July 2023 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Contemporary Romance: Dial S for Second Chances by Linda Shenton Matchett — Jade Williams agrees to be on the high school reunion committee because the-one-that-got-away is out of the country and won’t be home in time to attend the festivities. Now, …
The lesson of all those boxes…
by Allie Pleiter @alliepleiter “We have a lot of books,” I warned the man from the moving company. He smiled and waved a hand in the air in a no big deal gesture. “Oh, don’t worry, we’re used to that.” “No,” I insisted, “We have a LOT of books. Come with me.” He kept chatting in reassuring tones until I …
Tips on Writing a Counseling Scene
by Kathy Maresca @so_tweet Write what you know. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings took this advice from her agent to heart. She wrote a story set in rural Cross Creek, Florida, where she lived. Soon The Yearling was published, and it won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize. Rawlings’ success encouraged me; I grew up just a few miles from her home. A rehabilitation …
Seeing the Bright Side of Rejection
By Lori Domingo @loridomingo22 To say that I was beyond excited to be nearing the finish line of my MFA program would be an understatement. I had in my hands a completed, full-length novel – my first in my genre of choice, Christian fiction. Part of the requirements for one of my classes was to research a favorite author in …
The Poetry in our Fiction
by Susan Lyttek @SusanLyttek On the day I’m writing this, I just wrote a personal blog post about our poetic God and how God uses poetry to communicate with us and through us. But the day this will be posting, I will be boarding a cruise ship with my husband to celebrate our fortieth anniversary and unable to see this …
Travel Inspiration
by Marguerite Martin Gray As a reader I can travel to the ends of the earth in nay era through the pages of a good book. Imagine how many countries and cultures I have traversed since I am of a certain age. I crave learning about countries, real or imaginary with facts that answer my questions. Through the words that …
What’s In Your Corner?
by Chandra Lynn Smith Writers are a different sort. If you disagree with me, ask your family what they think. In our family of six, my oldest son, the actor, is often the one who ‘gets it.’ The rest of the family gives me the deer-in-the-headlights stare. Writers use a specific type of pen, notebook, size lead or ink. WE …
ACFW Storyfest (Takeover Blitz and GIVEAWAY!)
Welcome to the Takeover Blitz for ACFW Storyfest, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! You are Invited ACFW Storyfest August 24-26, 2023 Hyatt Regency at the Arch, St. Louis When hundreds of authors gather for their annual ACFW conference in August, readers are invited to participate in their own event on the same premises. Storyfest will present a full program of …
Gary the Groundhog Saved My Column
By Jenny Powell It all started when I moved my medical office into the second story of a professional building with giant windows facing Highway 54. I would stare out the window at the small wooded area there whilst contemplating a befuddling set of symptoms, seeking diagnosis. That was where I first saw Gary. The large groundhog waddled purposefully through …
2023 ACFW Lifetime Achievement Recipient James Scott Bell
For immediate release ACFW Announces 2023 Lifetime Achievement Recipient James Scott Bell Palm Bay, FL: The American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) is pleased to announce the recipient of their 2023 Lifetime Achievement honors—prolific author, fiction instructor, mentor, and industry observer James Scott Bell. When asked to list their go-to books on the craft of writing, many authors point to the …