By Angela Beach Silverthorne Books are powerful instruments to entertain, teach, learn problem solving strategies and coping mechanisms. As a writer I cannot underestimate the impact my words can have on readers. Knowing this, I take being a Christian author very seriously. Before I began writing the Cries series, Cries of Innocence and Cries of Grace, I began to pray. …
In the Beginning was the Word
By Davalynn Spencer When I landed in the newsroom as a crime-beat reporter, the editor gave me a printout stressing the importance of tight writing. “The Lord’s prayer has 66 words,” the memo said. “The Gettysburg address, 286.” His point: less is more. His example: “Mother’s dead.” Of course journalism is not fiction. At least it’s not supposed to be. …
ACFW New Releases – July 2017
July 2017 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Contemporary Romance: On Love’s Gentle Shore by Liz Johnson — When Natalie O’Ryan’s fiancé books their wedding in her hometown, Natalie didn’t know the only reception venue available would be an old barn belonging to Justin Kane–the best friend she left …
Being Equipped
By Henry McLaughlin God has a will, or a plan for each of us. Psalm 139:16 (NLT) tells us, You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Each of us is on this earth for a specific reason. We may …
Pros & Cons – plus a few tips – for Writing a Novel Series
by Deborah Raney The fifth and final book in my Chicory Inn Novels series released recently, and I’m now working on the first book in a new series. Having written mostly stand-alone novels for most of my writing career, this has been an interesting experience and one I’ve learned so much from. First let’s look at the pros and cons …
Keeping Up with the Joneses
By Tamara D. Fickas We are bombarded with opportunities these days to compare ourselves to others. The media is resplendent with pleas to see how you stack up against the hotshot writer, the most awesome athlete, or the most influential politician. It runs rampant in the workforce also. One worker is compared to another when it comes time for raises …
Choose Your Publisher with Care
©2017 Deb Haggerty, MBA When an author begins to look at publishers to see where their book might fit, there are several things they should take into consideration. The same steps generally apply to agents as well. Does the publisher have a good reputation in the industry? With the proliferation of small, boutique publishers popping up constantly, you want to …
Hope–A Four Letter Word That Keeps Us Writing
By Sarah Hamaker I’ve been thinking a lot about hope lately in relation to writing, and how we can forget to cultivate hope in our quest for publication, sales, and reaching readers. When our hope buckets are empty or nearly so, we find ourselves fighting discouragement, resentment, envy, and jealousy. We lose our contentment where God has us and wallow …
It’s a Roller Coaster World
By Chandra Lynn Smith I love, love, love roller coasters. High hills, steep drops, sharp jerky curves, sitting, standing, clunky wooden ones, smooth riding new ones, loop-de-loops–I love them all. Who’d have thought this writing journey could be like a roller coaster? Of course, fifteen years ago when I climbed onto this ride I call, “So You Want to Be …
Plotting and Structure of Novels
by Brenda Taylor Plotting novels is a chore for me, because I am a panster by nature. Instead of sitting for a great length of time thinking, plotting, and structuring a story, I want to write and let the storyline fall where it may. I’ve learned, however, my panster method is not the best way. It leaves too much to …