You Have Not Because You Ask Not by Heather Blanton

Jesus said you have not because you ask not. What’s that have to do with writing?

Heather Blanton

Recently, I held a virtual launch party for my newest novel, A Promise in Defiance. We gave away everything from earrings to coffee. Fun stuff and my guests had a blast. I also debuted two book trailers and a video shout-out from a tv producer. None of it cost me a thing. Oh, and did I mention that my interview in USA Today’s "Happily Ever After" section came out the same day?

I got all this stuff because we merely asked.

If you have a platform of any reasonable size, you have something to offer advertisers, other authors, reporters, yes, even tv producers! Can you leave a review for a product? Would your readers leave a review? Will they talk about a product? Then your platform has intriguing possibilities.

I write Westerns. Call my stories Inspirational Westerns or Western Romance, but at the heart of each story, the guy in the white hat saves the day and rides off into the sunset with the girl. I love Westerns because of what they’ve meant to me over the years and those who've shared them with me. So, when I hear about a new Western coming out, I try to support it. That’s how I started my interaction with Rick Balentine, the creator and Executive Producer of the new Western TV show, Big Sky (http://www.bigskytvshow.com/). He “gets” what it means to write a traditional Western. Through a somewhat similar scenario, I met Mark Richard, formerly the Executive Producer at AMC’s Western, Hell on Wheels. Over the course of a couple of years, he and I have become good friends.

So I asked a friend of mine who is an aspiring actress if she would record a few lines from a script I wrote. She did a great trailer for me, costumes and all! You can check it out here. And David McKnight, a reenactor at the Fort Worth Stockyards also did one, in full costume. (You can see it here.) I promised these two that I would get their videos to some important people. That’s all I can do, but it’s a step.

In the meantime, my assistant, the fabulous Pepper Potts—er, I mean, Diane Estrella, discovered a company called Little Black Gun (https://littleblackgun.com/) They sell jewelry made out of shell casings, and the casings have actually been fired! I reviewed a pair, happily. They gave me an extra pair to give away. I got a t-shirt from the Talking Shirt (https://thetalkingshirt.com/), for the same arrangement.

We gave away nearly a dozen items at the book launch. Tote bags, vitamins, books, posters, and the list goes on and. Diane also got me the interview with USA Today … by merely asking and offering up some legitimate sales numbers.

So the take away here is—

1. Follow your passion
2. Passion will lead to connections
3. Build your brand and that will make more connections viable
4. Ask your connections if you can work some trade
5. Be nice to and professional with everyone you meet
6. Shoot for the moon

Why not? With God, all things are possible.

About the Author

Heather Blanton is the independent bestselling author of several Christian Westerns, including the Romance in the Rockies series, which has sold over 40,000 copies. Intrigued by the concept of three good sisters stranded in a lawless Colorado mining town, a few notable Hollywood producers have requested the script for her first book in that series, A Lady in Defiance. Heather loves exploring the American West, especially ghost towns and museums. She has walked parts of the Oregon Trail, ridden horses through the Rockies, climbed to the top of Independence Rock, and even held an outlaw's note in her hand.

A Promise in Defiance

A Promise in Defiance
by Heather Blanton

CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES...EVEN FOR THE REDEEMED. When Charles McIntyre founded Defiance, he was more than happy to rule in hell rather than serve in heaven. But things have changed. Now, he has faith, a new wife...and a ten-year-old half-breed son. Infamous madam Delilah Goodnight wants to take it all away from him. How can he protect his kingdom and his loved ones from her schemes without falling back on his past? How does he fight evil if not with evil?

Logan Tillane carries a Bible in his hand, wears a gun on his hip, and fights for lost souls any way he can. Newly arrived in Defiance, he has trouble, though, telling saints from sinners. The challenge only worsens when Delilah flings open the doors to the scandalous Crystal Chandelier. She and the new preacher have opposite plans for the town. One wants to save it, one wants to lead it straight to hell.

For Tillane and McIntyre, finding redemption was a long, hard road. God's grace has washed away their sins, but the consequences remain and God will not be mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap...and the harvest is finally at hand.

Links
http://ladiesindefiance.com/
https://www.facebook.com/authorheatherblanton/
https://twitter.com/heatherfblanton
https://www.pinterest.com/heatherfblanton/

A Thing of the Past: Finding Inspiration from Objects by Susanne Dietze

Where do writers come up with their ideas? Need a writing prompt? Author Susanne Dietze gives some insight into how she came up with her idea for her debut novella. -- Sandy

Susanne: I’m a museum nerd, one of those who loves strolling through exhibits, reading plaques and, on occasion, taking photos of displays (when allowed) so I can soak up every juicy detail of whatever it is I’m admiring. One look at a landscape, snuff box, dress with panniers or potpourri vase and my imagination goes bonkers. Who used the item? How did they feel about it?

Sometimes, that’s how the germ of a story forms. Connecting to Things (for lack of a better word) has set me on paths of research that have molded my stories—including my historical romance novella, Love’s Reward, from The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection.

In that particular case, a hundred-year-old pencil sketch on tracing paper caught my eye and got me thinking.

The premise of my novella required my hero’s involvement in competitions—both professional and personal—which take top priority in his life until a rival offers a reward for the capture of his heart (the only safe female in town, of course, is a charity-minded miss whose only designs are on the hero’s wallet).

Finding a personal contest for my hero was easy, but I wasn’t certain about my hero’s professional challenge. I wanted him to be an architect with a goal, such as winning a commission or a local prize. However, I didn’t know much about his field in the 1800’s. Rather than start looking for articles on the subject, I first peeked at Ebay and Google Images to get a glimpse of architecture tools and buildings from that era.

That’s when I stumbled upon some pencil and pen-and-wash architecture submissions to a global contest held in the 1890’s. (The copyrighted submissions can be viewed here.) In 1896, mining and real estate heiress Phoebe Apperson Hearst (mother of media mogul William Randolph Hearst) granted a gift to the University of California, Berkeley, allowing it to hold an International Architectural Competition to determine a master plan for the campus’s buildings and grounds. Over a hundred architects from all over the world competed for the honor.

I was enraptured by those submissions and could imagine my hero busy with his own proposal—and my story fell into place. I had a time and setting for my novella (1896, in Hearst’s San Francisco), data on how architects worked in the 1890’s, and a conflict with much higher stakes than I’d originally planned—all inspired by a Thing I’d seen online.

Ironically, I fictionalized the Hearst Competition as well as the name of the university for my novella, but I felt confident knowing there was a historical precedent for events in my story.

Not everyone is a visual learner, like I am (some of us are auditory or kinesthetic), and not all of us write historical fiction. Nevertheless, looking at Things related to our stories is a form of research that can add depth and detail to our works-in-progress. Whether it’s found in an illustrated guide (even ones for children!) or a site like Ebay, Things can be used to help guide our investigation—at the very least. At best, a writer might find the item sparks the imagination.

And a Thing of the past becomes a vibrant part of a living story.

Do you have a favorite treasure passed down through your family?

~~~~~

Susanne Dietze is a pastor’s wife and mom who began writing love stories in high school, casting her friends in the starring roles. Today she writes in the hope of encouraging and entertaining others. You can visit her on her website, www.susannedietze.com.

LINKS FOR BOOK:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Most-Eligible-Bachelor-Romance-Collection/dp/1630588768/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414622240&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=most+eligibe+bachelor

BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-most-eligible-bachelor-romance-collection-erica-vetsch/1120363323?ean=9781630588762

Christian Book: http://www.christianbook.com/eligible-bachelor-romance-collection-historical-novellas/erica-vetsch/9781630588762/pd/588762?product_redirect=1&Ntt=588762&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

LINKS FOR SUSANNE:

Website: www.susannedietze.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanneDietzeBooks

Blog: www.susannedietze.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SusanneDietze

Cast a Wide Net by Sandra Merville Hart

Sandra Merville Hart

I had the privilege to meet Sandra Merville Hart at ACFW last year and was so blessed by her humble spirit. I was so thrilled to hear that she'd sold her first book and asked her to share a some of the things she'd learned along the way. Here's some wise words from a sweet friend. ~ Angie

Someone once told me, "You're not a writer until you've been rejected." Though this author obviously meant to encourage me, it did not remove the sting of a rejection recently received -- the first of many.

If you're a writer, your thoughts likely already traveled back to that first painful rejection. Perhaps the most recent one sprang to mind. Receiving refusals doesn't seem to grow easier.

A seasoned author gave me a bit of advice when I began writing. These words of wisdom probably saved my sanity in the past few years. What was this sage advice? Cast a wide net.

Those weren't her exact words, but that's what it has come to mean to me.

When I first began writing, I wrote a short story, devotion, or an article. After researching for magazines looking for this type of writing on the Internet and my trusty writers guides, I submitted it to one editor at a time. Waiting to hear from that one publisher agonized me. Once the rejection letter arrived, it took weeks to summon the courage to send it to the next name on the list.

My friend encouraged me to submit to several publishers at a time, at least to all who accept simultaneous submissions. There's always a feeling of hope and possibilities when submitting. Once it has been sent, she advised me not to wait idly. Write something else. Revise it. Polish it. Make it the best you know how to do. Whenever that work is ready, send it out after researching potential editors. Then begin the next writing project.

The rejections that come in typically don't hurt as much when other possibilities exist. In the meantime writing skills improve with each task, increasing our chances of publication. It's like the basketball player who practices throwing hoops day after day. Continuous practice adds finesse and polish to already familiar tasks.

Will rejection always hurt? Unfortunately, it probably will. Some have crushed me. Shifting focus to learning to be the best writer you can be may be the key.

If you are continuously applying all you've learned thus far to each new writing project, you will improve. You'll be submitting your best work each time because you're not the same writer as a year ago or even six months ago.

And someday your best will be good enough.

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Cast a wide net and more writing advice by Sandra Merville Hart. Click to Tweet
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About the Author

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 where she contributes articles about history and holidays. She has written for several publications and websites including The Secret Place, Harpstring, Splickety Magazine, Pockets Magazine, Common Ground, Afictionado, and ChristianDevotions.us. Her inspirational Civil War novella, A Stranger on My Land, released on August 21, 2014. Her book is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-My-Land-Sandra-Hart/dp/1941103278/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405606746&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Stranger+on+my+land.

A Stranger On My Land

Carrie and her little brother, Jay, find a wounded soldier on their land after a battle which later became known as "The Battle Above the Clouds." Adam, a Union soldier, has been shot twice in the arm. Though Carrie is reluctant to take Adam to their cave where her family hides their livestock from both armies, she cannot turn her back on him.

A Stranger On My Land
by Sandra Merville Hart

 
But her Aunt Lavinia, bitter over what Yankees have done to their land, urges Carrie to allow Adam to die. Carrie refuses, but cannot remove the bullets. Adam's friendship with Jay softens her heart toward him. It's not long until his gratitude and teasing manner spark a friendship between the young couple. Even though Carrie's father fights for the Confederacy in far-off Virginia, her feelings for the handsome young soldier begin to blossom into love.

When Adam's condition worsens, Carrie knows a Union surgeon is needed to save his life. How can she accomplish this and keep her family's hiding place a secret?

Going to the Story: Research in the Field by Rebecca DeMarino

Rebecca DeMarino's debut novel is out this month. Since it was inspired by the story of her ancestors, I asked her to tell us a little about her research and how we can make the most of ours. -- Sandy

Rebecca: My inspiration for A Place in His Heart began with a trip to Long Island in 1999, and I was fortunate to be able to go back many times while researching my novel.

The Horton Point Lighthouse was fascinating and contained a museum and many fun facts. But we were delighted to find the Southold Historical Society with much information about Barnabas, but very little about Mary Langton Horton, who married the widower with two sons and left home and family behind to follow her husband across the pond to the wilds of the New World.

I’ve been back to Horton’s Point many times. Each time I feel like I’m walking in Mary’s footsteps. The streets of Southold are still laid out much as they were in the seventeenth century. I’ve walked from Founder’s Landing on Peconic Bay, where the English Puritans arrived on their shallop, to Horton Point on the opposite side of the island, where Barnabas and Mary owned land.  I’ve wandered through the cemetery, which was directly across from their home, said to be the first timber-framed house on eastern Long Island.

On my later trips to Southold I found the Southold Free Library, with their Whitaker Collection, to be so helpful in my research and a late afternoon trip to the Southold Indian Museum a particular treasure trove. The curator proved so very sweet. She stayed open late to let me peruse the shelves and take pictures for my research.

To feel the earth beneath my feet, and look at the same sunset over Long Island Sound that my ancestors saw so many years ago, to study the artifacts from centuries ago, and stand next to a house that was built in that time period that my ancestors lived, gives a breath to my story and brings it to life in a way that searching on the internet cannot.

What to do when you can’t travel? There are myriad research sites on the web, and books as well through Google Books and the inter-library exchange program. And my favorite at-home research tool, when I want to know what it felt like to walk in their shoes? Google Earth. If you haven’t used it, you must. I’ve traveled to England, but not to the little hamlet of Mowsley where Mary and Barnabas grew up and married. But I went there on Google Earth—and much like Southold, the layout of the town is the same as the 17^th century. And to my delight, as I walked around a curve, I came face to face with the 13^th century church that still exists. Renovated in the 1800’s, it still has a window dating to the 17^th century and as well as some of the interior. What a find! It’s truly a place of my heart and one I hope to visit.

What nuggets of history have you found, both near and far, and how did you get there?

~~~

Rebecca DeMarino lives in the Pacific N.W. and enjoys travel, hiking, baking, genealogy and gardening. Her debut novel, A Place in His Heart, is a historical romance inspired by her ninth great-grandparents, Barnabas and Mary Horton, and is book one of The Southold Chronicles. For special offers from her publisher, Revell, visit Rebecca’s website today. You can find her at www.RebeccaDeMarino.com To read a chapter excerpt: Visit here She would love to meet you on Facebook or Twitter , add you to her circles on Google+ or join you on Pinterest !

Mistaken Identities...Tanya Hanson

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1

When I was born, my great-grandfather wrote me a letter I didn’t read until many years after his death. I’d been christened with such an elaborate Russian name he declared I ought to be a ballerina or composer.

Sadly, I’m a klutz and only okay on the piano. And despite his excitement, I grew up seriously loathing both my first and last names. I was often teased about being a “Commie.” Each name was constantly mispronounced and misspelled. I won a prestigious art award in college and yup, spelled wrong. My mom often joked that I’d marry a Smith or Jones. Something easy.

Hanson seemed to fit her prediction. Easy to pronounce for sure. But just as easy to misspell. I have relatives who still spell my married name HansEn. Uh, we’ve been married almost forty years.

I mention all of this because I wondered about pseudonyms when I started out as a writer. Do I honor my father? My husband? Or become somebody entirely new. A very successful, very famous author I met through RWA regretted using her actual name; she kept getting fan mail from a guy in prison who vowed to “look her up” when he got released...

Reality won out. Tanya Hanson I was and Tanya Hanson I would remain. And hence comes my initial advice to every newbie author. Google your pen name before you carve it in stone. I did not. Upon publishing my first book, it took my eleven year old neighbor boy's misspelling my last name as he looked up my new website to discover that Tanya HanSEN is a porn star.

Yup. At least I got a lot of traffic to my site. And also Too Much Information about the real me all over the internet.

Then came the additional challenge of writing both secular and inspirational romance. My writing both genres never bothered my editors, nor did my keeping the same name. But wow, I’ve gotten some nasty comments and reviews from judgmental readers.

So I wonder. Is it better to start out fresh and new? Or like my great-grandfather’s wish, aspire for good things as your actual self?

Do you use a pen name? Should authors use different names for different genres? Too late for me, but let me know your advice and thoughts for upcoming authors out there!

Claiming His Heart

Caught between a noose and a cave-in, Tulsa Sanderson must do anything possible to prove his brother’s innocence...even if it means marrying a gold miner’s daughter he just met. He needs every nugget and flake he can pull from her worn-out claim, but he sure doesn’t need a wife. Save his brother and he’ll be back on the Texas cattle trails. God, and trusting Him, are things of the past.

Charlotte Amalie lost her heart, her virtue, and her money to the last mysterious outsider in the valley. Faith? That’s wavered, too, after too many family tragedies. But she has no choice but to wed the handsome Tull. He bears terrible family secrets that need to be kept behind closed doors. Although she’s eager to leave the valley to find a new life for herself and medical treatments for her wounded brother, her unwanted marriage douses her plans, yet stirs up hope and love for Tull...and begins to fortify her weakened faith.

Can the two of them find a future--and faith--together even with their haunted pasts? 

Amazon Buy link:

http://tinyurl.com/n4mxbgo

Tanya Hanson and her firefighter-hubby live on California’s Central Coast where they are the besotted grandparents of two darling little boys. Her love of the West shows up in each of her stories. Claiming His Heart, set in the gold mining country of southern California, is her first inspirational historical romance.

www.tanyahanson.com

Creative Use of Family History by Martha Rogers

Let's face it, story ideas are a dime a dozen. But the ones that mean the most to us as writers can come from a personal connection. Today, author Martha Rogers gives us insight into how her latest novel came about. -- Sandy

Martha: While doing genealogy research on my father’s side of the family, I came across some fascinating information. When I asked my dad about my grandparents and great-grandparents, he handed me a packet of letters his father had given him. Those letters dated back to 1860 and started me on the hunt for even more information.

What I found led me to the desire to write about my great-grandparents and their love story during the Civil War. I wanted to use not only their story, but also all the facts of things that happened around that time. The first story was for my cousins and other family members only, but as my aunts began to add information and show me pictures they had from their youth and my grandparents, the more I wanted to include in the novel.

Taking real information and facts and turning them into a fictional account was both fun and daunting at the same time. I wanted to stay true to the character of my great-grandparents, but I also wanted to portray the times in which they lived in a realistic manner. That meant more hours of research and visiting the places where they lived.

Using the letters and parts of a journal, I wove the information into a story using real characters in real places but with fictional situations. When given just enough information to make a story, I could then let my imagination take over and create a plot that would take my characters on a journey to love while incorporating real events and facts about those months following the war.

The most difficult part was knowing how much to embellish the truth and where to stick to the facts. If you know anything about your ancestors, look at the time in which they lived and what their life may have been like. From there you may find the story that sparks your imagination and leads to a novel.

Have you ever turned family history into a story? Have you used genealogy research in any of plots? 

~~~

Martha Rogers is a free-lance writer and the author of the Winds Across the Prairie and Seasons of the

Heart series as well as the novella, Key to Her Heart in River Walk Christmas and Not on the Menu in Sugar and Grits. Love Stays True, the first book in her third series, The Homeward Journey, is now available. She was named Writer of the Year at the Texas Christian Writers Conference in 2009 and is a member of ACFW and writes the weekly Verse of the Week for the ACFW Loop. In addition to fiction, Martha has contributed to compilations by Wayne Holmes, Debra White-Smith and Karen O’ Connor as well as various devotion books. Martha is a frequent speaker for writing workshops and the Texas Christian Writers Conference. She is a retired teacher and lives in Houston with her husband, Rex. Their favorite pastime is spending time with their nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. 

What's in a Name? by Karen Witemeyer

Author Karen Witemeyer

For those of you who have children, do you remember the excitement (and perhaps the anxiety) that filled you as you began selecting names? It’s a weighty responsibility, knowing your child will be saddled with whatever you choose for the length of his/her life. No pressure. Ha!

Names are so important. We want our girls’ names to be beautiful and our boys’ names to be strong. Yet more than that, we want them to have meaning. Perhaps you chose a name because of the meaning inherent in that name’s origin. Or maybe you selected a name from your ancestry that carries significance for your family.

As an author, I’m faced with the same dilemma when selecting names for my characters. Not only do I want the names to sound good and roll easily off the reader’s tongue, but I love to give extra meaning to the names, perhaps a meaning that no one else will ever pick up on besides me.

A Tailor Made Bride
by Karen Witemeyer

For example, in my debut novel, my main characters are Jericho Tucker and Hannah Richards. Yes, I love using biblical names. They fit the historical setting perfectly, but in my hero’s case there was extra meaning involved. Jericho’s name was symbolic. Like the biblical city whose walls came tumbling down, Jericho or “J.T.” had built walls around his heart that needed to come down in order for him to open himself to the heroine’s love. And Hannah Richards? Well, her name had personal significance to me. You see, my dad died when I was only 16, and I wanted to honor him in some subtle way in my first published novel. His name was Richard, and it seemed fitting to let my heroine carry his name.

Head in the Clouds
by Karen Witemeyer

Gideon Westcott and Adelaide Proctor from Head in the Clouds had some teacher is often synonymous with the term proctor.

play on their names that probably only I cared about, but they helped me relate to the characters as I wrote. Gideon Westcott was a British nobleman who came to Texas to run a sheep ranch. Gideon from the Bible used a sheep’s fleece to ask God for confirmation of his mission. Adelaide Proctor was a teacher and

Short Straw Bride
by Karen Witemeyer

Stealing the Preacher
by Karen Witemeyer

Of course, the Archer brothers from Short-Straw Bride and Stealing the Preacher were named for heroes from the Alamo – Travis, Crockett, Bowie (who went by Jim), and Neill. I had fun tying those into Texas history since my books are all set in Texas. But did anyone notice that the heroine who paired up with Crockett – Joanna Robbins – had a play on her name as well? Her father was an ex-outlaw who robbed stage coaches and trains. (Yes, I see your eyes rolling.) One of my favorite sources for names is the Social Security website. You can search the most popular names by year as far back 1880 – ideal for a historical writer. You’ll find timeless names like Charles and Michael, Elizabeth and Mary. But then there are the names that make you wince like Elmer and Rufus, or Gertrude and Bertha (yes, all these made the top 100 in 1880). But what is really interesting from a historical perspective are the popularity of cross-gender names. Now, girls have worn boys’ names proudly for years, but back in the day, it’s a little scary how how popular girls’ names were for boys. Here’s a few from the 1880-1885 lists – remember these are boy’s names: Marion    Leslie    Pearl    Lynn    Pink    Mary    Loren    Madison    Cary   Fay   Allie    Sandy    Dee    Jean    Jules    Anna    Clair    Minnie    Kelly    Shirley. Now, just because a name is historically accurate, does not mean it would make a great character name. I just can’t imagine naming my rugged cowboy hero Minnie or Shirley. And calling him Anna or Mary would just leave readers scratching their heads. Especially if the heroine was named Lou or Johnnie (popular female names during that time). Although ... I have dear friends named Lacy and Jaye. Lacy is a very masculine Texas game warden while Jaye is his lovely wife. When they were first introduced at church, however, it took me weeks to get their names sorted out. What kind of names do you enjoy most when you are reading novels? What weird names have you run across in books or real life that make you cringe?

About the Author

A Match Made in Texas
by Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy
Regina Jennins & Carol Cox

Winner of the ACFW Carol Award, the HOLT Medallion, and two-time RITA finalist, CBA bestselling author, Karen Witemeyer, writes historical romance for Bethany House believing the world needs more happily ever afters ... and hunky cowboy heroes. She's an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. She makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Visit Karen Witemeyer's website

A Match Made in Texas: A Novella Collection

There's a secret matchmaker at work in frontier Texas! In the small town of Dry Gulch, Texas, a good-hearted busybody just can't keep herself from surreptitiously trying to match up women in dire straits with men of good character she hopes can help them. How is she to know she's also giving each couple a little nudge toward love? A Cowboy Unmatched Neill Archer isn't sure who hired him to repair Clara's roof – he only knows Clara desperately needs his help. Can he convince this stubborn widow to let down her guard and take another chance on love?

Mom Knows Best by Mary Ellis

Mary Ellis

I remember when I began writing around fifteen years ago, the only person I would allow to see my precious work was my mother. Who understands inner hopes and dreams better than your mom? And who would accept me for the flawed creature I am, yet still love me unconditionally? Since I’ve always had a lifelong passion for both travel and history, I decided I would set my books in the South. I loved taking off for long weekends or on summer vacations to study people who spoke with drawls, never worried about snowstorms and loved sweet tea. I was also fascinated with eras when men were men and ladies wore big hats and corsets. While writing my first book, I did laundry every Friday at my mother’s house. (Who could afford a Laundromat’s high prices?) While my clothes tumbled in her dryer, I would read my latest chapter aloud True to the code of motherhood Mom would laugh…or cry at every appropriate spot. When she died unexpectedly, I buried that manuscript in my sock drawer. It was too painful to submit, even though I went on to publish a dozen other novels in two different genres.

But Mom wasn’t happy. It was as though she was sending messages through my dreams that would stay with me all day. Finally I dug out and dusted off my old masterpiece. After a major overhaul (funny how much you learn after a dozen books…) I sent it in. What a surprise that my agent liked it as much as Mom.

One thing I learn while traveling the globe for research—deep down inside people are all the same. Everyone stands in awe before a gorgeous sunset; everyone loves to see a baby smile, everyone enjoys putting their feet up when day is done. And people never stop trying to please their parents, no matter how old they are. It’s the same with history. People might have dressed differently back then and ate odd sounding food, but when you get down to it, we haven’t changed much. Stories that delve into the human heart are timeless. The issues deviling our ancestors like what to be when you grow up or who to marry are the same ones facing us. So a romance will still ring true today, even after spending a considerable amount of time in my sock drawer.

Purchase Link

What Happens When an Underground Railroad Conductor

Falls in Love with a Man Loyal to the Confederacy? 

Emily Harrison’s life has turned upside down. At the beginning of the Civil War, she bravely attempts to continue her parents’ work in the Underground Railroad until their Ohio farm is sold in foreclosure. Now alone and without a home, she accepts a position as a governess with a doctor’s family in slave-holding Virginia. Though it’s dangerous, she decides to continue her rescue efforts from there.

Alexander Hunt, the doctor’s handsome nephew, does not deny a growing attraction to his uncle’s newest employee. But he cannot take time to pursue Emily, for Alexander isn’t what he seems—rich, spoiled, and indolent. He has a secret identity. He is the elusive Gray Wraith, a fearless man who fights the war from the shadows, stealing Union supplies and diverting them to the Southern cause.

The path before Alexander and Emily is complicated. The war brings betrayal, entrapment, and danger. Amid their growing feelings for each other, can they trust God with the challenges they face to provide them with a bright future?

Mary Ellis has written ten bestselling novels set in the Amish community. Before "retiring" to write full-time, Mary taught school and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. Living in Harmony, book one of her last series won the 2012 Lime Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction. Love Comes to Paradise won the 2013 Lime Award. An Amish Miracle, a collection of novellas, released in December from Harper Collins. She is currently working on a three-book series of historical romances set during the Civil War. The Quaker and the Rebel released January 1^st. Book two, The Lady and the Officer will release this summer, both from Harvest House.
She can be found on the web at:

 www.maryellis.net or https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236

Author Branding – Will It Help Sell More Books? by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Jennifer Hudson Taylor

What is author branding? 

It's the reputation you build in the publishing community and to your readers of what kind of stories to expect when they see your name on the cover of a book. 

Is author branding necessary? 

If you want to build readership, yes. If you want to sell more books, yes. Readers who like westerns aren't typically interested in a science fiction book. For this reason, so many authors have had to create pen names for various subgenres. People work hard for their money and they can choose to spend it on a number of things. You don't want them to be disappointed if they take a chance and spend it on your book. If that happens, most likely they won't spend more money on anything else with your name on it, nor will they encourage others to do so. 

Author branding is another way of target marketing. If you are promoting your book based on the book's contents, you are going to appeal to those who would like that particular book. Marketing and advertising is expensive. You don't want to waste your time and money trying to appeal to an audience who won't like what you write. You aren't likely to sell many books that way, and it doesn't make sense. So why wouldn't you create an author brand for yourself? 

If you're like me, you might be hesitant to build a label around yourself because you don't want to be limited to writing one kind of book. I've already mentioned pen names as one way to get around this. Another way is to write the same subgenre for a decade or two and then rebuild your image. Lots of authors do this, and if you do it well, you won't lose readers, in fact you may gain more. 

For instance, a contemporary romance author may choose to brand him/herself as a romantic suspense author. That way you aren't losing readers who like romance and contemporaries, you're just giving them a new element to read along with what they already read. Keep the subgenres similar, but give readers more. This will ultimately lead to more readers, which will lead to more sells. 

Do unpublished authors need an author brand? 

Yes. Before you can sell books on a store shelf, you first have to sell to a publisher. You need to stand out among the masses of other writers. There isn't enough shelf space for all the wanna-be writers in the world, so you've got to find a way to stay out of the slush piles. There are a lot of good writers who sit in the slush piles year after year. Their works are good enough to be on the shelf of a bookstore. The difference is, their marketing proposals may not be unique enough or stand out and get noticed. 

At one time I believe it was true that good writing would get noticed. But with the competition the way it is today, the demand so buoyant, and the hectic schedule of the publishing industry, I no longer believe that's true. You still have to get someone to read your work in order for it to be noticed. That can only happen if you stand out in promoting yourself and your work. You must make a good impression in your proposal and presentation of your work before an editor or agent actually sits down to read your work. If your impression in your proposal doesn't stand out, they'll never turn to the first page of your manuscript. 

Remember, an unpublished writer is selling to an agent or editor. These folks are looking for specific markets where they know they can sell something. While good writing has to go along with it, if an author has written something that's great, but the story isn't right for an open spot, then it still won't sell. Don't waste their time or yours. 

Sometimes a quick rejection is a good thing. It will give you a chance to get that manuscript where it belongs much faster than wasting time on an editor's desk where it isn't going anywhere. By building an author brand, you will be letting them know upfront what they are getting from you. This will help you appeal to the right agents and editors. Target market to the right publishers and you will sell more faster.

Plus, publishers have less in their marketing budgets for new authors and mid-list authors. They reserve most of their budgets for the BIG name authors where they know their investment will pay off. Therefore, a new author will have to do so much more of their own marketing. 

By showing you are ahead of the game in your promotion and author branding, an editor will feel more comfortable taking a chance on you. This means if it comes down to your good writing as opposed to another author's good writing for one publication spot, you might have the edge since you have self-marketing potential. Editors are looking for authors they can build into careers for a long investment, not one-time book wonders.

Dora here. Have you developed a brand for your writing? 

How do you feel about author branding?

Purchase Link

For Love or Loyalty, Book 1
One conquest could destroy her, but avenge his family.
Scotland to Carolina, 1760

For Love or Loyalty is the story of a highlander seeking revenge, but when the bargaining price becomes too great of a moral sacrifice, he must find a way to reverse his deeds and save the woman he loves.

Malcolm MacGregor vows to free his family and exact revenge against Duncan Campbell. When the opportunity arises, Malcolm decides to use Duncan’s daughter as the bargaining price. Lauren Campbell is the perfect answer, until she begins chipping away at the bitterness in Malcolm’s heart and changing everything. Her bold faith and forgiveness ignites guilt he would rather avoid and a love he doesn't deserve.

Lauren Campbell never expected to discover such a caring and protective man behind the façade of Malcolm MacGregor’s fierce reputation. When they arrive in America, things turn against them, and Lauren finds herself in a fate worse than death. Now Malcolm has the dilemma of freeing the rest of his family or rescuing Lauren, but time is short and with little means, he needs a miracle.


Jennifer Hudson Taylor is an award winning author of inspirational fiction set in historical Europe & the Carolinas. She provides keynotes and presentations on the publishing industry, the craft of writing, building an author platform & social media marketing.

Both her debut novel, Highland Blessings and Highland Sanctuary, received a 4 1/2 star review from RT Book Reviews. Highland Blessings won the Holt Medallion Award for Best First Book and she has had reviews appear in USA Today Book reviews. Jennifer's work has appeared in national publications, such as Guideposts, Heritage Quest Magazine, RT Book Reviews, and The Military Trader. Jennifer graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Communications/Journalism. When she isn't writing, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, visiting historical sites, parasailing, horseback riding, cycling, long walks, genealogy and reading.

YouTubing For Details by Melissa Jagears

Hands-on research is a great way to add those details and senses to your story, but sometimes hands-on research isn't practical or possible. Fortunately, there's YouTube. Author Melissa Jagears provides some tips for using YouTube videos for your research. -- Sandy

Melissa: How do you write about something you’ve never experienced, like milking a cow, shooting a Gatling gun, skinning a rabbit, jumping from an airplane, sitting on a beach in Hawaii? Of course, the best way to authentically write about such things is to do them yourself, but a writer’s time is limited!

You could ask an expert or read a book, but these instructions often aren’t given with the fiction writer in mind. These resources may leave out interesting sensory details: the visual, the audio, and perhaps even the tactile you might glean from watching the process. Also, they’re unlikely to volunteer the nuances of how an excited, anxious, angry, unsure, annoyed, etc. character might interact with the props and go through the procedures that you as a writer would cue in on if you watched or did these things yourself.

So what is the next best thing to scheduling a trip to Hawaii and putting your toes in the sand yourself? YouTube. This is one source I think writers often overlook.

There are many videos on YouTube that can help you write about things you may never have seen or done AND to check your assumptions. You may have an idea of how animals are skinned, maybe you’ve even skinned an animal yourself, but if you’ve never skinned a rabbit, are you sure it’s the process you think it is? (You know there are readers who’ll call you out on being wrong!)

But don’t look up just one video! Follow good research advice and verify with multiple. There is more than one way to skin a cat! (Um, I don’t recommend looking up those YouTube Videos!!!!) You can learn from several experts on YouTube often in less time than you could travel to your nearest one.

I recommend typing “how to” or “tutorial” in your YouTube searches. Tutorials not only let you watch an activity, but the expert explains what they are doing as well.

YouTube videos also make great pins for your book on Pinterest. The Pinterest board for my novella (Entitled Love by the Letter which came out free a few days ago) includes YouTube pins on how to tat (the heroine’s sister’s hobby) and a video of a man playing a Jew’s Harp (my hero plays this instrument). For my debut novel’s Pinterest board (Entitled A Bride for Keeps), I included YouTube videos on how to strain milk and make dogbane cord, both of these activities are mentioned in the novel. These YouTube pins provide interested readers with bonus sensory material.

And for those interested in the experiences I listed above for fun: Milk a cow by hand, Hear a Gatling Gun, Skin a rabbit, Paratroopers preparing to jump (Shout out to the 82^nd Airborne Division; my husband was 82^nd and did countless of these jumps!), Beach sounds in Hawaii.

Have you used any YouTube Videos for your writing research? What is the most unique place/thing you've researched using YouTube?

~~~

Melissa Jagears, an ESL teacher by trade, is a stay-at-home mother to two small children on a tiny Kansas farm with a fixer-upper house. She's a member of ACFW and CROWN fiction marketing, and her passion is to help Christian believers mature in their faith and judge rightly. Her debut novel, A Bride for Keeps, will be released Oct. 1, 2013. The novel’s prequel, Love by the Letter, is available as a free ebook download. Learn more at www.melissajagears.com

My Journey to Publication by Sarah Sundin

This Fortifying Friday, we welcome author Sarah Sundin as our guest. She shares how being stubborn helped in her journey to publication, as well as a beautiful spiritual lesson learned along the way. Enjoy!

My Journey to Publication

I come from stubborn stock. Stubbornness genes flowed from both sides of my family and puddled in my soul. Stubbornness can be seen as annoying mule-headedness or as true strength—persistence, tenacity. Without stubbornness, I wouldn’t have a book on the shelf.

When I started writing in 2000, I decided to be serious and pursue publication. I joined a writers’ group, read books on writing craft, and attended local writers’ conferences.

In 2003, I submitted at Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference. I received good feedback from published authors, editors, and agents—and began accumulating a stack of “good” rejection letters. They liked my writing, my story, and my characters—however, historicals weren’t selling. This continued for five years.

I never wanted to give up on my World War II series, because I loved my characters. However, in 2005 all doors to publication seemed closed and padlocked, and I wondered whether I had heard God correctly. Was I truly meant to write? Was I wasting my time when I could be doing something more productive? Was I being persistent—or mule-headed?

That year at Mount Hermon I went for a walk under the redwoods and stopped to admire a little white flower. I praised God for the flower and felt touched—had He made that flower just so I would praise Him? Then I looked around. Hundreds of redwoods covered the hills, and thousands more out of my vision, all surrounded by white blossoms. How many of those flowers would ever cause someone to stop and praise God? Were they created in vain? Did the Lord waste His time creating them? Of course not. God is a creative Being, and He made us in His creative image. In His mercy, the Lord showed me that even if my writing was never seen by another human being and never caused anyone to praise Him, I did the right thing obeying His call to write. I was not wasting my time.

So I kept writing. I kept submitting. I kept praying. Then at Mount Hermon in 2008, the publishers begged for historicals. There I was with my three-book series close to complete. I submitted to Vicki Crumpton at Revell, and I was offered a three-book contract for the Wings of Glory series. A Distant Melody was published in March 2010—ten years after I started writing, A Memory Between Us in September 2010, and Blue Skies Tomorrow comes out in August 2011.

Mother Teresa said, “God doesn’t require us to succeed; He only requires that you try.” If God has called you to do something for Him, measure your success through His eyes. Did you obey? Were you faithful? Did you persevere?

Stubbornness can be a serious fault, but when it’s applied to following God’s will, it’s a very good thing.



Sarah Sundin lives in northern California with her husband and three children. When she isn’t ferrying kids to soccer and karate, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school. She belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers and Christian Authors Network. She is the author of the Wings of Glory series—A Distant Melody (Revell, March 2010), A Memory Between Us (September 2010), and Blue Skies Tomorrow (August 2011).

To learn more, please visit Sarah’s
Website: http://www.sarahsundin.com/
Blog: http://www.sarahsundin.blogspot.com/