Showing posts with label Shannon Taylor Vannatter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shannon Taylor Vannatter. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Looking Forward to a New Adventure by Shannon Taylor Vannatter
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Are You Stuck on One Book? by Shannon Taylor Vannatter
Last year at my local writer’s group meeting, a friend and
fellow member was upset. We’ll call her Jane. She’d signed with an agent, then been
dropped. Her book had been rejected several times and she wasn’t sure what to
do next.
Over several years, I’d traveled to a national conference
and roomed with her, as well as attended several writer’s meetings and retreats
with her. During the entire time I’ve known her, Jane has tried to get this one
book published. So as she poured out her heart and frustration at the meeting,
advice bubbled up in me.
I’ve known several Janes. Tirelessly and doggedly peddling
that one book that nobody wants right now. I was Jane. I pitched one book for
four years. Even though at the time, I’d completed five, I was stuck on the one
because it was the book of my heart.
Finally, I met Mary Connealy at ACFW. Once she got
published, she had books coming out faster than I could keep up with. She said
she kept writing books and pitching different ones because with each book, you
learn and improve. By the time Mary got a contract, she had dozens of books
ready to go. I wrote another, then another. And another.
Back to the meeting. I took Jane’s hand and gently suggested
she write another book. I told her about Mary, about the book I’d set aside,
and about learning and improving with each book you write. I shared that it’s
hard to let the book of your heart go so you can move on. But I assured Jane
that she didn’t have to give up on it. Just write more while waiting for a home
for that first book.
I cried. Jane cried. A few months later, she did the
devotion at our meeting about being a willing vessel for God. She gave us each
a small lump of play doh and told us to make a vessel. Then she told us how
sometimes you feel like you’re doing really well being a vessel, moldable and
pliable to God’s will when someone, like Shannon, comes along and crushes your
dreams. She brought her fist down smashing her play doh vase and looked at me.
“I’ve been waiting to do that for months.” Jane started laughing.
I did too, relieved that she wasn’t really mad at me. Then she went on to
share that sometimes when you think your dreams have been crushed, that’s when
you find new purpose. She thanked me for my advice and shared that she’d
started a new book and was loving it. And loving writing again.
Recently, a new opportunity opened up for the book of my
heart. Once the book I’m currently contracted for is finished, I plan to revise
that old book since I’ve learned much since then and see if it can find a home.
If it does, I’ll be ecstatic. If it doesn’t, I’ll write another book. And
another. And another. . .
I pitched one book for
four years...because it was the book of my heart. via @stvauthor #SeriouslyWrite #amwriting
~~~~~~
Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy
romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does.
She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects.
Connect with her: Shannon’s
Website, Shannon’s Blog, Shannon’s Facebook, Shannon’s
Goodreads, Shannon’s
Pinterest, Shannon’s Twitter,
and Shannon’s
Amazon Author Page. Sign up for her Newsletter to
get a free e-book and behind the scenes info: Shannon's
Newsletter
This cowboy has one more chance to
make it right…He already lost her once…
Now he’s fighting for her—and their daughter.
When Rance Shepherd takes a job stocking cattle for a local rodeo, he’s shocked that his new client is his ex-sweetheart, Larae Collins. Now he’s determined to prove to the single mother that he isn’t the restless cowboy she remembers. But when he discovers her little girl is his, they both must forgive past mistakes for a second shot at a future together.
Get your copy:
(Available at Walmart
from mid-March until mid-June)
Blog Tour for Hill Country Redemption
Giveaway Details: Ten copies of Hill Country Redemption will be split among commentors on Shannon ’s blog tour. Winner’s will be revealed on Shannon’s Blog on April 13th.
Feb 23rd – Reading Is My Superpower Blog: https://readingismysuperpower.org/2020/02/23/love-stories-giveaway-hill-country-redemption/
March 1st - Becky Van Vleet’s Blog: http://www.beckyvanvleet.com/home-decor-with-nostalgia/
March 17th – Shannon’s Blog: https://shannontaylorvannatter.com/inkslinger-blog/
March 20th - https://shannontaylorvannatter.com/inkslinger-blog/
April 7th – Jennifer Hereen’s Blog: http://jenniferheeren.com/blog/
April 6th – June Foster’s Blog: https://junefoster.com/?page_id=855
April 2nd – Joy Avery Melville’s Blog: https://www.journeystojoy.net/
April 7th – Catherine Castle’s Blog: https://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com/blog/
April 9th - Laurie Wood’s Blog: https://www.lauriewoodauthor.com/author-my-blog
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
I Don’t Know Nothing About School Nurses, Miss Scarlet by Shannon Vannatter
Research is a hefty part of writing a novel (or anything for publication). Sometimes, it's hard to find just the right answers to our questions. Today, author Shannon Vannatter shares about an experience she had and the friends she made in the process. -- Sandy
Shannon: My heroes and heroines in my books have had lots of careers. Over the years, I relied on friends and family in some of the fields, experience, Googling, attending The Fort Worth Championship Rodeo, and talking to experts. But for my newest heroine, a school nurse, I had nothing.
Shannon: My heroes and heroines in my books have had lots of careers. Over the years, I relied on friends and family in some of the fields, experience, Googling, attending The Fort Worth Championship Rodeo, and talking to experts. But for my newest heroine, a school nurse, I had nothing.
I questioned if Raquel Marris, heroine in Rodeo Reunion
really needed to be a former ER turned school nurse. But it fit the story. When
ladies at church asked what book I was working on, I learned that two of our
members have daughters who are school nurses. Yippee. But they were both going
through trying times right when I needed to pick their brains. I muddled
through, googled, and faked it.
To complicate things further, I learned that each state has
different laws concerning school nurses. Even school districts in the same
state have various guidelines and laws.
Another church member used to be a nurse. But she’s working
for a natural gas company in Texas
right now, so I really couldn’t pick her brain either.
Since the book was set in Texas , an Arkansas nurse really wouldn’t fit the bill
anyway. I turned to American Christian Fiction Writers. I’m a member of the
national organization and the membership in the thousands. One of the many
benefits, an e-mail loop where we can ask for help with our current projects. I
put out a call for nurses or school nurses. Usually when I ask a question on
the ACFW loop, my inbox fills up. This time, I got nothing.
Since I have over 1200 friends on Facebook, I decided to
give it a shot. A lot of my friends,
I don’t even know. Most of the ones I don’t know are authors or readers. I had
no idea if there were any nurses out there. I asked for help from Texas nurses or school
nurses with my current book. For two days—nothing.
By this time, I’d turned in the book with a promise to my
editor that I’d research the medical scenes before final edits. I was starting
to get worried. But then messages started coming in. Soon, I was in touch with
a school nurse in Texas
and one in Arkansas ,
plus a registered nurse in Arkansas .
I peppered all three with questions and the Arkansas school nurse
even read a pivotal scene to make sure it was believable. I’m so thankful she
did—my scene was way over the top. I put all three very helpful ladies in my
acknowledgements and promised them copies of the book when it released. And
made three new Facebook friends.
Do you have go-to friends or acquaintances when it comes to those tricky research questions that must be answered? Have you made new friends through your research?
~~~~~
Award winning, central Arkansas
She has eleven published titles and is contracted for four more. Her books
are available at christianbook.com, barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com,
harlequin.com, and barbourbooks.com. Learn more about Shannon
and her books at http://shannonvannatter.com and check
out her real life romance blog at http://shannonvannatter.com/blog/.
Connect with her on Facebook: http://facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter,
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29672798-shannon-vannatter,
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/stvannatter/,
and Twitter: https://twitter.com/stvauthor.
RAQUEL MARRIS NEEDS A And Slade Walker's not a likely candidate. Even if the former major league pitcher just agreed to coach her son's little league team. The single mom can't risk everything on a bronc-riding chaplain who's only passing through Raquel's small
Slade is taking a hiatus from the rodeo circuit to meet the sister he never knew he had. But the pretty widowed nurse next door is making him think twice about hitting the road again. He can't turn his back on the cowboys who need him, but Raquel and her boy need him, too. Can Slade fulfill his calling and finally find a place to hang his hat?
Purchase Links:
Giveaway details: Here’s something special to commemorate
the Heartsong Presents line since it’s ending this month. Comment to enter the
drawing for a copy of Rodeo Reunion. Ten copies will be split among names drawn
during the blog tour from June 1st – July 1st. One winner will receive a
baseball themed memory board personally crafted by the author. Winners will be
revealed on the author’s blog on July 22nd.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Wherever Books Are Sold by Shannon Taylor Vannatter
 |
| Shannon Taylor Vannatter |
Wherever books are sold. The ability to say that has eluded
me for fourteen years.
In late 1999, I’d realized that story I’d had in my head
since I was fifteen could be a book and got a hand me down computer. I started
writing and didn’t stop until I’d finished the book. It was badly written, but
I didn’t know it at the time. Fifty-two rejections and a second book later, I
wrote number three. It got published by a print on demand company. I didn’t
know what that was, but soon learned they’re not in stores and they’re usually
over-priced.
Three more completed manuscripts and over two hundred
rejection letters later, I finally decided I needed help to get where I wanted
to be. For the next two years, I attended every writer’s conference in my area
and joined two writer’s groups. I learned so much, but there came a point, I
wasn’t learning anything new and nothing specific to my genre.
I googled Christian writer’s conferences and found American
Christian Fiction Writers. From 2005 – 2008, I attended the conference. In
2009, I finally signed a contract with Heartsong Presents for three books set
in Romance and Rosebud, Arkansas .
Both are small, real towns about thirty-five minutes from where I live. People
go to Romance to get married and send their wedding invitations and Valentine
cards to be re-mailed with a unique, hand-stamped postmark from Romance,
Arkansas and I incorporated that local flavor into each book.
My dream had come true.
Except that most stores don’t sell Heartsong Presents books.
Heartsong has a book club readers can join. Members receive
four new titles each month. If readers aren’t in the book club, HP titles are
hard to find except online. A Christian book store in my area carries the line
and I’ve had good sales there. I’ve been blessed to have thousands of readers
reading my books.
But all writers want their books in stores. Lots of stores.
It gets old when people ask where they can get your book and you have to say,
online.
I knew from the beginning, that my three books would be combined
into one volume at some point and sold wherever books are sold. Finally, that
time has come and I’m so excited—I get to say it:
“You can find my book, Arkansas Weddings wherever books are sold.”
“Wow, that felt good!”
Dora here. Writers, how many of you dream of saying these words?
Raising my hand...
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| Arkansas Weddings Purchase Link |
Love’s never easy in three Arkansas romances. Pastor Grayson is still
grieving his wife’s death. Will a budding relationship with florist Adrea Welch
be the healing he needs to plant new love in his life? Laken left home eight
years ago and never looked back. Now she’s in Romance, Arkansas , again, but is she too close to her
past—and Hayden Winters? Shell doesn’t have a good reputation. But no matter
what everyone thinks, she’s back in town with a job to do. Will Ryler Grant
disrupt her plans. . .and change her heart?
Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom and pastor’s
wife. Her
debut novel won the 2011 Inspirational
Readers’ Choice Award. When not writing, she runs circles
in the care and feeding of her husband, their son, and church congregation.
Home is a central Arkansas
zoo with two charcoal gray cats, a chocolate lab, and three dachshunds in
weenie dog heaven. If given the chance to clean house or write, she’d rather
write. Her goal is to hire Alice
from the Brady Bunch.
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