started me on the road to writing, not just the non-fiction book I had in mind—published in 2006 as The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse—but also fiction.

I had no idea you started writing after the loss of your wife. That must have been difficult. Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

My non-fiction book actually sold fairly quickly, but fiction was another story. At the conference, editor Gary Terashita discovered I’d played a lot of baseball, so he suggested I write a novel combining medicine and baseball. I did, and he took my first novel, More Than A Game to the pub board—but they turned it down. This was my introduction to rejection, and there was a lot more to come.

I wrote two more novels—three if you count completely rewriting one because my then-agent didn’t think it was good enough to pitch—and they were rejected a total of about thirty-six times. Finally I decided that maybe publication in fiction wasn’t in my future so I terminated my relationship with the agent and quit writing. As you’ll see in the next section, God apparently had other ideas.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

I’d been to a number of writer’s workshops and conferences before I finally gave up on my dream of writing. I continued to follow writing blogs, though, and one of them was that of Rachelle Gardner, whom I’d met when she was an editor. She had a blog contest, offering a critique to the person submitting the best first line of a novel. I won, with “Things were going along just fine until the miracle fouled up everything.” I sent her the first five pages of my most recent novel, and her reply was, “Send me something that needs editing.” We corresponded, I queried, and she offered representation.

I revised that novel a bit (it had started out as a cozy mystery—big mistake!) and she shopped it. There were about four more rejections before Barbara Scott, who was getting the Abingdon fiction line started, bought it.

I was on vacation when Rachelle called me on my cell phone to tell me, “You’ve sold your first novel.” How did I feel? Happy. Scared. Overwhelmed. And most of all, blessed.

What is the title of your current book?

Medical Error was scheduled to release September 1, although it began shipping over a month ago to handle a significant number of pre-orders. It’s the second of the Prescription For Trouble series. The third book, Diagnosis Death, launches next spring, and although the novels are freestanding I do bring the process full circle in that last book. Readers will have to wait until next spring to find out how I do it, though.

Give us a short blurb about the book.

In Medical Error, Dr. Anna McIntyre’s life was going along just fine until someone else began living it. In a single day, she finds herself suspected of a felony, about to be suspended from her position at the medical school, and likely to be the target of a malpractice suit. Could it get worse? She finds that it can, and it does.

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

Although there are two physicians who play a prominent part in the book, I think my favorite character is attorney Ross Donovan, a recovering alcoholic. You might call him a charming scoundrel.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

I’ve always enjoyed the works of Robert B. Parker, who passed away earlier this year while writing at his desk. He left behind two novels, and I recently read his final work, Blue-Eyed Devil. Not only did I marvel at his easy, smooth style and manner of keeping the reader engaged, I thought about how his works would survive and touch readers long after his death. It made me think seriously about the kind of literary legacy I want to leave.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

One of my early mentors was Alton Gansky, who told us that once we began writing we’d never read a book the same way again. He was right, as usual. Every time I read a book, I don’t just follow the plot. I watch to see how the writer deepens characters, uses setting as part of the plot, puts tension on every page. I try to learn from everything—good and bad—and use it to (hopefully) improve my own writing.

What are you currently writing?

Here’s the draft back cover copy of my in-progress novel, Strong Medicine.

Dr. Sara Miles’ patient is on the threshold of death from an overwhelming, highly resistant infection with Staphylococcus luciferus, known simply to doctors as “the killer.” Only an experimental antibiotic, developed and administered by Sara’s ex-husband, Dr. Jack Ingersoll, can save the girl's life.

Dr. John Ramsey is seeking to put his life together after the death of his wife by joining the medical school faculty. But his decision could prove to be costly, even fatal.

Potentially lethal late effects from the experimental drug send Sara and her colleague, Dr. Rip Pearson, on a hunt for hidden critical data that will let them reverse the changes before it’s too late.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Learn all you can about the craft. Study some of the classic writing books: Bell’s Plot and Structure, Lukeman’s The First Five Pages, Maass’ Writing The Breakout Novel. I could list a dozen more, but these are a good start. If your budget allows, attend a writing conference. Hang out with writers. Find someone knowledgeable to critique your work objectively. Pay attention to constructive criticism. And keep on plugging. Persistence pays off.

Thank you, Dr. Mabry, for being with us today. I've enjoyed getting to know you better through this interview. I hope to see you at the ACFW Conference in a few weeks, and I'm praying I don't faint again.

Melanie Dickerson Interview

2010-08-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to have Melanie Dickerson as a guest on my blog today. I first met Melanie through ACFW a few years ago. We discovered that a member of her family had just completed student teaching at the school where I was principal at the time.

I'm so excited that I can have Melanie here today to tell you about her new book and the struggles she encountered on her journey toward publication.

Melanie is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Her novels have finaled seven times in RWA-sponsored contests, including winning the 2007 Fiction from the Heartland Contest over all categories. Melanie earned a bachelor’s degree in special education of the hearing impaired from The University of Alabama and has worked as a teacher and a missionary. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Huntsville, Alabama. Visit her on the web at www.melaniedickerson.com.

Welcome, Melanie. Let's jump right into the interview with the first question. What made you want to become a writer?

Hi, Sandra! I have always wanted to be a writer, since I was a kid. I loved to read and I loved making up my own stories and letting my friends read them. Writing just seems to be the thing I’m good at. Believe me, I found lots of things in my life that I was NOT good at.

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

Oh my, yes. I tried to save all the rejections I got for The Healer’s Apprentice (back when it was titled The Woodcutter’s Daughter) and from both agents and editors I had 32rejections over a 3-year period. That’s a lot! One way I handled it was by remembering positive things my critique partners and contest judges had said about the book. Plus, I already knew that I would get rejections. I accepted it as part of the business and part of the process of getting published. I learned from mentors, and I learned from my experience of sending out short stories and articles—before I started writing a novel—that a rejection doesn’t actually mean “You stink,” although you can let yourself think that. It usually means the story just wasn’t right for that particular publication at that particular time. I also liked to think of my rejections as my “red badges of courage.” I am brave, and here is proof! And lastly, I saved my rejections but I didn’t count them until after a publisher said Yes! I was surprised I’d gotten so many!

Thirty-two? That must have been discouraging. I'm glad you persevered. What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

Getting an agent was a huge joy and burden lifted! It gave me confidence and hope. Also, every contest final and contest win was a big boost.

I've been hearing great things about your new book. What is the title?

The Healer's Apprentice

Give us a short blurb about the book.

In this historical romance loosely based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, a woodcutter's daughter becomes the town healer's apprentice. Rose's job is to care for the sick and injured in Hagenheim Castle. But she gets sick at the sight of blood and is more suited to making up stories than sewing up wounds. She is determined to overcome her weakness and prove herself a competent healer, or she faces marrying a disgusting old merchant her mother has picked out for her. Lord Hamlin, the future ruler of the region, is injured and Rose must overcome her squeamishness to save him. He is everything that is noble and good, but loving him is forbidden. He is already betrothed to a mysterious woman in hiding. With two noble-born brothers vying for her affections, Rose learns that the people of Hagenheim are not always who they seem.

I love the cover of your book and can hardly wait to read it. Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

I love Rose, my heroine, of course. I related to her the most and she was the one I spent the most time with.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

I’ve joined a book club at my local library and we read a lot of literary fiction. I just finished Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio. I can’t say I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of the book, but I did like the ending a lot, and it was very good at illustrating how much all human being need acceptance and what a difference it can make in a person’s life.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

From a writing standpoint, I try to learn how to impact the reader emotionally. When a book impacts me, I try to figure out how the author did it.

What are you currently writing?

At the top of my To Be Read list is Doctor in Petticoats by Mary Connealy, The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen, Surrender the Heart by Mary Lu Tyndall, and the book club’s new book, Harriet and Isabella by Patricia O’Brien. But before I read those I have manuscripts to read by two author friends of mine. One needs a critique and the other needs an endorsement.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Keep writing and don't give up! It takes most people a long time to get published, so be persistent. Secondly, be teachable. Learn all you can about the craft of writing by reading books on writing, articles, and blogs. Thirdly, write as much as you can. Write short stories, poetry, novels, whatever you enjoy writing, and just keep writing. The more you write the better you'll become. Besides, it will give you opportunities to apply all you're learning from the books, articles, and blog on writing. Lastly, after you start submitting your work to publishers and agents, look at rejections as just another necessary step to getting published. Whatever you do, don't let a rejection devastate you. It's okay to be disappointed but you have to keep writing and submitting. A rejection is your "red badge of courage" so be proud of those rejections!

Red badge of courage? I've never thought of it that way, but I like it. If you're not getting rejections that shows that you haven't given up. Those are great words of advice.

Thank you so much for being with us today.

Christa Allan Interview

2010-08-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to welcome my friend Christa Allan to my blog this week. I first met Christa when we were roommates at an ACFW conference. I liked this spunky southern woman and discovered we had many things in common. We both were teachers, and we each had given birth to twins. I loved her sense of humor right away. I think you'll see what I mean when you read what Christa wrote when I asked her to tell my readers something about herself.

A true Southern woman who knows that any cook worth her gumbo always starts with a roux and who never wears white after Labor Day, Christa weaves stories of unscripted grace with threads of hope, humor, and heart. She contributes to Exemplify and Afictionado, the e-zine of American Christian Fiction Writers. Her essays have been published in The Ultimate Teacher, Cup of Comfort, Chicken Soup for the Coffee Lover’s Soul and Chicken Soup for the Divorced Soul. Christa is the mother of five adult children, a grandmother of three, and a teacher of high school English. She and her husband Ken live in Abita Springs, Louisiana, where they and their three cats enjoy their time between dodging hurricanes.Her next novel, Edge of Grace, is scheduled to release in October of 2011 from Abingdon Press.

I know you're going to enjoy reading Christa's interview as she talks about writing, her book Walking on Broken Glass, and her next book Edge of Grace.

Christa, what made you want to become a writer?

I started writing in high school when I realized that I couldn’t sing [at least not anything anyone would want to listen to], I couldn’t dance, I couldn’t draw or paint anything beyond stick figures, and as for sports…well, let’s just say I was the kid everyone wanted on the other team. Many years later and married, I wrote for a newspaper when I had two children and two on the way, then—many years later, when four of my five children were out of the house, I decided to start writing a novel. Actually, I started because my precious husband had more faith in me than I had in myself. He guilted me into getting started by buying me a laptop!

If you're like most authors, you encountered rejection on your writing journey. Did you? If so, how did you handle it?

Chocolate. Pounds of it. I think entering contests early on in my pursuit of publication helped me to not want to put my laptop in the freezer. Generally, there would be three judges; two of the three would be excited about my entry, and the other-well, not so much. Those “mini-rejections” became the warm-ups for the later ones when I queried agents.

Rachelle sent my proposal to ten publishing houses. We received nine rejections in a short period of time.

Also, I’m constantly telling my own students when I return their essays, “It’s about the writing, not you.” Sometimes the teacher has to become the student.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

One highlight would have to be sharing the journey with my students. Rachelle Gardner called me just a minute or so before lunch ended, and my students walked in to find me in tears! They have shared the dream with me, and I’ve so appreciated their enthusiasm and support. Really, when it’s a first book, looking back…everything is a highlight!

Having a dream come true is one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had. The words of the song “Who Am I?” by Casting Crowns are etched in my memories of my novel becoming real:

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

Your first book released recently. What is the title of it?

Walking on Broken Glass

I remember when you were pitching that book the year we roomed together at conference. When I read your first three chapters, I knew you had a winner. And I was right! Give us a short blurb about the book.

Leah Thornton, is a woman whose life looks pretty from the outside; she seems to “have it all.” But appearances can be deceiving because she’s a mess. She drinks to numb her pain and, until her friend confronts her with the truth, she thinks no one else has noticed. Leah admits herself to rehab, and the novel-told from Leah’s point of view-follows her through her recovery as she attempts to discover who she really is and what she’s willing to sacrifice to find out.

It's a wonderful book with compelling characters. Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

In Walking on Broken Glass, my favorite character is Theresa, Leah’s roommate. She’s rowdy and rough, with a built-in poopy detector she isn’t afraid to use. But that shell protects a vulnerable woman, and readers will discover there’s more to Theresa than swinging braids.

I know you're a reader as well as a writer. What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

I’m actually still reading it…Let the Great World Spin by Column McCann. Frank McCourt called it a “blockbuster groundbreaking heartbreaking symphony of a novel.” The voices of his characters. his style, and the undercurrent of redemption in the midst of tragedy are rendered so artfully.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

Reading other writers can be the best way to learn plot techniques, nuances of voice and characterization, how to use language, and how simplifying can actually create something greater.

We can't wait to hear what's next for author Christa Allan. What are you currently writing?

Edge of Grace, my recently contracted novel, is about a woman whose brother is the victim of a brutal hate crime. She faces her hypocrisy regarding his sexuality and begins to rebuild their relationship only to discover that her decision may result in losing a business she’s worked hard to build.

Thank you for a wonderful interview, Christa. Before you leave, do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Maintain a sense of humor, be teachable, don’t be afraid to ask questions, read the books you wish you’d written, write badly rather than not at all (you can’t revise a blank page!), and pray…that God’s will be done, not yours!

It's been a pleasure to have Christa on my blog today. I hope you've enjoyed getting to know this perky lady.

2010-08-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to welcome K. Dawn Byrd to my blog this week. Her book Killing Time has just released from Desert Breeze Publishing. I asked K. Dawn to tell us a little about herself, and here's what she said:

K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance. Queen of Hearts, a WWII romantic suspense released in April and was Desert Breeze Publishing's bestselling novel for the month. Killing Time, a contemporary romantic suspense released August 1, also with Desert Breeze Publishing.

K. Dawn Byrd is an avid blogger and gives away several books per week on her blog at www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com, most of which are signed by the authors. She's also the moderator of the popular facebook group, Christian Fiction Gathering.

When not reading or writing, K. Dawn Byrd enjoys spending time with her husband of 14years, walking their dogs beside a gorgeous lake near her home, and plotting the next story waiting to be told.

Links:

Blog: www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com

Publisher:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-103/k-dawn-byrd-killing/Detail.bok (there will be links at this site to purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the Sony ebook store and others)

Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ncljBid61g

I asked K Dawn to answer a few questions about her writing journey. Here's what she said:

What made you want to become a writer?

I've always been an avid reader and love to plot so much that when I read, I ask myself, "What if the author had her character do this?" Writing seemed the logical next step.

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey?

Actually, I didn't encounter rejection in the beginning because I didn't send my work out. I sent it only to contests in order to get feedback. I have had some rejection recently from one publisher because they stated that my plots were too convoluted (too many twists and turns) for them. I love books that have unexpected plot twists and that's what I write.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

One major boost of confidence for me was finaling in the Duel on the Delta. The next was actually getting a contract. Both were thrilling moments.

Give us a short blurb about your just released book Killing Time.

Mindy McLaurin, thinks it's the end of the world when she's incarcerated on trumped-up embezzlement charges. While in jail, she investigates the death of an inmate who allegedly died of an overdose. Mindy suspects foul play when her cellmate dies and she learns that both women had ingested the same drug. Mindy trusts no one, including Drew Stone, the handsome counselor she can’t stop thinking about. She faces many challenges, including constant interrogation by the Major and emotional abuse from the other inmates. Upon release, someone is stalking her and framing her for the murder. Can she prove to Counselor Stone that she’s innocent of all charges before she loses him forever?

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

My favorite character is my heroine because even though she's wrongly accused and incarcerated, her faith remains strong.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

I'm a big fan of Shawna Williams No Other because it shows that even Christians fall sometimes, but God in His loving mercy, picks us back up.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

I learn a lot about writing when I study other writer's work. It's educational to see how other writer's apply certain aspects of the craft.

What are you currently writing?

I'm working on my fifth novel. It's about a woman who is mistaken for someone else and then assumes that woman's identity.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Don't ever give up. Keep reading and studying the craft. I'm still buying books and learning all I can and hope I never stop.

Thank you for being a guest today. I know our readers would love to have a copy of your book. If you'd like an autographed copy of Dawn's book, leave a comment. You might be the lucky winner.

Killer Nashville 2010 Conference

2010-07-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

There’s an exciting opportunity for all you writers and fans of mystery and suspense. August 20-22 marks the date for the fifth Killer Nashville Conference in Franklin, Tennessee. This conference began in 2006 and has grown to the point that it attracts attendees from all over the country and many from Canada.

Plans are gearing up for writers, fans, editors, and agents to descend on Franklin in a few weeks to take advantage of the workshops, panel discussions, breakout sessions, and editor and agent appointments. The whole weekend will be devoted to meeting the conference goals:

1. Assist writers of all writing genres and formats
2. Develop a better understanding of the craft of the mystery, thriller, and true crime genres specifically;
3. Discuss such topics as investigative techniques, verifying crime information, and submitting one’s manuscript for publication; and
4. Portray law enforcement and forensic science in a fair and accurate manner.

Attendees will be able to choose sessions from four tracks:

1. The Writing Track provides support, information, and craft techniques for beginning authors, writers, playwrights, and filmmakers.
2. The Marketing Track provides advanced information in the areas of business, finance, publishing, writing, and promotion.
3. The Fan Track provides a miscellaneous offering to readers and fans of literature.
4. The Forensic Track provides insight into the latest in forensic investigations.

Added to the excitement is the guest of honor Jeffrey Deaver who will be speaking to the entire group. The author of twenty-five novels and two collections of short stories, his books have made all the best seller lists. His novel The Bone Collector was made into a movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. His most recent books are The Bodies Left Behind, The Broken Window, The Sleeping Doll and More Twisted: Collected Stories, Volume II.

If you’re looking for a conference for mystery and suspense writers, you couldn’t do better than Killer Nashville 2010. To register go to the website http://killer-nashville.com

The Columns of Cottonwood

2010-07-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

I received a copy of the cover for my historical romance that is releasing from Barbour in its Heartsong Presents Romance. I was so excited to see the finished product.

This book is the first of three in the Alabama River Heritage Series. The books are set in the 1870s through 1881 and tell the stories of three women who live along the banks of the Alabama River during the days of the steamboat.

The Columns of Cottonwood tells the story of Savannah Carmichael who grew up on Cottonwood plantation. Now with her parents dead in the fire that destroyed her home and the plantation available for back taxes, she believes God will send her the money to make the land productive again.

Dante Rinaldi has worked for years to make enough money to buy his own land and is thrilled when he finds he can purchase Cottonwood by paying the taxes. With only the columns left standing from the fire, Dante is determined to rebuild. But his happiness is dampened when he finds out that a member of the Carmichael family is still alive and she considers him her enemy for buying what should have been hers.

They both believe that God controls their lives. Can God have some plan greater for them than any they could have ever conceived?

The Columns of Cottonwood releases in September, 2010.

Final Warning Honored

2010-07-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

"Let's play a game, C.J."

When I first wrote those opening words for Final Warning, I had no idea how much they would come to mean to me. At the time I had an idea for a story that I thought would be a good romantic suspense book. So I began to develop the characters of C.J. Tanner, Mitch Harmon, and the evil Fala who would make the book come alive. Along the way I had help from a wonderful group of friends who critiqued what I was writing and helped me solve problems I was encountering in telling my story.

When the book finally sold to Steeple Hill for their Love Inspired Suspense line, I was so excited. Two weeks after learning of the sale, however, the editor who had bought it was transferred to another imprint. I worried that the new editor wouldn't like the story, but I shouldn't have. From the first I liked Tina James, and together we were able to produce a book that made me proud.

Final Warning has met with great success this year. Earlier it was a finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Contest and a Holt Merit Award Recipient. Now it is a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award that honors the highest achievement for published authors of Christian fiction. This award was formerly ACFW's Book of the Year and has been renamed this year in honor of Carol Johnson for her work in promoting Christian fiction.

The awards will be presented in Indianapolis at the Awards Banquet at the ACFW Conference in September. I am honored to be among such wonderful authors who are finalists.

ACFW Finalists for Carol Award (Formerly Book of the Year)

2010-07-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Debut Author

Bonnie Grove - Talking to the Dead (David C. Cook Publishing)
Liz Jonson - The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn (Steeple Hill)
Kirk Outerbridge - Eternity Falls (Marcher Lord Press)
Jill Eileen Smith - Michal (Revell)
Dan Walsh - The Unfinished Gift (Revell)

Contemporary Novella
6 Finalists due to a tie

Barbara Cameron – One Child (Thomas Nelson)
Barbara Cameron – When Winter Comes (Thomas Nelson)
Debra Clopton – A Mule Hollow Match (Steeple Hill)
Susan May Warren – The Great Christmas Bowl (Tyndale House)
Beth Wiseman – A Change of Heart (Thomas Nelson)
Beth Wiseman – A Choice to Forgive (Thomas Nelson)

Historical Novella

Victoria Bylin – Home Again (Steeple Hill)
Vickie McDonough – A Breed Apart (Barbour Publishing)
Vickie McDonough – Beloved Enemy (Barbour Publishing)
Janet Tronstad - Christmas Bells for Dry Creek (Steeple Hill)
Carrie Turansky - A Shelter in the Storm (Barbour Publishing)

Long Contemporary
6 Finalists due to a tie

Christina Berry - The Familiar Stranger (Moody Publishers)
Mary Ellis - A Widow's Hope (Harvest House Publishers)
Joyce Magnin - The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow (Abingdon Press)
Susan Meissner - White Picket Fences (Waterbrook Press)
Marlo Schalesky- If Tomorrow Never Comes (Multnomah)
Susan May Warren - Nothing But Trouble (Tyndale House)

Long Contemporary Romance

Candace Calvert - Critical Care (Tyndale House)
Denise Hunter - Seaside Letters (Thomas Nelson)
Jenny B. Jones - Just Between You and Me (Thomas Nelson)
Beth Wiseman - Plain Promise (Thomas Nelson)
Cindy Woodmsall - The Hope of Refuge (Waterbrook Press)

Mystery

A.K. Arenz - The Case of the Mystified M.D. (Sheaf House)
Mindy Starns Clark - Under the Cajun Moon (Harvest House Publishers)
Darlene Franklin - A String of Murders (Heartsong Mysteries)
S. Dionne Moore - Polly Dent Loses Grip (Heartsong Mysteries)
Janice Thompson writing as Janice Hanna - Pushing up Daisies (Heartsong Mysteries)

Long Historical

Deeanne Gist - A Bride in the Bargain (Bethany House)
Robin Lee Hatcher - Fit To Be Tied (Zondervan)
Maureen Lang - Look to the East (Tyndale House)
Siri Mitchell - Love's Pursuit (Bethany House)
Allison Pittman - Stealing Home (Multnomah)

Long Historical Romance
8 Finalists due to a tie

Amanda Cabot - Paper Roses (Revell)
Mary Connealy - Cowboy Christmas (Barbour Publishing)
Mary Connealy - Montana Rose (Barbour Publishing)
Laura Frantz - The Frontiersman's Daughter (Revell)
Ann Gabhart - The Believer (Revell)
Julie Lessman - A Passion Denied (Revell)
Janice Thompson writing as Janice Hanna - Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas (Summerside Press)
Kathleen Y’Barbo - The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper (Waterbrook Press)

Short Contemporary

Debra Clopton - His Cowgirl Bride (Steeple Hill)
Myra Johnson - Autumn Rains (Heartsong Presents)
Vickie McDonough - A Wagonload of Trouble (Heartsong Presents)
Mae Nunn - A Texas Ranger's Family (Steeple Hill)
Glynna Sirpless writing as Glynna Kaye - Dreaming of Home (Steeple Hill)

Short Contemporary Suspense
6 Finalists due to a tie

Jill Elizabeth Nelson - Evidence of Murder (Steeple Hill)
Sandra Robbins - Final Warning (Steeple Hill)
Virginia Smith - Murder at Eagle Summit (Steeple Hill)
Virginia Smith - Scent of Murder (Steeple Hill)
Jenness Walker - Double Take (Steeple Hill)
Lenora Worth - Code of Honor (Steeple Hill)

Short Historical

Lyn Cote - Her Patchwork Family (Steeple Hill)
Laurie Alice Eakes - The Glassblower (Heartsong Presents)
Laurie Kingery - The Outlaw's Lady (Steeple Hill)
Lynette Sowell - All That Glitters (Heartsong Presents)
Dan Walsh - The Unfinished Gift (Revell)

Speculative (includes Science Fiction, Fantasy, Allegory)
6 Finalists due to a tie

Kirk Outerbridge - Eternity Falls (Marcher Lord Press)
Donita K. Paul - The Vanishing Sculptor (Waterbrook Press)
Steve Rzasa - The Word Reclaimed (Marcher Lord Press)
Stuart Vaughn Stockton – Starfire (Marcher Lord Press)
Fred Warren - The Muse (Splashdown Books)
Jill Williamson - By Darkness Hid (Marcher Lord Press)

Suspense/Thriller

Terri Blackstock – Intervention (Zondervan)
Colleen Coble - Lonestar Secrets (Thomas Nelson)
Brandilyn Collins – Exposure (Zondervan)
Harry Kraus - Salty Like Blood (Howard/Simon & Schuster)
DiAnn Mills - Breach of Trust (Tyndale House)

Women’s Fiction
7 Finalists due to a tie

Julie Carobini - Sweet Waters (B&H Publishing)
Kathryn Cushman – Leaving Yesterday (Bethany House)
Sara Evans & Rachel Hauck - Sweet By and By (Thomas Nelson)
Rene Gutteridge & Cheryl McKay - Never the Bride (Waterbrook Press)
Deborah Raney - Yesterday's Embers (Howard/Simon & Schuster)
Deborah Raney - Above All Things (Steeple Hill)
Lisa Wingate - The Summer Kitchen (New American Library/Penguin)

Young Adult

Shelley Adina - Who Made You a Princess? (Hachette FaithWords)
Brandilyn & Amberly Collins - Always Watching (Zondervan)
Jenny B. Jones - I'm So Sure (Thomas Nelson)
Jenny B. Jones - So Not Happening (Thomas Nelson)
Booker T. Mattison - Unsigned Hype (Revell)

The Carol Awards will be presented at ACFW's Conference in Indianapolis, September 17-20. Congratulations to all the finalists.

Lisa Ludwig Interview

2010-07-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth (Lisa) Ludwig talks to us today about her writing journey and the new book Love Finds You in Calico, California, from Summerside Press. Welcome, Lisa. It's great to have you here today.

I always like to know what made someone want to be an author. What made you want to become a writer?

I had a fantastic fifth grade teacher who always encouraged my love of reading. In fact, she often let me sit quietly and read to myself when everyone else was doing homework. One day, she asked if I might be interested in entering a science fiction contest for young authors because she knew that was what I was into at that time. I did, and though I didn’t win, I knew then that I wanted to write.

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

Oh my goodness…what writer hasn’t? I collected a hefty pile of rejections from the time I submitted my first manuscript to the day I completed my first sale. In between is a time I fondly recall now as the “desert years.”

The desert years were a lonely, desperate time of self-pity and despair. How I wish I had realized then the presence of God in my life. With every tear I wept, He gently and lovingly molded me. Like a potter using water to make the clay pliable, God used my tears to soften and shape me. I’ll never forget the moment the realization hit that nothing, not a moment of time in my long and difficult publishing journey had been wasted.

“Don’t be so focused on the goal that you miss the journey.” (Paraphrased)

I heard these words at a conference I attended. Suddenly, I realized that was exactly what I’d been doing. My goal was publication. Only that. Not the knowledge to be gained along the way, or the friendships forged in adversity. I missed the fleeting opportunities God had prepared to comfort me, and for me to give comfort. Like a darkened landscape exposed by a shaft of lightening, my life suddenly became visible, and I became determined to ENJOY the writing journey God had set me on.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

Well, I wish I could say my first highlight came right after I submitted my first manuscript. The truth is, I wrote for five years before I sold my first book, and I completed six full manuscripts, none of which will probably ever see the light of day.

I sold my seventh book to Barbour Publishing in 2006 (though the book did not actually release until 2008). It’s a mystery called Where the Truth Lies. I co-authored it and the two sequels with Janelle Mowery.

Now, while I look at my first sale as the greatest highlight in publishing. It wasn’t my greatest success in WRITING. That came when I wrote The End on my first full manuscript. What a feeling! From that moment on, I knew I had it in me to start—and finish—a book.

After that were a bunch of small highlights…things like becoming a finalist in contests I entered, receiving a request for a full manuscript from an agent, and finding out one of my manuscripts had gone to a publishing board. Though none of these highlights led to a contract, they came just when I was at the point of giving up, and they encouraged me to keep trying. I’ve always believed that God knew exactly where I was in this journey He’d sent me on, and He was careful to plant seeds of encouragement for me along the way.

What is the title of your current book?

My current release is due out July 1st from Summerside Press called Love Finds You in Calico, California. This is my first full-length historical novel, and I’m so excited about its release. Calico is a ghost town now, but at the time my story is set, it was a booming place full of rich history. I really hope I captured that.

Give us a short blurb about the book.

Love Finds You in Calico, California is a historical romance about a young girl who finds herself alone in a silver mining town after her father is killed. Driven to discover the truth about the facts surrounding his death, she begins searching for clues and winds up nearly losing her life (what can I say—I just can’t help putting a little mystery into my stories).

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

Hmm…I think I would have to say Hester Jane. I modeled her after an elderly man in our church. At first glance, he comes across as stodgy and a little cynical, but in fact, the opposite is true! He is one of the sweetest, kindest men of God I have ever met and I love him dearly. Though Hester Jane makes her appearance late in the book, I think readers will love her as much as I do.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

My favorite books are usually the ones I’m reading that day! Seriously, the only book I can truly say has stuck with me over the years is a tiny little children’s book I read when I was in elementary school. It’s called No Flying in the House by Betty Brock and Wallace Tripp, and I recently purchased a used copy, just for nostalgia’s sake.

That’s not to say I don’t have books that have touched me deeply. Deb Raney’s book, Beneath a Southern Sky made me boohoo for days. The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers challenged me to write better and more powerfully than I’d done before, and The Prisoner’s Wife by Susan Page Davis proved it was possible to tell a full, well-developed story in fewer than 55,000 words. Each of these books helped me as an author in some way, but then again, I try and learn something from every book I sit down long enough to read.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

Anytime I read a line that stops me…I mean really makes me pause to admire the poetry of it, I try to analyze what it is about the writing that makes it so beautiful. By studying the writing of other authors, I think I can learn to add humor so that it feels natural, or how to write dialogue that flows…there’s just always so much to learn!

What are you currently writing?

Currently, I’m drafting a historical series set around Ellis Island, and I’m working on a contemporary proposal about a retired football player who returns to his hometown and comes face-to-face with the demons of his past. Both of these books would require quite a bit of research, but I’m hoping the ideas will spark some attention.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

I would caution beginning writers to take the time to learn the craft before they start submitting. Rejections are hard, and they hurt! I learned so much more from entering contests and getting feedback than I ever did from a form letter rejection. If you’re going to spend your money, use it for contest entry fees instead of postage. You’ll get a much higher return.

Thank you, Lisa, for being my guest today. I know our readers have enjoyed hearing about your new book that Romantic Times Magazine has awarded a 4 Star Review.

If you would like a free copy of Love Finds You in Calico, California, leave a comment for Lisa.

Welcome Lisa Ludwig

2010-07-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to have my good friend Elizabeth (Lisa) Ludwig as my guest this week. Our friendship goes back to my first days in American Christian Fiction Writers when I joined a critique group and met Lisa. Through the years she's been there to help and guide me, and I am excited for the success she's experiencing with her writing.

Elizabeth Ludwig’s first novel, Where the Truth Lies, which she co-authored with Janelle Mowery, was released in spring of 2008 from Heartsong Presents: Mysteries, an imprint of Barbour Publishing. This was followed in 2009 by “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” part of a Christmas anthology collection called Christmas Homecoming, also from Barbour Publishing.

In 2010, her first full-length historical novel Love Finds You in Calico, California will be released from Summerside Press. Books two and three of Elizabeth’s mystery series, Died in the Wool, and A Black Die Affair, respectively, are slated for release in 2011 from Barbour Publishing.

In 2008, Elizabeth was named the IWA Writer of the Year for her work on Where the Truth Lies. She is the owner and editor of the popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book, and she is an accomplished speaker and dramatist, having performed before audiences of 1500 and more. She works fulltime, and currently lives with her husband and two children in Texas.

To learn more about Elizabeth and her work, visit her online at www.elizabethludwig.com or at www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com.

Be sure and check back tomorrow to read Lisa's interview about Love Finds You in Calico, California, her historical romance release.

Eleanor Gustafson

2010-07-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

As I said yesterday, I am delighted to welcome Eleanor Gustafson to my blog today. She is here to talk about her books Stones and Dynamo and to tell us about her writing life. Welcome, Eleanor.

I suppose the first thing I should ask you is what made you want to become a writer?

Long before I actually wrote anything down, I was making up stories in my head. After reading an exciting book, I sometimes felt compelled to “finish the story” and would roam woods and fields to live for a time with those particular characters. Marriage and babies formed a parenthesis in this process, but once past diapers, the old urge returned. My first efforts at writing prompted at least two people to advise me to stick to music. The drive persisted, though, and my first essay was accepted for publication in 1978. With a few more successes, I took a big breath and decided to try a novel. After reading an early draft, a friend scribbled on it, “You are a writer!” That felt very good.

Encouragement always gives writers that extra boost required to keep us writing. But I imagine there were times that weren't encouraging. Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

Oh, lots. And lots and lots. And LOTS! You just keep going and learning. I discovered early on that my way of thinking doesn’t necessarily line up with marketing trends, so I have to shape what God is speaking to me and then try to fit it somewhere. I’m also aware of my capacity for doing stupid things and work around that, as well. One particular book that I finally self-published (Middle Night) didn’t sell—for good reason—but I still like what it says and learned much from the process. I think I have always written with the expectation of rejection, and that bit of reality makes life easier.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale, and how did you feel when you found out about it?

I’m not sure I had any “highlights” before the first sale, except, perhaps, for the serendipitous appearance of several small weasels humping along on top of a stone wall in Vermont. They stopped to examine this strange object standing three or four feet away before humping on down the wall. I went back to our camp and wrote, “I Saw a Thing Today,” and had no trouble selling it—eventually to three different periodicals.

What is the title of your current book?

Right now, I’m standing with feet athwart two novels. The book currently in print is The Stones: A Novel of the Life of King David. A study guide to help fill in context and issues is also available. Check my website for info on both and for links to Amazon. The book currently awaiting a publisher’s decision is Dynamo, a novel in which a five-gaited horse serves as a metaphor for a man’s passion for God and his fear of God.

A book about King David's life sounds very interesting. Give us a short blurb about the books.

The Stones is hot-blooded drama—a biblical novel that takes in the sweep of King David’s life from his encounter with Goliath to the deadly consequences of counting his fighting men. He’s a huge man, at once commanding, poetic, earthy, in touch with God. The book is cast as fiction with personalities plumped up but is as close to the Bible version as I could make it. I’ve always loved the David story for its sheer drama, complex characters, romance, and tragedy. The Bible version lacks a certain dimension, however, and I wanted to make it come alive and accessible to the average reader.

Dynamo— The long and short of it, Jeth Cavenaugh is terrified of God. For starters, how often does a hard slap send a person into the Kingdom? Good things, bad things, make him moan plaintively, “Does God ever work this way with anyone else? I feel like I’m being set up for something.” He is, indeed. Nothing in Jeth’s life is predictable.

As this story developed, I had to deal with a number of challenges: Most people know little about horses in general, let alone the five-gaited variety. I am also pushing the envelope on God’s ways of moving and shaping a Christian. My critique readers prodded me to be clear and authentic on issues ranging from theology to spy interaction.

Which characters in your books are your favorites? Why?

My favorite Stones character is probably David’s wife Abigail who in some ways is my clone in terms of principle and backbone. Actually, I have many favorite characters in that book (yes, I know; how can that be?): Hushai, David’s friend; Benaiah, David’s chief bodyguard; Obil the camelmaster (gleaned from one of those dry, dusty lists in Chronicles that nobody reads), and even Joab, David’s ruthless commander-in-chief. Read the book to see whom you like!

In Dynamo, I like the main character Jeth, but probably everyone’s real favorite will be Maybelle, his spiritual mentor. I wish I could be more like her.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

Fiction: The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans—well-written, strong characters I cared about.
Non-Fiction: The versions of The Prodigal Son by both Henri Nouwen and Tim Keller give deep insights into the lostness of both brothers and the counter-cultural love of the Father.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

Some novels I read with pen and paper in hand, not to copy them, but to glean new ways of expressing ideas, emotions, colors, setting. And in some cases, I learn what NOT to do.

What are you currently writing?

With Dynamo finished, I have another one or two on the back burner but haven’t had time to work seriously on either. I write a lot—letters, church stuff, blog interviews and presentations on David that explore his personas and the serious issues his life raises. Whatever I write, I try to do it carefully—to please the Lord, even if no one else notices.

With an attitude like that, I'm sure you're pleasing the Lord each day. Do you have any advice for a beginning writer?

1. Read good literature.

2. Study why it is good—plot structure, character development, setting, writing style, whatever touch of class is there.

3. Learn punctuation and grammar, like REALLY learn it.

4. Practice writing tight. Take a sentence or paragraph and see how few words you can pare it to without losing either sense or punch. Be ruthless with useless scenes, characters, descriptions—whatever. Make every word pull its weight. Without such chopping, The Stones would have had 800 or 900 pages, instead of 601.

5. Learn to differentiate between authentic and sappy Christian expression. Jargon or cliché-ridden stories turn me off and probably would annoy a discerning non-Christian reader, as well.

6. Look for people who know good literature to critique your writing—a fresh one for early draft, mid draft, near-final draft. Ideally, these readers should be even more knowledgeable about literature than you and not just a fellow writer who is also figuring out the art of writing. One or two average readers are helpful, too, in finding what they do or don’t understand, how well they like it, etc. Nurture these people. Take good care of them: they are valuable commodities. Take their critiques seriously. You don’t have to agree with every suggestion, but you should have good reason to override it.

7. Edit endlessly. I go through each of my books 50-100 times, and that’s a conservative guess. I am never totally satisfied.

Thank you, and I welcome reading your feedback.

And thank you for being my guest today. I hope our readers will leave a comment to encourage Eleanor in her writing. Also, you could win a copy of Stones by leaving your comment. Have a great day in the Lord.

Welcome Eleanor Gustafson

2010-07-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm welcoming Eleanor Gustafson to my blog this week.

Eleanor K. Gustafson has been publishing both fiction and nonfiction since 1978. Her short stories and articles appeared in a number of national and local magazines. The Stones: A Novel of the Life of King David is her fourth novel. In many of her stories, Eleanor explores the cosmic struggle between good and evil in light of God’s overarching work of redemption. A graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois, she has been actively involved in church life as a minister’s wife, Sunday school teacher, musician, writer, and encourager. She has enjoyed a variety of experiences, from riding horses to building houses, all of which have helped bring color and humor to her fiction. She and her husband live in Massachusetts, where he teaches Philosophy and World Religions.

They travel extensively, spend time with their three children and eight grandchildren, and enjoy working and camping at the family forest in Chester, Vermont.

egus@me.com
www.eleanorgustafson.com

Be sure and read Eleanor's interview tomorrow as she discusses her book and her writing life.

Terri Blackstock Interview

2010-06-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to have Terri Blackstock as a guest today. When I first read her Newpointe 911 Series, I became a fan of Terri's, and her writing has been a source of inspiration for me. I met Terri in April when we participated in Mississippi Writes in Jackson, Mississippi. Fourteen authors participated in this book signing that was sponsored by the Magnolia State Romance Writers, and profits from book sales went to benefit the Mississippi Association of Adult and Continuing Education. So, after reading her books and coming to know her as a warm and caring individual, I am delighted to welcome Terri today.

It's good to have you here, Terri. Your latest book Predator has just released. I have read it, and I couldn't put it down. Would you give our readers a short blurb about the story?

In Predator, the murder of Krista Carmichael’s fourteen-year-old sister by an online predator has shaken her faith and made her question God’s justice and protection, and it’s destroyed her father and her. Desperate to find the killer, she creates an online persona to bait the predator. But when the stalker turns his sights on her, Krista can’t control the outcome. This book really explores the dangers of dumping too much information into social networking sites. It also deals with someone who is a “professional Christian,” suddenly dealing with a crisis as people are watching. Krista works with troubled teens in a very high crime neighborhood, where drive-by shootings and drug-related murders are common. Now violence has intruded on her family, and she doesn’t want the girls she ministers to to see her own crisis of faith, so she tries to wear a mask to keep from compromising her ministry. But it's the common experience that actually comforts the girls. Krista has to learn that authenticity in ministry sometimes means that you’re honest about your own anger and doubts. That’s what people really need to see.

What made you decide to write a novel about an online predator?

A couple of years ago my publisher encouraged me to set up a Facebook account, so I could connect more with my readers. I liked all the good things about it—the fact that I could talk to people who read my books, and hear from them directly, and the fact that I could easily make announcements to thousands at one time—but I was really concerned at the things people were posting on their walls. Some of them posted where they were every moment of the day. I realized that this was a shopping ground for predators, and people didn’t realize that they were practically feeding information to dangerous people who were looking for victims. I decided to write the book to scare their socks off, in hopes that they’d realize how dangerous it is, and go back to their pages and take down the stuff that’s too personal.

I was impressed by the technical knowledge about the workings of social networks that you displayed in the book. What kind of research did you have to do so that you could write about the dark world of online predators?

I had to learn about how Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and other social networks were born, and learn the inner workings of them. I modeled my character Ryan Adkins after the creators of some of those networks, who started their businesses in their dorm rooms in college. I found that fascinating. But I was shocked when I began researching FBI and police reports of missing persons related to social media. Dozens of reports came up in every state. I learned that 100% of kids who go in chat rooms are approached by an online predator. That’s where predators stalk their victims. And I learned that social networks are only as secure as the people who work there, so even if you’re careful with your information, there might be people at the companies who read and share your private information.

As a parent, I thought the grief of Krista and David, the sister and father of the murdered girl in Predator, was heart wrenching. When writing characters whose emotions speak to readers, what resources do you draw on?

I haven’t had a close family member murdered, but I’ve certainly experienced grief and suffering. So I draw on those feelings in my own life, those feelings of helplessness and anger and expectation that Christians are supposed to be protected from these things. God has shown me, in my own life, that that is a false expectation. Jesus said, “In this world you’ll have trouble.” Christians aren’t shielded from crisis or grief. But we do have the promise that God is with us through it, and that He always has a purpose for it and uses it if we let Him. I try to let Him use the grief I’ve experienced by writing about it, and the letters I get from readers are the affirmation I need that I’m doing the right thing. People really relate to the things I write about.

I know we have parents reading this interview. What advice can you give to them that will help protect their children from being harmed by those who target their victims on the internet?

I would tell parents to go onto their kids’ accounts and think like a predator. What is in your child’s pictures that can identify their school, their church, or anything that could tell predators how to find them? But more than that, I want adults to examine their accounts, because they’re doing this as much as kids are. I think it’s a great exercise to have a friend go to your account and write down everything they can learn about you from the stuff you or your friends have posted. Then go take all of it down. It’s great to use these networks as a place to connect with your friends, but realize that your privacy settings aren’t enough. Predators can see your friends’ pages, and learn lots about you from their pictures and their comments. Again, think like a predator, and edit your sites and the things you post with that in mind.

Authors are encouraged to use social networking to market their books. What precautions would you suggest they take to insure safety for themselves and their families as they attempt to establish a following?

I never post pictures or names of my children, I don’t tell them where I am at any given time until I’ve already left that place (unless it’s a book signing or appearance), I try not to mention my town or the name of my church, or any personal details of my life. The temptation is to be very open and share details of our lives, but when you have thousands of “friends,” most of whom are complete strangers, you have to realize that this can be a useful tool, but it’s a tool that you don’t want to turn on yourself. If I ever get to the point where I feel unsafe with my social networks, I think I’ll probably shut them down. It’s not worth putting my family or myself at risk. There’s plenty of stuff I can post without compromising my safety.

Predator has just hit the bookstores, but I would suspect you're already involved in writing another book. What can fans expect next from Terri Blackstock?

I’ve just finished Vicious Cycle, which will be Book Two in my Intervention series. Readers can check my web site and Facebook and Twitter to hear more about that book as the release date approaches. But it’s not coming out until February or March of next year.

As a multi-published best selling author, what words of encouragement can you give to unpublished writers who are working and hoping for that first sale?

I’d tell them to focus more on the writing than they do on the marketing. Publishers and agents are putting a lot of pressure on writers to develop a platform and get endorsements, etc., so much that I see a lot of new writers putting way too much emphasis on that, and not enough on writing a book that just blows them away. Hone your craft first, make your book the best it can be, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, then polish, polish, polish. When you’ve finished all that, then focus on the marketing aspects. But it doesn’t matter how great your marketing skills are, if you don’t have a good product to sell.

I like that advice, Terri, and I'm going to apply it in my writing. It's been a joy to have you here today, and I wish you the best in your future endeavors. I look forward to reading Vicious Cycle and whatever comes next.

Here's a question for our readers today. What is your favorite Terri Blackstock book? Leave a comment and let me know.

Ronie Kendig Interview

2010-06-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to have Ronie Kendig as a guest on my blog today. As the coordinator of the Romantic Suspense Category of the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Contest, I got to know Ronie this year when she served as a judge. Her sweet spirit and willingness to do whatever was needed to help the contest run smoother helped me more than she will ever know. I was thrilled when she agreed to be interviewed for my blog.

Hi, Ronie. I'm glad to have you with us today. I suppose I should start off and ask what made you want to become a writer?

I’ve always been playing with “story,” whether it was as a child with my dolls or with my first word processor as a newlywed. But it wasn’t until my husband prodded and encouraged me that I actually attempted to get published.

It's wonderful to have a spouse who is an encourager. After you started to write, did you encounter rejection along the way? If you did, how did you handle it?

Oh heavens, yes! IN fact, I was rejected *sob* by my agent three times before he signed me. I just wrote an article for NovelJourney about being a soft-hearted/jelly-skinned writer. I am sensitive and empathetic, so rejections were hard for me. Very hard. But I was determined to see things through to the “end,” and I stuck with it. The journey is brutal but with God and amazing friends, I’ve made it this far.

Three times? Oh, my, that must have been daunting. I'm glad you hung in there. Now you have two books out. What is the title of your current book?

My newest title is NIGHTSHADE, and it is the first book in a 4-part series called the Discarded Heroes.

Give us a short blurb about the book.

Soldiers all across the globe are returning home to their families after brutal tours of duty. They are discharged from the service. . .and on their own. Meet Max Jacobs, one of these discarded heroes, as he faces a wall of failure—in his career, his friendships, and his marriage. Failing again—this time to end his life—he is offered a thread of hope. Are covert operations the answer for him, or will they only bring more danger and dissension upon his broken family? Will Max yield to a force greater than himself—love?

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

Oh man. No fair, Sandra! Max Jacobs, the hero in NIGHTSHADE, really came alive. But each character, each member of the Nightshade team, is a favorite in their own way. There’s Colton, aka: Cowboy, who has charm galore and is fairly grounded in his faith. Then there’s Griffin, who’s more quiet but a powerful force on the team. The Kid—how can you not love the fallible Kid, the one who’s always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Canyon is quiet and grounded—at least I thought he was. There’s Fix, named after his Crucifix and the fact that he’s a medic.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

I’ve read a lot of books and enjoyed them but the book that has most directly impacted me is Jim Rubart’s Book of Days (January 2011, B&H). Jim writes what I call “living books,” because no matter where you are in your life, there is something in his stories that directly impact me. This happened with Rooms, and God used that to teach me a very deep and beautiful revelation about our Audience of One.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

Wow, I think that’ll depend on who I’m reading. For example, from one of my critique partners, Dineen Miller, I learn about the beauty of words. This year, I stumbled upon a new series by Robert Liparulo, the Dreamhouse Kings. . .which led me to read his backlist. And that taught me how to savor each scene in a story, that going over 100k wasn’t necessarily a “bad” thing. We all have so much to learn; we just have to look beyond ourselves and keep our hearts and minds open.

What are you currently writing?

Currently, I am currently on a few things. First, I’m writing the last half of Wolfsbane, Discarded Heroes Book #3. I’m also working on a few series proposals for my agent to consider. Those include an espionage series, another military series, and a thriller series—all pretty much with my high action focus.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

In the infamous words from the movie Galaxy Quest: “Never give up, Never surrender.” We’ve been granted a gift, to share God’s love, His power, His heart with a dying world. To quit is to surrender that gift. Let’s champion our Champion!

I loved the movie Galaxy Quest! And I am going to remember your words about pray that I never surrender the gift God has given me. Thank you, Ronie, for being a guest today. We wish you well as Nightshade hits the market.

Ronie's book will release this week. In Ronie's words, she grew up a military brat and married a veteran. Americans owe so much to those who serve our country to protect our freedom. If you'd like to have an autographed copy of Ronie's book, leave a comment honoring our military men and women. One name will be chosen at the end of the week for a free book.

Welcome Ronie Kendig and Terri Blackstock!

2010-06-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm excited this week to be welcoming two authors to my website. One is Ronie Kendig whose first book Dead Reckoning released earlier this year. Nightshade, her first book in the Discarded Heroes Series is releasing this week.

Ronie Kendig grew up an Army brat, married a veteran, and they now have four children and a Golden Retriever. She volunteers with American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and mentors new writers. Her novels include Dead Reckoning and Nightshade (July 2010, Barbour Publishing), Discarded Heroes Book#1. Ronie can be found at www.roniekendig.com or www.discardedheroes.com

In addition to speaking engagements, Ronie volunteers with the American Christian Fiction Writers, and she is a monthly columnist at the award-winning blog, Novel Journey. Ronie can be found online at www.roniekendig.com or at www.discardedheroes.com.

Look for Ronie's interview on Tuesday.

The second author that I am excited about welcoming is New York Times Best Selling Author Terri Blackstock. Her novel Predator has just released to rave reviews. Here's what Terri has to say about herself on her website:

Terri Blackstock hasn’t always written for the Lord. Just over a decade ago she was an award-winning secular novelist writing for publishers such as HarperCollins, Harlequin, and Silhouette. With thirty-two titles published and 3.5 million books in print, she found that she was miserable. The compromises she had made in her career had taken their toll on her spiritual life, and she yearned to renew her relationship with Christ.

After much soul-searching and wrestling with God, she finally told the Lord that she would never write another thing that didn’t glorify Him. Since that time, she’s sold 2 million Christian novels. She has over thirty Christian titles, many of which have been number one best-sellers. Her book, True Light, reached number one on the Top 50 of all Christian books the first full month it was in stores. Night Light was the winner of the 2007 Retailer’s Choice Award for General Fiction. Both books are part of her popular Restoration Series which began with Last Light. Other reader favorites include her Cape Refuge Series, her Newpointe 911 Series, her SunCoast Chronicles Series and her “Seasons” books written with co-author Beverly LaHaye.

On Wednesday Terri will be discussing her new book Predator and will offer some good advice to parents, authors, and any one who is involved in social networking.

An Honor for Final Warning

2010-06-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I received a phone call from a representative of Virginia Romance Writers. I was thrilled to find out that my book Final Warning was selected by their reader judges as an Award of Merit recipient in the HOLT Medallion in the short inspirational category.

As a Merit recipient, my name and the title of my book will appear in the September issue of RWR and the October issue of Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine along with the winner and the other Merit recipients in the category. This is such an honor to be one of the five books in the category.

In all there were 291 books by 191 different authors entered in the 12 categories of the competition.

Here is some information that Virginia Romance Writers has to say about their contest:

The HOLT Medallion Award was named for Virginia Romance Writers first elected president, Cynthia Holt, and serves as the acronym for Honoring Outstanding Literary Talent.

What makes the HOLT unique is our purpose of reflecting the actual marketplace. Judging panels are comprised only of avid romance readers who participate with enthusiasm and sincerity. They're looking for a good read, a book they would buy and an author they would follow. Their judging decisions reflect these inclinations. No editors, agents or writers are eligible to judge.

Winners and Awards of Merit recipients are published in a full page ad in RWR and Romantic Times magazine. In addition to the medallion (winners only), the winner and finalists receive a certificate.

Jess Ferguson Tells What Keeps Her Writing

2010-06-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to have my good friend Jess Ferguson as a guest blogger today. Jess is a Louisiana author and is the 2010 president of Bayou Writers' Group. She loves encouraging new writers, and I count myself fortunate that she has helped me toward publication as a crit partner of mine. She has a keen eye for spotting places in a manuscript that need some help. I asked her to write about anything she wanted to, and her post is as follows:

On his blog, literary agent Nathan Bransford wrote: There are lots of things that can stop someone from writing. What keeps you going? What keeps you writing?

I know what keeps me writing, but I couldn’t resist reading the 287+ comments he received. His readers wrote: I love my story. My characters are fun. Fear keeps me writing—fear that I’ll forget how. Writing is addictive. Writing is therapy. I can’t stop. I absolutely love writing. I feel more alive when I’m creating. Gotta finish the book. I want to live and write in Key West—like Hemingway did. It’s relaxing. There’s a chance I’ll be published … And so on and so on.

Wonderful reasons. All of them. What keeps me writing? A book called The Seacoast of Bohemia by Arona McHugh. It was published in 1965—the tale of a group of former G.I.'s and their women who were trying to patch their lives together again in the late 1940's in Boston.

Arona Lipman McHugh was the author of four novels, two of them set in her native Boston—my favorite city. Several years ago I had the opportunity to leisurely explore Boston. I walked the streets she walked, looked for her on every corner, visualized her standing in Harvard Square, mentally writing her next scene.

I was 18 when The Seacoast of Bohemia came out and I lost myself in the story. I still think of the characters—Deborah, Sally, Michael. I find myself wondering about them all these years later, as if they are old friends I haven’t seen in a long while. And I think ... if I can create something that marvelous ...that memorable… So I write.

What keeps you writing?

End of the Week Update

2010-06-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

I've been delighted to have Kathi Macias and Nancy Mehl as my guests this week. Both ladies are award winning authors and are dedicated to writing stories of faith that show their devotion to God.

One of the things that we as Christians know is that it is our faith in God that helps us to face the problems that life may throw at us. Kathi has experienced that this week as she has dealt with the serious injuries her son suffered in an accident. His injuries included broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a broken shoulder.

He was dismissed from the hospital yesterday but had trouble breathing and had to be transported back by ambulance last night. Please pray for his recovery and for Kathi and her family as they deal with their son's condition.

Thank you for visiting my blog this week, and I do hope you'll come back. In weeks to come I am excited to welcome some multi-published authors and some first time authors. I am especially excited that New York Times Best Selling Author Terri Blackstock will be my guest this month with some good advice for parents and authors about social networking. Don't miss Terri's interview.

2010-06-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's great to have Nancy Mehl, author of Simple Secrets, back as the blog guest today. This talented author lives in Wichita and writes mystery for the inspirational market. She's answered some questions about herself that all her readers would like to know.

Welcome, Nancy. I suppose the first thing readers would like to know is what made you want to become a writer?

I’d spent most of my life not being certain what I was supposed to do. I believed that God had a plan for my life, but I had no idea what it was. Then one day I heard a teacher who encouraged people to think back to their childhood. He said that you could find your calling by looking at what you were naturally gifted to do when you were small. When I did that, I realized that my interests had always been wrapped up in books. I was in my forties when I decided to write a novel.

We have something in common. I started writing after many years of wanting to do it also. Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

LOL! You should see my files! Rejections galore. At one point in my journey, when I realized how much of my time writing would take and how it would affect my family and my life, I went to God. I was extremely serious. I asked him to let me know if He had called me to write. I didn’t want to waste my time pursuing something I wasn’t supposed to do. In a very dramatic way, He answered – confirming that He wanted me to continue. Since that time, rejections haven’t bothered me much. I know I’m on the right path – and that He won’t let me fail. Rejections have become paths I’m not supposed to take. I wait for God to open the right doors – and then I walk through them.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

I had smaller sales before my current connection to Barbour Publishing. But they weren’t like the first book I sold to Barbour. That was different. I’d been writing what I wanted to write for several years. But one day I realized that I didn’t care about what I wanted anymore. I put everything in God’s hands, telling Him that I would write whatever He led me to write. About two weeks later, my agent told me about Barbour’s new cozy mystery book club. I wrote a proposal, and about two weeks after I submitted it, my agent called to tell me they’d accepted it! That was my “hang up the phone and scream at the top of your lungs” moment. It was wonderful!

What is the title of your current book?

“Simple Secrets” is the first book in my Harmony series.

Give us a short blurb about the book.

Gracie Temple's uncle left her a house in a rural Mennonite community. Gracie soon learns he secluded himself for years to protect a secret about her own father. Now it's up to Gracie to decide if she'll keep the secret or if she can afford to expose it. Sam Goodrich loves his fruit farm in Harmony, Kansas. But when he meets city-girl Gracie, he begins to wonder if he could leave it behind for a woman who makes him feel things he's never felt before. When someone tries to keep Gracie from discovering the truth behind the secrets, both must decide what's important in life--before it's too late.

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

Boy, that’s a tough one. I’d have to say Gracie Temple, my main character, would be my first choice. Gracie isn’t perfect, but she tries to do the right thing. And she attempts to follow her heart. But there’s another character I really respect. Myrtle “Sweetie” Goodrich is a down to earth, rough talking woman who has been through tragedy. But Sweetie never gives up. She’s a rock. I’d like to be like that. Immovable and unshakeable. Always believing.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

I would say “Demon: A Memoir” by Tosca Lee. The writing and the story are so powerful. The images are still in my mind. It affected me as an author. I feel so humbled by Tosca’s ability but encouraged to work harder in an attempt to improve my own writing.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

I can see what things I want to do. And sometimes I see things I don’t want to do. Reading other books is a great way to learn.

What are you currently writing?

The third book in the Harmony series, “Simple Choices.” This book will bring the stories of several characters full circle. Choices will be made. Some will stay in Harmony. Some won’t.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Yes. Don’t try to publish too soon. You’ll only frustrate yourself if you show publishers work that isn’t ready to be seen. Learn the craft of writing. It will take more than a few months. Then research the publishers you’re interested in. I heard this when I first started out – and I didn’t do it. That was a mistake. If you want to write romance for, say, Barbour’s Heartsong book club, then you need to join the club and read some of the books. You’ll learn what the publisher is looking for. This is the best way to get your work noticed. If you write suspense, find a publisher who is big on suspense. Read their authors’ work. Again, this will help you to hit your target.

2010-06-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm welcoming Nancy Mehl to my blog today. I got to know Nancy when we both wrote for Barbour's Heartsong Presents Mysteries line. Her book For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls was ACFW's Book of the Year for Mystery in 2009. Nancy is here to tell us about her latest book Simple Secrets and would love to give you an autographed copy. Leave a comment to be eligible for the drawing.

Here's what Nancy has to tell us about herself:

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and her son, Danny. She’s authored nine books and is currently at work on two new series for Barbour Publishing.

All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

She and her husband attend Believer’s Tabernacle in Wichita.

You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her Web site at: www.nancymehl.com

2010-06-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Kathi Macias is back with us today to answer some questions about herself and her writing ministry. I'm delighted to have her as a guest and am excited about sharing her interview with you.

Hi, Kathi. Welcome to my blog that's dedicated to writing in the inspirational market. I know you write both fiction and non-fiction and have won awards for your work. What made you want to become a writer?

I can never remember wanting to be anything else! I’ve always had a love affair with words and was reading long before I started school. If I ran out of things to read, I wrote my own stories. By the time I was in junior high, I told my then boyfriend (now my husband) that I was going to be a writer some day. He often reminds me of that day and says I am one of the few people he knows who realized as a child what I would be when I grew up.

If you're like other writers I've talked with, your journey hasn't been an easy one. Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?

Absolutely! There’s an old saying that you’re not an official writer until you’ve had at least 100 rejections. Let me tell you, I’m official many times over! But you can’t take the rejections personally. You simply cross that publishing possibility off the list for that particular piece and move on to the next one. I always have several proposals bouncing around at the same time; I figure sooner or later one or more will land somewhere.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?

My first published pieces were without pay, though I was as excited as if I’d been handed a million dollars. When I landed a weekly “about town” type column for our hometown paper and found out they were going to pay me $2.50 per column, I thought sure I’d arrived! It was all uphill from there—and no easy climb either. But I’ve learned and grown every step of the way.

What is the title of your current book?

Actually I have quite a few “current” books, with three nonfiction and three fiction books having released in the last two years. Three more fiction works are in various stages of production: two will release in Fall 2010 (Red Ink and Valeria’s Cross), and one in early 2011 (People of the Book). Another series will follow right behind it, beginning release in Fall 2011. The two most recent books, however, are books one and two of the four-book Extreme Devotion fiction series from New Hope Publishers. The released in April 2010, and the titles are No Greater Love and More than Conquerors.

Give us a short blurb about No Greater Love and one about More Than Conquerors.

No Greater Love is set in South Africa, just outside Pretoria, in 1989, during the violence and upheaval preceding the release of Nelson Mandela from prison and the downfall of Apartheid. The story opens with a forbidden romance between Andrew, the son of white Afrikaner farmers, and a young black woman named Chioma, the daughter of slain ANC rebels. Chioma hates white people and has sworn to avenge her parents’ deaths, but her heart has other ideas.

More than Conquerors takes place primarily in two settings in Mexico: the populous border town of Tijuana and the village of San Juan Chamula in Mayan country. The main character, Hector Rodriguez, pastors a small church in Tijuana, where he lives with his wife and three children. He also carries Bibles into Mayan country where “evangelicos” (Evangelical Christians) are not welcome. Danger to his family causes him to question his commitment to pursue spreading the gospel to people who are violently opposed to his message.

Which characters in the books are your favorite? Why?

My favorite character in No Greater Love is definitely Chioma. Though young and naive in many ways, she is determined and idealistic, even brave and noble under pressure. I greatly admire her courage and commitment!

Hector’s mother in More than Conquerors is my favorite character. A dedicated believer in her early sixties, she gives up her relatively comfortable life with her grown children and grandchildren in Tijuana to obey God’s call to take up residence in San Juan Chamula, living in primitive conditions and under the suspicious and unwelcome gaze of the villagers who surround her.

What is the last book you read that impacted you? How did it affect you?

There are many but none so strongly as Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. It was a stunning story that shredded my heart and convinced me of the need to write No Greater Love, and to eventually extend that one story to become an entire series.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?

I love to study other writers. Alan Paton wrote Cry the Beloved Country in another time and place, and in a completely different style from what would be acceptable in our day and age. I learned that it was the heart behind the book, rather than the style or presentation, that truly drives the story and changes readers’ hearts. Of course, I also study current writers I admire—Susan Meissner and Mary DeMuth, for instance—as I believe we can all learn from others who share our passion for the written word.

Fans of yours want to know what's next from Kathi Macias. What are you currently writing?

I’ve just turned in the fifth of five novels that I wrote over the last fifteen months, which was exhausting, and I’m sticking to articles and blogs for a month or two while I decompress. Then I’ll jump into my next fiction series, which I’ll formally announce in the next few weeks.

I always like to ask established authors to share some advice with beginning writers. What advice can you give?

Make sure that you’re following God’s lead because this is no easy career, and certainly not a glamorous one. Though there are rare exceptions, most of us writers were at this for years before we achieved any real level of success. On a personal level, it is only because I am disciplined and quick and can turn out a lot of clean material in a short period of time that I am finally seeing some financial return. There are certainly easier ways to make a living, but if writing is what God has called you to do, then write—but be open to the direction God leads you. There is more to writing than just books! Explore the options, learn from those who have gone ahead of you—and by all means, keep your day job! Most important of all, love what you do and do what you love. That’s where the joy of the Lord is.

Thank you, Kathi, for being with us this week. I know our readers have enjoyed getting to know you better.

And readers, don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible to win one of Kathi's books.

2010-06-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm welcoming Kathi Macias to my blog today. I'm thrilled to have this multi-talented woman as a guest this week. If you haven't heard her interview Jerry Jenkins about his new book The Last Operative on Blog Talk Radio, you need to tune in and hear it in the archives. The website is:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/communicatethevision.

Look for her interview tomorrow, and be sure and leave a comment. You may be the winner of a book.

Here's what Kathi has to tell us about herself:

Kathi Macias (www.kathimacias.com) is a radio host and an award-winning author of more than thirty books. She is a popular speaker at churches, social events, women's retreats, and writers' conferences, and she has appeared on countless radio and TV programs. A wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Kathi lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where they spend their free time riding Al's Harley--hence, Kathi's road name of "Easy Writer."

Get to Know Martha Rogers

2010-06-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to have Martha Rogers as a guest on my blog this week. I got to know Martha when we participated in a visiting author program at Blue Mountain College in Mississippi last January. She was excited to talk about her latest release Becoming Lucy and her novella Sugar and Grits that had released earlier. Now she is celebrating the release of Morning for Dove. I was delighted when she agreed to be interviewed for my blog.

Leave a comment with your email address, and you may win a copy of Morning for Dove.

What made you want to become a writer?
I’ve wanted to be writer since I was a child and made up stories for my dolls and paper dolls.

Did you encounter rejection on your writing journey? If so, how did you handle it?
Lots and lots of rejections for many years, but it took a long time to look at them as something besides a rejection of me. I finally began to take heed and learn from them.

What are some highlights of your professional journey toward that first sale and how did you feel when you found out about it?
Highlights in my journey would have to include all the conferences and friends I’ve made. They all encouraged me and kept telling me I’d have a contract for a full novel someday. I was in shock when I found out one was on the way and couldn’t believe it until it actually arrived and I signed it.

What is the title of your current book?
Morning for Dove has just been released and Finding Becky will be out in September as well as a novella, River Walk Christmas.

Give us a short blurb about the book.
Luke and half-Cherokee Dove love each other but must face the prejudice and rejection of his mother because of childhood experience with an Indian massacre of her family.

Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?
Dove is my favorite in this one because she wants so much to be accepted by society for herself and not what others perceive her to be.

What is the last book you read that impacted you?
I just finished Deb Raney’s book, Almost Forever.

How did it affect you?
I still think about that book and how those lives were affected and how God works things together for good from tragedy.

What do you learn from reading other writers’ work?
Too much to try to list here, but briefly I’ve learned how to include emotion through deep POV.

What are you currently writing?
I’m working on Caroline’s Choice. Book 4 in my series.

Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?
Pray, persevere and have patience. My writing verse is Galatians 6:9. “Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up.”

2010-06-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to welcome Martha Rogers as my guest this week. Today I have posted information about Martha and her book Morning for Dove that released a few weeks ago. Tomorrow Martha will do an interview so that you can get to know her better.

Don't forget to leave a comment along with your email address. You might be the one to win a free book of Martha's book Morning for Dove.

Although Martha’s primary writing experience is in non-fiction, she has been writing fiction for a number of years. She is a retired teacher who enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. Martha is a member of ACFW and writes a weekly devotional for the group.

Her book credits include the novella, Sugar and Grits, Becoming Lucy and Morning for Dove. Also coming in 2010 are Finding Becky and Key to Her Heart in River Walk Christmas anthology. She has also many non-fiction writing credits in compilations by Wayne Holmes, Karen O’Conner, and Debbie White Smith. Martha has contributed devotionals to several anthologies including soon to be released Whispers of Wisdom for Step-Moms from Barbour. Martha served as editor of an eight page monthly newsletter for the writer’s organization, Inspirational Writers Alive! for six years and is the state President. She is also the director for the annual Texas Christian Writer’s Conference.

Martha and her husband live in Houston, Texas where they enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.

WEB SITE: For more information, visit the author’s Web site at www.Marthawrogers.com.

A Tribute to a World War II Hero

2010-06-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Memorial Day on Monday, and those who served or are serving in the military have been on my mind all week. I remembered a post I did a few years ago, and I pulled it out to pay tribute to a hero who served his nation well. So today I want to honor Audie Murphy again.

There's a television show that was on for the past few years titled Heroes, but I must admit I never watched it. I think it had to do with a group of people with special powers and how they used them to save the world. Maybe the reason I never watched is because I became an admirer of a true hero many years ago, and I can't imagine anyone taking his place.

I was just a pre-teen when I first went to a movie and saw Audie Murphy on the screen. At the time I knew nothing about him except that he was handsome and he always beat the bad guys in the end. At that age I knew very little about World War II and the young man from Texas who became the most decorated soldier of that great conflict.

As the years passed and I grew older, I began to find out that Audie risked his life time after time in battle. His acts of bravery which earned him every medal that the United States has to offer and additional ones from Belgium and France have been written about and even made into a movie.

The young hero attracted the attention of those in Hollywood after the war, and for 25 years he made movies, thrilling young girls like me across the nation. His autobiography, To Hell and Back, was made into a movie starring him, and it held the record for the highest grossing movie for twenty years. Audie died in 1971 when the small plane in which he was a passenger crashed into the side of a mountain near Roanoke, VA. His grave in Arlington National Cemetery is the second most visited site there, the first being President Kennedy's.

A few years ago I relived some of my early thoughts about Audie Murphy as I toured the museum in his honor in Greeneville, Texas. I also learned so much about him. Not only was he a hero, but he was a writer. He wrote poetry, songs, and of course his autobiography. He was a man of many talents, but he also was a troubled man. He suffered from depression, which at the time was called battle fatigue, from all he'd seen and endured on the battlefield. At the time it was frowned on by the military to discuss anything about post traumatic stress, but he found the courage to speak out in defense of returning veterans from Korea and Vietnam.

As I think of what he did and what he sacrificed for our country, I couldn't help but think of the young men and women who are serving in war torn areas around our world. What will they have to deal with when they finally come home? Will we as a nation support them for their contributions to democracy, or will we expect them to forget what they've seen and get on with their lives? Audie Murphy got on with his life, but he was haunted by his past.

We need to make sure our young men and women have every opportunity to heal both emotionally and physically from their battle scars. And we as Christians should be in prayer every day for those who serve us around the world.

Audie, you're my hero. I know you would want us to take care of those who came after you. I pray this nation will do just that.

Tribute to a Fallen Hero

2010-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

One of the wonderful things about being an educator in a small town is that you can follow the progress of your students all the way through elementary, middle, and high school. With a university in our hometown, it's also possible to watch many of them go on to get their college degrees.

Some years ago when I was principal of Martin Primary School, I had a student named Dustin Laird. His mother worked in our cafeteria at the time, and he lived down the street from the school. I would often drive by his house after school hours and see him playing with his brother and sister who also came to our school.

The years passed, and Dustin grew to adulthood. While he was still in high school, he joined the Tennessee National Guard in 2000. In 2005 he was deployed with his unit to Iraq and was killed in the line of duty in August 2006, one month before he was due to return home.

Word of this young man's death stunned the citizens of our town, but not as much as the protestors who arrived to disrupt his funeral with their posters that proclaimed a message of hate. Thankfully, our dedicated police department was able to keep these out-of-state protestors away from the Laird family.

There are probably many stories of other young men and women who've died in Iraq, but sadly Dustin's story doesn't end there. In our town citizens adopt street corners and keep it attractive by placing flowers and other plants there. The Laird family adopted a street corner in honor of Dustin, and the city council changed the name of the street to Dustin Laird Drive. Along with the flowers they planted, the Lairds also placed a concrete statue of a soldier in the flower bed.

In 2008 vandals who later said they were protesting the war painted the statue red, black, and green with skeletal markings. They were convicted of vandalism and ordered to make restitution and clean the National Guard grounds as community service.

Community members donated money to the Laird family for a new statue, and they placed another one there. This week someone hacked off the head and the arm of this latest statue, leaving a grieving family to wonder who could be so cruel. Billy Laird, Dustin's father said, “That statue was put into place in memory of my son, a 23-year-old Martin native, who gave his life so that people could keep their freedoms. They do have the right to protest the war, but they do not have the right to do this.”

As I heard of this latest atrocity, I was left wondering what has happened in our country. Americans have always been free to disagree about policy, and there will always be differing opinions when it comes to war. But how anyone could disrespect a person who gave his or her life while serving in the United States military is beyond comprehension.

So, for Dustin and all our fallen heroes, on this Memorial Day I can only offer the hope that was voiced by the Psalmist: I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

American Christian Fiction Writers' Interview

2010-05-28T07:29:00.001-07:00

On May 31, I will be the featured author on the American Christian Fiction Writers website. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to tell my readers a little more about myself. I hope you'll check out the interview next week at the group's website www.acfw.com.

One of the questions I was asked was what is the best writing advice I ever received. That's difficult to know because I've received so much help from so many different people. I enjoy quotes, though, and as I began to write this morning I thought of a post I did some time ago that featured some quotes by writers that helped me a lot. I pass them on to you today (and again if you read it the first time).

The task of a writer consists of being able to make something out of an idea."
Thomas Mann

"You must want to enough. Enough to take all the rejections, enough to pay the price of disappointment and discouragement while you are learning. Like any other artist you must learn your craft—then you can add all the genius you like."
Phyllis A. Whitney

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
Mark Twain

To imagine yourself inside another person...is what a story writer does in every piece of work; it is his first step, and his last too, I suppose."
Eudora Welty

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."
Robert Frost

"Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer."
Barbara Kingsolver

"No, it's not a very good story—its author was too busy listening to other voices to listen as closely as he should have to the one coming from inside."
Stephen King

The Walk

2010-05-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

My children gave me a Kindle for Christmas in 2008. There are those who say they don't want to own one of these readers because they prefer to hold a book. However, even as much of a book lover as I am, I have enjoyed the instant download of an entire book within a minute. Now my family never has to guess what book to buy for me. They give me gift cards to Amazon, and I can buy what I want.

I recently read The Walk by Richard Paul Evans. When I finished it, I felt as if I was hanging in limbo, unsure of what would happen next. Then I discovered what made me feel that way. I had just read the beginning of the story. There are four more books planned over the next few years that will complete the story of a man's walk from Oregon to Key West, Florida.

When Alan Christoffersen's wife dies, his business is stolen by his partner, and creditors descend on him, he measures on a map of the United States to see where is the fartherest point that can be reached on foot from his home in Oregon. Key West, Florida, is the answer, and Alan begins a walk that will take him on a journey of discovery to the meaning of his life. The books will tell the story of the people he meets on his journey and the effects they have on his life.

Although the book is a best seller, there are differing opinions from readers. I found the book engrossing, and I can hardly wait to read the next installment.

I must say the publisher may have hit on a way to bring readers and their money back for more by making the five planned books smaller, more like short stories. In these economic tough times, I wonder if we'll see that trend continue.

Disaster Status Winner

2010-05-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who left a comment last week. The winner of Candace Calvert's book Disaster Status is Kim VanderHelm.

Congratulations to Kim!

I have many authors scheduled to appear over the next months. So stay tuned for news about the wonderful books that are releasing and the authors who wrote them.

The End of the Beginning

2010-05-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of American Idol for the past few years and have followed the careers of the young singers I've seen on the show. However, last night at my church I had the privilege of hearing a young man who had been on the show a few years before I started watching.

When Nathon Herron, a young man from southern Illinois, tried out for American Idol, he made it into the top twenty male vocalists before being eliminated. He then went on to sing on another television show called Can You Duet. That one I'm not familiar with.

Out of his experience on Can You Duet, he made contacts that could have allowed him to move into the music industry. However, when he made it known that he only wanted to sing Christian music, he was told it wasn't a good time to launch a Christian artist. So, he put his trust in God and started his own ministry.

Now he travels to churches and youth groups and proclaims the gospel of Christ and follows God wherever He leads him. He and his wife have dedicated their lives to doing the work of God, and they leave this week for a trip to Haiti to help with relief for the earthquake victims there.

As I listened to Nathan sing, I didn't think I'd ever heard another voice on American Idol that could come up to his, and I wondered why he didn't make it further on the show. But I know why he didn't. God had a plan to use him in a mighty way, and Nathan is following the calling God has given him.

He ended his performance last night with a song that I like, The End of the Beginning. This morning I found a performance of his singing it on Youtube. For a glimpse at a young man who inspired me, go to this link and listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3xz0zlDqWU

It's Been a Great Week

2010-05-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

I've enjoyed hosting Candace Calvert's book Disaster Status this week. Thanks to those who left messages hoping to win a book.

If you haven't read Disaster Status, look for it at your favorite bookstore or at online sellers. And if you missed Critical Care, the first book in the series, you need to read that one also.

All of us who are Candy's readers look forward to seeing what this wonderful author is going to entertain us with next. I know I can't wait!

Thanks, Candy, for dropping by this week. Now I'm off to catch up on your latest Twitter. I wonder what you're cooking today.

Disaster Status by Candace Calvert

2010-05-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

I'm continuing the spotlight on Candace Calvert's new book Disaster Status. If you didn't check out her interview yesterday, please do. This amazing woman has had quite a journey on her road to publication.

God had a plan for her writing ministry that grew out of heartbreak and problems in her personal life. After suffering serious injuries in an equestian accident, Candy came to know God and embraced her life-long love of writing.

At the end of the week I will draw the name of one person who has left a comment, and that person will receive an autographed copy of Disaster Status. Maybe you'll be the one.

Author Candace Calvert

2010-05-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

I’m so excited to have Candace (Candy) Calvert with me today. I met Candy at the ACFW conference in Denver last year when I fainted from altitude sickness and opened my eyes to see her bending over me. She accompanied me in the ambulance and stayed with me in the hospital while I was undergoing treatment. We discovered that we have a lot in common, and she’s become a dear friend. I want you to know more about this incredible woman who is a former nurse and now an author of medical dramas. I know you will love her and her writing as much as I do.

Hi, Candy. It’s so good to have you with us today. To get started, let me ask the question that authors seem to get asked all the time. What made you want to become a writer?

Writing has been an outlet for me as far back as I can remember. Journaling was first—I even have hand-scrawled entries of historical events, like the JFK assassination and man’s first walk on the moon. In school, I thought of essay assignments as a treat. It was after a near-fatal riding accident that I first felt called to write for publication . . . and the journey began.

A near fatal accident? That sounds horrible. God definitely had a plan for you. How long have you been writing?

With an eye toward publication, 11 years.

Wow, eleven years. What kind of rejection did you encounter on your writing journey, and how did you handle it?

I sent out 100 queries in my search for an agent and received 99 rejections. Thank heaven the acceptance came from (our!) super-agent Natasha Kern. Though (smiling) she did reject the first project I queried. But I tried her again—that’s what it takes in this writing journey: persistence. As important as talent.

I know about those rejections. Every author could probably write a book about getting rejected. I’m glad you didn’t give up. Tell us about your current book and why you decided to write this series.

Disaster Status is the second book in the Mercy Hospital series. Natasha and I wrote the back cover blurb together and I think it gives readers a good glimpse:

“Charge nurse Erin Quinn escaped personal turmoil to work at the peaceful California coast. But when a hazardous material spill places Pacific Mercy Hospital on disaster status and stresses staff, she’s put to the test. And thrown into conflict with the fire department’s handsome incident commander who thinks her strategy is out of line.

Fire Captain Scott McKenna has felt the toxic effects of tragedy; he’s learned to go strictly by the book to advance his career, heal his family, and protect his wounded heart. When he’s forced to team with the passionately determined ER charge nurse, sparks fly. As they work to save lives, can they handle the attraction kindled between them . . . without getting burned?”

I was an ER nurse for 30 years and have long been disappointed that (very popular) TV medical dramas depict plenty of action, but neglect elements of faith. I know how many prayers are sent heavenward from hospitals! The Mercy Hospital series offers adrenalin-infusion action, suspense, heartwarming romance, and a soul-soothing prescription for hope. It is also my attempt to honor the very real heroes in medicine, fire-rescue, and law enforcement.

I know the book has gotten great reviews. Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

That’s tough! Probably the heroine’s grandmother, Iris Quinn. Because she’s lived long enough to have made mistakes, known mercy and grace, and has learned the difference between being “a strong woman” and a “woman of strength: Faith.
And maybe because I’m now a grandmother, too.

What are you currently writing?

I’m currently working on Trauma Plan, for a proposed Lonestar Mercy Hospital series set in Texas.

You’ve recently relocated from Texas to California to be near family, and I know you’re having a great time on the West coast. When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?

Folks who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know that I’m a “foodie” and love to get creative in the kitchen! I’m also into Bible study, bird watching, country dancing, gardening, cruise travel, and I love being my hubby’s karaoke fan. Add being a grandmother to all that, and I’m one joyful lady.

As you mentioned earlier, you and I share an amazing agent, Natasha Kern. What advice would you give to a writer about finding an agent?

As I indicated, persistence is key—don’t give up, keep trying. That said, be certain about an agent before you query. Do they represent your genre? Have they had recent sales? Do you hear good things about this agent from other authors? Is this agent looking toward building your long-term career? Because this process is fraught with rejection, it’s too easy to get into a mindset of “I’ll take anyone who will have me.” An agent-author relationship is enormously important. Pardon the pun, but you should both be “on the same page” from the get-go.

You are so right. Do you have any other advice for a beginning writer?

Don’t write in a vacuum. Join writers’ groups like ACFW, RWA (their Christian fiction chapter is Faith, Hope & Love); network with other writers online; find a critique partner, attend conferences. Even if publication is your ultimate goal, remind yourself often that the writing life is a journey full of valuable opportunities—enjoy it. If I were to stop writing today, the thing I would miss most is the relationships I’ve built during these years. Fellow writers, industry professionals, booksellers, librarians, and those wonderful readers: priceless!

Thank you for hosting me here, Sandra. I’ve enjoyed this opportunity to connect with your readers.

Candace

Genesis Contest Finalists

2010-05-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Finalists in the Genesis Contest for unpublished authors were announced yesterday by American Christian Fiction Writers. This year there were 486 entries. The winner in each category will be announced at the organization's September conference in Indianapolis.

Congratulations to all the finalists!

CONTEMPORARY FICTION:
(total entries: 47)

Cindy Hays
Lynnette P. Horner
Chris Kraft
Mark Lundgren
Christina S. Nelson

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE:
(total entries: 63)

Jeannie Campbell
Sarah Forgrave
Janice LaQuiere
Rebecca Syme
Linda Yezak

HISTORICAL FICTION:
(total entries: 35)

Laurie Benton
Brenda Jackson
Robert Kaku
Lisa Karon Richardson
Katie-Marie Stout

HISTORICAL ROMANCE:
(total entries: 65)

Susanne Dietze
Anne Greene
Pam Hillman
Lisa Karon Richardson
Ruth Trippy

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER:
(total entries: 45)

Rich Bullock
Barbara Early (double finalist with two entries)
Lynda Schab
Chawna Schroeder

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE (there was a two-way tie for the fifth finalist slot): (total entries: 50)

Valerie Goree
Mindy Obenhaus
Leslie Pfeil
Dianna Shuford
Teri Dawn Smith
Terri Weldon

SPECULATIVE FICTION:
(total entries: 49)

Ben Erlichman
Suzanne Krein
Shelley Ledfors
Andra Marquardt
Holly Smit

WOMEN'S FICTION (there was a three-way tie for the fifth finalist slot): (total entries: 76)

Lisa Buffaloe
Jennifer Fromke
Terri Haynes
Fay Lamb
Christina S. Nelson
Melissa Tagg
Michelle Ule

YOUNG ADULT:
(total entries: 56)

Angela Bell
Lin Harris
Kasey Heinly
LoraLee Kodzo
Stefanie Morris

Writing Strong Villains

2010-05-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Mystery and suspense stories that have a strong villain have always been a favorite of mine. Maybe that’s why I enjoy writing the villain’s character so much. He or she can take the story in directions that you never thought possible when you started reading. But what makes a strong villain? Of course there must be a desire to wreak havoc on those in the story, but I’ve come to realize there must be more.

I thought about this last night when I watched a rerun of The Last of the Mohicans with Daniel Day Lewis. This is one of my all time favorite movies, and I’ve watched it so many times I can almost quote the dialogue. The story is set in 1757 along the Hudson River during the French and Indian War.

The villain in this story is Magua, a Huron who harbors a deep hatred for Col. Munro, a British officer. Magua’s children were killed, and he was taken slave by the Mohawks, causing his wife to marry another when Col. Munro's men attacked his village. Magua has sworn revenge on Munro and his children.

As the story builds to a climax, the hatred Magua feels is evident in all his actions. However, Wes Studi plays the part so magnificently, one can understand the reasons behind his hatred. His skillful portrayal gives a glimpse into a man who harbors complex reasons for his behavior.

Every writer hopes to create a villain who will be remembered. For me, Magua is one of those characters. With villains like this, we may not want to encounter them personally, but they make for exciting reading.

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is always a special time in our family. Although it doesn't take much for us to come up with a reason to get together for a meal, we always seem to enjoy the time spent together on Mother's Day more than any other time. Perhaps that's because my mother, the matriarch of the family, is still with us. Yesterday we gathered at my sister's house for lunch. There were eighteen of us, and all the mothers were showered with gifts from their children.

Although one of my daughters who lives in Texas and her children who are in school in New York and Los Angeles were unable to be there, I had a wonderful time with my other three children and two grandchildren in attendance. The youngest of my grandchildren is five years old and will start to kindergarten this year. She had a great time playing in the back yard and exploring everything to her heart's content. As I thought of her and my grown children, I realized her school years will fly by, and before we can blink, she will be grown.

If you have children in your family, I hope you will treasure their childhood. We as mothers get so caught up in the everyday problems of life that we often lose sight of those around us who are the most important part of our lives. My prayer is that I will remember that this next year and not forget to stop and spend time with those I love.

A Thought Provoking Statement from Danielle

2010-05-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

I've been showcasing my new book Mountain Peril all week. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my latest romantic suspense and will leave a comment. One person will win a book at the end of the week.

If you've read the book, you know there are some discussion questions at the end to make you think about the story. I enjoyed coming up with these questions because I felt that many of the problems dealt with by the characters in the book are situations that many people find themselves in today.

One of the most thought-provoking questions for me was a taken from a statement Danielle made to Jack in the story. When it looked as if Danielle and Jack couldn't overcome the problems between them, she told him that he would one day face something he couldn't handle on his own. Many of us are like that. We act as if we're in charge of our lives and forget that every breath we take is dependent upon the One who gave us life to begin with.

So, I will pose the question to you today. Do you try to solve your problems by yourself, or do you rely on the Lord and His guidance to help you through troubling times?

Psalms 46:1 says "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." It is my prayer that you will find out, as Jack did, that without God we can do nothing.

More About Mountain Peril

2010-05-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve been featuring my latest book Mountain Peril this week on my blog. The book released in April from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. This is my second book for the line, and I really enjoyed writing the story of Danielle Tyler and Jack Denton’s search for a deranged killer.

It is set on a college campus near the Appalachians. The setting came from the fact that I’ve always lived in a college town, and the campus has been an important part of my family’s life. As for the plot, I read some articles about websites that were hoaxes, and I thought it would be a good story line. So I put the two together and came up with a story of murder and suspense on a college campus.

At the beginning of the book, a website surfaces depicting her roommate’s murder scene and evokes concern on campuses across the country because it hints that a murderer is stalking college campuses. The website is a prank, but soon the girl who posed for the site is murdered. Detective Jack Denton vows to find the killer, but Danielle doesn’t dare let him get too close. Death seems to be the destiny of anyone she cares for.

I was asked not too long ago which character I’d choose as my favorite. I really felt drawn to Jack. Maybe it’s the mother in me that felt sorry for the little boy in Jack who longed for the love his father never gave him and who grieved for the mother with her mind lost in the darkness of Alzheimer’s. His torment that his wife wouldn’t have died in a car crash with another man if he’d been a better husband made me want to assure him that he couldn’t be responsible for other people’s choices. I knew there was a tender heart underneath his hard facade, and I wanted Danielle to find the man I knew was hiding there.

I hope you’re enjoying my glimpse into my book this week. Let me remind you that I will be giving away a copy to one reader who leaves a comment. If you’d like your name entered, leave a comment. You might be the winner!

Excerpt From Mountain Peril

2010-05-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Webster Falls Sheriff's Department Asks for Help in Apprehending a Killer.

The flashing words, accompanied by the steady drone of a drumbeat and the eerie sound of distant guitars, hovered above a picture that sent chills down Danielle Tyler's back. She leaned closer to the computer screen and stared spellbound at the scene below the words. As Dean of Students at Webster University, she was familiar with some of the Web sites her students frequented, but she'd never seen anything like this.

A young girl lay on her back, her dark hair fanned out on a pillow of mountain foliage underneath. Red-tinged leaves littered her blood-drenched clothes. Her open eyes stared upward as if offering a silent plea for release from pain.

Danielle closed her eyes for a moment to shut out the grisly scene of the girl she knew so well and reopened them to stare at Detective Jack Denton from the Webster Falls Sheriff's Department sitting across from her desk. "H-how did you find this horrible site?"

He opened the notebook he held and glanced at a page. "A man named Harrison Coleman from Marietta, Georgia, called our department this morning. He said his son who attends Georgia Tech said the Web site has become the main topic of conversation on the campus. When I pulled it up, I was surprised at what I saw."

Danielle crossed her arms and hugged herself to suppress the icy feeling flowing through her body. "It's given me quite a shock, too."

"I can understand. I intended to take this to the university's president, but when I arrived, his secretary told me he was in Asheville today. She suggested I bring it to you."

Danielle nodded. "Dr. Newman will be back tomorrow. In the meantime, how can I help you?"

The muscle in the detective's jaw twitched. "The Web site claims the girl on there is a Webster student and has been murdered." He paused before he continued. "Our department doesn't know anything about a murder, but we're concerned that the scene is identical to the murder ten years ago of Jennifer McCaslin who was a student here."

Danielle took a deep breath. "I realized that when I saw the picture."

A frown creased his forehead. "Did you know Jennifer McCaslin?"

Danielle sank back in her chair. "We were roommates. She was murdered our senior year at Webster." She pointed to the screen. "But this girl's not Jennifer."
"No, I realized that. I looked at a picture from Jennifer McCaslin's cold case file. We don't know who the girl on the Web site is."

Danielle gritted her teeth. "She's Tricia Peterson, a student here at Webster. But I saw her on campus this morning and she was fine. She was only a child when Jennifer was killed. How would she even know about the murder?"

"I don't know."

Danielle glanced back at the screen. "This doesn't make any sense."

"We know that, but we wanted to see if anyone can give us information. From what my caller told me this morning, this Web site is causing panic on college campuses. Not to mention the fact that it doesn't look good that a sheriff's office is advertising for help in catching a killer."

Danielle frowned. "But why are students frightened by this obvious prank?"

He nodded toward the computer. "Why don't you read what it says next?"

Danielle turned back to the computer and read the lines printed underneath the flashing heading.

The Webster Falls, North Carolina, Sheriff's Department asks for your help in the apprehension of Damien Carter, the chief suspect in the murder of Lila Barrett. The victim, a student at Webster University, was found on a Smoky Mountain trail outside of Webster Falls in September. Carter, also a student at the school, disappeared soon after the discovery of the body. Various sightings of the fugitive have been reported, but so far he has eluded capture.

Danielle shook her head and frowned. "We don't have a Lila Barrett or a Damien Carter enrolled at Webster."

Detective Denton nodded. "I know. When I went to the president's office, his secretary told me."

Acquaintances of the suspect report the young man had become obsessed with murders on college campuses and had often threatened to wage his own rampage across the country. Having been blackballed by a fraternity, he harbors animosity against anyone belonging to a Greek organization. Students enrolled in institutions of higher learning are warned to be on the lookout for this suspected killer. If he is seen, notify the Webster Falls, North Carolina, Sheriff's Department at once.

Danielle leaned back in her chair and pointed to the screen. "I can't believe this. Who would construct such a Web site?"

Detective Denton glanced down at the notebook. "Actually we know. Our tech guys traced the Internet Service Provider and found out the Web site owner is Flynn Carter."

Danielle sprang from her chair. "Flynn?" she screeched. "He's my work study student and Tricia's boyfriend. Why would he do this?"

"That's what I need to find out. Can you get Carter in here?"

Meet Jack Denton

2010-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sandra:
Jack Denton is the hero in my new romantic suspense release Mountain Peril. I asked Jack to drop by today and tell us a little about himself.

Hi, Jack. It’s great to have you with us. Our readers would like to know about you. What can you share with us?

Jack:
Thanks for having me today. I’ve always thought of myself as an ordinary guy. I’ve always wanted to work in law enforcement, but I spent some time in the army when I got out of college. After leaving the military, I came to Webster Falls, North Carolina, looking for a nice, quiet town sort of like Mayberry to work in law enforcement. Little did I know, this town was nothing like Sheriff Andy Taylor’s hometown.

My wife died in a car accident with another man while I was off on one of the
missions that I lived for in the Army, and I needed some time to get over the guilt I felt about how I failed my wife. I ignored her to the point she turned to someone else. Relationships are very difficult for me. I feel like I hurt everyone close to me.

When I first met Danielle Tyler, she was Dean of Students at Webster University. I was a little bit in awe of her position of authority at the school. I barely finished college, but she had her doctorate and could talk about all kinds of things I knew nothing about. Maybe I was a little star struck at first because her parents were my rock idols when I was growing up. I had all their albums and spent hours in my room pretending to play guitar along with their music. But she had something I’d never seen in anyone else I knew. She had a deep faith that had gotten her through the murder of her college roommate and her fiancé in graduate school. When one of her students was murdered, I was afraid the killer was getting too close to her. I think I knew I loved her the minute she smiled at me, but it took me a long time to tell her. It was only through the grace of God I finally got the opportunity.

Somebody asked me not too long ago what kind of dessert would describe me. That seemed a little funny to me at first. When I thought about it, though, I knew exactly what I was like—apple cobbler. When you look at a cobbler in the pan, all you see is a brown crust covering up what’s inside. Below the surface of that crust, though, is a sweet mixture just waiting to be discovered. Danielle once compared my façade to granite, but she knew there was something better beneath my surface. Through her efforts, I came to know God, and he peeled away the layers of hurt and distrust I’d built up through the years and released the love that I’d been afraid to show.

Sandra:
Wow, Jack. That’s interesting. Thanks for stopping by and letting us get to know you better.

Meet Danielle Tyler

2010-05-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I would introduce you to Danielle Tyler, the heroine of Mountain Peril. I asked her to stop by today and tell you a few things about herself.

Danielle, it’s good to have you with us today. What would you like our readers to know about you?

I suppose the first thing I should tell you is about my parents, Kenny and Mary Tyler. They’re wonderful people, but they had a lot of problems in their lives before they turned their lives over to God. When I was growing up, they were rock musicians. As a child, I spent a lot of time on the road with them when their band Jade Dragon toured. The different teachers who traveled with us helped to foster a love of learning in me. I suppose it was just natural that I should end up going into the field of education. Now I’m Dean of Students at Webster University in Webster Falls, North Carolina.

Sometimes it seems strange that I’m working at the school where I attended during my undergraduate days. I loved my years at Webster until tragedy occurred my senior year. My roommate Jennifer was murdered, and the police were unable to solve the crime. Then in graduate school I met a wonderful man, and we became engaged. He was killed in what police thought was an interrupted burglary of his apartment. Now I concentrate on my career and tell myself I don’t have time for fun or new relationships. As a change of scenery, I spend a few evenings a week alone at the Mountain Mug coffee shop working on my computer and listening to Jade Dragon’s music on my iPod.

I thought all I wanted was a career, but after meeting Jack Denton I know a career is a sad substitute for love and marriage. I know I’m falling in love with Jack, but I’m afraid to get too close to him. After all, everybody I love ends up dead. I have decided I have to get out of Webster Falls. My parents have started a new non-profit organization that will benefit a displaced tribe of people in Africa, and they’re begging me to work with them. Maybe God has plans for me there. If I can throw myself into helping these destitute people, maybe I can forget the handsome police officer who is trying to overcome a tragedy in his past.

Thanks, Danielle, for giving us this insight into your life today. Jack has promised to stop by and tell us about himself tomorrow.

New Book Release

2010-05-02T19:18:00.001-07:00

Mountain Peril, my latest romantic suspense, released in April from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense and received 4 Stars from Romantic Times Magazine. The story is set in a small college town at the edge of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina.

Here's the backcover blurb:

According to an anonymous message, a young woman is going to be murdered in the North Carolina mountains. When a body is found, Danielle Tyler is shocked to learn it's her student--the third person in her life to meet an untimely death. Is she next? From disturbing notes and roses left in her office to cold-blooded murder, someone means deadly business. Detective Jack Denton--the stalwart lawman who makes her pulse race--vows to find the deranged madman, but Danielle doesn't dare let him too close. Especially when death seems to be the destiny of anyone she cares about...

I hope you will view the trailer on the blog and leave a message. One name will be drawn at the end of the week to receive a free copy.

Give Thanks

2009-11-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

It's November again, and fall has come to the south. The trees are turning their bright colors, and soon they'll drop their leaves. The nights are chilly, but the days are still filled with bright sunshine.

I love this time of the year. Fall is my favorite season, and I especially love the holidays that we celebrate. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorites. To have family and friends gather around the table on Thanksgiving and share a meal together is a blessing that my family enjoys.

Paalm 107:1 says, O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

God has been so good to my family. He has blessed us through the years and continues to do so each day. As we approach this holiday season, I want to concentrate more on the One who provides the blessings and less on the stress of getting ready for a special day. After all, without Him, none of it would be possible.

So this Thanksgiving, let's remember to give Him thanks, because His mercy does endure forever.

A New Experience

2009-10-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Some time ago I was approached by a committee at church who told me they wanted to present a drama for youth groups in the area. Since they knew that I am a writer, they asked if I would team up with another member of the church who also writes to come up with a script. Since I was feeling good that day, I agreed.

Now we are counting down the days until the first performance, and I'm hoping everything will come together. In all honesty I think we produced a good script, and I'm really impressed with the acting abilities of the church members who are playing the parts. The set creators have done a fabulous job, and I can hardly wait for opening night. At the moment we're having trouble with one scene that is a little long. Of course being the writer, I don't want to see any of my words cut, but we're going to have to do what's best for the performance. We have rehearsals twice this week, so I'm sure we'll get it worked out.

We're not a large church, but I know that God is in this project. The story is about how God can get us through the worst times in our lives, even when Satan is determined to win the battle.

As we iron out the production problems over the next few weeks, I know that all we have to do is step back and let God work through us. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

ACFW Conference

2009-10-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

The last time I posted I told everyone about the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference that was coming up in Denver. I was so excited about going, but the experience held a lot more for me than I would ever have imagined.

I arrived the day before the conference began and had a wonderful time meeting up with old friends. The next day I attended a workshop presented by Donald Maass. This session was based on his book Writing the Breakout Novel, and it was great. The highlight of that day, however, was my meeting with Natasha Kern and having her accept me as a client. What a blessing she is!

The conference began on Thursday afternoon, and we were swept into the excitement of the next few days as we heard Debbie Macomber speak about her experiences on the journey to publication. As she now has over 100 million books in print, it makes her struggle even the more inspiring.

I thought everything was going along fine until the unthinkable happened on Saturday morning. For the first time in my life I fainted. Just fell out of my chair at the breakfast table in front of all the attendees. I was rushed to the hospital where I was diagnosed with altitude sickness. (You know Denver is the mile high city, and I'm from the area of Tennessee that has very flat land.) The Lord was good to me in my time of distress and provided a writer who was a former ER nurse. She came right to my side to give aid and accompanied me to the hospital. I shall forever be grateful to Candy Calvert for her support and her kind spirit throughout the ordeal. For the remainder of my time in Denver I was on oxygen and even had to have a portable unit to take on the plane.

Even with my mishap, I am so glad I was at the conference. If you're a Christian writer, I encourage you to join ACFW and be at next year's conference. It's going to be in Indianapolis, and I don't think I'll get altitude sickness in that city. I hope to see you there.

2009-09-08T22:10:00.001-07:00

The Premier Christian Fiction Conference"

STANDING FIRM...MOVING FORWARD

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)

DENVER, COLORADO SEPTEMBER 17 - 20, 2009

Bestselling authors, publishing industry representatives, and newcomers to Christian fiction writing will gather in Denver at the American Christian Fiction Writer’s annual conference September 17-20 to compare notes, learn from each other, and encourage one another in the pursuit of publishing goals.

This year’s conference theme , Standing Firm…Moving Forward, will especially inspire the full range of talent and dreams in the ever-changing publishing world today.

This amazing conference will feature representatives from major publishing houses like B & H, Guideposts, Zondervan, Harvest House, Barbour, Steeple Hill, Summerside Press, Bethany House, Waterbrook Multnomah, Marcher Lord Press, Tyndale House, and Thomas Nelson, and top literary agents who will meet with writers and identify promising proposals from both new and veteran novelists. Conferees will have access to publishing panels, professional critiques, and customized workshops based on skills and interests.

The keynote speaker is New York Times bestselling author, Debbie Macomber, who has more than 100 million copies of her books in print worldwide.

Learn more about the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Conference by visiting www.acfw.com. Click on the left sidebar on Annual Conference.

Welcome Back!

2009-08-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

My friend in Texas told me today that I had to do something about my blog. So I gave it a facelift and made a resolution to post at least once a week. Now all I have to do is follow through.

Actually, as she reminded me, there has been a lot of good news that I could post. My cozy mystery Pedigreed Bloodlines was a finalist in the inspirational category of the Daphne du Maurier Awards. This contest is for books published in the previous year and is sponsored by the Kiss of Death Chapter of Romance Writers of America.

I went to Washington D.C. the middle of July for the awards ceremony that coincided with the beginning of the Romance Writers of American Conference. The winner was my friend Christy Barritt from Virginia with her book Suspicious Minds. We had a great time at the awards party which really lived up to its name--Death by Chocolate. I've never seen as many different dishes that contained chocolate.

While I was in Washington, I went to RWA's Literacy Signing. I couldn't believe it when I walked into this huge room that is used for trade shows and saw about 500 authors sitting at tables signing their books. All of them had donated their time and the proceeds from their sales to literacy. I had a great time walking up and down the rows of tables and meeting authors whose books I've read.

I didn't get to stay for the conference since I had to get back home for my husband and me to celebrate our anniversary. Next year RWA is in Nashville, and I hope I get to go for the entire conference.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T20:56:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again when we give special thought to the blessings God has given us. In keeping with the season, I offer these Thanksgiving quotes:

Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.
-- Author Unknown

It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.
-- Author Unknown

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.
-- Author Unknown

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. ~Edward Sandford Martin

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. ~W.J. Cameron

On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence. ~William Jennings Bryan

God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart. ~Izaak Walton

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward

Thanksgiving is nothing if not a glad and reverent lifting of the heart to God in honor and praise for His goodness. ~Robert Casper Lintner

My Favorite Holiday

2008-11-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

It's my favorite time of year again. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. The memories of my childhood Thanksgivings now melt into the ones with my own family, and I know how blessed I have been.

I can close my eyes and see my grandmother's kitchen. The smells of all my favorite foods, the laughter of my cousins, and the family gathered around her big oak dining table fill me with a yearning for days long past and loved ones who've gone on to be with Jesus. Sometimes I wish I could return to the simple time of my childhood. Then I see my children and grandchildren and know how I must take advantage of the time with them.

My grandmother's oak table now graces my dining room. On Thanksgiving my family will gather around it. My husband, children, and grandchildren will be there. My mother, now 87 years old, will reign as the matriarch as my brother and sisters and their families also celebrate the day.

We will speak of those who are missing either because of living far distances or having passed from this life. We will relate funny stories of years gone by, and we will thank God for the great Christian heritage given us by those who came before us.

A Lifelong Learner

2008-07-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again in my hometown. School starts again in less than two weeks. Students are shopping for school supplies, and teachers are getting their classrooms ready. I know what the excitement is like because I was a part of it for many years.

Friends ask me all the time if I miss teaching, and I honestly respond that I don't. I loved it when I was there, but I was ready to reinvent myself--try something new. When I turned in my keys to the building where I'd been principal for seventeen years, I wondered what the Lord had in mind for me. I knew what I wanted, but I didn't know if it was part of His plan.

I'd started writing and found ACFW about two years before I left the profession I loved. As I studied the craft through conferences and the very helpful ACFW loop, it didn't take me long to realize that I had just entered another area of education. I was no longer the teacher, I was the learner. And I loved it.

Maybe there are some writers who sit down and produce a great American novel on the first try, but I've never known one. It takes hours of hard work to craft a story. Then there are all the rewrites. Those could go on forever if the discerning writer didn't finally stop.

Writing can be a lonely job unless you have a support group. For me, that is what American Christian Fiction Writers and my critique group through that organization has been. They have been the light for me as I've walked the dark and lonely road toward publication. I know without them I wouldn't have achieved my goal of becoming published.

My life is very different now. I get up in the mornings and instead of rushing off to school I grab a cup of coffee and head to my computer. I feel like I have finally achieved a dream I'd harbored for years--to write a novel. Now with three contracted novels, I wait to see what else the Lord has in store for me. Whatever it is, He's promised to be there with me.

Ocracoke Island

2008-07-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

I'm spending this week at a beautiful spot, one I'd never heard of until recently. I knew there were barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, but I had never thought much about them. Then I had a phone call from my daughter's former college room mate. Not having heard from her in several years, I was thrilled to catch up on what she'd been doing. I was surprised when she told me she was teaching school on Ocracoke Island. The way she described it I knew I had to see it.

So my son, granddaughter, and I ventured the nine hundred miles from our home in West Tennessee to the very edge of North Carolina. At Swan Quarter we boarded a ferry and rode for 2 1/2 hours across the wide expanse of water separating the coast of the state from the small island of Ocracoke.

The island is about fifteen miles long, but the village that sits in the center covers approximately two or three miles. The quaint shops, the friendly residents, the beautiful beaches--this place has them all. Bicycles abound as families wheel around seeing all the sights. With the speed limit set at 20 mph, bicycle travel is a safe way to go.

There's history here, too. During the Civil War, residents, afraid they might be invaded, built a fort to fend off attacking forces. The water has now consumed this small fortress with only a marker to remind us what had once stood near there. A small British cememtery contains the remains of British soldiers killed off shore by a German U boat during World War II.

Ferries arrive and depart on schedule as more people come and go. I didn't know what to expect when I came here, but I certainly haven't been disappointed. I look around at the unfamiliar setting--the landscape, the ocean, the lifestyle--and thank the Lord for the wonder of His world. Sometimes I get very comfortable in the little spot that I inhabit on this planet, and then I see something like Ocracoke Island, and I'm reminded of how small I am in God's grand scheme. But yet, I know He cares about each of us, no matter how insignificant we may seem, and I thank Him for loving me.

An Unsolicited Review

2008-05-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

It's a scary thing to see your book released. You slave over the manuscript trying to choose the right words to convey what you're feeling and then spend hours rewriting everything. Then with a sigh of relief you send it to your editor, only to find out that there's still editing to be done.

After going through content and copy edits, you feel like you're almost there. That is, until the release date arrives. Then you're faced with the realization that other people are going to read your book, the baby that you birthed and sent into the world, and they're going to pass judgment on your work.

All writers must face the critics, the reviews, and those who'd like to tell you how it should have been done. How we handle it is up to each individual. A friend of mine referred to writers as needing rhino skins when we actually are layered like a fragile onion. I think she's right. It's not easy to accept the harsh words we may have to endure in this profession.

That's what makes us feel so good when someone emails us with an unsolicited review of our work. I received one this weekend that thrilled me and made me forget all the long hard hours I put into writing Pedigreed Bloodlines. After reading the book, Jo sent this review:

Sandra,
I am certainly no critic, I just judge a book by whether I can easily put it down or how anxious I am to pick up where I left off if I HAVE TO put it down.
Well, let me tell you. I started it after supper last night and couldn't put it down until I read the last word.

It's wonderful Sandra!!!!!

It's a powerful writer who paints mental pictures all through the book and makes people feel the love, the pain, the compassion, the guilt...all the feelings in the hearts of the characters. You did that with great impact!
I'm so proud of you...AND proud FOR you!
I am going to want every book. I'll keep a watch on the website and find out when the next one will be available.
Be blessed!

I said a prayer of thanksgiving for those kind words. She'll never know what they meant to me. It's encouragement like this that will keep me writing for a long time.

My First Book Signing

2008-05-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

If you've never had a book signing, it can be a scary event. With the release of my first book Pedigreed Blood Lines, I knew I would have to do this, and I dreaded it with a passion. I wasn't afraid of meeting people or talking to them, but I had this great fear that no one would show up.

My daughter Kristi had arranged for the place, planned the refreshments, and publicized the event. Her sister Stacey was to bake some cookies and arrange for the door prize. All I had to do was show up at The Carriage House Antiques in Jackson, Tennessee, on Sunday afternoon from 2:00 - 4:00 and bring the books and a good pen.

I kept telling my two daughters not to be upset if no one came out on Sunday afternoon. After a work week, most people want to spend a relaxing afternoon at home on Sunday. I think I was trying to prepare myself more than them for disappointment.

So, breathing a prayer that I wouldn't be too embarrassed, I headed out for the antique shop that was sixty miles from my house. When I drove up in front of the store, I was rather surprised to see so many cars in the parking lot. I didn't think anybody would be shopping on Sunday. Before I could get my books out of the car, a loud "Hello" echoed across the parking lot. I turned to see my nieces Diane and Theresa from Memphis who'd driven all the way to Jackson for my book signing. I think they were more excited than I was. I knew the book signing was already a success just to have them there with us.

I could go on and on about the afternoon and how wonderful it was. Never would I have expected such success. A Jackson attorney came and bought ten copies of my book. One was for her dog groomer as a present from her dog (you know my book is about dogs), and she also bought copies for all the women in her book club. My book is to be their book next month to discuss. As she told me the names, I felt really humbled. One member is a federal judge, and many of the others are lawyers.

ACFW member Lisa Spivey showed up with a friend, and I was thrilled to see her. Lisa writes Christian women's fiction, and she's looking for an agent at present and trying to get published. I know she's going to make it.

It's impossible to mention everyone who bought books, but I was honored that so many people came to by. When the afternoon was over, I'd run out of books (sold forty) and had money from people who wanted a copy.

When I got home, I had an email from my critique partner Jess Ferguson. She was on her way out of town but wanted me to know that she was praying for my book signing. In fact she was praying that I'd sell all my books. I'm going to send all my prayer requests to her from now on! How wonderful to have friends who pray for you.

So my first book signing was a wonderful event. I have no idea how many books God has for me to write or how many signings I will host, but I do know one thing--nothing will ever equal the thrill of the first one.

Pedigreed Bloodlines Releases

2008-05-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

Pedigreed Bloodlines is releasing, and the excitement around my house is growing. I'm posting a press release my daughter did for my first book signing. I have to keep pinching myself to believe it's really happening.

LOCAL AUTHOR CELEBRATES PUBLICATION OF FIRST BOOK; ANTICIPATES PUBLICATION OF SERIES

Friends and family of local author Sandra Robbins announce that they will host a book signing event in her honor on Sunday, May 18, 2008 from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Carriage House Antique Market and Café located at 195 Carriage House Drive, Jackson, Tennessee. The event will celebrate the release of Pedigreed Bloodlines, her first book slated for release from Barbour Publishing in its new “Heartsong Presents Mysteries” line. The public is invited.

Pedigreed Bloodlines is a cozy mystery set in the fictional Smoky Mountain Resort town of St. Claire, North Carolina, and introduces Leigh Dennison as antique dealer turned sleuth. When Leigh Dennison’s dear friend and champion show dog breeder Addie Jordan is killed, Leigh goes on the hunt to sniff out the murderer. Leigh, who has never been a dog lover, finds herself as the owner of Addie’s kennel, which houses a puppy with a bright future in the show ring. Leigh must overcome one obstacle after another as she sets out to succeed with the kennel and find the person who killed the woman she loved like a mother. At the top of her suspect list: a homeless Vietnam veteran, a young Cherokee high school dropout, the owner of a rival kennel. . . and the man with whom Leigh is falling in love. As clues unfold to the killer’s identity, she makes another surprising discovery—there’s a reason dogs are known as man’s best friend.

A native of Martin, Tennessee, Ms. Robbins retired two years ago as an elementary school principal after 33 years in the education field. Ms. Robbins says that although she is retired, God opened the door for her to become a full time writer. Now she can step out of bed in the mornings and head right to her computer.

Ms. Robbins began by writing historical romances. The Enemy in the Delta, a story about the Japanese-American internment camps in Arkansas, placed second in the Barkley Sterling Contest sponsored by the Lake Country Romance Writers in Rochester, New York. Later, she turned to mystery writing and sold her first mystery to Barbour Publishing. Murder in Small Doses, the second in the Leigh Dennison series, will release from Barbour in February 2009.

The public is invited to the book signing event at Carriage House Antique Market and Café. Ms. Robbins extends a special invitation to aspiring novelists seeking advice on how to get their books published. To find out more information about Sandra Robbins and her upcoming books, go to Sandra’s website at http://sandrarobbins.net.

Author Linda Windsor Apology

2008-03-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

Well-known Christian author Linda Windsor has asked other authors of inspirational fiction to help in publicizing her apology concerning some language in her book Wedding Bell Blues. The following is her statement:

From author Linda Windsor
My heartfelt APOLOGIES regarding Wedding Bell Blues. I had two regrettable errors in this publication that, when called to my attention, I didn’t at first believe it.

I didn’t remember my hero having a Rhett Butler moment when he said “D_mn, I still love you, Alex.”

And while I’d written unsaved Sue Ann exclaiming, “Oh, my g_wd!” with the intent of convicting Sue Ann of the blasphemy in her own book #4, I changed her mind after discussing it with my editor and deleted those occurrences rather than offend anyone. Well, I missed one. THE GOOD NEWS is that these have been removed from future printings and book club issues.

To anyone who read Wedding Bell Blues and was offended, my humble apologies. I’d written this book after my husband died and during those months of brain fog, I almost stopped writing because it was so hard to put coherent thought together. Then I turned it in months late, which put my publisher in a bind as far as getting the usual multiple editings. This was the result. Granted, I must have written these blunders or they would not have been there. For that, I can only ask for your forgiveness and understanding.

Heartsong Presents--Mysteries Are Off to a Great Start!

2008-03-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

There's excitement among the authors of the Heartsong Presents-Mysteries today. Some have gotten their first shipments and are already reading their friends' stories, and others are still waiting for their first package to arrive.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have mine in hand. Last night I started reading Candice Speare's Murder in the Milk Case, and it's great. This title has intrigued me ever since I first heard about it. I wondered how in the world someone could be murdered in a supermarket milk case. Of course, it's very simple. You see, it happens this way. . . Oops! If you want to know, you're going to have to read the book.

Candice has a contest at her blog, and the winner will receive a beautiful cross necklace. Check it out and see what you have to do to win. But I warn you, I plan to make one of those crosses mine. So you're going to have to move fast if you plan on winning.

I'll be telling you about the other books soon. Keep coming back for more information about Heartsong Presents-Mysteries. You can sign up to receive these books on my website.

Heartsong Presents-Mysteries Arrives

2008-03-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

I received my first shipment of the Heartsong Presents--Mysteries today. We've been waiting for this day for two years. It was wonderful to finally hold the books of people who've become friends as we've anticipated the beginning of this great line.

The books and their authors in the first shipment are:

Murder in the Milk Case by Candice Speare
Everybody Loved Roger Harden by Cecil Murphey
Death on a Deadline by Chris Lynxwiler, Jan Reynolds, and Sandy Gaskin
Recipe for Murder by Lisa Harris
Mysterious Incidents at Lone Rock by Rajendra Pillai
Trouble Up Finney's Nose by Dana Mentink
Homicide at Blue Heron Lake by Susan Page Davis and Megan Elaine Davis
The Dead of Winter by Nancy Mehl

I can't wait to read these great mysteries. I'm also anxiously awaiting the release of my book Pedigreed Blood Lines in April.

If you're interested in reading more of Barbour's mysteries, go to my website and sign up. Mystery lovers will find these cozies suspenseful and delightful.

I've Been Tagged

2007-10-14T21:14:00.001-07:00

I've been tagged by my friend Jess Ferguson. She tells me I'm supposed to write down what I was doing ten, twenty, and thirty years ago. That's what she says, but I think it's really a means to getting me to update my blog. Sad to say, I haven't done that lately. My excuse is that I'm finishing up the edits on my book that's due back to my editor by November 1st. However, I suppose I can take time out to try and recall those days gone by. Now let me see. . . .

10 Years Ago -- I was working as principal at Martin Primary School in Martin, Tennessee. My children were all grown and out of the house, and my fourth grandchild was born. Sydney, the daughter of my son, made her arrival that year to join the other grandchildren -- Jay who was nine at the time, Katie who was eight, and Megan who was six.

20 Years Ago -- Now this is getting harder. I had just completed a year's leave from my school system to work for the Tennessee Department of Education and had returned to Martin Elementary School where I was teaching music in grades 2 - 5. I went through the Career Ladder Program Evaluation that Tennessee had adopted to identify exemplary teachers and reached the highest level of the ladder. This program gave incentive pay to teachers who could achieve the higher levels of the program. Tennessee has since discontinued the program, but teachers who had taken advantage of the program were guaranteed of the continued salary supplements until retirement.

30 Years Ago -- Now this is REALLY hard. I can't remember back that far. I was teaching 5th grade at Martin Elementary School, and I received my Master's degree. I was so relieved to get that degree that I decided to do something totally outrageous -- I enrolled in another graduate program and proceeded to get my license in educational administration and supervision. I didn't know if I would ever get to be a principal, because at the time not many women were breaking into administration. But the Lord led me that way and later I spend 17 years as a school principal.

Now I hope Jess is happy. I've thought and thought until my poor brain is tired, but I must admit it's been good to remember events that marked those years. Thanks for tagging me, Jess.

My Website Rolls Out

2007-09-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it. My website is ready to make its debut.

When I began my journey toward publication, I had no idea what all would be involved. I had the deluded notion that I would write a book, a publisher would buy it, and send me on long book tours across the country. Well, maybe I wasn't that naive, but I didn't realize all the marketing that a writer must do these days. One of those ways is to have a website.

Now as far as computers go, I can do the basic things. But a website? No way! I had to find someone to do that for me.

The first thing I did was study other writers' sites to see what I liked. Then I would research the work of other sites their designer had done. I did this for about a year before I decided to contact Bret Haines, a web designer in Nashville, to discuss the possibility of his doing my site.

My husband and I went to Nashville and spent an enjoyable morning with Brett, his wife, and daughter in their lovely Victorian home. By the time I left I knew he was the one I wanted.

So after several months of waiting it's ready to go. Bret's designed a whimsical, yet mysterious and romantic site. He's taken my interest in flow blue china and used that influence across all the pages.

I hope we've given you a peek into my life. And it's my sincere desire that you will feel comfortable enough to come back often for a visit.

A Day to Remember

2007-08-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today dawned just as others had done in the past. No great revelation flashed in my mind to let me know that this day was not to play out like other Sundays had in the past. It was hot, I remember, as are all the August days in the South-a day to enjoy worship services at church, eat a leisurely lunch, and then settle down for an afternoon nap. But events were in progress 800 miles away that would impact every member in our family.

Our daughter and son-in-law had found out a few weeks before that a young woman about to give birth wanted to find an adoptive family for her child, and legal procedures had been started for them to adopt the baby. With a month left before the due date, we felt like we had enough time to prepare for the expected arrival.

However, on that day, nature intervened, and a healthy baby girl made her entrance into the world. In a matter of hours travel arrangements had to be made, baby clothes purchased , and leaves from work approved. Then with prayers for safe travel and God's will in the adoption, my anxious daughter and son-in-law headed on a journey like none they'd traveled before.

As I look back on that time, I can see how God worked to place this precious child in our family. She is a special gift, and we pray that we will always prove worthy of the great responsibility we have in bringing her up to love and serve the Lord.

She turned two years old today, but family and friends gathered on Saturday night to celebrate the addition of this child to our lives. But today is her birthday, and this grandmother wants her to know how much she is loved and treasured. Happy birthday, Kylie.

Tribute to a Hero

2007-07-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

I paused to remember a hero yesterday.

There's a television show that has been on this past year titled Heroes, but I must admit I've never watched it. I think it has to do with a group of people with special powers and how they will use them to save the world. Maybe the reason I've never watched is because I became an admirer of a true hero many years ago, and I can't imagine anyone taking his place.

I was just a pre-teen when I first went to a movie and saw Audie Murphy on the screen. At the time I knew nothing about him except that he was handsome and he always beat the bad guys in the end. At that age I knew very little about World War II and the young man from Texas who became the most decorated soldier of that great conflict.

As the years passed and I grew older, I began to find out that Audie risked his life time after time in battle. His acts of bravery which earned him every medal that the United States has to offer and additional ones from Belgium and France have been written about and even made into a movie.

The young hero attracted the attention of those in Hollywood after the war, and for 25 years he made movies, thrilling young girls like me across the nation. His autobiography, To Hell and Back, was made into a movie starring him, and it held the record for the highest grossing movie for twenty years. Audie died in 1971 when the small plane in which he was a passenger crashed into the side of a mountain near Roanoke, VA. His grave in Arlington National Cemetery is the second most visited site there, the first being President Kennedy's.

Yestereday I relived some of my early thoughts about Audie Murphy as I toured the museum in his honor in Greeneville, Texas. I also learned so much about him. Not only was he a hero, but he was a writer. He wrote poetry, songs, and of course his autobiography. He was a man a of many talents, but he also was a troubled man, suffering from depression which at the time was called battle fatigue from all he'd seen and endured on the battlefield. At the time it was frowned on by the military to discuss anything about post traumatic stress, but he found the courage to speak out in defense of returning veterans from Korea and Vietnam.

As I think of what he did and what he sacrificed for our country, I couldn't help but think of the young men and women who are fighting in Iraq. What will they have to deal with when they finally come home? Will we as a nation support them for their contributions to democracy, or will we expect them to forget what they've seen and get on with their lives? Audie Murphy got on with his life, but he was haunted by his past.

We need to make sure our young men and women have every opportunity to heal both emotionally and physically from their battle scars. And we as Christians should be in prayer every day for those who serve us around the world.

Audie, you're my hero. I know you would want us to take care of those who came after you. I pray this nation will do just that.

Plotting a New Novel

2007-07-09T14:49:00.001-07:00

For the last few days I've had all kinds of gruesome thoughts filtering into my mind. No, I'm not going mad, I'm just trying to plot my latest mystery novel.

I had the characters all set and had arrived at an outline of a plot that I thought would work. However, when I started to put together a synopsis, the plot soon began to fall apart. I discovered that from the very beginning the villain was too evident, and I had to do something about that.

"What to do?" I cried as I wrung my hands in anguish. The answer was simple -- plot some more. So I embarked on another journey through a maze of murder and mayhem trying to throw in red herrings while dropping clues that might escape even the most intense reader.

Finally I think I've got it figured out. The villain in the original plot now becomes a prime suspect although he's innocent. Someone else has taken his place as the cruel perpetrator of mayhem and havoc on the unsuspecting citizens in a small mountain community.

I'm sure I'll be telling you more about this book as I progress. But for now I'll try to whet your interest with the opening sentence:

Claire McCaslin, looking extremely healthy for a woman who’d been dead ten years, stuck her hand out the third floor window of the mansion and waved as Dani Tyler’s car approached the house.

Tune in for more trials and tribulations as I write my new novel Triad.

The Star Spangled Banner

2007-07-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is a day set aside for us to remember as Americans how blessed we are to live in this nation. We recall many events in history that have made us what we are--a strong, proud people who are grateful to those who struggled to make this nation what it is today.

One person I've always enjoyed reading about is Francis Scott Key. Held prisoner aboard a ship in 1814 as Baltimore was being attacked by the British, he held vigil all night to see if the American flag still waved. In the early morning hours when it became evident the British would not be victorious, he penned the words to The Star Spangled Banner. Later it was set to music with a familiar tune of the day.

Today we stand in reverence and place our hands on our hearts when the first strains of this melody are heard. I have heard people question why this song, so difficult for some to sing, is still used as our national anthem. However, sometimes I let my thoughts run free, and I imagine myself on that ship along side Francis Scott Key, staring into the night, trying to glimpse the symbol of our freedom waving against the rocket-lit sky. It gives me chills to think what it might have been like, and I find myself once again singing those familiar words:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous night
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Mary or Martha?

2007-06-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our pastor spoke on the characteristics of Mary and Martha, the sisters found in Luke 10:38-42. If you've read the story, you know that Jesus came to visit at the home of the two. Martha was concerned that everything be just right for their special guest and busied herself with the preparations for a meal. Mary, on the other hand, sat at the feet of Jesus listening to his every word.

When Martha complained about this to Jesus, He told her that she was careful and troubled about many things but that Mary had chosen the good part.

Both women had the best of motives in what they did. Martha was a giving and loving woman who wanted to serve those around her. Mary was humble, devoted to Jesus, and hungered to hear His word.

As I thought about those qualities, I decided to combine them into one person would produce an awesome personality. And I began to wonder, what would it be like to find those characteristics in a writer.

We, as writers for the Christian market, feel called of God to send His message of hope to a lost world. We can not do that until we are truly committed to Him. We must love God first and foremost and worship him every day of our lives. If we do that, then He will guide us to our place of ministry in writing. Amd we must always remember, the place we want to go may not be where He's leading us.

A difficult thing for me to come to grips with in my life has been the fact that God's answer may not be what I wanted. But He does answer. Sometimes with a yes and sometimes with a no. Martha wanted some help in the kitchen, but Jesus told her to follow Mary's example and worship Him. When we become discouraged because we've gotten another rejection and no one seems to see how great our writing is, we should do the same. Just worship Him.

Waiting for the Call

2007-06-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

No calls or emails have come. The silence is deafening as I wait to hear the fate of my latest child who has been sent out into the world.

If you're a writer, you know what I mean. Months of work produce a highly polished manuscript. Your agent tells you it looks like a winner, and out it goes to the publishing houses for some editor's perusal. Days turn into weeks, and you wonder what slush pile your baby is buried in. All you can do is wait, pray, and hope that a contract is waiting somewhere down the line for you.

I understand how some writers can become discouraged at the snail's pace with which the publishing world seems to move. At times I've questioned why I'm doing this until I remember the reason I write and why I write for the Christian market.

I have been very blessed in my life as I've worked to achieve goals I've set for myself. I have a husband, four wonderful children, and five awesome grandchildren. I was able to work in a field I felt called to as a teacher and later a principal in the public schools. And then God blessed me even more when He called me to write His words and send them out in my books. Only He knows what the plans are for my writing, and He knows where those proposals are located in the slush piles.

Not too long ago I sent my children into the world to succeed or fail on their own. I pray for their success, but as their mother I am there to pick them up when life doesn't go as planned. And so it is with me. My strength comes from the One who never fails me, the One who lifts me up to soar with the eagles.

Crit 3 Pictures

2007-06-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

For pictures of Crit 3 members enjoying an afternoon in San Antonio go to jessyferguson.blogspot.com. She's posted some there and also asks which of the group is fearless.

See if you can guess which one of these demure women could carve up a snake with a butcher knife. When she found a snake wrapped around the base of her hot water heater and stuck in one of those sticky traps just inches away from an imprisoned mouse, she sliced up the snake and killed the mouse with a blow from a hammer. Any wonder she now writes mysteries? LOL Now which one could it be?

A Writer's Retreat

2007-06-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

What do six writers do when they get together? Brainstorm intriguing storylines that will produce a best selling novel and an academy award winning movie? Engage in intellectual conversation to broaden their horizons? Or just eat a lot?

The question was answered for me this last week when my daughter, also a writer, opened her home in San Antonio for my critique group to spend some quality time together. Plans to visit the Alamo and stroll along the River Walk soon gave way to hanging out in the den and enjoying being together. It reminded me so much of slumber parties from my high school days except this time nobody's underwear ended up in the freezer.

One of my friends mentioned the fact that probably none of us would have ever met if not for the internet. Three are from Texas, one from Louisiana, and one from Tennessee. We're all members of American Christian Fiction Writers and ended up in a critique group through that organization. All of our contact is over the internet. That's what made these few days together so special. Even though we've been to conferences togther, this was a time to learn things about each other we didn't know - to laugh, to cry, and to speak of dreams.

All in all, though, I suppose I would have to say that the time together only served to reinforce what I'd known all along. We may write in different voices and styles, but in the end we all share the common bond of sisterhood through Jesus Christ. This enables us to continue the calling He has given us to reach the world through the words He gives us and to deal with the rejections when they come.

We've all returned to our homes now, but I know we all went away with a resolve to face the unknown with hope. All we can do is pray, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be found acceptable in Thy sight." If we do that, we can never fail.

ACFW Genesis Finalists

2007-05-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

American Christian Fiction Writers announced the finalists in their Genesis contest today. This is for unpublished authors who are members of the organization. The winner in each genre and the overall winner will be announced at the annual conference in Dallas.

Special congratulations go to my critique partner Marcia Gruver for her entry. Way to go, Marcia!!!

The finalists are as follows:

Contemporary Romance (includes romantic comedy)
Jennifer Lynn Cary
Audra Harders
Catherine Hershberger
Roxanne Sherwood
Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Historical Romance
Linda Fulkerson
Audra Harders
Pam Hillman (double finalist in Historical Romance)
Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Romantic Suspense
Sally Bradley
Marci J. Burke
Dineen Miller
Dani Pettrey
Suzan Robertson

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Allegory
Sally A. Apokedak
Valerie Comer
Rebecca Grabill
Shannon McNear
Chris Mikesell

Historical Fiction (not romance)
Yvonne Anderson
Marcia Gruver
Tina Helmuth
Carla Stewart
Erica Vetsch

Young Adult
Sally Apokedak
Leigh DeLozier
Linda Fulkerson
Charlene Glatkowski
Rachael Phillips

Contemporary Fiction
Michael Ehret
Jennifer Griffith
Kathy Harriss
Myra Johnson
Angie Poole

Women's Fiction
Lynne Gentry
Ane Mulligan
Kristine Pratt
Kathleen Sprout
Ginger Vaughan

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Martha Pope Gorris
Gina Holmes (double finalist in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller)
Janet Robertson
Janet Rubin

Chick/Mom/Hen/Lady Lit
Georgiana Daniels
Annalisa Daughety
Sabrina Fox-Butcher
Carrie Padgett
Jenness Walker

Congratulations to all the 2007 Genesis finalists!

Quotes for the Writer

2007-05-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

The task of a writer consists of being able to make something out of an idea."
Thomas Mann

"You must want to enough. Enough to take all the rejections, enough to pay the price of disappointment and discouragement while you are learning. Like any other artist you must learn your craft—then you can add all the genius you like."
Phyllis A. Whitney

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
Mark Twain

To imagine yourself inside another person...is what a story writer does in every piece of work; it is his first step, and his last too, I suppose."
Eudora Welty

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."
Robert Frost

"Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer."
Barbara Kingsolver

"No, it's not a very good story—its author was too busy listening to other voices to listen as closely as he should have to the one coming from inside."
Stephen King

Graduation

2007-05-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's high school graduation time all across the country. Everywhere from the cities to the smallest villages, students anxiously await the rite of passage into adulthood, not understanding how their lives will change in the years ahead.

The Bible says that life is like a vapor. How true that is. It seems like only a few years ago I walked across the stage to receive my high school diploma. Now I prepare to watch my granddaughter graduate.

There's so much I want to tell her, but I know she will make her own way and learn from her successes and failures. I want her to enjoy the years that will go too quickly, but I want her always to remember that her strength to face life comes only from God.

If she has learned that, she has nothing to fear.

Nancy Drew, I Miss You

2007-05-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

I love a good mystery. It's the result of all those Nancy Drew mysteries I read growing up. I can still remember how I struggled right along with Nancy to solve The Mystery of the Tolling Bell or The Password to Larkspur Lane. I read them all and could hardly wait for the next one to be released.

We didn't have a bookstore or a library in our community. My father would drive to a neighboring town to buy me the book with Nancy's latest escapades, and I would devour it with lightning speed. How I longed to be old enough to drive a blue roadster like Nancy and solve the latest mystery that I was sure existed somewhere in my hometown. As I grew older, I read books written for more mature readers, but I've never forgotten the thrill I received as I lost myself in the world of Nancy Drew.

Today as I plot the latest mystery I'm writing, I think about Nancy and all the pleasure she's given to girls through the years. Sometimes when I hit a snag in the plotting of my latest book, I find myself wishing I could talk to her. Maybe she could enlighten me on how to entice a reader to keep turning the page or how I can create empathy so that the character springs from the page and inhabits the mind of my readers.

Nancy did that for me. She left a legacy of adventure and mystery in me that now finds its way onto the written page of my manuscripts. Sometimes when I'm writing, I find my thoughts going to my adolescent years and the impact Nancy had on my love for the unexplained. Then I pause in memory of an old friend and close my eyes at the words playing in my mind. Nancy Drew, I miss you.

This Is My Father's World

2007-05-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally arrived, and a feeling of rebirth is in the air. Tree branches that were bare a few weeks ago now offer a leafy canopy in my yard, and the perennials that slept through the winter are peeking their heads out in search of the sun's warm rays. As I look around me at the beauty of God's world unfolding, I find myself in awe of His handiwork.

I once had a geography teacher in college who told my class that the more he studied the earth and its formations the more convinced he was that there is a God. I still think of that brave professor who voiced his beliefs in a classroom filled with young people preparing to enter the work world. I hope his words that day still echoes in some other person's mind as it does in mine.

God's word tells us if we will seek Him, we will find Him. All it takes is looking through eyes of faith at the world around us.

Bob Barker Is Retiring

2007-05-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

An era in television comes to an end when Bob Barker steps down as the host of The Price Is Right. For years he's kept millions of fans enthralled with the weekday game show that gives away cars, trips, and all kinds of household items. I, for one, will be sad to see him go. It just won't be the same to hear someone else say, "You win!"

As I watched him give away prizes this morning, I couldn't help but think about my daughter. Next to the oldest of all my children, she is the most organized of all of us in our family. Maybe it's because she's the wife of an army officer. She sets a goal and then proceeds to reach it, never losing sight of what she's trying to do.

So it was no surprise to me when she told me a few years ago she was going to get her friend on The Price Is Right. At the time they were stationed at the Army's National Training Center in California, a base in the middle of the desert where soldiers go to train in desert warfare. Her husband was one of the evaluators.

Her friend loved Bob Barker and had harbored a dream for many years to be a contestant on the show. As a treat for her friend's birthday, my daughter arranged a trip for a group of Army wives to see a show taped in Los Angeles. When she called for tickets, she was told if the group had a certain number in it, they could be assured of getting one person on the show.

Over the next few weeks the required number of women was met, and they set out to see Bob Barker. When they arrived, they were interviewed by a representative from the show, and my daughter insisted her friend was the one who had to make it onstage.

I still don't know how she pulled it off, but a few months later I was able to watch the show when it aired. My daughter, wearing a bright orange Tennessee shirt, sat in the front row and cheered her friend on as she won a lot of money and a huge gumball machine. I've often wondered what she did with that thing.

So Bob Barker will retire, and someone else will take his place. But everytime I see that show I will be reminded of how I should never lose sight of goals in my life, and I will remember how very precious it is to accomplish them in the service of a friend.

The Church Built By Rats

2007-05-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday my church celebrated its eighty-fifth anniversary. That beautiful brick building has stood on a corner near the downtown area of my hometown since 1922. Now its showing the wear and tear of the years and is in need of a major remodeling. Flights of steps throughout the building have becoma a real problem to our older members as it can be difficult to access the various areas. After much discussion, the decision was made to build a new church in a different location.

Now as you can imagine, this didn't please everybody. Some who've attended church there all their lives couldn't stand the thought of leaving behind the magnificent stained glass windows and the rich wood panels in the sanctuary. I have to admit I felt a twinge of regret when I thought of meeting my husband in a service there, marrying on a hot July day in that sanctuary, watching my children baptized there, and seeing them marry at the same altar as their parents did.

I had expected last Sunday to produce a longing for days that only live now in my memory. Many members who'd moved away came back to celebrate the last big anniversary in our building. There was lots of music, recollections of the past, and enough food to feed an army.

Instead of coming away feeling a loss for a building that's served its purpose for eighty-five years, I left instead with a renewed hope for the future. I thought of the charter members who mortgaged their homes all those years ago to raise money for the building. Not only that, but they killed rats. In 1922 the town had been overrun by rats, and the city offered a nickel for every dead rodent brought to city hall. Those early members killed rats and used the money to buy the nails to build the church.

Now we face the new challenge of constructing a new house of worship. And that's what it is--a house of worship. We're leaving one place, but we're taking the church with us. For the church is not the building where you meet, but it's the people who make up the congregation, those who have a vision to make a kingdom difference here on earth. They do it all to bring light to a world in darkness and use whatever means God gives them -- even rats!

Revise, Revise, Revise

2007-05-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

It's never too late - in fiction or in life - to revise. ~Nancy Thayer

My critique partner Jess posted this quote on her blog today. As I read it, I thought of all the rewriting I had done after she read my work. She, along with the other three awesome writers in our group, hold me accountable for every word I put on the page. After a chapter comes back, dripping in red with suggested cuts and additions, I spend as much time rewriting as I did when I first penned the words. The end result is always a stronger story that will have more appeal to readers. I am so thankful for these women who care enough to help me make my writing better.

However, revising in fiction has little meaning for most people. The second part of that quote holds the key to what makes for success and happiness and can have meaning for everyone. We've all known people who have embarked upon new ventures late in life or those who have made drastic changes in lifestyle.

Many of us have dreams we've never accomplished or something in our life we want to change, and sometimes accomplishing these tasks seems too overwhelming to even attempt. So we squander our days and put off doing what we yearn for.

Some might wonder what gives a person the strength and fortitude to revise a life. We don't do it alone. The answer lies in the one who is the giver of life. With His help we can accomplish those things we would never be able to do on our own whether it's write a book, change a habit, or surrender our wills to the creator.

So what are you waiting for? Revise, revise, revise.

And So I Join the World of Blogging

2007-05-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

I said it couldn't be done. I could never set up a blog and take the plunge into cyberspace like so much of the rest of the world is doing these days. How would I ever be able to post my thoughts to the world and say anything that would be of interest to someone else?

I was reminded of a young man I once knew. He was so excited when he got a summer job mowing grass on the campus of a local university. He told his parents it was just what he wanted. He would be free to think of things he'd wanted to consider for a long time, and he'd be doing it in the beautiful outdoors. His first day on the job he came home and told his mother he didn't know what he was going to do for the rest of the summer, he'd already thought of everything he knew anything about.

That was my fear. I've never been under pressure in my writing to accomplish so much in a day's time, and I wasn't sure I could do it. Where would my thoughts come from? How could I write with the ease it appears my fellow writers do on their blogs.

And then a scripture that I memorized many years ago came to mind. In Isaiah 55:8-9 we find these words. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. "

What a revelation to my skeptical heart! The words that I write are not my own. They come from a higher power who breathes his thoughts into me just as he breathes life each day. How can I fail if I remember who is in control of what I write?

And so I decided to embark upon this journey, not knowing where God will lead. All I know is He is the great author of all things, and He will give me the words to say. Through this experience I know I will grow in knowledge of Him and His purpose in my life as he gives me the sentiments I will write--the Sentiments of the Soul.