January 2006 Newsletter

BLUE MOUNTAIN BACKROADS

It's January and we stand on the brink of a new year. The old year is already fading from memory. As usual it was a mixture of good and bad. We won some, we lost some, and now we stand bruised and battered, but looking toward the future with hearts full of hope. I wish you a year chock full of blessings. May the light of God's love shine soft upon you, may His strength sustain you, and His peace fill you. And may you never experience Writer's Block and all your books be Best Sellers. God bless, and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

WRITING NEWS OF THE MONTH

Marilyn C. Hilton's book, Diary of a Domestic Diva, inspirational category, is a finalist in the 2005 Unpublished Beacon Award, sponsored by First Costal Romance Writers, a Florida RWA chapter. Great, Marilyn, Proud of you.

Vickie McDonough's second novel, Spinning Out of Control, will be released in September. She also has had three anthologies published. Mark your calendar and watch for it.

Lena Nelson Dooley's novel Pirate's Prize was voted #4 on the Top Ten Favorite Books, and she was voted #6 on the Top Ten Favorite Authors in the 2005 Heartsong Readers's Poll. Way to go, Lena. That's really good news. Her next book Minnesota Brothers will be released in April, and the cover is up on Christianbooks.com

Jeanne Leach has a contract with Mountain View Publishing for her third novel, The Plight of Mattie Gordon. Also coming soon from Mountain View, Shadow of Danger. Remember to look for them at your favorite bookstore.

Cheryl Wolverton's book Storm Clouds, was a finalist in the Romantic Times contest, inspirational category. Congratulations, Cheryl. Doing good.

Michelle Rogers' book, Second Chances, was a finalist in the Beacon Award. Really great news, Michelle. Happy for you.

Linda Rondeau's e-book, According to Daisy/Abundant Living for Moms, can be found, and can be purchased in print at http://www.lindarondeau.com. More than a devotional and more than a how-to, this humorous look at parenting is geared for moms of all ages. Proceeds will benefit Hospice. Linda will soon be selling T-shirts decorated with Daisy cartoons. The order form will be displayed on her website in the near future. The proceeds from the shirts will also go to Hospice.

Amy Wallace, has a three book contract with Multnoma. The first book, Ransomed Dreams, will be released in February 2007, the second in August 2007, and the third in March of 2009. This is her first sale. Great news, Amy, and congratulations.

Debra Clopton's, book The Trouble With Lacy Brown is a finalist in the Romantic Times contest, inspirational category. Proud of you Debra. Way to go.

Shirlee McCoy's book Die Before Nightfall, is also a finalist in the Romantic Times contest, inspirational. Notice how many winners we have this month. That's wonderful news. Shirlee's book Even in the Darkness is featured in the review section of this newsletter. Look for it at your local bookstore, if you want a good book with lots of action and suspense.

WHACKY NEWS OF THE MONTH.
(News too weird to make up)

Ever wish you could drive in the lane reserved for cars carrying more than one passenger, even if you're the only one in your vehicle? Well here's a good example of what not to do. A California driver got a bright idea. Why not put a dummy in the passenger seat. Who'd know the difference? As it turned out, almost everyone who saw him knew. People were driving by waving and laughing. A traffic cop who often parks next to the carpool lane was standing on the rail of his car door, where he could look down into passing vehicles. He got a good look at the dummy, which was wearing a Miami Dolphins jacket and a baseball cap, but had no legs. The cop did what cops get paid to do. He pulled the car over. The driver looked at the cop, sighed, and said, "Well, that didn't help me very much did it?" Actually it got him a trip to court and a $351.00 citation for putting a kickboxing dummy in the passenger seat of his car and then driving in the car pool lane. It is rumored, (or maybe I made it up) that the judge asked, "Will the real dummy please stand up." Remember the rules. Only one dummy per car, and that includes the one behind the wheel.

WRITING TIP OF THE MONTH

Emotion is one of the most important and most overlooked tools in your writing toolbox. Emotion, or the lack of it, determines if your characters come alive on the page, or if they are flat, boring, one-dimensional paper dolls.

Emotion starts with you. Do you love the genre in which you write? Do you have a passion for the story? Do you really like your characters? Or you trying to write whatever is popular now, whether you like it or not? Even when you get rejection slips and your critique group rips your manuscript apart do you still believe in your story? If so, that passion and belief will be apparent in your writing and your reader will recognize it.

Showing emotion is easy for some of us. Others, like me, are more private people, reluctant to put our feelings on display. Writing is such an intimate process, more biographical than we like to admit, and I had a very hard time letting emotion show in my writing--it seemed too close to the bone. However, emotion moves your story, emotion engages the reader. Emotion sells. So we have to learn to write emotionally, like it or not.

Not just any emotion will do however. The emotion must be real and it must fit the character's personality. We have each felt grief, but each of us probably reacted differently. Think of the funerals you have attended. One woman I know stood for close to an hour, greeting people, shaking hands and hugging. You had to know her well to recognize the tightness of her jaw line, the slightly distracted manner, the roughness of her voice.

A friend who lost her daughter almost had to be carried into the funeral home. A man who lost his mother made it through the funeral with dignity and then became angry after it was all over. And can any of us ever forget the lost expression on Nancy Regan's face at the former president's funeral as she kissed his coffin, pressing her hands against it as if she could not let go.

How will the character you have created react to grief, joy, anger, disappointment, or jealousy? Try to make your reader feel what your character feels. Don't describe the emotion, show it through your character's point of view. Don't say Sally was heartbroken--show it in Sally's expression, her voice, and her movements. Know your character so well you will know how he or she will react in any situation.

Writers are observers. A part of us is always disengaged, noticing, making mental notes. John Gardner once told a story about coming upon a terrible wreck. As he worked with others to free the victims a part of him kept thinking, `I have to remember this. I have to remember how it felt.' I had a similar experience at my mother's funeral. I grieved with the others, I was truly crushed at losing her, but I was appalled to find a part of me kept thinking, `I have to remember this.' I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse, but I know it's the way we writers are made. So observe emotion in the people around you. Notice how they react. Make mental notes and then later write those notes down on paper so you'll have them when you need them.

Try to avoid clichés—the one tear rolling down the cheek, the pounding heart. And yes, these things are possible, but they have been overused. Another cliché is when the heroine meets the hero for the first time. Her heart stops, her knees dissolve, her breathing is shallow. Not only is that reaction unrealistic, it's also very unromantic. It leaves the reader wanting to yell at the hero, "Call 911, you idiot. She's having a seizure."

Give your reader something fresh, but don't let your writing become so emotionally charged it sounds silly. Keep it real, the natural way your character would react, and you'll hook your reader and keep her turning those pages until she reaches the satisfying end.

NEED TO READ BOOKS OF THE MONTH

Even In The Darkness by Shirlee McCoy

Even in the Darkness starts out like a wildfire and never lets up. Tori Riley gave her daughter, Melody, up for adoption, but has always been a part of her life. Joi and Mark Raymond, Melody's adoptive parents are serving at a mission in Thailand, and Tori arrives for a visit to celebrate her daughter's birthday. When she buys a small rosewood box as a present, the clerk accidentally sells her a box intended for Lao, the head of a vicious drug cartel. Now, alone in a country she doesn't know very well, Tori is on the run, hunted by men willing to kill to get what they want.

When Lao kidnaps Melody, Tori stops running. With the help of Noah Stone, a retired DEA agent, she sets out to find her daughter and bring Lao to justice. The dangerous search leads through treacherous jungle to an abandoned village and a confrontation with a man who wants Tori dead.

Tori is a gutsy, never give up heroine, who will have you in her corner all the way. Even in the Darkness is a real page turner and definitely a book for your Need to Read list. You can find it at local bookstores or at www.amazon.com

A PIECE OF THE SKY  BY MICHELLE BUCKMAN

A Piece of the Sky by Michelle Buckman

 

Carla has it all; a great job, a luxurious home, and a handsome husband, but there is one thing missing in her well ordered life. Carla wants a baby. She has tried every infertility treatment available with no results. Now her desire to be a mother has become an obsession, one Simon, her husband, doesn't share. Forced to become "the man of the family" when he was ten, he raised his younger siblings. He's not ready for the change a baby would bring. He would be willing to have a baby, the natural way, God's way, as he puts it but he is firmly against artificial insemination.

Kevin, Carla's first love is in town, working with her on the plans for their high school reunion. He wants them to get back together, and with Simon becoming increasingly cold and indifferent, she is tempted to have an affair. Kevin is willing to listen to her complaints. He's always there when she needs him.

Angry at Simon's refusal to discuss their options, Carla secretly goes ahead with her plans for artificial insemination, unaware that he has been hiding secrets of his own. Simon is a new Christian, tending to be a bit preachy about his faith, but Carla turned her back on God years ago. When a friend from the past leaves Sabrina, her five-year old daughter, at their house with no intention of coming back, and Carla finds she is pregnant, their marriage begins to break apart. Both Carla and Simon make foolish decisions, but God is working to bring them back together in a new way.

As Simon gradually accepts the coming baby, and learns to love Sabrina, Carla in her gratitude turns to God, willing for the first time to give Him control. At her high school reunion Carla realizes that we are the sum of what we have lived through and the influence others have had on us. Each day is a new beginning, and she's ready to face it with her new family, knowing that God is guiding the way.

Michelle pulls you into the story on page one and never lets you go. You'll be glad you added this one to your Need to Read list. Check your local bookstores and www.amazon.com.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

You can't walk with God and hold hands with Satan at the same time.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

DANISH POTATO SALAD

¼ cup vinegar                        ¼ tsp salt

¼ cup water                     dash pepper

1 tbsp sugar                     1 tsp mustard

1 cup mayonnaise         2 eggs, beaten

4 cups cooked, cubed potatoes

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 small minced onion

Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, pepper and mustard. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add two tablespoons hot mixture to beaten eggs and mix well. Gradually beat eggs into hot mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. (About five minutes.) Remove from heat and stir in mayonnaise. Toss remaining ingredients, pour on dressing, toss gently, and adjust seasoning If desired. (For Warren family dinners I double the recipe)

Barbara

Blue Mountain Editorial Service

www.barbarawarrenbluemountainedit.com

 

 

But they that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary: and they shall walk, and not faint.

    - Isaiah 40:31 KJV

 

 

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