Grab a Hankie and Hold On! by Sandra Ardoin

A non-writing friend of mine posted a meme on my Facebook timeline: “Things That Make Writers Cry” from the Writers Write blog. I’d insert the meme here, but I’m too lazy to get permission, so go ahead and check it out. I’ll wait.

**Sandy whistles Player’s 70’s song “Baby, Come Back” while she’s waiting. Yes, she’s that old, but don’t mention it in the comments. The woman is sensitive.**

Ooh, baby, you came back!

So out of the nine items listed, some were humorous and some serious, right? However, they held a good bit of truth for those of us who struggle to get the appropriate words on the page and books into the possession of readers.

For instance, take number five: when the coffee/chocolate/wine is gone. Ha! My mornings run on coffee. When the pot is empty…well, it isn’t a pretty sight. And I always try to keep a stash of chocolate, though I’m stingier in doling it out to myself. Sitting all day and chocolate don’t combine for a pretty sight either, especially from the rear.

I’ve never fallen in love with a character I’ve had to kill off (number seven), though there have been a few I’ve wanted to shake until their fictional teeth rattled. My favorite times are those when I’ve written a scene that tightens my own throat. Since I’m a rare crier, it gives me the hope that more sensitive readers will bawl their eyes out. I guess I’m cruel that way.

Then there’s number one. How many times have I written brilliant prose one day and wanted to wad up my computer and toss it into the trash the next? That’s a rhetorical question, so don’t try it at home.

In my response to my friend, I said I could probably add a few things to the list, so let’s get to it.

10. Lately, I’ve noticed a number of one-star reviews on Amazon book pages that simply say “I haven’t read the book”.

**Here is where we ALL partake in a dumbfounded pause to let that sink in.**

Authors beg for reviews and appreciate each one, but common sense says read the book BEFORE posting the review.

11. There are times I’ve slogged my way to the halfway point in my book and it suddenly hits me…I still have TWICE that many words to write! Whether you’re a plotter or pantser, sometimes creating the story is like walking barefoot five miles in hot tar—uphill both ways. Our brains are tired. Our fingers ache. We just want to chuck writing the second half and go straight to the HEA. For writers, that HEA consists of two precious words: The End. Regrettably, if we gave in to our inclination, readers would chuck the book.

12. Time spent marketing our brilliant works. ** sigh ** I’m not talking about the effort of marketing itself, but the time it takes away from writing even more brilliant works. Yes, it’s necessary and, yes, we can’t ignore it, but we must also write additional stories.

13. Then there are those (hopefully few) royalty statements that….

**And here is where Sandy wisely shuts up.** 

Okay, I’ve put some of my tearful writer moments out there. Now share yours. Come on, baby, don’t be shy. Add to the list! And, if you’re a reader only, tell us what authors do to a story—good or bad—that makes you want to cry.

~~~~~~~

Sandra Ardoin engages readers with page-turning stories of love and faith. She’s the author of the heartwarming novella, The Yuletide Angel and the award-winning novel, A Reluctant Melody. Rarely out of reach of a book, she's also an armchair sports enthusiast, country music listener, and seldom says no to eating out. Visit her at www.sandraardoin.com. Subscribe to receive updates and specials. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and BookBub.

Stay True to Your Writing Path by Mary Manners

Stay True to Your Writing Path

Authors learn early in the journey that writing rarely takes a vacation. Ideas churn. Deadlines loom. Sometimes (lots of times) it's difficult to fall asleep at night with all those storylines and plot twists warring for attention. It's easy to get carried away in our make believe worlds and neglect real life. Thus broaches one of the great mysteries of life: How do we optimize time management in order to facilitate a balance between writing and family time, so we can get it all done? 

I work great under pressure and time constraints. Decades as a teacher and school administrator taught me to expect the unexpected and quickly adapt. Tackling half-a-dozen tasks simultaneously was commonplace, and I managed with ease. So, giving up my day job for full-time writing was destined to be a cake-walk, right?

Wrong. Now that I've retired to full-time writing I've had to develop an entirely new writing routine. It's much too easy to squander time when there are ten hours in the writing day instead on one or two. It's easy to stretch a thirty minute lunch to an hour, or an hour reading one of my favorite books into two. Time-suckers lurk around every corner so organization and time-management become more important than ever. Developing good habits (while discouraging those that quickly become not so good) is paramount if I want to avoid cutting into family time to meet deadlines.

If time management is an issue I have found a simple, foolproof solution: Take a deep breath and write. Set a writing goal and stick to it. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. My goal is usually five for five. I must write 500 words before I break for a five-minute trek through the virtual world to see what’s going on, or before I indulge in a snack or a second cup of coffee. I set a timer and strictly limit myself to five minutes. This technique works very well to help tackle and tie up writing projects as deadlines close in. The promise of a snack or a walk through social media motivates me to get those words down on paper, yet I avoid getting carried away.

So, the next time poor time management threatens to snatch away writing time, step back, take a deep breath, and then dive back in to WRITE. Stay focused and enjoy the journey. Happy Writing!

~~~~~

Honeysuckle Cove Secrets (Honeysuckle Cove #3)

Peyton Foster harbors a secret…from the day he first stepped into her life she’s loved Luke Maddox. Though she thought they’d developed a lasting friendship, events surrounding her mother’s death chased him away. It’s all for the best, since Peyton’s passion as proprietor of A Whisper in Time proves the perfect complement to her shyness—a much better fit than her former misguided schoolgirl attraction to Luke.

Luke Maddox feels a connection with Peyton Foster from the first moment their paths cross. But when he settles in Honeysuckle Cove, a past riddled by years traversing the foster care system leaves him longing to fit in, leading him to take part in a foolish school dare that costs him Peyton’s friendship. Haunted by the mistake, he searches for a way to mend the past and find a way back to Peyton’s heart. When a break-in at A Whisper in Time causes their paths to once again cross, Luke must make a choice—bare his heart and face the consequences, or allow the only woman he’s ever loved to slip away.

~~~~~

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime exploring her joy of writing. She has two sons and a daughter, as well as three beautiful grandchildren. She currently lives along the sunny shores of Jacksonville Beach with her husband Tim.

A former teacher as well an intermediate school principal, Mary spent three decades sharing her love of learning with students from kindergarten through middle grades. While growing up in Chicago and as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois, Mary worked her way through a variety of jobs including paper girl, figure skating instructor, pizza chef, and nanny. Many of these enriching and challenging experiences led to adventures that bring laughs and insight to her stories. Mary loves long sunrise runs, ocean sunsets, and flavored coffee.

Connect with Mary at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com. “Like” her author page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.







Tenacity by Terri Weldon

As I sat down to write this post I saw my two adorable West Highland White Terriers and one word popped into my mind – tenacity. When they determine to do something they don’t give up. And in my house, more often than not, their persistence pays off. But that’s a story for another day.

If you’ve been writing long, then no doubt you’ve discovered the need for tenacity and all of its synonyms such as persistence, determination, perseverance, resolve, endurance and many more.

Before you’re published you need to adopt the tenacity my terriers possess in order to learn your craft, write your first novel, and then polish it until it gleams. More often than not you’ll receive at least one rejection letter from an agent or editor during this grueling process. The urge to give up and quit will be strong. So sink your teeth into your writing and refuse to give up no matter what obstacles the world throws at you.   

 

 

Know what? I hope I don’t sound like the voice of gloom, but the need for tenacity doesn’t go away after you’re published, if anything the trait becomes more important. Fears start bombarding you. What if I never sell another book? What if I can’t find an agent? What if my sales are too low? It took me three years to write the first book in this series. What made me think I could write the second book in six months? That’s when the terrier in you kicks in with tenacity. Take a deep breath and keep writing. After all, that’s how you became published to begin with.

 

And then there are the demands on your time: children, day jobs, committees, spouses, aging parents and a hundred other things. That’s when you have to buckle down and decide if you’re in this for the long haul. Am I doing what God desires of me? If you answer yes then keep plugging along. God will give you the endurance and time to write. He will help you carve out an hour in the morning or late at night to write. The strength to turn off the television and read a craft book instead. And sorry folks, but I’m not talking about a knitting book. Instead read a book that will help you plot your novel or edit your first draft. Giving up an hour of sleep on a rainy day or turning off your favorite TV program might be hard, but when you’re holding a completed manuscript in your hand you will be glad you did.

I like to think I’m somewhat tenacious. After all, I haven’t given up writing yet, but I know I still have tons of room for improvement before I’m as focused as Crosby and Nolly Grace. What about you? Are you as tenacious as my Westies?

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

Writerly Immersion by Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

One of the things I love most about being a writer is the process of immersion.

What do I mean by that? I equate immersion to those programs that allow people to do a deep and thorough dive into, say, a foreign language, or a foreign culture. It’s about the process of learning by being ‘dropped’ into a specific time or place. It’s about direct knowledge. Internet research fine-tunes and answers a bevy of questions; immersion is somewhat different. It’s more direct, and tactile. I embrace the story I create by experiencing the places and things that touch the lives of my characters. 

For example, when I wrote my books Devotion and Forgiveness (which releases later this year) my husband and I took a number of road trips to Nashville, Tennessee. I didn’t just record restaurant names and hot-spot locales, I literally walked the path of my heroes and heroines. I ate at the restaurants I mention in the books, studied the countryside, its textures and colors and scents, all of which, I hope, lends authenticity to the words I write.

For Christmas at Tiffany’s I called upon a magical Christmas voyage I took to New York City with my daughter years ago.  We stayed at a hotel in Midtown. We prowled the streets. We even found ourselves wrapped in the fat, tumbling flakes of a snow storm. From there, I described bedecked store windows, the sparkling tree at Rockefeller Center, the hustle and bustle of city life—all of which were captured through the lens of personal experience. For my London Christmas stories, I returned to the cobbled streets and historic venues of that vibrant, timeless city. I visited London as freshly graduated high school senior and twice more once I was married. My love for both locations became the heartbeat of each novel.

My latest immersion is into my sister-in-law's farm in Indiana. I've visited them thousands of times, of course. They're family. However, setting a story there helped me experience their life's work through fresh eyes. As some of you know, I'm in the process of writing The Fishermen of Antioch series for Pelican Book Group. This trio of novels will center on a family-owned soybean farm. John and Mary own and operate a soybean farm and during a recent visit, I not only called upon their vast knowledge of the planting and harvesting process, I could also walk the fields, photograph the crops, peel open a pod and pop a few crisp, meaty beans into my mouth. I hope that kind of realism translates into the circumstances my characters face, their lives and settings.

Do you write what you know? If not, no worries – I recently completed and submitted a story set on a fictional, Mediterranean island. Trust me, there’s been no real-life visit—only the wistful call of my heart. Immersion is one of a hundred ways to write an engaging story, yet as I revisit my WIP and crank toward deadline, I wanted to share this idea/perspective and pose the question: Do you write what you know? What research methods do you like best? What techniques help you ‘keep it real’? I can’t wait to hear, and learn from you!

CLICK TO TWEET!

Do you write what you know? @marevansauthor #SeriouslyWrite #ChristFic #AmWriting

What, exactly, is Writerly Immersion? @Marevansauthor #SeriouslyWrite #ChristFic #AmWriting

~~~~~

Christmas at Tiffany's

All she wants for Christmas is her Master’s Degree. All he wants is a one-way plane ticket back to Los Angeles. 

Tiffany Zelling’s mission is to become a crisis therapy counselor using specially trained animals as comfort tools. She's focused on reaching the end of her school career, and nothing will stand in her way—not even a fantasy-world attraction to colleague Mitch Alexander. 

After a year as interim Director of East Coast Operations Mitch's tenure has been a resounding success. Now, he’s set to return to California and lay claim to a well-deserved promotion. He can’t wait to leave behind the cold and snowy darkness of Manhattan, but when corporate bullying and a massive snowfall throws him together with Tiffany Zelling, Mitch wonders if heading west is his best future. 

As two hearts build a pathway to love, goals shift and evolve. But as Christmas joy and hope move through the streets of New York, critical decisions must be made. Can their lives truly meld? Can Christmas at Tiffany’s be God’s answer…for them both?

~~~~~

Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. Hearts Communion earned a win for Best Romance from the Christian Small Publisher's Association. Finding Home won the Selah award for Best Novella. Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President.

Research – The Best Part of Being an Author by Mary Ellis

Besides a good story, there's nothing more thrilling for this reader than feeling as though I've been transported to a place or time I've never been before. Today, Mary Ellis stops by to give us some insight into the on-location research she did for her newest series. -- Sandy

Mary: Personally, I love to travel. As my husband and I investigate spots where we may someday retire, I find plenty of settings for my books. My newest series, Secrets of the South Mysteries, involves a variety of locations south of the Mason Dixon line. My current release, Midnight on the Mississippi, takes place in New Orleans and in the backwaters of Terrebonne, Lafayette, and St. Landry Parishes, Louisiana. In preparation we stayed in the French Quarter at least a dozen times, taking in the sights and sounds both pre and post-Katrina, and sampling every Cajun and Creole dish on the menu. Despite several hurricanes and bad-behaving partygoers, the French Quarter retains its age-old dignity. Utterly charming is the only way I can describe our favorite hotel, The Provincial. In my story, a New Orleans securities broker is accused of murder when his business partner turns up dead. Danger swirls like the mysterious dark water of the bayou as my stockbroker and his greenhorn P.I. encounter sophisticated shell games, blackmail and death threats in Midnight on the Mississippi.

The second of my mystery series takes place in Memphis, Tennessee, home of the blues and plenty of tasty barbeque. I enjoyed plenty of both during my trips to study the after-hours life of a saxophone player and stage his untimely murder. People in both the clubs and in the Mississippi Blues Trail museums were eager to help another music lover. The landmark Peabody Hotel turned out to be so amazing, I wrote the subplot around a fictionalized version of the hotel. It fit well in with the romantic intrigue of What Happened on Beale Street, which will release in February.

The third in the series, yet unnamed, takes place in the sleepy town of Natchez, Mississippi. Perched high on a bluff above the Mississippi River, Natchez becomes the vortex of a murder veiled as a suicide and an elaborate scam to dupe unsuspecting non-profits of every dime they have. Two new private detectives, both burned badly in previous relationships, discover friendship can often be the first step to true love. In a couple of weeks my husband and I will return to Natchez for another go-round of research. So nice to stay in a town too small to get lost in, yet large enough to have friendly people willing to answer a writer’s nosy questions. Then we’ll travel down to Bay St. Louis on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, perfect for the subplot of my mystery. Bay St. Louis has been almost totally rebuilt since that devastating Katrina, ten years ago this month.

Ahhh research…where it’s warm and sunny and a soft breeze blows in from the water to cool a writer’s weary brow. What a lovely way for a Midwest country girl to see the U.S. and be able to deduct part of her expenses along the way.

Do you combine your novel research with your travel? If you don't actually have a book in mind, do you take notes during a trip anyway ... just in case? Do you tend to set your books only in those places you're familiar with?

~~~~~

Mary Ellis has written twelve award-winning novels set in the Amish community andseveral historical romances set during the Civil War. Her latest, Midnight on the Mississippi, first of a new mystery series, Secrets of the South, is set in New Orleans.Mary enjoys traveling, gardening, bicycling and swimming, and lives in Ohio with her husband, dog and cat. She can be found on the web at: www.maryellis.net or
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236

Created to Create by Jayme H. Mansfield

I'm sure we all have our creativity quirks -- those routines that prepare us to undertake a new project. I know I do. Today, author Jayme Mansfield shares how she gets in the creative spirit. -- Sandy

Jayme: It’s a bit quirky and most definitely a great procrastinator, but I have an innate need before I work on my manuscripts to straighten my desk, rewrite my to-do list, open the blinds, water the plants, refill my coffee…you get the picture. I like to think of this ritual as my version of a creative dance.

However, as much as those activities can wreck havoc on my word count (which if tracked, looks something like a cardiogram), I find those activities are actually my running start, my warm up, so to speak, to dive into the action for which the Creator called us to do—create.

If given the chance, I would have loved to ask author and Christian, Madeleine L’Engle what she did before sitting down to write one of her many books. In Walking on Water ~ Reflections on Faith and Art, she fills the pitcher to overflowing with her wisdom about the creative process, and most importantly, its Source. She shares that we are made in our Creator’s image, and thus are created to create.

She describes this mysterious relationship— “The artist cannot hold back; it is impossible, because writing, or any other discipline of art, involves participation in suffering, in the ills and the occasional stabbing of joys that come from being part of the human drama.” As writers, it’s wonderful to know that despite how we arrive at the final piece, the journey is never in isolation as much as it can feel that way.

Instead, even though throwing ten more balls to my dog and sorting paperclips in my drawer might be part of my choreography to write, I know my purpose is intentional. Ultimately, my true tasks as a writer are to listen, to be aware of the words and stories on my heart, and to finally park myself at the computer and respond to the Creator by creating.

Whether I meet a self-imposed word count or not, I must remind myself that sooner or later, the need to write will triumph. Because I, just like you, was created to create—and clearly, it is not of our doing to decide otherwise. So, before I open another file and make strides on my current manuscript, I think I’ll look out the window at the sunrise and thank God for a new day. For in the words of L’Engle, “In the act of creativity, the artist lets go of self-control which he normally clings to and is open to riding the wind.”

How do you prepare for that next creation? Do you have a particular routine you follow while you ponder the story?

~~~~~

Chasing the Butterfly

From a vineyard in the south of France to the sophisticated city of Paris, Ella Moreau searches for the hope

and love she lost as a young girl when her mother abandoned the family. Ella's journey is portrayed through a heartbroken child, a young woman's struggles during the tumultuous times surrounding World War II, and as a reflective adult. Through a series of secret paintings, her art becomes the substitute for lost love, the visual metaphor of her life. But when her paintings are discovered, the intentions of those she loves are revealed.

Jayme H. Mansfield is an author, artist, and educator. She provides vivid imagery as she melds her inspiring writing and artistic talents. Her debut novel, Chasing the Butterfly, released in October 2014 from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Jayme is the owner of Piggy Toes Art Studio in Lakewood, Colorado. After a career in both the business and creative sides of advertising, Jayme received her teaching and Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and Creative Arts. For the past seventeen years, she has shared a passion for literacy and the writing process with her students. She teaches at Aspen Academy in Greenwood Village. Jayme is married to James and has three teenage boys.

To learn more and connect with Jayme, please visit:

The Blank Canvas blog: www.jaymemansfield.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jayme-H-Mansfield/669237533103946

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8432600.Jayme_H_Mansfield

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jaymemansfield/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaymemansfield

Aha! Now You're On To Something! by Sandra Ardoin

One of the things I love about writing is the “Aha!” moment. I’m not talking about the moment in the story when your main character discovers where he took the wrong path or determines his thinking is a lie. I’m talking about that time when I, as the author, find I’ve inadvertently included something in the manuscript that becomes the key to the story.

Whether you’re a plotter, a pantser, or something in-between (like me), you’ve experienced what I mean. That word, sentence, action, or tidbit that leaps from your brain onto the screen without planning and ends up being what you use to tie up loose ends, slip in an unexpected plot point, or deepen the climax. Discovering the reason for that entry is a euphoric experience.

I recently completed a story that gave me fits. It did NOT want to be written—at least not the way I intended to write it. I thought the climax needed a certain action, and the heroine… Ugh! Don’t even get me started on her rebellion. 

After begging God for the answer to wrangling that puppy to a completion, He pointed me to something I had included at the beginning. It wasn’t much, just a simple term my hero used for his nephew’s bedroom. That term became the motivation for a scene that led to a satisfying conclusion. It was not the ending I had envisioned. It was a simple revelation that made all the difference in the world to my hero.

Isn’t that the way it usually is in our own lives? We don’t always need something to explode in our faces to see where we’ve gone wrong. Sometimes, we only need a word (or advice) inserted at the right time and in the right context.

You can call the insertion of these gems "luck" all you want. I call it God writing His will through me.

What about you? What was your last "Aha!" moment in your writing (or life)? Share your experience.

~~~

Sandy writes inspirational historical romances with stalwart heroes who melt the hearts of her spirited heroines. Her goal is to entertain the reader with a gripping story while revealing the depth of God’s love and forgiveness. As well as being the Wednesday hostess on the Seriously Write blog, she blogs at www.sandraardoin.com. You’ll also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Pinterest. Sandy is the married mother of a young adult. She enjoys reading, country music, and gardening in her rocky, North Carolina soil.

My Unbalanced Life by Mary Connealy

I have people ask me how I find time to do all the marketing involved with being an author and still get my books written.

Add in I’ve got a husband who likes some attention, four adult daughters who I love hanging around with, two glorious grandchildren who NEED THEIR GRANDMA!!! A home to maintain and a full time job.

So how do I do it all? Here’s the answer.

I don’t.

When someone asks me how I balance everything I have to admit I am unbalanced. I believe there has been some paperwork filed with the County Attorney to that affect.

Writing isn’t something I find time for. Writing is my default activity. I have to be dragged away from my stories. It’s the rest of my life that I struggle with.

Writers write. That’s what we do. No one can sit alone for hours on end, having imaginary conversations with themselves….if they don’t love it.

When you talk with a writer who is harried and exhausted and under deadline she may worry about getting her book finished but that’s not because she doesn’t love writing, it’s because life intrudes on her book. She has to pull herself away and feed small children. Field emergency phone calls. Pay attention to her husband, very often the man supporting her while she works on her often poorly paying little hobby/job. Walk the whining dog.

And don’t even talk about marketing. It’s fun to write blog posts. I’m having a really good time right now. It’s writing, of course it’s fun. But it takes time. It takes creative energy. And that book is always whispering to you, alive in the back of your head ‘come back. You left your heroine hanging on a cliff by her fingernails. You left your hero heartbroken but too macho to admit he loves the heroine. You left a villain who needs to be arrested and shot and beaten with a big stick.

If the world would just leave a writer alone there would be only peace and harmony. (for her at least, heaven help the kids and husband and dog)

I have people say to me A LOT ‘I think I have a book in me.’ Or sometimes, ‘I’ve always wanted to write a book.’

I always say, “You know, write if you have the desire but don’t feel bad if you never get that book written. Sitting alone hour after hour makin’ stuff up isn’t a very normal way to conduct your life and most people just can’t do it. They like human interaction, they like talking to REAL people. They like MOVING.

I tell heartbroken, cruelly rejected authors that if they can’t take the pain then GET OUT. Go do something else. The money is probably better in a career that includes the words, “You want fries with that?”

For the most part, writers can’t stop. The pain and rejection and public humiliation (I’m thinking of One Star Amazon Reviews here) would stop any writer if they could be stopped.

But there is peace in knowing this is how God made me. We just have to accept that. Embrace who we are. Live an unbalanced live with joy—since you can’t stop anyway.

ABOUT MARY

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys.

She is a Carol Award winner, and a Rita and Christy finalist. She is the author of The Kincaid Brides Series: Out of Control, In Too Deep, Over the Edge.

Lassoed in Texas Trilogy containing three full length books: Petticoat Ranch, Calico Canyon and Gingham Mountain. Petticoat Ranch was a Carol Award Finalist. Calico Canyon was a Christy Award Finalist and a Carol Award Finalist.

The Montana Marriages Trilogy: Montana Rose, The Husband Tree and Wildflower Bride. Montana Rose and The Husband Tree are Carol Award Finalist.

Cowboy Christmas and Deep Trouble: Cowboy Christmas is the 2010 Carol Award for Best Long Historical Romance, and an Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Finalist.

The Sophie's Daughters series: Doctor in Petticoats, Wrangler in Petticoats, Sharpshooter in Petticoats. Doctor in Petticoats was a finalist for a Rita Award.

Mary is also the author of Black Hills Blessing a 3-in-1 collection of sweet contemporary romances, Nosy in Nebraska, a collection of cozy romantic mysteries and, writing under the pseudonym Mary Nealy, she's the author of Ten Plagues.

About Over the Edge

Seth Kincaid survived a fire in a cave, but he's never been the same. He was always a reckless youth, but now he's gone over the edge. He ran off to the Civil War and came back crazier than ever.

After the war, nearly dead from his injuries, it appears Seth got married. Oh, he's got a lot of excuses, but his wife isn't happy to find out Seth doesn't remember her. Callie has searched, prayed, and worried. Now she's come to the Kincaid family's ranch in Colorado to find her lost husband.

Callie isn't a long-suffering woman. Once she knows her husband is alive, she wants to kill him. She's not even close to forgiving him for abandoning her.

Then more trouble shows up in the form of a secret Seth's pa kept for years. The Kincaid brothers might lose their ranch if they can't sort things out. It's enough to drive a man insane -- but somehow it's all making Seth see things more clearly. And now that he knows what he wants, no one better stand in his way.

Find Mary online at:

Seekerville
Petticoats & Pistols
My Blog
My Website

Interview with Author Gayle Roper

Gayle Roper is the award winning author of more than forty books. She has been a Christy finalist three times and won the prestigious Romance Writers of America's RITA Award,  the Holt Medallion (three times), the Reviewers Choice Award, the Award of Excellence and the Golden Quill. In addition, Romantic Times Book Report gave Gayle the Lifetime Achievement Award.

But even with all those accolades, she is so approachable and humble. I have been blessed to have sat in on her workshops several times and had her critique my writing at least twice. Each time she patiently and graciously shared her insights on how to be a better writer. 

I recently interviewed Gayle and asked her about how she develops her characters, what she's been doing and her plans for the future. Here are her answers:

1. You've written general fiction, suspense, romance and non-fiction. Which is your favorite genre to write?

I like romantic suspense best. A dash of mystery, a dash of romance—that’s my cup of tea both for writing and for reading.

2. I love your Seaside series because your characters are so real. How do you write such believable characters? Are any of them based on real people?

Super news that you like my people! Music to a writer’s ears. I don’t base my characters on anyone I know. I do select people I know for their physical characteristics. It’s how I keep straight what color hair and eyes, etc, I’ve given them. But as far as a character being patterned on a real person, not at all.
 I do select personalities for my characters using the ancient sanguine, choleric, melancholy, phlegmatic pattern. I make certain that my romantic leads have conflicting personalities (opposites attract and all that). I might select a sanguine-choleric heroine (people person, fun lover with leadership tendencies) and a melancholy-choleric hero (interior, thoughtful, private with I’m-in-charge tendencies). Automatic conflict.
 If I give a person a quirk, it’s not for its own sake. The quirk must work its way into the plot in some meaningful way. For example Abby in Summer Shadows quotes women who in their time period did things women didn’t do. These historical women are relevant because Abby is trying to do things she’s never done, and they give her courage.

3. Your Bible study, Riding the Waves, focused on being content in all circumstances and has been such a help to me. Do you have plans to write another study?

I don’t know. I’m a relatively recent widow, and I’ve been writing some short things about what it’s like to be in this new place. I just don’t know what will happen with these pieces yet. There may be another nonfiction book as I learn to be content in my new and unwanted role—if there’s anyone interested in publishing it.

4. I'm so sorry you lost the love of your life, Chuck Roper. I had the privilege to meet him at a writers' conference. He was such a sweet man. It must be so hard to go through losing your husband - I can't imagine. You're in my prayers.

I was so happy to hear that you just recently had the opportunity to go to France. Can you tell me a little about what you did there?

I had a wonderful time this summer teaching in France at an English Camp for missionary kids and the kids of ex-pats. These kids live in cultures where English is not the primary language. English camp is a fun way to require they speak only English for two weeks and to teach them about American culture and writing. I taught creative writing each morning to three classes of kids from 8 to 16 years of age. Another teacher handled grammar and vocabulary, and a third taught American history. Add games, crafts and good old camp life, and the kids swallowed the lessons quite nicely. And those kids were absolutely the greatest!

5. I loved Shadows in the Sand. As I said earlier, your characters are so real. Do you have plans to write another in this series?

I would love to publish another book set in my fictional Jersey shore town of Seaside. I am working on one as well as writing a couple of novellas set there. In fact I just returned last evening from a research trip to the real town of Ocean City , NJ, my unofficial model for Seaside. I was looking for a place on the island I could put a college. Since there isn’t any real institution of higher learning there, I have to find a place where it could reasonably fit. I was also looking over the amusement parks on the boardwalk for part of one of the stories. Sunshine, temps in the 80s and a wonderful ocean breeze. Ah, the vicissitudes of research.

Research is one of the many blessings of being a writer! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions today. I am so looking forward to your next book. I'll be looking for it! 

The Writing Life by Gail Sattler

This Writer's Journey Wednesday, we welcome friend and author, Gail Sattler, to Seriously Write.

Things I Have Learned

About the Writing Life

Before I started writing this post, I had to stop and think, what exactly is “the writing life”? At the last writer’s conference I attended, between the writers and guests, everyone somehow got unconsciously classified into two groups – the Writers, and the Normals. Uh, Normals? Face it. Writers are different, and it only makes sense that we have a very different and separate “writing life.”

In this writing life, I have learned five things.

1. Writing is a solitary profession. Even though we write about people, we can’t be around people when we write. The best thing I ever taught my children to do (once they were old enough) was to shut the door to my writing room when they hear those special words… “Mommy’s on a deadline”. The door can only be opened if it involves blood, or the police. Fortunately, neither have happened. Therefore I’ve always met my deadlines. Or at least most of them.

2. Writers must pick their priorities. There are only 24 hours in a day, and nothing is going to change that. Writing takes time. A lot of time. Therefore, writers must choose what is really important, and what is not, in order to make that writing time happen. Some things simply must be put aside, and writers must learn to delegate. For example, children over the age of 13, regardless of gender, are perfectly capable of doing their own laundry. I do not have to cook every meal, it can be a shared duty, and whoever didn’t cook, can do dishes. I figure I am also teaching my children how to become good spouses when that day comes.

3. There are things only writers understand, such as the correct way to slit your wrists if you really want to commit suicide. Writers discuss things like this at great length. In public. Fortunately none of us were put under surveillance for psychiatric examination. That we know of.

4. Knowing the details of how things happen is important. Depending on what you write, it can be vital to know how to properly burn down a house and leave no traces. So in order to get the right information, writers must ask the right people. So even though some of us, myself included, are now on lists of possible arsonists, that’s okay. It’s all in the name of research.

5. Take notes. Sometimes the best ideas come in the worst places. A writer must always be prepared to take notes, so when that writing time that we have so carefully worked toward happens, we haven’t forgotten what was surely the best idea in the world. Notes can be on paper, but they can also be made on iPhones, PDA’s, and other portable electronic devices. On the back of grocery bills. Receipts. Envelopes. Toilet paper works, too, but it’s harder to write on. Please do not ask me how I know this. If you see someone with a half-eaten burger beside them with ketchup dribbling down their chin frantically scribbling on the clean part of a napkin, that person is probably a writer.

Hey. Writers gotta eat. But more than that, writers gotta write.





Gail Sattler is a multipublished author who lives in Vancouver, BC, where you don’t have to shovel rain, with her husband, 3 sons, 2 dogs, and a lazy lizard named Draco, who is quite cuddly for a reptile. When she’s not writing Gail plays bass for her worship team and a local jazz band. Gail’s next book, The Narrow Path, is coming out in May 2010. Check it out at http://www.gailsattler.com/.