Three Attitude Adjustments to Getting Published by Shannon Redmon

When I first started taking my writing seriously, I was convinced my stories would take the world by storm and launch me onto the best-selling author list of the New York Times in record time. I dreamed of having my own display at every national bookstore chain across the nation.

Well, guess what. That didn’t happen. However, after my fourth completed novel, God has granted my dream. I am going to be a published author for the Love Inspired Suspense line with Harlequin and my book, Cave of Secrets, will hit the shelves in October of 2020.

Before being published, however, there were several lessons I had to learn. And not just about writing. God used my passion for creating stories to adjust my expectations and attitude.

These are the three primary lessons, I learned:

Humility
The first thing that needs to go is Pride. Yes, we all love our book babies and think they are the best thing since Shakespeare, however, when we allow pride to override reality, our publishing dreams move further away. Here are some ways you can know if pride is getting in the way of your writing.

•When someone critiques our story, we dismiss their advice. (Even though they have multiple books published and have won awards for their writing)

•When we cling to each written word with ferocity and are unwilling to change our sentences or cut paragraphs that bog our stories down. Chances are we may be dealing with pride.

•When we feel competitive or jealous of another writer’s successes. Social media is a writer’s marketing tool and we often see others post images or stories about their publishing contracts and awards they’ve won. If we haven’t won any, then pride will stir up envy. To combat this destructive reaction, post a congratulatory message on every celebratory writer’s post you see. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it's that most writers are inclusive and supportive of each other because we understand how much time and effort it takes to accomplish these goals.

Motive
I had to truly look inside my heart and determine what my motive was for writing. Was I writing to be published? Or was I writing because I loved to create characters, plots and show God’s love through the story?

This heart change doesn’t come easy and one I had to continue to pursue. When we write only for publication, then this journey can be discouraging and long. Traditional publishing is not a fast process by any means and there will be rejection. Each of my first three books -which will probably never see the light of day- got me a little closer to publication. I learned more every time I wrote. My craft improved with the practice and now I can truly say, I write because I love to create stories.

Perseverance
We won't be published if we give up and quit when things get tough. Perseverance and discipline is key. A writer must never give up, never stop, but must write every day or at least multiple sessions during the week.

Several times, I thought about quitting, but God continued to urge me forward, gently and in ways I never dreamed. The goal of becoming a published writer is not a sprint. It's a daily walk with God, putting each story he gives, one at a time, onto the page.

All writers want to publish books. However, the most divine author of all wants to create stories within us by drawing our hearts to his along the way.

All writers want to publish books. However, the most divine author of all wants to create stories with us by drawing our hearts to him along the way. @shannon_redmon @MaryAFelkins #amwriting #writerwisdom #seriouslywrite

Shannon Redmon remembers the first grown up book she checked out from the neighborhood book mobile. A Victoria Holt novel with romance, intrigue, dashing gentlemen and ballroom parties captivated her attention. For her mother, the silence must have been a pleasant break from non-stop teenage chatter, but for Shannon, those stories whipped up a desire and passion for writing. There’s nothing better than the power of a captivating novel, a moving song or zeal for a performance that punches souls with awe. A rainbow displayed after a horrific storm or expansive views on a mountaintop bring nuggets of joy into our lives. Shannon hopes her stories immerse readers into that same kind of amazement, encouraging faith, hope and love, guiding our hearts to the One who created us all.

Shannon’s writing has been published in Spark magazine, Splickety magazine, the Lightning Blog, The Horse of My Dreams compilation book, and the Seriously Write blog. Her stories have been selected as a semi-finalist and finalist of the ACFW Genesis Contest and won first place in the Foundation’s Awards. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. The StoryMoore Blog is named in memory of her father, Donald Eugene Moore.

Connect with Shannon:
www.shannonredmon.com
The StoryMoore Blog
Facebook
Twitter @shannon_redmon
LinkedIn
Check out Shannon’s story in a compilation with other authors published by Revell.
The Horse of My Dreams

Three Tips to Finish That Book by Evelyn M. Hill

His Forgotten Fiancée is the first book I’ve ever published.

And I have a confession to make: there came a point, in the middle of the book, where I realized this was The Worst Book Ever Written. I came very close to walking away. If I hadn’t entered a contest (Love Inspired Historical’s Manuscript Matchmaker) and had an editor ask to see the story, I do not think I would have finished it, let alone submitted it and had the kind editor offer to buy it.

I’ve gone on to write a few more novels since then. My next historical western, The English Lieutenant’s Lady, is due out in February. I’ve also written a couple of contemporary romantic suspense novels as well as a romance set in Victorian England. And oddly enough, during the course of writing these stories I realized that each one was The Worst Book Ever Written.

That should be a statistical impossibility. Surely one must be worse than the others? Apparently, the little voice of doubt inside me doesn’t concern itself with statistics.

I’ve come to the conclusion that doubt is part of the process just as much as the initial excitement of starting a story. The little voice of doubt might well be right when it tells you the story could be better. But if it tells you to walk away from a story that’s over the halfway mark—don’t listen to it. Finish the book.
If I give up on a story before it’s even finished, I’m doing the editor’s job for her, rejecting the manuscript. That’s not necessary. Editors are good at their jobs. You don’t need to do their work for them. Besides, you might be wrong. They might love it.

Really. It’s okay to finish a manuscript and send it out.

Or at least just finish it.

These are some things I wish I’d known when I started writing:

• Write what excites you. If you write something because it’s popular and you think it’ll sell, you’ll end up with a book you don’t love. Writing is too much work to waste time on an idea that never grabbed you from the beginning.
• If you’re halfway through the book and you start to think it’s awful, keep going. Take notes on the Bright Shiny New Idea that’s hovering around, but push through with the original story.
• Try writing every day. There are two kinds of writers in the world: those for whom writing every day is the only way to go, and those who don’t find this helpful. The only way to be sure which group you’re in is to try it. I’ve seen too many writers who quit writing because they only wrote when they were inspired. The middle of the book is a desert when it comes to inspiration. Steady progress, even 500 words a day, can get you through the sagging middle.

What gets you through to The End when it seems you should never have started?

~~~~~~

According to family tradition, Evelyn M. Hill is descended from a long line of Texas horse thieves. (But when your family is not only Texan, but Irish, tall tales come with the territory.) This might explain why she devoted much of her childhood to writing stories about horses. Once she grew up, the stories naturally featured a tall, handsome cowboy as well.

She lives at the end of the Oregon Trail, where she gets to do all her historical research in person, and she loves to hear from readers!

Links:
website: evelynhillauthor.com
Facebook: Evelyn M. Hill, author
Amazon:
http://amzn.to/2kujfml

11 Steps in the Writing Process by Robin E. Mason

Robin E. Mason

I did it all backward. I wrote a book and then I started blogging, “I’ve been thrown in the deep end. Of a deep ocean. In a tidal wave. And all I want to do is write my stories. (Well, and get people to read them.) Write a bio, they say. What do you want to know? I ask. I write. It's what I do.”

Honestly, I had no clue. No idea what I was doing and no idea what I needed to be doing. I floundered along, hit-n-miss, trying to make my way.

That was three years ago, and although I’m far from expertise level, I have learned much in that time. Here is my process:

1. Know your story. Planner or pantser, you have to know where your story is going—so you know when you get there.
   
2. Write. Commit to writing regularly. I am home most every day, and have more time to write than one who works outside the home, and/or has children and/or spouse clamoring for attention.
   
3. Research. Whether historical or not, none of us is expert in everything. There is always something, some detail, to discover.
   
4. Keep Notes. You need fastidious notes. Character sketches and details, events and plot developments. Saves time later.
   
5. Edit. No matter your ability with grammar, hire an editor. No one doesn’t make mistakes, and no one can catch them all. The more eyes on your work, the better.
   
6. Design. Unless you are an artist/designer, hire someone to design your cover. If you do your own, do your research. I am an artist and designer, but my first attempt was, well, awful. (Seriously, it was sad.)
   
7. Format. I work in MS Word, and while tedious, I did not have too much trouble formatting my doc. If, however, this is something that looks like Greek to you, enlist the help of one who can pull it off for you. (see #10)
   
8. Upload. Speaking Indie, here. Once all the pieces of the pie are set—sections set and formatted, page numbers in place—upload to CreateSpace (or whichever you choose) and bake til done (wait for the magic email that says your file is approved) and publish that baby!
   
9. Celebrate. Share your big news!
   
10. Network. Perhaps the most important step of all. Blog and follow other blogs. Attend conferences and online events. Learn from others, and share what you know. "In-ter-act." Ask questions. Someone will know how to do what you don’t.
    
11. And read. Read some more. Read in your genre, and out. Read books on the craft. Never stop learning. 

Writing is not an easy-peasy project. It is not for the faint of heart. It is hard, sometimes lonely, work. But when the stories are in you, and you do the stuff, there is nothing so rewarding as holding your book baby in your hands.

About the Author

The Long Shadows of Summer
by Robin E. Mason

The Long Shadows of Summer, Seasons, Book 1.

The southern town of Saisons lies at the crossroads between North and South, progressive and genteel antebellum life. Between East and West, between history and heritage, and new frontiers. Think Downton Abbey meets Gone With the Wind. 

It’s 1912, in a world where slavery is dying and women’s rights are rising, and four young women who once shared a bond—and experienced a tragedy—question their own truths.

Mercedes has always been an avid reader and devours each new Sherlock Holmes mystery as soon as she gets her hands on them. When one of her friends comes to her, Mercedes vows to keep Simone’s secrets and uncover the truth.
But as Mercedes plays detective to her friends’ questions, she discovers something far more shocking—she herself is not who she thought she was.

Robin E. Mason writes stories of identity conflict. Her characters encounter situations that force the question, “Who am I really?” For all who have ever wondered who you are or why you’re here, her stories will touch you in a very real—maybe too real—and very deep way. “I know, I write from experience.”

http://robinemason.com
http://robinsnest212.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Robin-E-Mason-Author-Artist/224223274404877

http://www.amazon.com/Robin-E.-Mason/e/B00MR5IQ9S
https://twitter.com/amythyst212

Other books by Robin E. Mason

My Publishing Journey, So Far (The Condensed Version) by Heidi Chiavaroli

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2

 

Ten years ago, I first felt the desire to write stories. Jesus had just grabbed a hold of my heart, and I couldn’t ignore the itch to write stories that would display his amazing grace.

 

Months earlier, I had given birth to my second child, and with an active toddler on my hands, I snatched what precious minutes of writing I could during naptimes. I didn’t write at night, or even tell my husband that I was secretly pursuing such an endeavor. But each time my children went in their cribs, I’d take out the big old laptop—or more often than not, real pen and lined paper!—and write. Secretly, of course. This was just a crazy fantasy, after all. I didn’t want to look foolish.

 

Eventually I joined American Christian Fiction Writers in order to enter their Genesis contest for unpublished writers. This was at the end of 2006. I casually mentioned the small expense to my husband. 

 

Well, those first contest scores came back—along with a no-response to my first agent-targeted query—and I went into a writing depression. I think it was four months before I looked at my story again. But God kept pulling me back. The simple fact of the matter was, I couldn’t imagine not writing. I found a critique group, continued to learn the craft, suffered all manner of rejections, and four years later, in 2010, I won a scholarship to attend ACFW’s national conference, where I met some amazing women also pursuing publication. Four years after that, in 2014, I actually won the Historical Category of the Genesis contest (the same contest that had depressed me for so many months eight years before). This contest helped me land a top-notch agent.

 

Honestly, at this point, I assumed I was on my way. National contest win, check. Great agent, check. But as my agent submitted my most recent novel at the beginning of 2015, rejections started rolling in. With doubts nipping at those typing fingers, I started Manuscript #6. I assumed by now that I had probably put as many hours into my writing career as a person pursuing their Master’s Degree put into their total college education. I refused to see those hours go to waste. Something must simply come from them.

 

When my agent read Manuscript #6, she was enthusiastic about the story. But that first draft had some problems. After a conference call discussing what needed to be fixed, she gave me a month to make the changes. I woke up at 4AM to write, homeschooled my kids during the day, and fell asleep before poor Hubby (who was working fervently to finish our major house renovation) had even gotten into the shower. 

 

During this time, I received distressing writing news. My agent was leaving and whether or not I stayed at the agency depended on the quality of Manuscript #6.

 

My poor family…I’m not sure I even fed them as I worked to finish the book. Thankfully, we were staying at my parents’ for a week while our floors were getting done. My mom made sure my family didn’t starve.

 

I submitted the story, once again gave its fate over to God, and waited. Meanwhile, I got a part-time night job at the garden center of a popular retail store. This would enable me to be around to school my children during the day.

 

Fortunately, this time, the wait wasn’t so long. My now-agent (who I had sent that first query to all those years ago—isn’t God amazing?) liked the story and started submitting it to editors right away. I will never forget the night my husband and two boys surprised me by coming into the garden center where I worked. I put down my leaky hose, wiped my hands on my super-attractive blue smock, and hugged them. When my husband told me my agent had left a message on the home phone with news of a contract offer, I almost fainted and fell into the petunias. Really.  

          A few weeks later, I signed a two-book contract with Tyndale Publishers, my all-time dream publishing house.

 My dear writing friends, if you are discouraged or wonder if this dream will ever happen for you, hold fast. Some make it look easy. But for some of us, God has a different timetable, a different plan. Persevere. Throw yourself into the arms of Jesus. And run that race.

Heidi Chiavaroli is an author, runner, wife, mother, and grace-clinger—not necessarily in that order. Ever since taking her first trip to Plimoth Plantation with her sister, mother, and grandmother at the age of nine, she has been fascinated with history and its significance to today’s people and culture. Heidi is the winner of ACFW’s 2014 Genesis Contest, Historical Category. Her debut novel will release next year from Tyndale Publishers. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle. Learn more about Heidi on her website: www.heidichiavaroli.com.  

 

What I Learned About Writing While Furniture Shopping by Terri Weldon

               

Over the past few months I’ve been shopping for new furniture for my formal living room. Should be fun, right? The fun ceased after my first trip to the huge store I favor. A few laps around that massive shop and I’d seen so many living room combinations that my head was spinning.

I finally settled on a sofa and love seat. Unfortunately, the media center I chose had sold out. Plus no more were going to be available. So I went home and rested and on another day went back to the furniture store. I purchased a media center and – surprise – a curio. Now you probably wonder what this has to do with writing. Trust me – plenty.

When the furniture arrived I had a disaster on my hands. I hadn’t measured the room and the sofa and love seat I bought dwarfed the space. No measurements equaled no plotting. I don’t know about you, but when I don’t plot I end up in a mess. I write myself into a corner and end up doing tons of rewrites. Even a simple outline makes my writing flow easier.

The problems didn’t stop there. The second choice media center – wrong style. Not to mention ugly. It didn’t look bad in the store. But at my house it was the wrong color, wrong size, and old-fashioned. Kind of like when I’m writing a story and for some reason my suspense story ends up with a simile that should have been in a light hearted romance. Or when my sympathetic heroine turns rabid and has a maniacal rant at the hero. Hey, it’s been known to happen. I remember a contest judge telling me once that my heroine was so mean she’d kick a puppy. Ouch!

So the love seat and media center are going back to the store. Hours of time wasted. Kind of like when it is time to edit. It’s hard work. As writers we’ve sweated over those words and deleting them hurts. How many of you have a file where you save deleted scenes? I’m raising my hand. For some reason it doesn’t hurt as bad when I save the words, but I rarely go back and use anything from that file.

Painful or not the editing process makes my story better. Now when a contest judge or critique partner reads my work in progress they won’t think “That heroine is too mean to live!” Instead through the editing process, my character remains true to herself and my reader stays happy. Not to mention it keeps the author from looking neurotic.

Once the room edit was complete, a lovely chair took the place of the love seat and a taller but more streamlined media center replaced the ugly one. Oh, and I discovered the room needed one more thing. As a finishing touch I added a coffee table.  

Likewise by the time my manuscript is ready to submit the words have been polished and the plot keeps the story moving forward. And if I’ve done a really good job, then I’ve managed to find the perfect words to bring a tear to my readers eye or a smile to her face or send a chill down her spine or even have her think she can’t quit reading – not yet.
I’m sure you guys are all better designers, and writers, than me, so take a minute and leave me a  tip or two.

Terri Weldon is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and shopping for shoes. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction. She lives with her family in Oklahoma. Terri has two adorable Westies – Crosby and Nolly Grace. Terri is a member of ACFW and OCFW, a local chapter of ACFW. Her dream of becoming a published novelist came true in November 2013 when Mistletoe Magic, released from White Rose Publishing.

Readers can connect with Terri:

Website: www.TerriWeldon.com.

Blog: Seriously Write

These Are the Times that Try Men's Souls by Sandra Merville Hart

Sandra Merville Hart

Thomas Paine, personal assistant to General Nathanael Greene, scanned the faces of his companions in the Continental Army on a cold day in December, 1776. The soldiers faced difficulties worse than separation from families and harsh winter conditions. The men were disheartened. How could an army one quarter the size of the British forces win freedom?

Paine understood their discouragement. Three thousand Colonial soldiers bravely stood their ground against a foe of thirteen thousand outside the fort at Washington Heights (Manhattan) until the British threatened them with cannons. One hundred forty-nine Colonial soldiers were killed or wounded. Over twenty-eight hundred at the fort surrendered. The Colonial Army also abandoned another fort, Fort Lee, in New Jersey.

To make matters worse, General Howe's British troops pursued General Washington's retreating army across New Jersey. The soldiers marched through the colony for sixteen days until they reached safety across the Delaware River.

The loss of three thousand soldiers struck the struggling army a difficult blow. New York City and all of New Jersey were under British control. Eleven thousand colonial soldiers gave up and returned home between September and December. Army contracts expired on December 31st.

Paine remembered the impact of his pamphlet, Common Sense. His words, published earlier that year in January, had been read by thousands. His writing somehow resonated with people in all walks of life.

All thirteen colonies must know of the recent British victories. Paine imagined those at home felt discouragement similar to the soldiers. After he pondered the situation, he sat down to pen these words:

These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.¹

The American Crisis went to the heart of the problem from these beginning lines. The Pennsylvania Journal published Paine's work on December 19, 1776.

General Washington commanded the pamphlet to be read to his discouraged men. Paine's stirring words revived hope within their souls at a crucial moment. The results encouraged Washington. His plan for Christmas Day must succeed though he kept the details from his soldiers.

Regiments began assembling at specific crossing points along the Delaware River late in the afternoon of December 25th. Temperatures dropped causing the snow-covered ground to feel even colder.

Washington didn't want delays because after the troops crossed the icy river, they must march to Trenton, New Jersey for a surprise pre-dawn attack on the Hessian soldiers.

Unfortunately some soldiers arrived late to their designated areas. Snow, hail, sleet, and rain hindered their crossing. They contended with ice jams on the river. Dark, stormy skies made navigation difficult.

All this affected Washington's careful timetable. He almost abandoned the plan when faced with a three-hour delay. He trudged on.

Washington's surprise attack worked. The Continental Army won their first major victory.

Would the results have been same without Paine's passionate plea to stay the course? With all the obstacles that had to be overcome on that freezing Christmas Day and everything that led up to it, this author doesn't believe so.

Do our words matter?

You decide.

About the Author

Sandra Merville Hart

Sandra Merville Hart loves to find unusual facts in her historical research to use in her stories. She and her husband enjoy traveling to many of the sites in her books to explore the history. She serves as Assistant Editor for DevoKids.com and contributes articles about history and holidays. She has written for several publications and websites including The Secret Place, Harpstring, Splickety Magazine, Pockets Magazine, and ChristianDevotions.us. Her inspirational Civil War novella, A Stranger on My Land, released on August 21, 2014.

A Stranger on My Land

A Stranger on My Land
by Sandra Merville Hart

Carrie and her little brother, Jay, find Adam, a wounded Union soldier, on their land after a battle near their Lookout Mountain home. Carrie takes Adam to the cave where her family has been hiding from the soldiers. Before long, she falls in love with him, but she can't save his life. He requires a surgeon. Carrie weighs the potential danger of revealing her family's hideaway with saving Adam's life. 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-My-Land-Historical-Romance-ebook/dp/B00MS70HE2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1423058469.

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-stranger-on-my-land-sandra-merville-hart/1120155194?ean=9781941103272.

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas: http://store.lpcbooks.com/product/a-stranger-on-my-land/.

Sources

"Crossing of the Delaware," George Washington's Mount Vernon, 2015/07/27 http://www.mountvernon.org/research-collections/digital-encyclopedia/article/crossing-of-the-delaware/.

"Ft. Washington Captured - Washington Retreats through N.J -1776," HistoryCentral, 2015/07/27 http://www.historycentral.com/Revolt/Retreatnj.html.

¹Paine, Thomas. "The Crisis," USHistory.org 2015/07/24 http://www.ushistory.org/paine/crisis/c-01.htm.

"Thomas Paine," USHistory.org 2015/07/24 http://www.ushistory.org/paine/.

"Thomas Paine Publishes American Crisis," History.com, 2015/07/28 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/thomas-paine-publishes-american-crisis.

When the Time is Right by Sally Bradley

Sally Bradley

In 2007 my husband left his job as an assistant pastor to be head pastor for another church. It involved a move to a new state, a new culture, a new school for the kids, and a new job for me. I’d been a stay-at-home mom, but now I needed to find some part-time work to help pay the bills.

For the past several years, I’d been writing and studying fiction while my kids grew from babies to school-aged children. I’d had two agents offer representation, had a handful of houses request full manuscripts, and felt that I was getting close.

Close! Maybe my next book would be the one.

Everything about the move happened fast. From hearing about the position to accepting it took four weeks. And then we’d move in four weeks.

I was excited for my husband; he’d been longing to be a head pastor for a couple years, and I believed in him. God had really molded him, and I thought Steve was ready.

But I began to realize that he’d need more support and help from me as we made this huge adjustment. On top of that, my kids would be dealing with a new school. And again, there was that pesky job-that-actually-brings-in-money that I needed to find.

God began to impress upon me that I needed to set my writing aside.

When I knew I was so close.

It was heartbreaking. While I packed up our home and said goodbyes to family and friends, I kept the struggle about quitting writing (for a time please, God?) to myself. I didn’t tell my husband. I didn’t tell anyone.

Not until I felt that it would be sinning to keep on writing did I tell Steve that I felt God wanted me to stop writing in order to help him in this move.

And his response? “Oh, thank goodness.”

So not what I wanted to hear!

The day after the move, Steve went to work and I took the kids to new schools and started a job hunt, all while slowly unpacking our gazillion boxes. There was no time for writing. Not even any time for reading.

It hurt.

But I began to see God working in the church through my husband. There were sweet moments and big-time hurts and betrayals. At home we got caught in the housing crisis. We also had a surprise baby. I quit my job and started freelance editing. I read. I cooked and cleaned and invited church members into our home.

In short, I lived a whole lot of life. And grew up some more myself.

Four years later, the desire to get back to writing pestered me, no matter how much I reminded myself that I’d set it aside until God made it clear it was time to go back.

Was it time? How would I know? We were still so busy. I was homeschooling now. Where would I find time to write?

That summer my husband chose a video series by Pastor John Piper that dealt with living for God. It was an excellent series, but the one thing that struck me repeatedly was that being a Christian wasn’t meant to be one of misery. While definitely not a health and wealth message, the concept was that we should be happy in our Christian lives. If we were living right and in a right relationship with God, there should be joy. God had given us dreams and goals, and we would never be happier than when we were following the desires He’d planted in us.

That hit me so hard.

Throughout the weeks of the video series, the desire to write my next book grew and grew and grew until I felt I had to do it. That it would be wrong not to write it.

So I told my husband. “I think I need to start writing again.”

And his response? “Good. I’ve been hoping you’d get back to writing. You’re much happier when you’re writing.”

His words weren’t said in a negative way; he was just stating fact. I was meant to be a writer. He knew it. I knew it. And it was time to get back to it!

So five years after setting writing aside, I dove into an idea that had been simmering in my head since before our move, the story of a completely unchurched woman caught up in our society’s twisted views on love and relationships. I’d like to say the story poured out of me in a month, but I was still homeschooling and editing. It took a year to get that rough draft down, another eight months to cut sixty thousand words—seriously!—and then another six months before it was published.

That book went on to win two awards: The Christian Manifesto’s 2014 Lime Award for Romantic Fiction (beating out two Susie May Warren books and a Tricia Goyer book) and the 2014 Grace Award for Romance.

When I look back, I realize I wasn’t nearly as close to publication as I’d thought, way back before that move. The time off from writing gave me a chance to experience more life, to come across people who had a huge impact on me and who would influence how I would write Kept. All of that life gave me so much more to pull from.

And it set up the perfect time for my first book to find readers, a welcoming reading world that was waiting for the kind of book I wrote.

I look back on those five years and don’t view them as wasted at all. They were painful at times, hard for sure. But I didn’t see the end result as I walked through it. I had no way of knowing what God was doing, what He was going to do. I had no idea the roads He was paving, the connections He was making, all of which would result in some of my biggest writing dreams coming true.

Why do I write all of this? To encourage those of you who might be in that stage—where you’re giving to everyone else and finding no time for yourself, for your dreams. You might even be thinking, I wish it had only been five years, Sally. I know. God doesn’t work in all of us the same; some might go through a season like this for a whole lot longer. I get that.

But if you are in that waiting stage, if you’re in that season where there’s no time for anything but family, laundry, the day job, and church, realize that you’re still in a very good place. You’re still right where God wants you. And He’s working through all those mundane, ordinary events to create someone who’s ready to write for Him.

When the time is right.

About the Author

Sally Bradley writes big-city fiction with real issues and real hope. A Chicagoan since age five, she now lives in the Kansas City area with her family, but they still get back to Chicago once in a while for important things—like good pizza and a White Sox game. Fiction has been her passion since childhood, and she’s thrilled now to be writing books that not only entertain, but point back to Christ. Connect with Sally at sallybradley.com and on Facebook at Sally Bradley, Writer. Kept is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Kept
"Gutsy and fast-paced."—Laura Frantz, author of Love's Reckoning

"One of the most surprising and best books I’ve read this year."—MaryLu Tyndall, best-selling author of Legacy of the King's Pirates series

Kept
by Sally Bradley

Life has taught Miska Tomlinson that there are no honorable men. Her womanizing brothers, her absentee father, and Mark, the married baseball player who claims to love her—all have proven undependable. But Miska has life under control. She runs her editing business from her luxury condo, stays fit with daily jogs along Chicago's lakefront, and in her free time blogs anonymously about life as a kept woman.

Enter new neighbor Dillan Foster. Between his unexpected friendship and her father's sudden reappearance, Miska loses control of her orderly life. Her relationship with Mark deteriorates, and Miska can't help comparing him to Dillan. His religious views are so foreign, yet the way he treats her is something she's longed for. But Dillan discovers exactly who she is and what she has done. Too late she finds herself longing for a man who is determined to never look her way again.

When her blog receives unexpected national press, Miska realizes that her anonymity was an illusion. Caught in a scandal about to break across the nation, Miska wonders if the God Dillan talks about would bother with a woman like her—a woman who's gone too far and done too much.

Waiting by Laura V. Hilton

Laura V. Hilton

I’m talking about publishing in this, but you can apply it to anything.

Back in the day when I first dreamed of getting an agent and getting published, it seemed an insurmountable effort. I had to wait—wait for an agent to believe in me enough to sign me. Wait for a publisher to like my story—and then wait while they took it to committee to decide if it will be a good fit for their publishing company. So many times, my hopes rose—just to crash face first in the dirt.

Now, it isn’t such a big deal. A publisher doesn’t want your book? Self-publish. You have control of everything. Or maybe a publisher does want your book, but you love absolute control. Or maybe… the genre you write isn’t what publishers are buying. They loved your previous books, your fans are clamoring for more, but the publisher doesn’t want to take the risk.

For those of us who want our books traditionally published, it is difficult to wait on the Lord. To wait on the publisher. Yet so often we must do this for our stories. Sometimes we must be patient while we seek the Lord’s guidance about whether to continue seeking traditional publishing or to self-publish.

I’ve looked for some insights about patiently waiting on the Lord. Maybe they’ll encourage you…

“Patience means living out the belief that God orders everything for the spiritual good of His children.” – J. I. Packer

“Grin and bear it is old-fashioned advice, but sing and bear it is a great deal better.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

“Patience does not just grin and bear things, stoic-like, but accepts them cheerfully as therapeutic workouts planned by a heavenly trainer who is resolved to get you up to full fitness.” – J. I. Packer

“Are we prepared to take the awful patient ways of God? We must not be infected by the world’s valuation of either speed or success.” – John B. Phillips

“The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, But God isn’t.” – Phillips Brooks, Boston Pastor

“I’m extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.” – Margaret Thatcher

“Patience and passage of time do more than strength and fury.” – Jean De La Fontaine, Poet

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstroy, Novelist

“Our patience will achieve more than our force.” – Edmund Burke

“With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.” – Chinese proverb

“Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” – Psalm 27:14

Are you waiting on something? Are you tired of waiting?

While you wait, apply meaningful waiting . . . spend time in prayer, talk with mentors about the situation, meditate on scripture, start a NEW project while you wait on answers to the current one . . .

About the Author

Award winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and three of their children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor. Laura also has two adult children.

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards). Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as a three book Amish series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard in April 2015, and The Bird House in September 2015. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press. Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer.

Connect with Laura
http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q
visit her blogs: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/ & http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @Laura_V_Hilton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/

The Postcard
by Laura V. Hilton

The Postcard (from Promised to Another)
David Lapp survived a “code blue” when he was in a buggy/semi truck accident in Seymour, Missouri. Now after extensive therapy he has lingering mobility problems and is still struggling to find his place in the world. Lured away from Webster County by thoughts of closed buggies and a postcard friendship he’s developed with an Amish girl in Jamesport, he moves north, hoping for a fresh start. He finds work in the area tying flies and basket weaving, selling his products in the Amish markets in the Jamesport area.

Rachel Miller dreams of travel, but feels tied to her Amish life. She is being courted by Obadiah Graber, but wonders if there’s more to life. When she sees David’s name mentioned in The Budget, she strikes up a pen pal friendship with David while he’s in the hospital and in therapy, consoling him when he and his girlfriend part ways. She never dreams that David will come north and move into her community. David is still fearful in the buggy, especially in high traffic areas. Feeling he’s called by God to preach, David spends hours in the Bible, but the Amish discourage him, believing their ministers should be drawn by lot. Will David follow his call, even if it takes him out of the Amish church? Will Rachel realize her dream to travel?

Writing from the Couch by Cynthia Ruchti

Cynthia Ruchti

Within the last few days, I’ve heard of two people battling raging cases of Lyme Disease. It’s amazing how quickly my mind—and sympathetic parts of my body—returned to the years when that was my battle, too.

In the mid-1980s, I inadvertently signed up for the Symptom-of-the-Month Club and couldn’t find the unsubscribe button. And they didn’t oust the previous symptom. They piled on top of one another until I could make a spreadsheet of fourteen painful, debilitating, or inconvenient symptoms.

I wrote a daily, scripted, 15-minute radio broadcast at the time. But I couldn’t hold a pencil or punch the typewriter keys for the pain in my hands, and every other joint and muscle in my body. Write? Even then?

The disease affected my vision, saddled me with piercing headaches that lasted for months at a time with no let-up, threw my heart out of rhythm, and reduced me to couch potato status for all but the essential tasks.

Thirty years ago, but I remember lying on the couch, my arm over my eyes, dictating a radio script to my friend who jotted the thoughts on a yellow legal pad. And we didn’t miss a radio deadline.

The epigraph for the novel that releases today, coincidentally, As Waters Gone By reads:

“You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.”
Job 11:16 NIV
Did you catch the dichotomy there? We will forget AND remember! I’m keying words into my laptop at a fierce rate today, sitting upright, headache-free, with my heart beating a rhythm natural for a person drinking this much caffeine. I remember the Lyme Disease days, but only as waters gone by.

What hope that gives me for other times when the physical act of writing is hard—like when I finally succumb to my next knee replacement. Or when recovering from the flu. Or when the ache across my shoulders tells me I’ve been sitting here too long.

The day will come…
May we all hold onto that hope.

About the Author

Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed in Hope. She's the award-winning author of fifteen books and a frequent speaker for women's ministry events. She serves as the Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers, where she helps retailers, libraries, and book clubs connect with the authors and books they love. Visit her online at CynthiaRuchti.com.

As Waters Gone By

As Waters Gone By
by Cynthia Ruchti

Emmalyn Ross never thought a person could feel this alone. Sustaining a marriage with a man who's not be her side is no easy task, especially since her husband currently resides behind impenetrable prison walls. Now, on a self-imposed exile to Madeline Island, Emmalyn starts rehabbing an old hunting cottage they'd purchased when life made sense. Restoring it may put a roof over her head, but a home needs more than a roof and walls, just as a marriage needs more than vows and a license. With only a handful of months before her husband is released, Emmalyn must figure out if and how they can ever be a couple again. And his silence isn't helping.