July 2007 Newsletter
BLUE MOUNTAIN BACKROADS
Well, it's July in the Ozarks. Hot, and the humidity is off the scale. You can stand still and sweat. Elderberry bushes are flaunting their lacy blooms. The daylilies in my flowerbeds are strutting their stuff. Charlie's foxhound puppies are hunting shady spots under the front porch bushes. It's time for fireworks, ice cream and watermelon. We've had lots of rain this year so the plant growth is lush, including weeds. I've spent more time weeding that I like, but that's better than having everything burn in a drought.
It's time to relax in the shade with a good book and a tall glass of something cool. Kick off your shoes, lean back, look at God's blue sky, and enjoy summer. I hope all of you are busy writing golden words that are just what all those agents and editors are looking for. May God bless your efforts and may each of you write a best seller this year. Say a prayer for our men and women in uniform, and remember to thank them for all they do to keep our country safe. Happy Fourth of July, and God bless America.
WRITING NEWS OF THE MONTH
Carolyn R Scheidies writes:
"This month my autobiography The Day Secretariat Won the Triple Crown, geared from elementary on up about my struggle with disability, is available at http://idealinhope.com/author/authorsbio.
Two more chapters of Valentine Bride http://idealinhope.com/author/stories.html are available this month as well as poems on Independence Day and prayer http://idealinhope.com/author/poems.html.
You
can check out the entire site here:
http://www.idealinhope.com/author
The book begins, "The news of Secretariat's death made me realize how far removed I had become from my youthful obsession with horses, especially with Secretariat, a horse I had never even seen. It had been a long time since I'd even thought of him or how important he had been to me that spring."
So begins the story of a young girl turning into a woman who found herself inexplicitly bonded with the horse that ultimately achieved the Triple Crown. Only Carolyn, who'd once wanted nothing more than to own and ride a horse, found herself not on a horse, but in a wheelchair and with few prospects for her future.
The Day Secretariat Won the Triple Crown, geared for elementary on up, is a story of how one young woman turned tragedy to triumph, encouraged by her family, her faith, her horse.and a young horse named Secretariat. http://idealinhope.com/author/authorsbio.html
Scheidies' credits include over a two dozen books-several of which have garnered awards, and contributions to several non-fiction books. She's written for a variety of publications, and has a regular column in the Kearney Hub. Scheidies also speaks to different groups on a variety of topics, leads workshops on writing, and guest lectures at UNK.
CAROLYN R.
SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com/author
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews
Blog: http:www.lulu.com/IDealinHope
Articles: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/51152/carolyn_r_scheidies.html
* * *
Brenda Minton writes:
"I have to share a letter with you,
something very sweet that shows what our books can do, or really, what God
can do. And I think this is why I feel that writing is a gift, a talent that
shouldn't be buried. I got a post on my guest book, I haven't posted it to
my website yet, from a young woman in Russia, telling me that Trusting Him is
very much like her own relationship with her fiancé, and how something
I wrote in that book helped her to realize something about
her relationship with this young man. I emailed her back and she
emailed me back. Mary is 20, from Russia and she speaks English and
interprets for missionaries in her church. An American lady in her church
gets the Love Inspired books, and she gave Trusting Him to Mary. Can
you believe that! And Mary was touched. 45 pages into the book she
felt she really needed to let me know what the book meant to her.
In her
email she really opened up and shared her heart with me. I cried. God is sooo
good. He took a book that I wrote five years ago, sent it around the world
and put it into the hands of this sweet young Christian. And that makes it
all worth it. Isn't that a wonderful thing? It isn't about the book, or my
writing, but about a girl in Russia named Mary and a boy named Dima, and the
real heroine is a missionary who was CALLED to serve God in a foreign
country.
Barbara says: "That is wonderful, Brenda. It's amazing how God can take what we do and use it to reach out to others. As Brenda says, it's not about us, or our writing, we're just a tool in God's hands. He gives the story, we write the story, and then He uses it as He chooses. Sometimes we know the results, most of the time we don't. That's why we need to keep on writing the stories He gives us and let Him use them the way He sees fit. Another thing, we need to be open and ready to talk and to listen to others. If we just write the books and then refuse to have any contact with people, we have limited the good our books can do.
* * *
Lori Copeland's Monday Morning Faith is a Christy finalist in the Romance category. I've read this one and it's great. Congratulations, Lori, wishing you the best.
* * *
Molly Noble Bull's Sanctuary will be published in trade paperback on September 15, 2007, and is the first of three long historical novels about the Huguenots.
Molly says: "To read an excerpt from the
final version of Sanctuary's prologue and chapter one, please visit my
website today. www.mollynoblebull.com Then scroll down and click Molly's
Books. "
Barbara says: "I've read this one, and it's good. If you like historical fiction, you won't want to miss Sanctuary.
* * *
Tiffany Coulter writes, "I'm thrilled to announce that my website has launched. Yes, my Writing Career Coach Course now has a home. My site offers the course [which I've discounted to $35 to celebrate] but it ALSO has free E-lessons. This is so exciting because I have free downloads, a resources page with over 30 books on craft, business, marketing etc. There are also daily minders and monthly tracking guides to help you with your writing career. If someone is looking for a book to use, it's likely there.
Not only that but with the Free E-zine each month people who sign up [and please do, it's free after all] will read interviews with top editors, agents, and business owners. There is a wealth of information for writers at every stage. The first E-zine will also announce a give away and job opportunities.
So head on over and sign up to be sure you're one of the first to get the news when it launches. www.WritingCareerCoach.com
God is ALWAYS so
good!!
Tiff
Tiffany Colter
80% of people say thy'd like to write a
book. Are you one of them? If so sign up for my free online e-lessons. http://www.WritingCareerCoach.com
ACFW
Online Course Coordinator
ACFW Conference DoorPrize Committee Chair
ACFW
Afictionado Author
Shoutlife Marketing Blog editor
Wife/Friend/Family
Member
Freelance author
Don't forget to check out Tiffany's website.
Lots of good information there.
* * *
Kim Sawyer says, "God's been extra good to me.
· Both Bygones (Barbour) and Where Willows Grow (Bethany House), April '07 releases, appeared on the June CBA Best-Seller list.
· They also both debuted in the Top Ten at Christianbook.com.
· I signed a new contract with Bethany House for four open historical stories.
God bless~
Kim Sawyer
Gentle stories of
hope…
Visit my website at www.KimVogelSawyer.com or
http://MtLakeSeries.homestead.com
Available
now!
WAITING FOR SUMMER'S RETURN, Bestselling novel from Bethany
House
DEAR JOHN, THAT WILDER BOY (2006 Favorite Contemporary Romance),
and
PROMISING ANGELA, Heartsong Presents
WHERE WILLOWS GROW, Bestselling
novel from Bethany House
#1 Sommerfeld Trilogy BYGONES, Bestselling novel
from Barbour Women's Fiction
Coming soon!
MONTANA MISTLETOE,
Barbour Romance, Sept. '07
#2 Sommerfeld Trilogy BEGINNINGS, Barbour Women's
Fiction, Oct. '07
KANSAS WEDDINGS, Barbour Publishing, Dec. '07
Wow,
Kim. That's great. Congratulations.
* * *
The Christian Communicator is
going to publish Laurie Alice Eakes article "How to Plot Like a Two-Year-Old:
The Importance of Why."
Laurie Alice Eakes, National Readers Choice
Finalist
Family Guardian, Best Regency, Best First Book
http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com
Way
to go, Laurie Alice. Love that title.
* * *
From Margaret Daley: When Dreams Come True is a finalist in the Faith Hope and Love chapter of RWA in the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest in the short contemporary category. I have been invited to take part in the 2008 Love Inspired continuity series, Homecoming Heroes. My book will be book 5 out November 2008.
Margaret Daley
Vanished, Love Inspired Suspense, May
2007
Once Upon a Family, Love Inspired, April 2007
So Dark the Night, Love
Inspired Suspense, March 2007
http://www.margaretdaley.com
http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com
Great,
Margaret. I'm proud of you.
* * *
Trish Perry's The Guy I'm Not Dating finaled (so I'm first, second, or third) in the 2007 RWA/FHL Inspirational Readers' Choice Awards (Long Contemporary). The winner will be announced at the RWA conference on July 11 in Dallas (wasn't sure when your newsletter goes out).
Trish
www.trishperrybooks.com
Too Good to Be
True (Harvest House, March 2007)
The Guy I'm Not Dating (Harvest House,
2006) (Finalist, 2007 RWA/FHL Inspirational Readers' Choice
Awards)
Congratulations, Trish. I'll be cheering for you.
* * *
Brandt Dodson's The Lost Sheep, the fourth of the Colton Parker series
will be released July 1st. This story is set in Las Vegas and deals with some
pretty deep stuff. The characters are great, and as usual, there's plenty of
suspense. www.brandtdodson.com
I reviewed this book. Brandt always tells a good story, and in my opinion, this is one
of his best ones. If you like private eye books, you won't want to miss the
Colton Parker series. It's a winner.
* * *
Linda Goodnight is a
finalist for the Booksellers' Best award in the traditional category for her
book, MARRIED UNDER THE MISTLETOE from Harlequin Romance.
Linda also
spoke to Writers of Inspirational Fiction (WIN), an ACFW chapter in Tulsa.
Her topic was "Ten Essential Ingredients of the Romance Novel".
MISSIONARY
DADDY from Love Inpsired by Linda Goodnight is an August
1 release.
Linda Goodnight's short story, A TINY BLESSINGS PREQUEL
will be an online read at eharlequin during the month of August. Linda will
also be blogging as the character from that novella on
www.eharlequin.com throughout August.
Linda
Goodnight
www.lindagoodnight.com
Nominated for:
Reviewers' Choice
Award
Holt Medallion
Booksellers' Best
Love Inspired books by
Linda
A TOUCH OF GRACE 3--07 RT Top Pick!
THE HEART OF GRACE 6-07 4 1/2
Stars!
MISSIONARY DADDY 8-07
Notice how many of our members are finalists
in various contests? I'm very proud of them all. Good luck Linda. I'll be
pulling for you.
* * *
Mary DeMuth's Watching the Tree Limbs is a
finalist for the Christy Award, first novel category. Her book
Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture releases July 1 (Harvest
House Publishers).
What is postmodernism? Is it good or bad? Does it
have anything to do with being an effective, godly parent? With
sensitivity, grace, and a passion to help families experience authentic,
life-changing relationships with God,
Mary DeMuth describes the new way people are processing truth. She reveals effective ways for parents to communicate with today's kids: by developing relationships, by learning along with their kids, by creating a safe haven for kids to explore their worlds, and more. This unique resource offers everyday moms and dads an engaging introduction into the postmodern world and provides the tools they need to relate to it with confidence and faith.
Mary E.
DeMuth
Truth from the Inside Out
Coming July 1st:
Authentic Parenting
in a Postmodern Culture.
http://www.maryedemuth.com/
http://www.relevantblog.blogspot.com/
Sounds
interesting, Mary, and good luck with the Christy
* * *
Amy Lathrop writes:
Tricia Goyer is gearing up to launch the blog tour for My
Life Unscripted and we need YOUR help! The blog tour will begin July 31st
and run through August 29th!
Here's the scoop:
"The Facts of Life"
was teen girl drama at its finest. Yet today's teens know life if NOT like
the movies. Real life means real drama ... something teens face on a daily
basis. Yet, do teens have to let their lives be molded by every wave of
emotion?
My Life, Unscripted empowers teen girls to write their own script and direct their own life by using God's Script as a guide.
Life Plotting: 101
The Life Plotting: 101 blog tour will
provide you a copy of My Life Unscripted for yourself and one for the winner
of your contest. Just prior to the tour we will also share exciting
information for a teen contest!
To sign up for the blog tour and
recieve your free copy of My Life Unscripted send an email to my assistant,
amy@triciagoyer.com.
Once
you're signed up, we'll send you another email with everything you'll need
for your blog tour post. (See how easy we make it?)
We will send you:
Author bio
Interview with Tricia
Link to the first
chapter
Information about teen contest
Of course we don't mind if you
start "talking up" the book. In fact, we'd LOVE it.
What if you
don't have a BLOG? No problem! Contact us for ways YOU can help promote the
book to youth groups, small groups, and friends! We'd love your
help!
* * *
From Wayne Thomas Batson:
Greetings to all from The Realm Where Glimpses Dwell
Sorry it's been so long since I've written, but I've good reason for the delay. Some incredible things have been happening, and I wanted to wait until the details were arranged.
But now that it's official, it is with
incredible excitement and anticipation that I announce:
The Summer
2007 Fantasy Fiction Tour!
Beginning July 9th in Atlanta, I'll be touring the East Coast of the US with Bryan Davis, Sharon Hinck, and Christopher Hopper! That's right, four Bestselling Fantasy Authors will be coming to bookstores near you to meet, greet, speak, read, and sign books!
If you are a fan of Fantasy Fiction, esp. Fantasy that has depth, this is an event you don't want to miss. I've read all three of these other authors, and I can personally vouch for their work. It's great reading.
Bryan Davis has written The Dragons in Our Midst Books and the new Oracles of Fire books—contemporary fantasy that will leave you breathless!
Sharon Hinck has written a brand new fantasy series called The Sword of Lyric. The Restorer and its sequels may well revolutionize the fantasy genre.
Christopher Hopper has written the incredible White Lion Chronicles—one of the coolest story concepts I've read in a long time!
Please check out the schedule of events below and see if we're going to be near you. We'd love to meet wonderful fantasy readers like you in person! Also, please read beyond the Fantasy Tour Schedule for more Door Within Trilogy News and More!
Monday, July
9th
ICRS Convention
Tsaba House Booth #1904 (One of the 16 STL
booths)
11:00am - noon
Meet & Greet with appetizers
Tuesday,
July 10th
ICRS Convention
STL Booth #1904 (STL main booth)
1:30pm -
2:30pm
Fantasy Author Photo-Op
Wednesday, July 11th 1:00pm � 3:00pm
Heart & Hearth Home Education
Support Group
Manchester,
TN.
Contact: Linda Reed tnhomeschooler@yahoo.com
931-596-3171
Thursday,
July 12th 12:00 - 2:00pm
Cedar Springs Christian Store
504 North Peter�s
Rd.
Knoxville, TN.
865-690-5253
Thursday, July 12th
6:00pm
Barnes & Noble
Dreamland Shopping Center
83 South Tunnel
Rd.
Asheville, NC 28805
828-296-9330
Friday, July 13th 12:00 -
2:00pm
Barnes & Noble
Sharon Corners Shopping Center
4720 Sharon
Rd.
Charlotte, NC. 28210
704-554-7906
Friday, July 13th
6pm
Borders
404 � 101 East Six Forks Rd.
Raleigh, NC.
27609
919-755-9424
Saturday, July 14th 12:00 - 2:00pm
Barnes &
Noble
5501 West Broad St.
Richmond, VA.
23230
804-282-0781
Saturday, July 14th 6:00 - 8:00pm
His Way
Christian Bookstore
Normandy Shopping Center
8450 Baltimore National
Pike
Ellicott City, Maryland 21043
410-465-7546
Sunday, July 15th
(9:30am)
National Presbyterian Church
4104 Nebraska Avenue
N.W.
Washington D.C. 20016
202-537-0800
Sunday, July 15th 3:00 -
5:00pm
Barnes & Noble
Potomac Yard Store
3651 Jefferson Davis
Highway
Alexandria, VA. 22305
703-299-9124
Sunday, July 15th 6:30 -
8:30pm
Barnes & Noble
Long Gate Shopping Center
4300 Montgomery
Road
Ellicott City, Maryland 21043
410-203-9001
Monday, July 16th
1:00pm
Christian Light Bookstore
2160 Lincoln Hwy. East
Lancaster, PA.
17602
717-394-4032
Monday, July 16th 6pm � 8pm
The Days Of
Knights Store
173 East Main Street
Newark, DE.
19711
302-366-0963
Tuesday, July 17th 5pm
Timeless Treasures
Christian Gift & Bookstore
163 Livingston St.
Brooklyn, NY.
11201
718-852-2667
Wednesday, July 18th Noon
Timeless Treasures
Christian Gift & Bookstore
673 8th Ave.
Manhattan, NY
10036
212-582-4311
WHACKY NEWS OF THE MONTH.
(News too weird to make up)
Did you hear about the restaurant manager who got fired? He was so ticked off he broke into the office and tried to crack the safe. Not being experienced in safecracking, he stopped in the middle of the job, booted up the office computer, and did an online search on how to rob a safe. Yep, that's right. He did a little on the job research.
His online search was interrupted when two other employees who had been in another part of the restaurant doing paperwork discovered him. The would-be thief ran out the back door, but was arrested a short time later. Now he doesn't need a job and doesn't have to resort to breaking and entering. He's getting free room and board, paid for by his friendly taxpayer. You can reach him at the county jail. At least, it keeps him off the streets.
There's a lesson in all of this for writers. Whether you're into safecracking or writing a book, do the research before you need it.
WRITING TIP OF THE MONTH
CHARACTERS:
What attracts you to the characters in your favorite books? Is it that they seem like people you would like to sit down with and just visit? Is that the way you want people to feel about the characters you create? Let's talk about characters.
First, your characters must appear to be real to the reader, within the concept of the story. Obviously, if your main character is a talking dog or a science fiction creation, he won't be real in the way people are real, but still he must have an element of reality. You have to give him qualities your reader can recognize and accept if you want her to suspend belief and connect with him.
To do that, you give him or her the traits that make up the individuals we know in our daily life, and they should be reasonably likable. I just finished a book by a well-known writer. The story line, while not great, was acceptable, but the characters were so hateful to each other I disliked them on sight. And yes, I'm sure you know people like that. I do too, but I don't hang out with them, I don't want them for friends, and I'm sure not going to spend money to read about them.
That doesn't mean your characters should be perfect, all sweetness and light. Perfection can be boring, and perfect characters can be just as irritating as the hateful ones. Besides, I've been around for a long time, and I've never met a perfect man or woman. We're a work in progress, to quote Alan Jackson, and our characters should be too.Besides, if they start out perfect, you haven't left room for them to grow.
And your characters should fit their background. I'm pure hillbilly and proud of it. I can drop my "g's" with the best of them. I'm gruff, direct, and a tad outspoken. Put me in a room filled with people from Boston, and I'd stand out like a skunk in a henhouse. By the same token, put a woman from New York in my part of the country, and she'd be noticeable too. Background, environment, and personality will color the way your characters speaks and acts. Your characters should be true to themselves. They can't speak "southern" in the first chapter and pure "east coast" in chapter two.
Your characters should be true to their nature too. If they change there must be a reason. A sultry woman can't suddenly become prim and proper without something happening that will make the change acceptable to your reader. Events in our lives do change us. An outgoing person can become quieter after something terrible happens. A compliant person can undergo a personality change and become hostile, but you have to show the reader why it happened, if you want it to be believable. And making your characters believable makes all the difference in whether the reader stays with your book, or turns on the TV.
In Lisa Gardner's The Perfect Husband, her characters are definitely not likable. Not that they're hateful, but they are not exactly arm and fuzzy. They have problems, and they are tough. I don't know anyone exactly like them, but I understand them, and I am rooting for them all the way. So make your characters likable if you can. If not at least make them understandable, so the reader will know why they act the way they do, sympathize with them, and cheer for them. Get the reader involved emotionally.
Last, but definitely not least, stay in your character's point of view. Remember in any given scene the reader can only see what the viewpoint character sees, thinks, knows, and feels. Don't tell the reader something is happening that your reader can't see. That's cheating. It's bad writing too. The secret to avoid creating cardboard characters is to make that character seem real to the reader. Develop a character with flaws, personality quirks, a manner of speaking and behaving, and keep her true to her own nature. Let her stumble, allow her to fail occasionally, have them get up and try again. Above all, make him or her likable or at least understandable, and your reader will take that character to her heart, identify with him, and stay with him to the final page. And that's what we want, isn't it?
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
If you're going to soar with the eagles in the morning, you can't hoot with the owls all night.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
PHILLY CREAM CHEESE CLASSIC DIP
1 8 oz package of cream cheese,
softened.
1 envelope Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix.
1
container (8 oz) plain yogurt
1 Tablespoon milk.
Beat all ingredients
in small mixing bowl until well blended.
Refrigerate. Serve with vegetable
dippers or as a baked potato topper.
Barbara
Blue Mountain Editorial Service
www.barbarawarrenbluemountainedit.com
To read Barbara's book reviews, sign up for her newsletter by clicking the link below; or view them on Dancing Word Writers Network: http://www.dancingword.net
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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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