By Deb Haggerty As authors and speakers, we must always be alert to life. That is, we should always be paying attention to what goes on around us. You never know when an accidentally overheard conversation will give you your newest book idea, or a billboard will give you an important point for your next speech. When I was working …
Context, Context, Context
By Kimberley Woodhouse *disclaimer – this post may or may not include the word poop. You have been warned. If you’ve been to Bible College or Seminary, or even if you are just an avid studier of the Bible, you may have heard of the Concentric Circles of Context. Context is key. And not just in studying the Word. It’s …
ACFW New Releases: March 2020
March 2020 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Contemporary Romance: Love & Liberty by Elsie Davis — A New Hampshire firefighter and an Audubon Society member go head to head when his work involving controlled forest fires threatens a rumored eagle nest. (Contemporary Romance from Sweet Promise Press) Formula …
Five Things You Can Do After the Writing Storm
By Glynn Young The manuscript sits with the publisher. A fifth novel, it’s the last of a series. The story arc that began with listening to an airplane music program in 2002 is coming to an end some 18 years later. You’ve lived with the characters for almost two decades. Sometimes it feels like you know the characters better than …
Writing Tips from Paul and Joshua
By Lana Christian From conception to conclusion, every step of writing takes us out of our comfort zone. As faith-based writers, we also strive for excellence that pleases God. Collectively, that takes strength and courage. Scriptures for both abound. While they certainly can help us weather our challenges, they also contain writing tips. STRENGTH: Paul on word order and word …
Editing Pet Peeves
By Deb Haggerty As an author and an editor, I read—a lot! And I find I get impatient with certain contrivances authors tend to overdo. I realize part of what we do as writers is our voice, but I also realize part is trying to impress or to ensure our readers get what we’re trying to impart. And while our …
A New Author’s Path to Publication
by Frank DiBianca Today, I am interviewing an author who is very well-known (at least to me): my wife, Kay DiBianca. Kay’s debut novel, The Watch on the Fencepost, is a cozy mystery/romance published by Crosslink Christian Publishers and released in 2019. Kay, thank you for participating. I’d like to ask you to summarize your learning experience for us in the …
Perception, and Making It Real
By Lynn Hobbs Writing your story is just that; your story. If you are making a point using a situation as an example or attempting to show a lesson learned; readers will decide for themselves if it could be applied to their daily lives. As a Christian fiction author, writing about a fictional family, town, or one main character should …
Ten Things I’ve Learned in Ten Years
by Sarah Sundin Ten years ago, my first novel released. In many ways, I still feel like a wide-eyed debut novelist, stunned to have my books out there. In other ways, I feel like a mentor mama, passing out hugs and advice. Let me put on my mentor mama hat today and share ten lessons I’ve learned in the last …
Bad Reviews Aren’t Fatal
By Suzanne Woods Fisher A few weeks before my first novel was due to release, I received an advance review from Publisher’s Weekly. That moment is seared in my mind: I remember the time of day it was when I received the email, where I stood in my house, how it felt as I read it. Because it was terrible. …