Where Do I Begin? by Annette M. Irby

Dream*

On October 20, 2020, one of my publishing dreams came true. A team of fellow authors and I published a Christmas novella compilation together. (see below)

Probably twenty years ago now, I spent holiday seasons reading Barbour Publishing’s four-in-one novella compilations. I loved them—historicals. Contemporaries. Small-town, countryside. Homey. Romantic. Christmassy. These collections became a part of my holiday tradition. They inspired me, creatively.

And I dreamed of one day being a member of the team who published a novella collection.

I had no idea how long I’d have to wait.

Trying New Things by Terri Weldon

Terri Weldon

It may be Thursday, but it isn’t my usual Thursday so I hope you’ll give me a minute to get settled in. Thanks to Dora for switching weeks with me, when I had some unexpected events crop up. Hmm, maybe that’s where I came up with the idea for today’s post.

Most authors, myself included, have a specific genre we like to write. Suspense is my favorite genre and it is the publishing path I’m pursuing. Almost all the ideas for stories that pop into my head are suspense. Now, I’m not sure what that says about me, but since I know plenty of other normal suspense authors I’m not going to worry. When I stop to think about it, my penchant for suspense shouldn’t surprise me. I’ve long been a reader of suspense novels and I love television shows that are police procedural dramas. Sherlock Holmes is playing in the background while I write this post.

However, my published Christmas novella is a lighthearted contemporary romance. I had a blast writing it and I’d love to do more, time allowing. Romance has been a staple in my library for years. Christmas books, especially novellas are some of my favorite reads. Plus, my all-time favorite movie is Pillow Talk. Definitely a romantic comedy.

But lately I’ve had a yen to write something totally off the wall – for me. Speculative fiction. That’s what I really want to discuss with you guys today. I’ve read speculative fiction, but it isn’t one of my favorite genres to read. Help me out, how did the idea pop into my head? How in the world would I go about writing a speculative fiction book? Right now I don’t even have a story idea. I just have this niggling inside me that says it would be fun to try. A few thousand words into the story and that feeling may well change! As much fun as it sounds, it also sounds off the wall and a little scary. Is this my idea or God’s plan? If the desire to write this book is from the Lord, I believe He will provide the idea.

How about you? Have you ever desired or felt called to write something totally different? Did you do it? Please let me know if you have and how it worked out.

Purchase Link

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Misty Winslow is determined to find her prince, and she meets the man of her dreams through an Internet dating service. Or is he, because the new dentist in town also sets her heart aflutter.

It's love at first sight for Tyler Davenport, but before he can finish his first root canal, Misty is involved in an exclusive online romance with Wes99—Tyler’s online persona. How can he tell her he’s the man she’s been waiting to meet, and how rational is it for him to be jealous of Wes99! Soon Tyler's pulling out all the stops to woo Misty.

As Christmas approaches, Wes99 and Tyler both ask her to meet them under the mistletoe. Which man will she choose?

Terri is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing in the hand bell choir. 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 three dogs – a lovable mutt and two adorable Westies.

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. To learn more about Terri visit her website at www.TerriWeldon.com.

Home For Holidays by Gail Gaymer Martin

Gail Gaymer Martin

We're so happy to have award-winning author Gail Gaymer Martin back with us! Today the topic is Christmas stories. Because of family members I've lost around the holidays, it takes a bit longer each year to prepare my heart for Christmas. Today Gail shares how to take tough situations and turn them into uplifting Christmas stories. Enjoy! ~ Angie

Holidays are a time when most everyone wants to be home with their family and friends. Whether birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas, home is where the heart is. But when my mom was a little girl, her mother had a stroke shortly before Christmas. Since she was the youngest child and needed care, she was sent to spend Christmas with affluent relatives living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, hours away from her home and family. While the experience frightened and saddened my mom, later in life she talked about her visit with a few warm memories.

Most of the remembrances revolved around the family’s Christmas traditions—the gifts she received, the Christmas décor and music. But the memory that stood out in her mind happened on Christmas Eve. Mom said the main parlor doors remained closed during her stay, but on Christmas Eve, the doors were opened and she gasped at the huge Christmas tree decorated in a multitude of ornaments and lighted with real candles. Buckets of water sat nearby to put out a possible fire.

Yet a child wants to be with family at Christmas time, and the poignant situation settled in my mind and became a Christmas novella called Yuletide Treasure, a romance with a thread of mystery involving a package Livy, the heroine, is asked to deliver in secret. Instead of a young girl as my mother was, I wrote about a young boy named Davy. Though the story is fictional, the basic idea came from my mother’s situation and the Christmas memories of that experience.

These types of occurrences make great fodder for story ideas, but they are also touching and sad. I have never been away from family at Christmas, except one time by choice, and I’m grateful. I’m sure some of you may have had that experience and can remember how you longed to be home with loved ones.

If you would like to read Yuletide Treasures, it is included in An Old-Fashioned Christmas Collection from Barbour Publishing along with nine other Christmas novellas by various novelists.

Click to Tweet - Click on the links below to tweet them. All links tag the author and include #SeriouslyWrite and a link to the story.
Preparing for Christmas: Christmas memories with @GailGMartin.
Using poignant situations for uplifting stories.

About the Author

An Old-Fashioned Christmas Collection,
anthology by various Christian authors
including Gail Gaymer Martin

An Old-Fashioned Christmas Collection
Many of us have a secret picture of Christmases past—a time when windows shimmered with lacy
frost and candlelight, fireplaces kept a home warm and snug, ladies’ skirts swirled and gracefully skimmed the floor, and gentlemen were gallant and true. Experience Christmases spanning over one hundred years through nine inspiring historical romances, beautifully and economically packaged for you and all your gift-giving needs.

Gail Gaymer Martin
Award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin is the author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction with 52 novels published and nearly 4 million books in print. Her novels have received many national awards, including: the ACFW Carol Award and RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. Gail is the author of Writer Digest’s Writing The Christian Romance. CBS local news listed Gail as one of the four best writers in the Detroit area. She is a cofounder of American Christian Fiction Writers and serves on their Executive Board. She is also a member of Advanced Speakers and Writers and the Christian Authors Network. Gail is a keynote speaker at churches, civic and business organizations and a workshop presenter at conferences across the U.S. She lives in Michigan with her husband Bob.

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Anticipation by Terri Weldon

Terri Weldon

On Monday, Terri Weldon shared some interesting tidbits about her debut Christmas release, Mistletoe Magic. If you missed Monday's post, you can read it here. 

Please join me in welcoming Terri back as she shares about Christmas and miracles, and as writers, how that holiday spirit of "anticipation" can carry through in our writing. Welcome back, Terri!   ~Dora

While trying to decide what to talk about the word anticipation zinged into my mind. And for me, it seemed perfect. What two better things to anticipate than Christmas and writing?

During the Christmas season it is so easy to become consumed with cooking, shopping, and decorating that we forget to anticipate the birth of our Savior. I know His birth took place over 2000 years ago and we all know the Christmas story. Maybe we know it too well and maybe we need to be reminded it isn’t just a story. The birth of Jesus is a miracle and Christmas is a time for us to experience that miracle anew. To celebrate the fact God loves us so much He sent His Son into the world. A tiny miracle that became that world’s greatest blessing.

In a different manner I believe we should feel a sense of anticipation about our writing. I don’t know about you, but when that first gem of a story idea niggles at my brain I’m full of anticipation. Midway through my first draft I may wonder what ever made me think I could write. By the time I’ve finished revising the book for the last time I may never want to think of those characters again.

Do you know what happens then? I send that story out and I begin to anticipate what will happen. I hope and I pray an editor will love it. And in the case of Mistletoe Magic, when I finally saw my first book accepted I felt a whole new wave of anticipation. For once I looked forward to editing and I felt a strong sense of anticipation hoping my editor, the wonderful Annette Irby, would like the changes.

Then I anticipated the cover. Next the release date. And then, I’ll admit, I anticipated and feared friends, family, and strangers reading my book. But the entire process was one of joy. God allowed my dream of being published to come true.

Now I’m filled with anticipation at the thought of writing that next book and I hope I never become complacent about it. But more importantly, I never want to become complacent about the miracle of Jesus’s birth.

What about you? What has you filled with anticipation this Christmas season? What lies ahead in your writing journey?

Mistletoe Magic
Purchase Link

Misty Winslow is determined to find her prince charming. She meets the man of her dreams through an internet dating service. Or is he? Because the new dentist in town sets her heart a flutter. It's love at first sight for Tyler Davenport, but before he can finish his first root canal Misty is involved in an exclusive online romance with Wes99. Tyler begins to get jealous of Wes99, his online persona! Soon he's pulling out all the stops to woo Misty. As Christmas approaches Wes99 and Tyler both ask her to meet them under the mistletoe. Which man will she choose?

Terri Denise Weldon claims her regular life is really pretty mundane. She refrains from saying dull! Terri shares a home with her sister, Cynthia, in Oklahoma. They’re the best of friends and enjoy many of the same things. She has three dogs – a lovable mutt and two adorable Westies.  Terri enjoys gardening, shopping for shoes (a habit she needs to break), and working in her church library.

Mistletoe Magic is her debut novella and she is currently writing a suspense series.

Christmas Series 2012: Everybody Loves Mickey by Therese M. Travis

Everybody Loves Mickey by Therese M.Travis

One more week until Christmas! Let's keep the holiday festivities going with today's interview with Therese M. Travis as she discusses her Christmas romantic novella, Everybody Loves Mickey. Enjoy! ~ Annette   

What makes your Christmas (compilation/novel) different than others you’ve seen or read? 

There’s a lot of attitude going on. These characters are real, and get sarcastic in their frustration, but for all that, they’re loveable. 

What genre is your story? 

Short romance 

Tell us how your story come about. 

It started with the title, and Aubrey just took over from there, dragging Mickey along. 

What time of year did you write it and how did you motivate yourself to write a Christmas novel at that time of year? 

Spring. But I love Christmastime so it wasn’t any stretch for me to set a story at that time. 

What’s next for you in writing? Will you do more Christmas stories?

Working on three right now. One is a mystery set on Catalina Island. One is a YA, and one is set in Pasadena CA. I have a YA coming out with Watershed soon. 

Everybody Loves Mickey released December 5th from Pelican Book Group as part of their Holiday Extravaganza. This story only comes in e-book format and during December, you can download it for $0.99.

He’s a saint with a tarnished halo, and Aubrey Thomas can’t stand him…or can she?

Handsome fireman, Mickey Hurst is loved by all. He volunteers at the local parish where Aubrey Thomas works as an administrator. He sings in the choir. He leads the youth group. He even acts as the church handyman, but Aubrey knew him before he became Saint Mickey—when he told her he’d have to be drunk to kiss her…and he was. What’s so infuriating is that despite his horrible admission, Aubrey loves Mickey as much as everybody else.

Mickey doesn’t blame Aubrey for disliking him. After all, he kissed her when he wasn’t sober—and insulted her, to boot. Aubrey deserved a better man—a godly man. But, since that fateful kiss, Mickey’s drawn closer to the Lord. With the intercession of God and the matchmaking parish staff, Mickey prays that this Christmas he will be able to prove to Aubrey he’s now the man for her. 



(e-book)