When Grumpiness Strikes by Janet W. Ferguson

Back when I was in my thirties and forties, I could read books—long books (fiction or nonfiction) — really quickly. I felt sure I amazed friends with my speedreading prowess, ha!

I was a high school librarian in my late forties when I started writing fiction. Four novels spilled out easily those first years. Now in my mid-fifties with grown kids, I thought I’d really churn out some words every day. But life is still busy, just in different ways.

And I’m slower. Maybe it’s my thyroid condition (I blame everything on that now, LOL), but I don’t read as fast, and I don’t write as fast. I don’t multitask as well, plus now I have to think of new ways to describe a visceral reaction or internal voice in my characters that I haven’t used in a prior novel. I have to be even more creative and dig deeper to find something fresh, because I’ve already used a certain plot device or medical condition or social issue.

Wow, that’s hard work! Not to mention all the marketing authors have to do! I thought writing was going to be sort-of fun work.

But I started getting grumpy.

I realized, at some point, I was becoming annoyed with people who interrupted me with a phone call or a question or an invitation to lunch—like family, friends, maybe even… God?

It was time to readjust my attitude. I had to remember why I was writing in the first place. I’d started this whole writing gig to honor the Lord and to encourage readers and to share the gospel. I had to stop acting as if God was stressing because I hadn’t gotten enough done. Because the truth, of course, is I need Him, and I need to be with Him to let Him teach me, not just plow through without Him so I can keep up with the other authors I know.

My latest novel, The Art of Rivers, took me two years to finish, but I believe it’s some of my best work. I had to learn a lot about the different sides of addiction through interviews and prayers and research and life. This story stretched me spiritually, and I feel good about the results.

   

Whether you’re like a Speedy Gonzales or Pokey Little Puppy, just be sure you’re still writing with the Lord. So you won’t be a grumpy Christian author like I was.

~~~~~~

Janet W. Ferguson grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served as a children’s minister and a church youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. She writes humorous inspirational fiction for people with real lives and real problems. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space.


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Rivers Sullivan bears both visible and invisible scars—those on her shoulder from a bullet wound and those on her heart from the loss of her fiancé during the same brutal attack. Not even her background as an art therapist can help her regain her faith in humanity. Still, she scrapes together the courage to travel to St. Simons Island to see the beach cottage and art gallery she’s inherited from her fiancé. When she stumbles upon recovering addicts running her gallery, she’s forced to reckon with her own healing.

After the tragic drowning of his cousin, James Cooper Knight spends his days trying to make up for his past mistakes. He not only dedicates his life to addiction counseling, but guilt drives him to the water, searching for others who’ve been caught unaware of the quickly rising tides of St. Simons. When he rescues a peculiar blond woman and her sketch pad from a sandbar, then delivers this same woman to his deceased grandmother’s properties, he knows things are about to get even more complicated.

Tragic circumstances draw Cooper and Rivers closer, but they fight their growing feelings. Though Cooper’s been sober for years, Rivers can’t imagine trusting her heart to someone in recovery, and he knows a relationship with her will only rip his family further apart. Distrust and guilt are only the first roadblocks they must overcome if they take a chance on love.

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Writing to Make a Difference by Janet W. Ferguson

Janet W. Ferguson

There are many reasons why we choose to write, but not all give us the stamina to do what’s necessary for success in the industry. Author Janet Ferguson shares her journey and what has motivated her along the way to publication. 

~ Dawn

Writing to Make a Difference

When I started writing, I wanted to express how God uses even our messes to make something beautiful. I had an idea that stayed with me for seven years before I committed to writing the story down. I kept waiting for the right time. I’d learned most novels are about 75000 words. What a daunting task, right?

But, in 2012 my mother lost her battle with Alzheimer’s on February 29. My mother-in-law died suddenly of a plural embolism on April 6; then my elderly father passed away on May 6.

The grief at losing parents was hard, but the realization that life was short stirred my desire to write. More importantly—to write to make a difference. Every night I’d read the last scene I’d written and then start a new one. Within a few months, I’d written The End.

I had no clue what to do next.

I joined a local and national writers’ groups. I navigated the scary world of pitching to agents that first year after my I finished Leaving Oxford at the RWA National Convention in Atlanta. The agents were kind enough to request my manuscript, but suggested I was almost ready, but not quite. Both agents also suggested I should join ACFW and get a critique partner. I jumped in and acquired so many critique partners that I can’t even remember all their names! I attended more conferences, took online craft classes, and read books on the craft of writing. I can’t count how many times I rewrote Leaving Oxford in the four years I spent editing it. Meanwhile I wrote three other books in the series.

At some point, one agent suggested that I indie publish since the market was so tight after Family Christian filed bankruptcy. The thought terrified me, so I edited and pitched again at the ACFW Conference. And I waited. Meanwhile, several of my critique partners were doing really well as indie authors.

Finally, I asked one of them (Misty Beller) if she would mentor me if I decided to go indie, and she agreed. And so I began researching all that I would have to do to successfully indie publish.

I would need a good fiction editor (one specific to my genre) and a good cover artist. I worked on my platform, newsletter, and Facebook author page. I filed for copyrights and bought ISBNs. I filed my publishing company name Southern Sun Press with the Secretary of State. I set up with the tax commission—and so much more. My journey is not for everyone. Not all writers want to own a business, but I’m happy to have my stories out there, and I’ve earned a profit. But the amazing thing is when readers contact me or leave a review saying that the story helped them when they were going through tough times or that the novel was just what they needed at that moment in their faith walk. That is the reason I write! To God be the glory!

I now have five novels published, and that first novel Leaving Oxford is currently free. Check it out! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DJJKRJM

Leaving Oxford

Leaving Oxford

Southern Hearts Series ~ Book 1

Escaping home to Oxford, Mississippi, seemed like a good idea. Until it wasn’t.

A year after a tragic accident in Los Angeles flipped her world upside down, advertising guru Sarah Beth LeClair is still hiding away in her charming hometown of Oxford, Mississippi. And she may well be stuck there forever. Suffering from panic attacks, she prays for healing. Instead, her answer comes in the form of an arrogant football coach and an ugly puppy.

Former celebrity college quarterback Jess McCoy dreamed of playing pro football. One freak hit destroyed his chances. Although he enjoys his work as the university’s offensive coordinator, his aspirations have shifted to coaching at the highest level. His plans of moving up are finally coming together—until he falls for a woman who won’t leave town.

 As the deadline for Jess’s decision on his dream career looms, the bars around Sarah Beth’s heart only grow stronger. But it's time to make a decision about leaving Oxford.

Janet W. Ferguson grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served as a children’s minister and a church youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. She writes humorous inspirational fiction for people with real lives and real problems. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a few cats that allow them to share the space.

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