Advice for Novelists (Part 25)

C.J. Darlington, co-founder of TitleTrakk, is running a great series on her blog: She started a series of blog posts in which industry professionals (editors, agents, publicists, authors, etc.) share their responses to this question:

"If you could say one thing to aspiring novelists, what would you say?"


Here is what Jan Stob had to say: I would tell aspiring authors to read.

Read the classics. Read books on writing. Read books in your genre. I can't tell you how often I meet prospective authors who are writing fiction yet state that they don't like to read fiction. This is a huge red flag for me. I want to know that the reader has read their competition and has a grasp on the market. I want them to be reading classics and comparing different writing styles. Reading will not alter your ability to have a unique voice. It will enhance your unique voice and help you find ways to make it stronger.

--Jan Stob, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Tyndale House Publishers.


Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Sparkpeople

This isn't about writing, but...I like to pass on great resources.

Need to lose weight? Want encouragement? Need recipes for healthy foods? Need someone to help you track your goals?

My sisters and I joined Sparkpeople last week and we LOVE it. So far I lost three pounds. If you want to know more watch this short video. (Honestly, they are not paying me to say this ... I really love it!)

This short clip tells you more about the site:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/foxnews.asp

Also, be sure to check out my page! And, if you join, ask me to be a friend ... we can encourage each other.

www.my.sparkpeople.com/TRICIAGOYER

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends

Home to Heather Creek

I thought you would be interested in the new Guideposts original series, Home to Heather Creek!

About the series: Charlotte Stevenson’s world is turned upside down when her daughter, Denise, dies in a tragic car accident. She ran away at eighteen and Charlotte has never forgiven herself. Now, Denise’s children, abandoned by their father, are coming from California to live on Heather Creek Farm in Bedford, Nebraska. More

Check it out!!!

I wrote Book #2, Sweet September!
Harvest time at Heather Creek Farm is an exciting time, but the kids don’t seem to be getting into the spirit. One day while he’s wandering through the fields, Christopher stumbles across an old piece of metal buried in the ground. He doesn’t know what it is, but he hides it in the shed.

That night, the garden by the house is uprooted. Who could have done such a thing? Charlotte is determined to find out, but is distracted when she gets news that Sam is failing school. The sullen teen is indifferent and won’t study. He starts spending a lot of time with Pete. Though she loves her son dearly, Pete never finished high school, and Charlotte is afraid he’ll encourage Sam to do the same. How can she help him get back on track?

A gripping story that examines the Stevenson family’s history as well as its shaky future, Sweet September will bring you deeper into the loving community of Bedford and the deep ties of love that bind this broken family together. As they forge new connections, you’ll be entertained, inspired, and reminded that God’s grace can make all things new. Buy the book here.

This book was a lot of fun for me. A departure from the rigorous historical research and a chance to try my hand at something contemporary.

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Advice for Novelists (Part 24)

C.J. Darlington, co-founder of TitleTrakk, is running a great series on her blog: She started a series of blog posts in which industry professionals (editors, agents, publicists, authors, etc.) share their responses to this question:

"If you could say one thing to aspiring novelists, what would you say?"


Amanda Bostic shares her insight: There’s so much good advice already posted here, but the one thing I would add is to make sure you know what your hook is. If you can’t distill your story into one or two sentences that immediately pique someone’s curiosity, the idea probably needs to stew in your creative juices for awhile longer. What makes your story stand out from everything else that is coming across an editor’s desk? And from all the other books on the shelves? Keep finessing and dreaming until you hit on that element that makes your novel fresh, unique, and so compelling that it can’t be passed by.

--Amanda Bostic, Associate Acquisitions Editor, Fiction, Thomas Nelson.

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Check this out!

If you like Tricia Goyer...we recommend...go here to see!

Can you think of any other match ups???

Tell me who you think should go with how and I'll enter you in a drawing for a free book!



Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends

Advice for Novelists (Part 23)

C.J. Darlington, co-founder of TitleTrakk, is running a great series on her blog: She started a series of blog posts in which industry professionals (editors, agents, publicists, authors, etc.) share their responses to this question:

"If you could say one thing to aspiring novelists, what would you say?"

Andy Meisenheimer: It's tough to come up with one thing without cheating. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Steve Laube and Andy McGuire.) And tough to come up with something that hasn't already been said.

But I do have one thing that I think is very important when it comes to the lifestyle of being an aspiring novelist. Communication is cheap, and as a result, there's plenty of recycled wisdom and free praise to be had, especially online. Disconnect from the web and spend your time at your local library. Read and savor the brilliant writers of the past fifty years. Read the rest here.

--Andy Meisenheimer, Acquisitions Editor, Zondervan. Visit Andy online at his blog here.

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Fuel for the Fire!

“God created you . . . every little detail about you. He gave you life and special gifts to fulfill a unique purpose in this world . . . a mission He planned just for you. God knows you better and loves you more than anyone ever could. He is your wise Father and faithful friend who takes great joy in you.”

“However humble our circumstances or undramatic our talents, our true purpose has been revealed. We are meant to be this person at this time and place. Not only for ourselves, but for you and other people—we are meant to make this particular contribution to the world. And so we must do it well. Do it with faith and patience, with all our strength and passion. And in so doing discover who we really are.” -- Marjorie Holmes

“We forget in this day of instant satisfaction that none of our talents come full-grown. It’s only as we cultivate them that they begin to mature and multiply. The more we use them, the more others are blessed through them. Soon we discover that God has given us a multitude of gifts and equipped us with endless resources.” – Hope McDonald

“There is only one way to bring peace to the heart, joy to the mind, and beauty to life; it is to accept and do the will of God.” -- William Barclay

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends