By C. Kevin Thompson Like many of my writing colleagues, I have two jobs. The one I had when I entered this crazy business we call “writing,” and the job of being an author, marketer, bookseller, and all the other hats we authors wear. For me, one is by day, and one is by night. The first one “pays the …
Run Your Race
By Michelle Shocklee “… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 Writing for publication is a lot like running a race. No two runners are built exactly the same, and they all enter the race with different strengths, different training methods, and different hopes and dreams. We can say the same about writers. Each …
Feeding Your Readers’ Interests
By Elizabeth Ludwig My husband and I recently made a trip to Sugarcreek, Ohio, to visit the setting for my latest series of cozy mysteries from Guideposts. One of things I loved about the experience was sampling the authentic Amish cooking. I even found several Amish cookbooks to add to my treasure trove of books. Unfortunately, if you’ve ever used …
Wheat and Tares
By Rondi Bauer Olson Release day for my debut novel was officially less than 24 hours away. I hadn’t slept well the night before. When I got on my computer to work I couldn’t stay focused, and ended up checking my book status page more times than I care to admit. I was excited and a little bit frightened, but …
Never Underestimate the Power of a Prayer
By Sharlene MacLaren I didn’t write my first word of fiction until age 52. I had just come through a year of clinical depression (1999-2000), and I knew I needed a purpose, something that would make me excited about getting up in the morning. “God, please reveal to me what I can do for You,” I prayed. “I long to …
Got knots in your wood?
By Dana Mentink Clergyman Howard Thurman once said, “Follow the grain in your own wood.” Sounds great, doesn’t it? Figure out what you’re meant to do, what your gifts are, and everything will fall into place, right? But what if your wood is you know, a little warped? I’m pretty sure when God made me, He threw in an extra …
Waiting for the Sun to Shine Again
By Linda Robinson Writing through grief and loss is not only difficult, but at times, impossible. Toss in health issues and loss of family members, and it’s a recipe for abandonment of not only writing but all normal routines. I had spent the fall of 2016 working on my current project, a manuscript titled Wheels of Home, but the new …
Do We Need Milk?
By Linda W. Yezak We spent part of last week in Matagorda Bay, Texas. Our little house faced the Colorado River as it rolled down to the Gulf of Mexico. Across the street were the marshes, and down the road–not five minutes away–was the gulf’s sandy shore. Fishing, crabbing, beach combing. Watching the sea gulls and pelicans, shrimp boats and …
When Research Becomes an Addiction (or Procrastination?)
By Eileen K Parsons “Look. Are you writing another novel or becoming an historian?” I looked across the table at my friend. “What do you mean? Of course I’m writing another novel.” “It just seems to me that this research has been going on for a long time. I mean, really, how much is necessary?” I wasn’t sure my friend …
Write What Delights
By JPC Allen When my family and I went on vacation last summer to the coast of North Carolina, we decided to look for sea shells on Shackleford Banks, an undeveloped barrier island claiming to be the best place along that stretch of the cost to find large, complete shells. At low tide, wearing masks, we floated near the shore, …