by Tamela Hancock Murray Submitting your work to an agent can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. A few simple steps will help you gain confidence, regardless of your method. Unsolicited submission This is when you are querying several agents and you have no connection other than perhaps seeing their names on a list. I don’t recommend the …
Take the Stage
By Shirley E. Gould I’ve heard it said that “Life is what happens when you have other plans.” I totally agree. Interruptions and distractions plague the writer’s life. When you mix in events such as weddings, birthdays and anniversaries and blend those with holiday celebrations, the opportunities to write a novel dwindles. This is true no matter where you find …
A Matter of Emphasis
by Christa Kinde When I joined the ACFW, I figured I’d encounter people with similar gifts, interests, and goals. Hey, it’s all there in the name–American Christian Fiction Writers. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder where to put the emphasis. Was this a group for writers of Christian fiction? Many of our stories …
Encouraging One Another
by Kathy Harris I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day …
How Brainstorming and Eating Pizza with Friends can Lead to a Book!
By Rose Allen McCauley Did you know the Twelve Days of Christmas start on December 25 and end on January 6th on Epiphany–the day the wise men first saw the Christ Child? To most people it means figuring out something, and to writers it can mean: an illuminating discovery, realization, or… a revealing scene or moment. Three of my Kentucky …
The Holy Author
By J.A. Marx When I began writing my first novel, my daily routine started at 5a.m. at the computer. The pressure was on me to make my dream happen. Plots and characters absorbed my thoughts, and everything else obliged them. Isn’t that how best-selling novelists live? As Christian authors, we have a holier calling: to not be conformed to the …
How to be Splendid
By Deborah Hackett Just before Christmas, my husband and I surprised our two little ballerinas with a trip to see the Moscow Ballet performing the Russian Nutcracker (who knew Clara was Masha?). The whole performance was breath taking, from the sumptuous sets, the beautiful dancing, the heart stopping acrobatics of the Arabian dolls to the lavish costumes. As the word …
Making Resolutions or Setting Goals?
By Martha Rogers New Year’s is the time for resolutions, or so people say. Most of those who do make resolutions usually break them within the first month. Years ago, I quit making resolutions and started setting goals. These ranged anywhere from getting my office space organized to setting aside time to exercise. By setting short term and long term …
ACFW New Releases: January 2017
January 2017 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Contemporary Romance: Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley by Valerie Comer, Mary Jane Hathaway, Elizabeth Maddrey, Danica Favorite, Lee Tobin McClain and Annalisa Daughety — Is love possible for a makeshift mom and a handsome widower? What about a bed and breakfast …
Resolution Inclusions for 2017
By Shirley E. Gould With Christmas in our rear-view mirror, we’ve over-eaten and gained a few pounds, we’ve maxed out the budget, opened our presents, enjoyed smiles of wonder on children’s faces, visited Grandma and are now ready to face the new year with fervor. It’s a time to slow down and review 2016. Good or bad with its ups …