Trying New Things by Terri Weldon

Terri Weldon

It may be Thursday, but it isn’t my usual Thursday so I hope you’ll give me a minute to get settled in. Thanks to Dora for switching weeks with me, when I had some unexpected events crop up. Hmm, maybe that’s where I came up with the idea for today’s post.

Most authors, myself included, have a specific genre we like to write. Suspense is my favorite genre and it is the publishing path I’m pursuing. Almost all the ideas for stories that pop into my head are suspense. Now, I’m not sure what that says about me, but since I know plenty of other normal suspense authors I’m not going to worry. When I stop to think about it, my penchant for suspense shouldn’t surprise me. I’ve long been a reader of suspense novels and I love television shows that are police procedural dramas. Sherlock Holmes is playing in the background while I write this post.

However, my published Christmas novella is a lighthearted contemporary romance. I had a blast writing it and I’d love to do more, time allowing. Romance has been a staple in my library for years. Christmas books, especially novellas are some of my favorite reads. Plus, my all-time favorite movie is Pillow Talk. Definitely a romantic comedy.

But lately I’ve had a yen to write something totally off the wall – for me. Speculative fiction. That’s what I really want to discuss with you guys today. I’ve read speculative fiction, but it isn’t one of my favorite genres to read. Help me out, how did the idea pop into my head? How in the world would I go about writing a speculative fiction book? Right now I don’t even have a story idea. I just have this niggling inside me that says it would be fun to try. A few thousand words into the story and that feeling may well change! As much fun as it sounds, it also sounds off the wall and a little scary. Is this my idea or God’s plan? If the desire to write this book is from the Lord, I believe He will provide the idea.

How about you? Have you ever desired or felt called to write something totally different? Did you do it? Please let me know if you have and how it worked out.

Purchase Link

****

Misty Winslow is determined to find her prince, and she meets the man of her dreams through an Internet dating service. Or is he, because the new dentist in town also sets her heart aflutter.

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’s online persona. How can he tell her he’s the man she’s been waiting to meet, and how rational is it for him to be jealous of Wes99! Soon Tyler'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 is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing in the hand bell choir. 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 three dogs – a lovable mutt and two adorable Westies.

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. To learn more about Terri visit her website at www.TerriWeldon.com.

Sharing Faith in Fiction: The Beauty of the Body of Christ by Sharon Hinck

Sharon Hinck has returned with her final installment on sharing faith in fiction. This week, it's all about resources. Enjoy! ~ Annette

The Beauty of the Body of Christ*

by Sharon Hinck

When you begin to find the writing choices that fit your unique approach, you become freed from the pressure to “do it all.” Mother Theresa and Billy Graham had two different approaches for sharing their faith – and so do writers. One novelist might explore the depth of God’s mercy through the symbol of a character’s sacrificial service. Another might share the truth of salvation through a scene of overt and specific dialogue where one character tells another what she believes.

My personal view is that we need it all. We need variety. God is so awesome and multifaceted that we need a variety of ways to communicate about Him. We need authors in many genres. We need authors who focus vibrantly on spiritual themes, and those for whom the spiritual threads are subtle. We need authors who write characters who are sturdy Christians who live out their faith in identifiable ways, and characters who are seeking and questioning, and characters who (perhaps like some of our readers) rarely think about God.

I look at Psalms 145-150 and the way they list a zillion ways to praise God, and I rejoice that we have Christians who write in a variety of genres and styles, and focus on various audiences and different ways of sharing faith through fiction.

~~~~

*This article is an excerpt from Sharon Hinck’s ACFW course on Sharing Faith in Fiction. Used with permission. Next week, Part III.

~~~~

The Restorer-Expanded Edition

 

Susan Mitchell thought she was an ordinary homemaker. She was wrong. When she’s pulled through a portal into another world, she finds a nation grappling for its soul and waiting for a promised Restorer to save their people.

She has always longed to do something important for God, but can she fill this role?

While she struggles to adapt to a foreign culture, she tackles an enemy that is poisoning the minds of the people, uncovers a corrupt ruling Council, and learns that God can use even her floundering attempts at service in surprising ways.

This new expanded edition of The Restorer includes an in-depth devotion guide for readers who want to dig into the spiritual themes of the book, bonus scenes providing glimpses of the story through a variety of characters, and fun extras including links to songs and recipes.

~~~~

Sharon writes “stories for the hero in all of us,” about ordinary people experiencing God’s grace in unexpected ways. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include contemporary fiction such as The Secret Life of Becky Miller or Stepping into Sunlight and the groundbreaking Sword of Lyric fantasy series which includes The Restorer–Expanded Edition. She’s been a Christy finalist and won three Carol awards.

Sharon’s undergrad degree is in education, and she earned an M.A. in Communication. When she isn’t wrestling with words, Sharon enjoys speaking to conferences, retreats, and church groups. She loves interacting with visitors at her website and blog: sharonhinck.com

My Journey to Publication by Kirk Outerbridge

Welcome to another Fortifying Friday. Author Kirk Outerbridge recently won the Carol Award (presented by the American Christian Fiction Writers) for speculative fiction with his debut novel, Eternity Falls. We’re so pleased that he’s here today, sharing his journey to publication.

My Journey to Publication

My first novel, Eternity Falls, was actually not my first novel. Like many authors, the one that got published was actually my fourth attempt. The ones that came before I know will never be published. Looking back, they just weren’t good enough. But never would I consider them written in vain or time wasted. They were my doodling pad, teaching me the craft of writing and more importantly it was proof to myself that I could write a novel length piece of fiction.

So don’t wait for success with your latest work before you start your next one. Each book is like a milestone of growth and the faster you get on to the next one the quicker you will grow.

I began Eternity Falls after rededicating my life to Christ and I firmly believe this is my sole reason for success. It took over three years just to complete and was transformed several times through the input of editors, critique groups and reviews. Because I didn’t know a lot of writers locally, I used Writing.com which was a great resource to receive instant feedback every time I posted a new chapter. This was both encouraging and helpful in finding out what worked and what didn’t.

After completing the manuscript I spend another two years trying to get it published. I was quite blessed to find my publisher Jeff Gerke and Marcher Lord Press. There are virtually no Christian publishers who would take a story like mine to press, even if they liked it. The market just isn’t built around Christian Speculative fiction. After a couple rejection letters from the general CBA market I stumbled upon http://www.wherethemapends.com/ the Christian Spec-fic website run by Jeff Gerke. I felt as if I had finally found my tribe—a group of people who had the same passions as mine.

I got involved and got to know the community and then Jeff announced his idea to launch Marcher Lord Press. I knew then that this had to be God working. I submitted my work to Jeff and he actually liked it! My manuscript didn’t get published right away, but the response I got encouraged me. So I stopped work on my second book to polish Eternity Falls some more. Eventually it all happened and I landed my first publishing deal.

One point to note is that a big part of getting published is the validation it brings, in fact, in this tight market it could be the only thing it will bring. The publishing world is changing. Few are the times where a traditional publisher will take a chance on an unknown. Only small print on demand based publishers are willing to take risks these days—because they can afford to do so.

My best advice and encouragement is to not write with the goal of getting published. i.e. don’t view writing as a means to an end. If you get published great, but if you don’t, don’t view that as a failure. Just keep writing what God put in your heart and keep honing your craft. Don’t try to write for the market. Keep learning and keep your eyes open for opportunities.

God will send them your way, but only when you and your writing are ready.



Kirk Outerbridge lives with his wife and two sons in Bermuda where is employed by the Government as an engineer. He is winner of the Carol Award for speculative fiction with his debut novel Eternity Falls. His novel, The Tenth Crusader, was just released this month.

To learn more about Kirk and his work, please visit
www.kirkouterbridge.com
or contact him at
kirk@kirkouterbridge.com