THE ONE THING

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


THE ONE THING  Need some motivation. Here it is. I listened to Andy Stanley on YOUR MOVE this past week. It's just what we all need to hear and think about for this new year. I think you'll find your one thing or maybe more. :)  Don't miss this.

Then mark your calendars for January 8th. My new book, Mystery of the Heart, The Ravensmoore Chronicles, Book Three releases that day. And you might remember that every year on my birthday, January 11th, I like to give things away. So I will be giving away three sets of my complete series that week. Drop in for a chance to win. That's January 8th! BUT if you're visiting here today and leave a comment about one thing you hope to accomplish in 2013 I'll throw your name in the hat as a possible winner of my ENTIRE SERIES! You must enter by midnight January 5th PST. I'll post the winner on Sunday January 6th.

This blog post is continued here.

Happy New Year!

 

Wishing you a wonderful New Year!

 

To start off the year right I'm doing a giveaway!

 

Make a comment on my blog to win a copy of my next release, Grace Given! 

 

http://bethshriverwriter.blogspot.com/

 

 

How to Handle Those Rejections!

I wanted to share a previous post with the readers of this blog. This post was written back in October after attending "Hutchmoot 2012" a wondrous Christian art conference that celebrates the writings of The Inklings (Lewis, Tolkien, etc.). As you will see in this post, an hour before walking through the doors of Redeemer Church I received devastating news. If you have ever been rejected by a publisher (and who hasn't?) or been "released" from your contract you can really appreciate this post.
Merry Christmas!

http://brucehennigan.com/2012/09/27/hutchmoot-2012-day-1-so-many-rabbits/

Exploring the Regency with Guest Blogger: Sara King

I recently attended a book signing at Barnes and Noble in Westchester, Ohio where I met Sara King who works there part-time. I've talked her into visiting once in awhile and sharing some of her expertise in history. Sara attended Northern Kentucky University where she majored in Biology, History and Anthropology. She loves out door activities and camping including horseback riding, hiking and walking trails.  She's an animal lover and activist.(Sara's favorite animals are horses, cats and wolves. But says she loves almost all animals except for insects). Here's Sara.

As a history major I love to explore cultures and societies that came before our time.  My hope in writing as part of my friend Jillian Kent’s blog is that we can enlighten each other in the history and culture of the Regency Era of Great Britain.  My goal is to give you as a fellow reader an insight into aspects of the time period that Jillian may not write about, but aspects we both are passionate about.  To begin my first post for Jillian and to everyone one of her friends that read her blog, I wanted to start small and just give an introduction into the Regency Era.  As we progress through our time together and become friends my hope is to focus on specific topics for each post whether it be a place, a person, a landmark or a tradition. Continued on my blog here.

My Book Signing Experience

   I had a book signing in Denver on December 1 while my wife and I were down from Alberta, Canada, visiting our two daughters and their families who live there. My two daughters were my “campaign managers,” and they sent out invitations to their friends to attend. I arrived a little early and set up and began trying to do some “cold sales,” that is presenting my books to people in the store who didn’t know me or my book. I had no success. But then my daughter’s friends began to arrive and the sales went well. We sold all the copies in the store and then spent the evening running around Denver, buying up additional copies to satisfy the demand. We were grateful for the support.
     But the experience gave me pause. Had I gone to a store without any advance preparation or publicity, it would not have been a successful venture. Because I’m not a JK Rowling or a Stephanie Meyer, I cannot rely on mass interest and support. I attended a Stephanie Meyer book signing in Denver a couple of years back, and it was like going to a rock concert. Hundreds of screaming teenage girls queued up to get their books signed. My book signing experience was not like that! But things picked up immeasurably when my daughters’ friends began arriving. That’s why careful planning and advance publicity are so important. It’s no fun sitting at a table where store customers go out of their way to avoid you so they don’t get “drawn into” a discussion with an author they don’t know and a book they aren’t particularly interested in reading at the moment.
    What made the signing special for me was that my grandchildren who live in Denver donned their “Grandpa’s Book Buddy” T-shirts and walked around the store to help promote the event. I sure appreciated their love and support.

Get in the Christmas spirit...Read a book!

 

 

Looking for a great book to read this Christmas? Reading a good Christmas tale is a great way to get into the spirit of the season. Check out my blog for some Christmas books that you might enjoy. http://bethshriverwriter.blogspot.com/    Merry Christmas everyone!

  

 

 

 

Getting It Straight

Image courtesy of stockimages/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You know you want to be a writer, and so do the people around you. Is that a good or bad thing? In other words, are you prioritizing your writing goals and career aspirations over relationships with the important people in your life? Family, friends, even strangers need to know you care and respect them. Read about how to show it on my blog....

What helps us to be better writers?

As writers we know the importance of resources and tools. The computer has allowed us to write more efficiently and quickly, and without it, most of us wouldn’t have written nearly as much as we have. I wrote my first stories on a red Big Chief tablet with a pencil as round as my little finger. It had an eraser I used a lot.

Then came the manual typewriter without correction tape. Revision and editing was a real pain and consumed way too much time as I had to start over so many times. My first electric typewriter had the correction tape and helped with typos, but didn’t help with revisions and editing. I still had to start over.

Today we can cut and paste, use the “track changes” feature and hunt and replace for errors. We even have spell check to help with spellings and grammar check that isn’t always reliable, but better than having to look up so much stuff. Editing and revision is no longer a pain although it still takes time to get it right.

In addition to the internet for research, we have instant contact with editors, agents and publishers. We can send our manuscripts electronically instead of through regular mail which saves time and money. What formerly took hours and even days to accomplish can now be done in a few minutes.

We also have more resources today from fellow writers. My library includes books on writing by Brandilyn Collins, Getting into Character; James Scott Bell, Plot and Stucture; Sol Stein, Stein on Writing; Rennie Browne and Dave King, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers; Donald Maas, Writing the Breakout Novel; Marlene Bagnull, Write His Answer; and Ron Benrey, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Christian Fiction. These and many others are among those on my bookshelves that help me improve my writing.

We all have our favorite tools, books, writing places, and rituals that help on this writer’s journey, but the greatest resource is the One who gave us life and gives us our hope for eternity. Time spent with the Lord is time invested in finding His will for our lives and the direction for our writing.

So what is your favorite tool or resource? What helps you get started or motivates you to write? 

Christmas Ebooks by Lena Nelson Dooley

I’m very excited about the three Christmas ebooks I’ve uploaded to Kindle recently.

The newest is 24 Christmases. This book was 24 years in the making.

In 1985, as I was preparing to order Christmas cards from a Christian supplier, God told me that He had given me the gift of writing, and I should use it to bless people at Christmas. That year, I wrote my first Christmas story. The story of Mary as a dramatic monologue.

Five other monologues—of people who were involved with that event so long ago—followed. Joseph … the innkeeper … Mary’s mother … the youngest shepherd … the servant of a wise man.

The next story was a romance. One year I wrote a modern Christmas fable. Another year, I wrote a short play that was used to take Christmas to two local malls. Other stories contained different perspectives, but one focus—the impact that first Christmas has had on mankind through the ages.

Unfortunately, there were a few scattered years when I didn’t write a Christmas story. Life interfered with my plans

James and I have friends spread across several countries around the world. Many of them have contacted me to tell me how much the stories mean to them. They anxiously await their copy of the Christmas story and make it part of their family’s celebration. What a blessing that is to me.

I pray these stories will bless you as much as you have blessed me.

The picture on the cover of this book was taken in my den a year or two ago.

The other 2 Christmas ebooks are novellas.

Christmas Confusion

Lori Compton, mayor of Mistletoe, needs ideas for ways to prop up the sagging economy. After having her heart broken by the former pastor, she doesn’t want to spend time with the new pastor. Rev. Russell Brown has plenty of ideas, even one that includes his spending the rest of his life with the beautiful mayor. Will Lori be able to move beyond her hurts and recognize God’s intentions for the future of the town – and for her own future?

The Best Medicine

When Thomas Stanton shows up at the holiday party of Rose Fletcher’s best friend, his appearance reminds Rose of the infatuation she felt for him when he worked on her father’s ranch. Although her heart wants to continue those long ago feelings, her mind reminds her that he doesn’t share her faith in God. Thomas can’t understand why Rose seems so standoffish. Will it take God’s intervention to show these two people just what He has planned all along?

You can find the books for Kindle by going to my Kindle store page: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=lena+nelson+dooley

The Best Medicine is also available for Nook.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-best-medicine-lena-nelson-dooley/1110380790?ean=2940014539685 

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?Show More

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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop -- Interview with Andrea Boeshaar

Thanks so much to Wisconsin author Lily Silver who tagged me in 

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. 

I thought this might be fun so I agreed to participate. For this multi-author promotion, I've decided to give readers a sneak peek at my upcoming novel -- as well as my books already on store shelves and available as ebook downloads.

Here's the interview:

 What is the title of your next book?

         Threads of Love, which will be released in May 2013
                  (Isn't this cover GORGEOUS!?)

 Where did the idea come from for the book?

          This series is based on my Norwegian heritage and
          my family history (fictionalized!). Threads of Love
          is book 3 and the last novel in my Fabric of Time series.



       

 Books 1 and 2 are now available in both traditional print AND ebook formats. 

Threads of Hope (book 1) 

Threads of Faith (book 2)

What genre does your book fall under?

          Christian/Inspirational historical romance

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your latest series?

          Follow the journeys of first Kristin in 1848 (Threads of Hope), 

          then Julianna in 1877 (Threads of Faith), and finally Emily in 1902 (Threads of Love) 

          as these women weave a tapestry of love, honor, and family unity into life's Fabric of Time.

          Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

         It's published by Realms -- a division of Charisma Media and I can usually write a 75.000 
           word novel in 6 to 9 months time. That is, if life doesn't get in the way.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

My last series, Seasons of Redemption, was published by Realms/Charisma Media.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

For my Fabric of Time series, my Norwegian heritage inspired me. For my Seasons of Redemption series I was inspired to write stories set during and just after America's Civil War. I thank God Almighty for giving me the gift of writing. 

What else about your book might pique the reader interest?

My latest series, Fabric of Time, is primarily set in Wisconsin. My grandmother, an art and reading teacher in Tigerton, Wisconsin, painted a picture of Manitowoc's harbor. Many family members said the scene was "dark," and after my grandfather died, no one wanted it. But secretly I had always coveted the painting. It's no Monet, but my "Nana" painted it. It's hanging on the large wall in my stairwell and I treasure it.

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Now it's time to pass the baton to 2 additional author-friends so they can tell you about their amazing books. Their posts, which will have the same title as this one -- The Next Big Thing Blog Hop -- and will be live on their blogs soon, so please check them out! 

Loree Lough
Liz Tolsma

Also, check out the other authors I blog with on The Barn Door blog. And don't forget to peruse my personal blog on which I interview other authors of Christian and inspirational fiction. Everything Writerly.