Mistakes Learned & Lessons Learned by Emily Wickham

When I embarked on my writing journey 13+ years ago, I didn’t realize where God would guide my steps. I’ve attempted to walk this road with excellence, yet I’ve made mistakes along the way. However, God has grown me through those experiences, and I pray He uses the lessons I’ve learned to help you.

MISTAKE #1: Seeing the Publication Path as a Sprint Rather than a Marathon

Writing is hard work. Building a platform can be even harder work. Then there’s the art of marketing before and after your book is published—a requirement if you desire to sell books. Did I mention that God’s call to write involves hard work? It often requires years, too.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9, KJV).

LESSON #1: Success as a writer includes patience and diligence.

MISTAKE #2: Being Unprepared

I once followed some well-meaning but incorrect advice when I met with a conference faculty member. Instead of taking a book proposal with me, I simply presented a one sheet. It looked fabulous. It got the agent’s attention. But then he wanted to read a writing sample, which I didn’t have. The agent peered at me over the top of his reading glasses while I fumbled for words, quickly concluding our time was complete since I couldn’t produce anything for him to read. And that was that. I’ve never forgotten.

“Go to the ant ... Observe her ways and be wise, which... prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.” (Proverbs 6:6-8, NASB).

LESSON #2: Always be prepared.

MISTAKE #3: Lagging Behind on Conference Requests

About two years ago, a VP and associate publisher expressed interest in two of my manuscripts. She requested proposals for both, and I was thrilled.

I returned home from the conference fully intending to submit my proposals. However, I didn’t sense any urgency because professionals prefer quality submissions over hastily sent material. After revising one proposal, I e-mailed it almost five months later.

Perhaps it would have turned out great except the industry professional I’d met no longer worked for the publisher. I contacted the company directly and explained the situation, but they never replied once they discovered I lack agent representation.

I’ll never know what might have been.

“Be careful how you walk ... making the most of your time” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

LESSON #3: Submit requested materials in a timely manner.

God always helps us when we ask because He cares about our needs. Let’s learn from the past and move forward with the Lord. His timing is perfect, He equips those He calls, and He entrusts us with writing opportunities.

Learn from one writer’s mistakes and the lessons she’s learned. #WritersLife #WritingCommunity via @emilywickhamPH @MaryAFelkins

Note: This article is adapted from a longer version first posted at www.proclaiminghimtowomen.com

EMILY WICKHAM seeks to stir hearts toward Jesus. She writes for Journey Magazine, a LifeWay publication, speaks at ladies’ events, and shares “Devotions for Women” videos on social media. Emily encourages Christian women plus equips Christian writers on her blog, www.proclaiminghimtowomen.com. She is the author of one Bible study, which was translated into Spanish in 2016. Emily, a resident of North Carolina, is Mark’s wife of 29+ years. They are the blessed parents of four children and one daughter-in-love. God’s faithfulness and love inspire Emily on her journey through life as she purposes to exalt Christ through written and spoken words.

Connect with Emily:
Website: www.proclaiminghimtowomen.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emilywickham.author
Twitter: www.twitter.com/emilywickhamPH
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/estherstudy
Instagram: www.instagram.com/emilywickham.author

Book Blurb:
Whether you’re a Spanish-speaking sister who longs to grow closer to Christ, or you’re looking for a Spanish Bible study to use for outreach in your community, please consider using Alcanzando la Justicia. It guides women through the book of Esther, challenging them to grow in righteous behavior—to make God-honoring choices each day. Daily prayers, Scripture readings, observation sections, author reflections, and application questions are included. This workbook is designed for individual or group use and contains instructions for following a one month, ten week, or thirty-one week schedule.

See Emily’s website for special offers or purchase her book on Amazon.

It's All About Discipline by Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

My writing time—those moments when I can sit in front of my computer and completely lose myself in my characters my stories—is limited.

Only by acts of supreme discipline, by making sure I commit even a small part of my day—every day—to my craft have I been able to keep moving forward as an author. There are no tricks. No secrets to share. All I have is this, and it’s truth: Long-term writing requires discipline. 

If you find yourself in the same boat as me, keep three words in mind: Sit, plot, type. 

Some of what you produce will be garbage. Some of what you produce will be beautiful, and take you (and maybe even your story) by complete surprise. But at the end of the day, in order to succeed, you have to log the word count. You have to commit yourself to task of sticking to your scheduled writing time even if you’re exhausted, even if that blinking cursor just keeps blinking at you. Push forward, even if you write no more than a few words, a few scene ideas, a few plot twists. 

Also, don’t limit yourself. If you’re trying to write chapter 3, but developments in chapter 5 are calling, write chapter 5. Don’t waste precious time agonizing. Write the scene that’s living in your heart and mind, then save it to be inserted later. Or, outline that plot twist and save it. When I create, I write fresh, and then re-read it the next day when I continue my story. This gives me an opportunity to polish and tweak, to add layers. I review again and again as my story grows, so I don’t hang myself up on writing perfectly the first time. Round one? I simply want to write from the heart. 

The holidays are coming, and there is so much for which to be thankful, so many blessings to rejoice in and to share. As an author, try to remain dedicated to the stories you have to tell. Guard your time as best you can, and keep pushing forward. It’s all about the discipline. 

Until next month friends—be thankful, share richly, and be blessed!

~~~~~

Dustin Farrell is expected to succeed. He’s gifted with the means and ability to take the world of business development by storm…and he’s doing just that, right on plan. 

As Christmas approaches, he’s called home, to Hope Creek, Tennessee. He’s been given a slam-dunk objective from his investors: Take a small, local art shop and expand it into the retail mainstream. 

Lillianna Bennett, Dustin’s former high school classmate, is part owner of Purple Door Art Market. Long ago, her shy sweetness captured his imagination, but nothing came of the affectionate flame between them. 

Until a reunion at Christmas Inn. Dustin presents his offer, realizing the wallflower of his youth has bloomed into a confident, talented woman with the kind of free-spirited heart for which he always longed. And he wonders: Is a life of expectation, and ‘more’ what he really wants? Will his professional quest end up compromising Lillianna if her gifts and business become part of a wider view? 

Most of all, will love be lovelier...the second time around?

~~~~~

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. Readers laude her work as “Riveting,” “Realistic and true to heart,” “Compelling.” 

Her Christian fiction debut, Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. Her follow-up novel, Forgiveness, earned Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year honors as did her book Hearts Communion. She is also a two-time recipient of the Selah Award for her books Then & Now and Finding Home. 

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. You can connect with Marianne at www.marianneevans.com.

13 Essential Activities to Successfully Attack a Big Problem by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

In 1 Samuel 13 and 14, Saul’s son Jonathan shows us how to attack a big problem.

Here are 13 essential activities (verses in italics from the NIV):

1. Identify my problem. I’m specific in details.

Jonathan’s big problem:

• Israel had become a stench to the Philistines.
• The Philistines were ready to fight the Israelites.
• Saul had only 600 men to the Philistine’s 6000.
• Israelites were poorly armed; only Saul and Jonathan owned swords.

2. Face my problem. Boldly. I don’t put off dealing with it.

Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.”

3. Realize challenges will arise. They’re a sure thing. I’m alert and ready to deal with obstacles.

On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff where Philistines were posted.

4. Recognize God is my essential resource. He’s the one who will give me success.

Image by AlejandroFaletti

Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf.”

5. Believe in God’s power. He can do anything.

Jonathan then said to his armor-bearer, “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or few.”

6. Know my role. Am I a loyal follower, or a loyal leader?

Leader: Jonathan led his armor-bearer. “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men.”

Follower: “Do all that you have in mind, “his armor-bearer said, “Go ahead; I’m with you heart and soul.”

7. Make sure my actions are God’s will. I seek God before I act.

Jonathan set up a method to know God’s will. He said:

“Come on, then; we will cross over toward the men and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.”

8. Present myself for service. I courageously step out of my comfort zone.

So both men showed themselves to the Philistine outpost above them.

9. Proceed in complete trust. If God has called me, He’ll equip me.

The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”

10. Perform the hard prep work. I attack the obstacles in my way, moving forward and refusing to give up.

Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, his armor-bearer right behind him.

11. Carry through with vital activities that solve the problem. I do what is right and necessary according to God’s will.

The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him.

12. Recognize success. God’s definition, not mine. GOD + me = Success

In that first attack, Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

13. Praise and thank God. I give God credit for giving me success.

Two men killed 2o enemies with one sword. Without God, we’d see this success only in the movies.

What vital activity have you failed to do while you’ve attacked a big problem?

13 activities to perform to succeed in solving a big problem. Click to tweet.

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.
Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com.

Calculated Risk
by Zoe M. McCarthy

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books

The Only Way to React to a Punch to Your Stomach by Zoe M. McCarthy

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono
at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I was on a roll. Edits were going well. With each chapter I received back from my critique partner came words, such as: “This is wonderful! Now you are rockin!” and “This is so much stronger! It has the depth and zing [published book] did. This will sell!
Bravo!”

I planned to knock out more edited chapters on a trip to northern Virginia where I would lead a writing workshop. Our Honda Pilot is like a mini office. John drives and I work on my writing projects.

I would have my edits done within the next week and soon the manuscript would be on its way to an editor.

In the car, an email from my critique partner awaited my click. She told me my character’s motivation for acting as she did in the next chapter, which drove the direction of the plot, wasn’t sufficient. I was going to have to come up with a much more compelling motive.

My whole body folded like I’d been punched in the stomach. I knew my critique partner was right, but the work involved to change my character’s motive might mean revamping the whole manuscript. It’d be a month before the story was back to its current stage.

The thought of the work weighed so heavily that I closed my Macbook Air, and my eyes. The radio commentators talking over each other in the show John listened to didn’t help.

In the midst of my sick feeling, my Seriously Write Post that had published three days before popped into my mind. The post was based on the teaching: As long as we seek the Lord, He will give us success.

I believe the scriptures I shared in that post. I had no grounds to be discouraged. It was time to seek God. Lord, I’m seeking You. I trust You’ll give me a stronger motivation for my character’s actions and the fix to the manuscript.

During the five-hour trip, I read to John and we conversed.

That night I went to bed early so I’d be fresh to lead the conference workshop. While lying in bed, the manuscript fix formed in my mind. As I mentally jotted the change, my character’s motivation tumbled into the fix. The work would require no more than an hour.

I praised God, and this insomniac fell asleep.

God confirmed His teaching through a personal application. He showed me where I fell short through my critique partner, then, after I sought him, gave me the solution. How wonderful is that?

Subsequently, I received encouraging words from my critique partner. “That strengthens her motivation tremendously… Well done.”

So here I am giving God the glory. His promises are trustworthy.

<<>>

How to react when a piece of news sends a punch to your stomach. Click to tweet.

When has God honored your trust in Him?

About the Author

Zoe McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Now retired actuaries, Zoe and her husband evaluated the financial risks for insurance companies. Nick, in Zoe’s debut novel, Calculated Risk, is an actuary. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.
Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Calculated Risk
by Zoe M. McCarthy

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books

Are You a Pickle Sloshing in the Salty Brine? by Zoe M. McCarthy

Image by Scarletina

Perhaps, you’re sloshing in the salty brine because God is fermenting you to be the salt of the earth.

Verses in the Bible assure us God is ready to give us success with one requirement:

As long as we seek the Lord, He will give us success.

It’s that simple.

The hard part is truly believing God. But, dear friends, it’s time we decide.

I invite you to read my story and then the passages below (NIV). And as you slosh in the salty brine, believe and stand firm on these promises.

In 2007, John and I found the perfect hill in a remote valley surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. I wanted to build a house, move there from the city five hours away, live on that hill, and write.

We made an appointment for the next day with the realtor.

In the motel that night, I woke at 4 am. “What am I doing?”

Back home, I’d committed to Bible Study Fellowship and was called to be a children’s leader. I had four years left in the program. Sick to my stomach, I sought God. I asked Him to forgive me. I let go of my dream and recommitted myself to BSF. Peace washed over me.

Then God said, “You may buy the land, but complete your commitment before you go.”

Four years later, John and I moved to this Eden, and I received a contract for my first book. I’m still sloshing in the brine, but I’m learning to seek God and discern the successes He gives me.

Scriptures

We seek God, then succeed.

2 Chronicles 26

^5b As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.

We obey God, then receive blessings and prosperity.

Psalm 128

¹ Blessed are all who fear the Lord,

who walk in obedience to him.

² You will eat the fruit of your labor;

blessings and prosperity will be yours.

We delight in God, then receive our heart’s desires.

Psalm 37:4

⁴ Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

We get into God’s Word and do what God says, then prosper and succeed.

Joshua 1

⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

We seek God first, then receive things we need.

Matthew 6

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

We submit to God, then our paths straighten.

Proverbs 3

⁶ In all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

We trust God, then we are helped.

Psalm 28:

⁷ My heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

So you see, it’s all about seeking God in everything. How has this worked for you?

 <<>>

Bible verses assure us God is ready to give us success with one requirement.  Click to tweet.

Has there been a time you sought the Lord and experienced success?

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Now retired actuaries, Zoe and her husband evaluated the financial risks for insurance companies. Nick, in Zoe’s debut novel, Calculated Risk, is an actuary. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.

Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

 

Calculated Risk
by Zoe M. McCarthy

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books

Answers to Your Self-Pub Questions by Tammy Doherty

Dora here. Heidi’s taking a well-deserved blogging break today. Waving to Heidi! So today I lined up one of my favorite encouragers to step in during Heidi’s absence. This precious lady blesses me with a kind word just when I need it most and faithfully shares my exciting posts on social media. I’d love to meet her face-to-face and chat for hours over a latte one day. Join me in welcoming Tammy Doherty! Recently, her self-published inspirational romantic suspense novels have exploded to the top of Amazon’s charts, so I asked her to answer some questions about the process. Feel free to pop in with your own. :)

Tammy Doherty

Where did you upload your books? How challenging was the formatting/uploading process?

I started with Smashwords, a free service. They pay a nice royalty but not as much as Amazon KDP. Also, you can’t sell to Amazon through Smashwords. Some Indie authors go through B&N directly (as well as Amazon KDP) and only use a distributor like Smashwords for all the other outlets. Formatting was not as horrendous as many dread. Smashwords offers a free download that goes over the whole process step by step, and Amazon offers self-help guides.

Your daughter did a fabulous job designing She's Mine, but did you use a cover designer for the others? Was the design process difficult?

Xulon Press did the covers of my first three novels. For She’s Mine I “shopped” around for images and was able to get what I needed for under $30! The trees and sunset sky are my own photo. I really wanted the print and eBook covers to be the same. Many authors don’t do this because the eBook cover is typically viewed as a thumbnail and details can be lost. For eBooks, a jpeg is all you need (there are size recommendations) but for CreateSpace the cover needs to be the exact size the book is to be when it’s printed. There are templates for the common sizes (and I recommend choosing one of the sizes CreateSpace offers – don’t be oddball, people won’t be attracted to it).

It takes a great deal of artistic talent to design a book cover with a good eye for balance and composition, but you also have to consider the images and colors in relation to the genre and tone of the book. It’s possible to get a good quality cover for a very reasonable amount of money (like $100-$120). Personally, I don’t recommend using “stock” template covers offered by CreateSpace because then your book will not be unique.

Did you hire an editor or depend on beta readers?

I did not hire an editor or depend on beta readers. However, my Scribes partners were invaluable with their extensive critiques of She’s Mine. The beauty of eBooks is that you can make minor corrections anytime, and with any major corrections, Amazon notifies purchasers and gives them the option of downloading the updated version.

What about pricing or marketing strategies that have worked well? Which venue sells best for you?

For the print versions, I have very little control. Xulon set the price for the first three. With She’s Mine I set the price so long as it is the minimum that Amazon dictates. This allows me to set a more reasonable price for print books, and I am in complete control over eBooks. I researched big publishers and small press. The big names have eBooks that are priced at what I used to pay for print books. I didn’t like that idea. I finally chose a price that seems reasonable to imply quality without being too much for the average reader.

With KDP Select, an author has two promotional options (only one can be used in each 3 month Select period). With the Kindle Countdown promotion, you can set a low price and have it slowly go back up to regular, or just have it low for a 1 week period. I chose to do 99¢ for an entire week then I snagged an ad with ENT (eReader News Today). Money well spent! In April, I did a short-run 99¢ promo on my third novel, Celtic Knot. The thing that really made a difference in sales was putting my first novel at perma-free status. Prior to making Celtic Cross perma-free, I had all 3 of my novels at 99¢ with minimal sales. I made Celtic Cross free and changed Claddaugh to $1.99 and Celtic Knot to $2.99. In the first month of perma-free, there were over 12,000 downloads on Amazon alone. Yes – twelve thousand!! And sales of the other two rose noticeably as well. Sales for all three continue at what I consider to be respectable rates.

Do you need a publisher name to self-pub?

No. Many authors use a publisher name but I think that’s just so it doesn’t look so obviously indie-published. Perhaps one day I could become Naultag Publishing but I’ll have to think more about that. There are, perhaps, tax considerations. Someone in one of the groups I belong to mentioned something about filing income taxes as an “S” corporation or something like that. For now, I’m going to stick with just being me.

What are the differences between e-book and print copies?

The world truly seems to have embraced eBooks and those sales are far greater than print books. I like having mine available both ways as I still have many fans who prefer or only read print.

Anything else you’d like to add?

The only thing I would add is that this is not a journey to be attempted alone. First and foremost, I credit God with any and all successes I have. Joining ACFW helped me tremendously, especially joining my regional loop. Also the Christian Indie Authors group on Facebook is a fantastic resource and place of encouragement. Develop a web presence – for me it’s on Facebook – and grow your fan base (you can do this even before your books are published). Have people you can brainstorm & talk with, who will commiserate with you and shout to the world every little (and big) success you have. Writing is solitary but you don’t have to go it alone!

Dora here. Care to share your experiences as well? We'd love to hear!

****

Purchase Link

Math teacher Caitlin Harrington never wanted to get married so it's just not fair that the first guy she dates—ever—turns out to be a creep. She takes a new job in the quiet New England town of Naultag, Massachusetts, where she grew up. But now someone is leaving menacing notes on her front door. Could it be her ex-boyfriend, stalking her? Firefighter Sean Taggart would like a marriage as perfect as his parents'—someday. Though Caitlin is attractive, he isn't willing to risk his heart on someone so aloof and cold. And possibly insane. When he learns the truth, Sean wants to help, if she’ll let him. Can he save Caitlin before the stalker turns to murder?

Tammy Doherty lives in central Massachusetts with her husband and two kids. She pours her love of small town New England into this first in the Mystique of Naultag series. Tammy is a founding member of Grace Awards and has served as a lead judge each year. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers. Her first book, "Celtic Cross" is on Amazon Kindle's top 10 list of Christian Fiction (romance/Western). When not writing, Tammy works on the family's farm, Inishowen Farms, growing and selling perennial plants. She is a veterinary technician by training and still works in that field, selling supplies to veterinarians.