For The Sake of Research by Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli

Last month, I walked into a bank an hour north of my house, iPhone in hand—discreetly, of course—at my waist. I tried to ignore the half dozen security cameras on me as I entered the foyer with my son, mobile device filming. I encouraged my accomplice—ahem, I mean my son—to take a lollipop in a jar on the far counter. This would give me a good opportunity to video tape the rest of the inside of the bank. My skin grew clammy as a teller glanced my way. If there happened to be a robbery later, I would be Suspect Number One. I pictured myself in an interrogation room, trying to explain to a hardened officer that I in fact had no intention of robbing the bank, that my heroine worked there, that I wanted to make my story as true-to-life as possible by noting the placement of the management offices.

Of course he wouldn’t believe me. But hey, I’d risk it. I could use the arrest experience in a story later.

This isn’t the first time I endangered my reputation for research. How many times had I “forgotten” a pair of sunglasses at a restaurant just to go back for a second look? How many nuns and dock workers and teachers and nurses had I irritated with my annoyingly detailed questions? How many Bostonites had mumbled, “tourist” as they scrambled around me and my oversized map?

All for the sake of research.

I know I can say these things freely here, because you all get me. You’re writers—a special group of people who will go to great lengths to get your facts right. Because if our details aren’t straight, we risk losing credibility with our readers. That may not be such a big deal if we weren’t trying to convey eternal truth and eternal hope, but we are. If anyone should have their research right on, it’s inspirational writers. Sure, we know when to take liberties—we write fiction, after all. But go to the trouble first. Know what you’re writing about. Get the facts. Then, be free to write.

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Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, wife, mother, and grace-clinger—not necessarily in that order. Ever since taking her first trip to Plimoth Plantation with her sister, mother, and grandmother at the age of nine, she has been fascinated with history and its significance to today’s people and culture. Heidi is the winner of ACFW’s 2014 Genesis Contest, Historical Category. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle.

Anticipation by Terri Weldon

Terri Weldon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mistletoe Magic
Purchase Link

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

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

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

Why Should I Include A Map in my Book? by Mary Elizabeth Hall

Why Should I Include A Map in my Book?

Well-drawn map illustrations add so much to publications, portraying the setting and its style in a unique way, giving readers a sense of era and location before they even turn the first page. 
It allows them to visually enjoy the story or text you’ve crafted so carefully from words. 

I don’t know if all readers are like me, but when I read a gripping, well-written story, I’m transported in my mind to a place where I can see the plot unfolding like I’m watching a movie. This draws me in and keeps me reading—because I’m dying to know what happens next! And when I can flip back to a map and “see” the setting in my mind and know what’s where with respect to everything else, I enjoy the characters’ experiences in an even more personal way because I feel like I know where they live and like I’m involved in their lives. I know how far the hero traveled on his tired old horse, or how treacherous the mountains appear that lie between the good guys and safety. How swampy is the swampland? How big is the lake? With a good map, I can visualize in my mind what the author’s trying to convey. When I read Tolkien, I have a feel for both the world he so masterfully created and the culture with which he wants to acquaint me because he drew elegant maps with delightful elements such as rune-style writing, early European type compass roses, and even personal touches like a little spider web in the corner. These are the types of things that tell me an author greatly wants to share his world with his reader.

Maps are especially important in books that flesh out historical events, 
allowing both the casual reader and the informed history buff to accurately place the action and become familiar with the terrain as it appeared during the era in which your account takes place. This is a key element to engaging a reader’s interest, stirring them to want more. A well-drawn historical map will often prompt a reader to look up other maps from the setting in question and want to learn more about the book’s era—which in turn will make them want to read your next one!

Here’s the map I drew for my novel Amberly:

Map for Amberly

Dora here. Have you considered including a map in your novel?
If you have included an illustration, would you care to share your experience?
What type of feedback did you receive?

Amberly
Purchase Link

Snatched by coldblooded enemies as a declaration of war, Eleanor Williamston finds herself caught in a deadly snare—miles from home and lost in the wilderness. Her heart is drawn to the handsome guardsman who rescues her, but is torn when he challenges her political ideals. Then she finds out he’s been keeping something from her—and her entire world turns over.

Marsten longs for a God-fearing wife, but cannot marry the lady he desires. The sassy young schoolteacher he rescues catches his eye, but he fears she’ll turn out to be like the beautiful women who’ve broken his trust in the past.

Journey with them through the spectacular but treacherous Aspian Mountains while they evade enemy pursuit and wrestle through the challenges of wilderness and budding love, only to run headlong into Ellie’s family—and a whole new onslaught of foes.

Mary Elizabeth Hall home educates her three daughters at home in sunny South Carolina. They laugh about how they can’t roast marshmallows without experimenting to see how various snack foods burn on a stick. With degrees from Cornell and Syracuse, Mary has a professional background in business management, but she’s found her true passion is for writing, editing, and illustrating.
Website and Blog: http://maryelizabethhall.com/
Twitter: @mryliz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Maryelizabethhall
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/16037113-amberly
If you’d like to inquire about having a map drawn for your novel, come visit my Illustrations page at: http://maryelizabethhall.com/illustrations/