Monday, October 30, 2017

On My Kindle - Hidden by Vannetta Chapman



Dana Jacobs buries herself in her work with Homeland Security. She's learned the hard way not to get close to the people around her. When Ben Marshall joins the team, her carefully constructed defenses begin to crumble.

Ben Marshall knows how to survive thanks to battlefield experience. All his skills are put to good use as a killer stalks the person he's grown to love.

I've seen Vannetta Chapman around the web, but had never read any of her books. Oh.my.goodness. I can't believe what I missed. Her characters, her settings, her storylines are amazing. They kept me hungering for more, plus I had to remind myself the characters would be victorious. The author got them into some serious jams.

Five stars - I already grabbed the second book in this series.

Writers: Do you ever get your characters into so much trouble that you wonder how you'll rescue them? Please share.

Readers: Do you like nail-biters or do you prefer more sedate stories? Why?




Friday, October 27, 2017

Reading/Writing Tip/Charlie Gard Foundation/Devo/Autumn Scents


1. As writers, we're told to read a wide variety of books. I've wondered on occasion how reading as a writer is different from reading as a reader. Julianna Baggot, at Writer Unboxed, shares some techniques she uses. What do you think of these methods?

2.  Henry McLaughlin, at The Write Conversation, asks, "What Is Your Hero Pursuing?" Sometimes a simple question can clear the cobwebs. This nugget is worth the read.

3. Breaking Christian News reported that Charlie Gard's parents set up a foundation to help other children and parents in the situation they endured. They raised $1.5 million toward taking him to the U.S. for treatment. Unfortunately, a British court ruled the hospital could block their efforts. The constant delays made the chance of recovery fade, and the baby died.

4.  Beth K. Vogt posts at The Write Conversation about, "Stepping Out of the Shadow of Worry."

5. I found Homedit.com that talks about 11 different ways to bring the scents of autumn into your home.

Writers:  Do you consciously try to learn writing techniques by reading books? Please share.

Readers:  What's your favorite scent of fall and why? Is it linked to some childhood memory?

Photo Credit:  Griszka Niewisdomski

Monday, October 23, 2017

Spotlight - Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy - GIVEAWAY!


Product Details
Today, Cecelia Lester is visiting with us and spotlighting her new book, Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.  Check out the PRINT book  giveaway at the end!

1.      How did you start on this writing journey?

As a young adult, I wrote notices for the newspaper about our church missionary society meetings. I found myself writing devotions when it was my turn to give devotions.

Early 1980’s, I went through a very deep depression. I took a 30 day leave of absence from my job. I resigned my job and started putting my thoughts on paper. I even saw a counselor trying to get through some of the issues we had faced as a family. Later, I got discouraged about writing. I was doing poetry at that time.

Later, at another church, I wrote devotions for the women’s group. This was a part of the office I held.  I submitted something to the denominational magazine, but it they rejected it. I again faced discouragement about writing. I did manage to submit some writing samples to another publication there and they picked up one of those samples to use in an adult take-home Sundayschool paper.

In the waning years of the 20th Century, I discovered a hobby that I liked but I didn’t feel satisfied. I asked a Christian friend at church to pray for me about how God wanted me to spend my life, either doing the other pastime or return to writing. God directed me to writing.


2.      What is your favorite part of writing? Least favorite?

My favorite part of writing is the actual writing. I find it frees me from my worries and the issues I face. I love the thoughts and comments I receive from those who read my blog entries.

I find the marketing phase of writing to be difficult. I don’t want people I know and see every week thinking “There she is. All she wants is to peddle her books to me.” I guess, I am not a ‘hard sell’ type of person.


3.      What is something readers might be surprised to find out about you?

As I go through life, I find I am more of an introvert than I used to be. Who knows? Maybe I always have been and I tried to overcome it in my youth.

4.      Please tell us a little bit about your self-publishing experience. Was it as hard/easy as you expected?

I chose to hire a professional editor. She saved me some future grief about the usage of the translation I had initially used. I had to change translations.

I chose a lady to design my book cover and to format my interior. She explained things she did as she went along.

Overall, my print on demand company has gone out of their way to work with me when I had an issue.

5.      What advice would you give other writers who want to go the Indie route?

My advice to other writers is taken from a blog post I did in August:

We need to learn to be:

*VIGILANT. Learn the importance of reviewing your work with the proverbial fine-toothed comb. If I had been more vigilant along the editing and format processes, my book would have been published a month earlier.

*PATIENT. Patient with yourself as well as those who read and edit your work, friends-local and online as well as professional people. We all had full lives and a lot of activities going on in our lives. Remember the King James Version of the Fruit of the Spirit was long-suffering.

*APPRECIATIVE. I have had lots of encouragement from online friends as well as from local ones. I have appreciated all of them.

*PERSISTENT. We have to learn the meaning of this word and apply it to our writing. For me, writing a blog three times a week and an online column once a week takes dedication. It takes a lot of that same dedication staying with writing a book. Some days nothing not go as we think it should. However, we have to stay with it until the end of the long process.


Book Blurb: Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy


            Have you even wondered if you fully understood what God tells you? Have you wanted assurance that God listens to your prayers? Did you ever feel you repeatedly failed God? Have you ever thought something was holding you back from serving Him? If you are like most Christians, you answered yes to at least one of these questions if not all of them. In this book, the reader explores six areas of the Christian walk that sometimes plague believers.

GIVEAWAY:  Cecelia has generously agreed to provide one print copy of her book to a single person who comments on this post. Deadline:  Friday, October 27, 2017. Please include your email address in the comments.


Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Times-Trouble-Bring-Rays-Joy/dp/154827304X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506457004&sr=1-1&keywords=Cecelia+Lester



Facebook (Book page)
https://www.facebook.com/Times-of-Trouble-Bring-Rays-of-Joy-492882131051408/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/quietspirit4

Peace and Blessings to you and yours.

Friday, October 20, 2017

Query Letters/Reviews/Rainbow/Devo/Recipe


1.  Writing query letters is right up there with the synopsis and book proposal in the dread factor. Jennifer Slattery guest posts at Zoe M. McCarthy's blog and gives some valuable tips on crafting a dynamite query letter.

2.  If you've put your novel or non-fiction baby out into the world, you'll eventually face the inevitable one-star review. Writer Unboxed shares the top two reasons a reader will leave a bad review.

3.  Anyone who has read the story of Noah and the Ark knows what the rainbow means. God put it in the sky after the great flood as a covenant never to destroy the earth again in this manner. To restore the original meaning of the rainbow, the ministry that owns the replica of Noah's Ark has lit it in these colors. Check out this article on Breaking Christian News.

4.  Susan Panzica talks about being a bride and relates it to us as the Bride of Christ. Don't miss this lovely analogy.

5.  Ooo, I want to try these Blueberry Galettes. They look yummy and easy. Check out the recipe at JoCooks.

Writers:  How do you process negative reviews?


Readers:  What did you think of the article on reasons for negative reviews? Do you have a policy when it comes to reviewing books?

Photo Credit:  zenek brzeszcz

Monday, October 16, 2017

How To Promote Without Being Obnoxious


We've all seen it:

1.  The author who turns their website or blog into a giant advertisement.

2.  A social media post for their book every waking minute of the day.

3.  Conversations somehow include the title of their newest book.

Advertisers are getting the message about soft selling their products. They engage a viewer/reader with a story and characters that make us laugh, show rather than tell the advantages of an item, and hold our attention.

While some writers avoid all mention of their work, the fact remains: marketing is necessary to make people aware of our offerings. How do we accomplish this without alienating the folks we want to reach?

1.  Name recognition is an important factor. By participating on social media, people are getting to know you as a person.

2.  Back in the day, I followed the local baseball team. One of the things that made the games exciting was knowing about the individual players, their families, and their careers. The same is true for writers. People like to know how we started this journey and what influenced us.

3.  Along with number two above, readers want to be able to relate to authors. They want to know we care about them as individuals and not a cha-ching of the cash register.

Be friendly, be nice, and be real!

Writers:  What are some of the ways you promote your books?

Readers:  What do you want to know about your favorite authors and writers?

Photo Credit:  Jamie Harris

Friday, October 13, 2017

Journaling/Obstacle?/Pro-Life/Writer Quote/Recipes


1.  Positive Writer continues with a post on Creative Journaling. It's geared toward novel writers, but I can see how it would be valuable to non-fiction writers. Readers: How about experimenting with this to help you write book reviews or just for fun?

2.  As writers, we've come up against detours toward publication. Kathryn Craft guest blogs at Writers in The Storm and examines the question, "Obstacle or Opportunity." It made me look at some non-writing offers in a different way.

3.   Missouri's governor recently signed a sweeping pro-life bill into law. One feature is that pregnancy centers will not be forced to counsel about abortion. Read the entire article at Christian Headlines.

4.   Edie Melson, at The Write Conversation, posted a Nathaniel Hawthorne quote for writers.

5.  Do you want some new recipes for the holidays? Why not give some of these a test run? Check out My Incredible Recipes.

Writers:  How do you handle opportunities that may not fit into your writer goals at this time, but could reap dividends down the road?


Readers:  What did you think of the quote for writers? Do you agree or disagree?

Photo Credit:  Justine FG

Monday, October 9, 2017

On My Kindle - Whitewashed by Amy C. Blake


Patience McDonough's plans for a perfect summer at Verity College get off to a rocky start and go downhill from there. She turned down full scholarships to Ivy League colleges because of a decision she made as a child.

She's dismayed not only at the emphasis on the sports program, but also on her grandfather's obsession with getting rid of the college president. Her work assignment turns into a nightmare as strange happenings crowd her days.

Although her name is, "Patience," she struggles to exhibit that trait. Yet, it's evident she desires to do the right thing and please God. Will her lack of patience be her downfall or will mercy and grace pull her out of a truly scary situation?

Amy C. Blake is a new-to-me author. The book started off a bit slow for me but soon picked up the pace. The unfolding mystery and potential love interest kept me engaged. A few red herrings made me wonder if I had the right villains nailed. She pulled off an exciting climax and a satisfying ending.

This book is suitable for the YA crowd, as well  as adults. I'm giving Whitewashed 5 Stars for story content and 4 for execution.

Disclaimer:  I received this book as part of a free promotion on Amazon. Neither the author nor the publisher gave this reviewer any remuneration for a favorable score. All opinions expressed, as always, are mine and mine alone.

Writers:  Have you ever focused on a character's struggle with a negative trait such as impatience? Please share.


Readers:  Have you read any YA (young adult) books? Do they interest you or do you find them too simple for your tastes?

Friday, October 6, 2017

Journaling/Marketing/Shocking Proposal/Impossibilities/Purple


1.  Nicole Gulotta, at Positive Writer, talks about 5 Very Effective Journaling Methods. If you've journaled in the past but stalled out, you might find her suggestions helpful.

2.  Marketing is a key part of an author's job these days. Zoe M. McCarthy shares some of the things she did to prepare for her first book launch and what she's doing for the second book.

3.  Newsmax reports on a Chicago professor's shocking proposal: Kill Deformed Newborns. Is it really so surprising this step from abortion to infanticide?

4.  Adelee Russell, at Rewritten, talks about God making a way when it seems impossible.

5.  I have a love for the color purple. I'm drawn to clothing, decor, and flowers in its various hues. Susan, at Writing Straight From the Heart, talked about her father's lavender irises. By the way, she has some really fun blog links on her sidebar.

Writers:  Do you journal? How do you go about it?

Readers:  What's your favorite color? Do you use it for clothing, decor, and plants? Please share.

Photo Credit:  vada0214

Monday, October 2, 2017

The Writer's Handbag

I tried. Really. Downsizing a purse is akin to squeezing my feet into size five shoes. Perhaps you'll have a bit of sympathy after you hear my story.

Once upon a time, yours truly threw out her back - that nasty sciatic nerve thingy. My chiropractor lifted my handbag and glared at me. "This is part of your problem." While my back cried for relief, my mind screamed, "Nooooo, not my purse!"

Many of my friends carry something the size of a credit card, but not me. Where would I put my driving glasses, reading glasses, the extra pairs of said glasses, my wallet (which qualifies as a mini purse by itself), my car and house keys, the extra set of each, assorted aspirin, cough drops, hard candy (for that dry throat), tissues, my smartphone, my digital camera (yes, I still use one), my Kindle, my notebook for church, and an assortment of odds and ends that would fill this page. Whew! Let me catch my breath.

Around Christmas, Sweetie Mom and I trekked through the mall, using her walker to carry our heavy purses. This worked great until I needed to go shopping for her Christmas gifts. Without the walker, that 15-pound monster threatened to double me over.

A brilliant idea struck me at that moment (did you hear the angels singing?). Carry a lighter version and put the remainder of the items in another bag. The tote could stay in the trunk when the contents weren't required, and the essentials could stay with me.

What I didn't count on was the tote bag acting like a bigger closet or an extra room in a house. More space? Fill it up. An umbrella, a sweater, a paperback book, a water bottle, an extra pair of shoes...you get the picture.

The recent addition of a tablet (the computer kind) now rests in the tote bag. If one of my characters gets chatty, I can whip it out and jot some notes.

I'm now lugging around a purse AND a tote bag (because I need everything in it). What's a girl to do?

Writing Gals:  Do you carry around more writing gadgets, etc. since you started on this journey?

Reader Gals:  Do you carry books with you? How do you keep your purse from becoming your home away from home? I need serious help here.


Hat tip to my blogger buddy, Rhonda Schrock, who adds a whole other dimension to this issue with a husband an four sons. Check out her post.

Photo Credit:  Brano Hudak