5 Top Reasons Why I haven't blogged lately

I am borrowing an idea from my friend Robin Grant's blog--with her permission (check it out at www.queenofperseverance.blogspot.com).

5. I've been doing this for over a year now and this is my 60th blog!

4. I've been taking a month-long class from Margie Lawson, teacher extraordinaire. (www.margielawson.com) Although I highly recommend her classes to anyone who wants to kick up their writing several notches, the classes do take a lot of time and work to get the most benefit from them. Not complaining, though. Margie puts in way more time than the rest of us with her individualized comments on our assignments.

3. I'm dieting, and faint with hunger. (The second half isn't true, but sounds dramatic!)

2. I'm running out of ideas to blog about.

1. I'm getting ready for a Spring Break trip to Disneyworld with my two daughters, one son-in-law, and three grandkids, so hopefully I will gather some more things to write about.

And if you have any topics you would like to hear me expound upon, feel free to leave a comment below, and you will also be entered into the book drawing which will take place a few days late because I will be in sunny Florida on April 1st.

Book contest winner and new book review--Reluctant Smuggler

Our winner for the ARC copy of DiAnn Mill's book Awaken My Heart is BuddyT. All those except BuddyT who leave a comment during the month of March will be eligible to win a copy of Jill Elizabeth Nelson's latest book in the To Catch a Thief series, Reluctant Smuggler. I have read all three books in this collection, and I think this one is my favorite!

Jill continues with the interesting characters we met in the first two books--Reluctant Burglar and Reluctant Runaway. Although I would suggest reading those books first for your own enjoyment and to meet the characters, the storyline of Reluctant Smuggler stands alone.

The story opens with Desiree Jacobs in Mexico City on a security consultant job which leads to another job for the Mexican government. Her dangerous assignment connects to a tie-in with her fiance's latest FBI case. If you enjoy suspense, thrills and espionage, this is a book for you!

Leave a comment for a chance to win, and while you are waiting, rush out and buy the first two books in the series!

Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered except the previous month's winner. The other rule to win is to make sure you leave info where I can contact you for your mailing address to send the book.

First winner of DiAnn Mills' book and one more chance to win!

Thanks to all who left a blog comment last week. The winner of DiAnn's copy of Awaken My Heart is Kathleen Morphy. DiAnn is contacting her for her mailing info.

For all the rest of you, you still have a chance to win my ARC copy of the same book (this is an advanced copy authors send out to reviewers, etc.) on March 1st if you leave a comment any time this month, so what are you waiting for? Hope to hear from you soon.

Guest Blogger--DiAnn Mills

I'm happy to post the following guest blog by DiAnn Mills, the wonderful author of 16 novels and 14 novellas. As I mentioned in my last blog, DiAnn has graciously provided this interesting article on memorable characters and will be moderating this blog for the next three days (February 11-13) and making comments and answering questions on this topic. Then on Thursday morning I will draw a name from all those who comment about her article and DiAnn will mail the winner an autographed copy of her latest novel, Awaken My Heart, so be sure to leave your email addy for contact information. You will also be entered in my February drawing (see last post) so you'll have two chances to win a copy of this book. Now, on with the show...

Memorable Characters that Rival Scarlett and Rhett by DiAnn Mills
Sit back and close your eyes. Who are your favorite book or movie characters? Are they Scarlett and Rhett? Perhaps Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia? Sam and Frodo? Ahab and the whale? The Lone Ranger and Tonto? The list goes on and on. Why are these characters unforgettable? What about them causes us to laugh and cry and wonder if they are all right?
The key is that the writer defined the characters with believable traits and clear motivation. We care about those characters. We live our lives vicariously through them. To many readers, their favorite characters must be real people because they live in their hearts and minds.
How does a writer create memorable characters? She establishes wants and needs that lay the foundation for critical motivation. If I asked you to take a moment and write down all of the things you wanted, the items might fill a book. But if I asked you to compile a list of what you needed, the project becomes a little more difficult. We don’t always know what we need, but finding out becomes a process of soul searching and experiencing life. But when needed items become goals, we are motivated to go after those things vital to our survival.
Character sketches provide great help to laying the foundation for our characters. They force us to think—brainstorm about what motivates the character. And there’s that word again: motivation.
The roots of motivation are unmet needs. How these needs are fulfilled depends on the character’s integrity, established over time through life experiences, inherited factors, and environment. No wonder we humans are flawed characters! No protagonist is perfect. No antagonist or villain is completely evil. But some characters have more flaws than others, and out of those flaws come weaknesses and room for character growth. Out of the admirable traits come our heroes and heroines, who have the stuff that gives us hope and help us to believe again in the goodness of mankind.
All of us have a need for relationships, significance, and security. These critical needs are supposed to be filled by God, but we, as flawed “characters,” look for fulfillment in other areas, and those areas become our weaknesses. Examine your character’s struggle. Does he/she have a need for sex, for material goods, power, work, education, or the arts? How are those weaknesses manifested? Does your character seek to satisfy his basic needs in ways that honor God? In short, what motivates the character?
My suggestion is to study your character from every angle to determine the underlying factors shoving them out of bed each morning. Interview them. Live with them. Go to dinner with them. Place them in settings that are unlike the previous scenes. Would you take a vacation with them? How a character reacts and responds to the events surrounding him determines who he is. Steer away from predictable behavior but stay within the perimeter of the traits you have assigned.
The next time you are reading a dynamic novel or watching a movie that has you sitting on the edge of your chair, take the time to discover the characters’ motivations. This article has just touched on the volumes of information about writing memorable characters. I hope I’ve given you inspiration to discover the techniques behind the scenes.
Scarlett and Rhett are unforgettable. Now you know why! Here is my question for you. Who are your favorite book or movie characters and why? I look forward to your response.
Check out my website at http://www.diannmills.com/ and sign up for my newsletter!

Book Contest Winner and Book Review--Awaken My Heart

I am happy to announce that Cherie J is the winner of the book Protecting Amy by Susan Page Davis. The book will be sent to her as soon as she sends me her mailing info. Hers is the third name I drew because the first name did not leave an email address. The second winner did leave an addy but when I sent her an email, it came back as undeliverable. If you want to be entered into the book drawing each month it is one of the rules that you have to leave a valid email addy so I can contact you. The other is that you cannot win two months in a row, so cherie j is the only one ineligible for this month's drawing which will be for DiAnn Mills' newest novel, Awaken My Heart. In fact, you will have two chances to win this book--one is for my ARC copy in the regular monthly drawing and the other will be sent by DiAnn to someone who posts here to her guest blog during the days of February 11-13. So come and post often during that time. DiAnn has a great lesson for us on memorable characters and will be answering your questions and commenting on your responses during that time. Read on for a review of this book.

DiAnn Mills is one of my favorite authors, and I have read many of her books (16 novels and 14 novellas and one non-fiction title). I have to say that Awaken My Heart is one of my favorites! The heroine, Marianne Phillips, is the daughter of a wealthy rancher in Texas in the early 19th century who wants to destroy the village of the mestizos who control neighboring land and take it for himself. The hero, Armando Garcia, is the leader of this group. You will enjoy and marvel at how DiAnn can bring them together against what seem to be unsurmountable odds. As always, DiAnn paints pictures with words so you see the breath-taking scenery and feel the passion of the characters and join them on their journeys. This is a book you won't want to miss, so leave a post any time in February to win my copy and during Feb. 11-13 to win an autographed copy from DiAnn herself. And if you don't win, I hope you will hurry out and buy a copy for yourself and one to give to a friend. You'll be glad you did!

Scrapbooking and Max Lucado

Is that an eclectic title or what?!? I didn't post last weekend after being gone for two days on a scrapbooking weekend, so I thought I would begin my blog tonight by asking how many who read this blog scrapbook? To me it is a relaxing activity that inspires creativity and also gives me and my family something to enjoy reminiscing over now, and I hope, for future generations to savor and learn about our family, too. Both my daughters have scrapped some and last week my oldest granddaughter and I started a scrapbook with supplies her mom bought her for Christmas. So please post your views on scrapping, a national hobby that has grown in recent years.

Today we travelled to Louisville (my hometown) to worship at Southeast Christian Church where Max Lucado was the guest speaker. We were so happy we did because the worship was great and his sermon was also. He spoke on John 3:16 and asked everyone what their favorite word was in that Scripture--love, God, eternal, life, etc? He said his favorite word was "whoever" because we are all "whoevers" and God wants us all to come to him. That's why Christ died for us all. You are a "whoever" and if you haven't accepted this most precious gift of God's salvation, please email me or go to the Southeast site at http://www.southeastchristian.org/ and type the word "salvation" in the search box. You will get several links including "If I died tonight would I go to heaven?" Read the links and your Bible and contact a church that teaches all of the Bible. I hope you will let me know if you have any questions and if you have recently made a decision accepting Christ. Know that I am praying for you as a reader of my blog.

Book Contest Winner and New Contest

I am happy to announce that Robin John Grant is the winner of the my monthly book contest. I have contacted her and will be mailing the book off as soon as I receive her info. The drawing for February 1st will be for Protecting Amy by Susan Page Davis. Susan is a fellow member of ACFW. This is her first published novel. Although I have not yet read this book by her (it's in my growing TBR pile), I will share the back cover blurb to whet your appetite for this historical romance.

"Tom Barkley never wastes time thinking about women. But that's before Fort Bridger comes under threat of attack, and the experienced scout is asked to escort the commander's daughter to the safety of Ft. Laramie. Tom quickly realizes that the spirited Amy Travis is a skilled horsewoman who can hold her own on the arduous four-day trip. But she's also unnervingly adept at making Tom reveal his heart."

If this book sounds like something you'd like to read, leave a post on this or one of my other blogs for January, and you'll be eligible for the drawing on Feb. 1st. See Dec. 2nd post below for further contest rules. I also hope you will read my Dec. 9th post and pray for Kristy Dykes and check out her website for further updates.

Hope everyone gets lots of reading done in January--that's what I plan to do!

A Miracle on Monday for Kristy Dykes

I have a special prayer request to make of all my readers. Kristy Dykes, a dear writer friend of mine, was diagnosed with brain cancer last month. She has had surgery to remove as much as possible of the tumor and will begin radiation treatments on Monday, December 10, 2007. Her husband has asked for all of her friends to contact their friends to ask for concentrated prayer for her especially at 3:30 PM EST on that date. We know that the power of prayer is much greater than radiation or anything man can devise. Please pray for this dear Christian sister then and in the days ahead, and remember her family, too. I hope you will check out her blog at www.christianlovestories.blogspot.com to read of the true-life love story of Kristy and her husband. He has been posting several blogs lately on the site and they are very inspiring and convicting. Thanks for joining me and many others in prayer.

Book contest rules and winner

Michelle Pendergrass is the winner of the Christmas book drawing. I had over 50 names to draw from this month thanks to all the traffic on Margie Lawson's guest blog last week. Congratulations, Michelle.

I thought this would be a good time to review the rules for my monthly book contest. Each person who leaves a blog comment during the month except for the previous month's winner (Michelle, in this case) is eligible for that month's drawing which will be held on the first of the following month. You will receive one entry for each comment, so feel free to leave one often. Also each person who wishes to win must leave a way for me to email for their mailing info. Any other questions, feel free to contact me.

The book giveaway on January 1st will be for the book featured in yesterday's blog--A Shadow of Treason by Tricia Goyer--so check the info about the book by reading below.

Blog Tour for Tricia Goyer

For those of you who have visited my site before, the name Tricia Goyer should be familiar. If you scroll down to the entry for November 11, 2007, you will see a picture of Tricia and myself at the ACFW conference this past September where I took her great course on writing historical fiction.

Tricia also writes non-fiction as well as her intriguing fiction. Just a few days ago I was reading my Focus on the Family Midlife and Beyond, Nov. 2007 issue, and noticed an excellent article by her on E-vangelism--using emails as an evangelistic tool.

This blog tour is to promote Tricia's latest historical fiction--A Shadow of Treason. I hope this interview with Tricia and synopsis of the book below will whet your appetite enough to go out and purchase this book and the rest of the series.

Book 2 in the Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series

Sophie discovers that nothing is as she first imagined. When Walt, the reporter who helped her over the border, shows up again after Guernica is bombed, Sophie is given an impossible mission. She must leave behind the man she's fallen in love with and return to the person who betrayed her. Another layer of the war in Spain is revealed as Sophie is drawn into the international espionage schemes that could turn the tide of the war and help protect the soldiers from the International Brigade ... she must find a way to get a critical piece of information to Walt in time.

Q and A with Tricia!

Q:
A Shadow of Treason follows A Valley of Betrayal. This is the first time you've written books as a series instead of stand alone. Which way do you like better?

A: I love writing in series. It was great to continue with the same characters. In my stand-alone books I fell in love with these people and then I had to say good-bye after one book. It was wonderful to be able to continue on.

Q: In A Shadow of Treason Sophie must return to the person who betrayed her in an effort to help the Spanish people. It makes the book hard to put down because the reader has to know how Sophie's heart will deal with it. Why did you decide to make this an element of the book?

A: There are very few of us who go through life without giving away a part of our hearts to someone who didn't deserve it. Even though Sophie had the best intentions, she gave away her heart and she was hurt-not only that she must revisit those emotions.

I wanted to include this element-to delve into the topic that emotions are sometimes as big of a trap as any physical cage. Emotions are real and they guide us -- even when we don't want to admit it. Poor Sophie, not only does she have to deal with a war around her -- she also has to deal with a war within herself. It's something I've battled, and mostly likely others have too.

Q: There is an interesting element that arises in this book and that is Spanish gold. I know you can't tell us what happens in this book, but can you give us a brief history of this gold?

A: Sure. When I was researching I came upon something interesting. The Spaniards, as we know, had taken much Aztec and Inca gold during the time of the conquistadors. Well, at the start of The Spanish Civil War much of this gold was still held in Madrid. In fact Spain had the fourth largest gold reserves in the world at that time. The Republican government was afraid Franco would take the city and the gold. They had to get it out of Madrid and this included transporting priceless artifacts. The element of gold does make its way into my story. It was great to include this little-known (and true!) element into my story.

Q: Another historical fact I learned about was the Nazi involvement during this time. Not only were the Germans active in Spain, but they had spy networks busy around the world. How did you find out about this?

A: I love reading tons of research books. Usually I find one little element that I dig out and turn into a plot line. This is what happened with my plot-line for the Nazi pilot, Ritter. I dug up this bit of research of Nazi involvement in Spain -- and the United States -- because a lot of people aren't aware of the Nazi involvement prior to WWII. The truth is they were busy at work getting the land, information, and resources they needed far before they threatened the nations around them. The Germans knew what they wanted and how to get it. And most of the time they succeeded!

Q: A Shadow of Treason is Book Two. When will Book Three be out? Can you give us a hint of how the story continues?

A: Book Three is A Whisper of Freedom. It will be out February 2008. The characters that we love are all still in the midst of danger at the end of Book Two. Book Three continues their stories as we follow their journeys in -- and (for a few) out -- of Spain. It's an exciting conclusion to the series!

Q: Wow, so we have a least one more fiction book to look forward to in the near future. Are you working on any non-fiction?

A: Yes, I have two non-fiction books that will be out the early part of 2008. Generation NeXt Marriage is a marriage book for today's couples. It talks about our marriage role models, our struggles, and what we're doing right as a generation. It also gives advice for holding it together.

I've also been privileged to work on the teen edition of Max Lucado's book 3:16. It was a great project to work on. What an honor!

Thanks, Tricia. I hope you all will check out Tricia's websites at www.triciagoyer.com and
http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com and also continue to follow her on this blog tour at the following websites:

12/1Vickihttp://www.vickitalleymccollum.blogspot.com/CeeCeeBooksplurge.blogspot.com 12/3Melissahttp://www.forstrose.blogspot.com/Davidhttp://dameigs.blogspot.com/
12/4Relhttp://http://www.relzreviewz.blogspot.com/Kathiehttp://takingastroll.blogspot.com/
12/5Michellehttp://zanesmilkmachine.blogspot.com/Deenahttp://deenasbooks.blogspot.com/Peghttp://www.peggyblannphifer.blogspot.com/
12/6Karenhttp://skyhighview.blogspot.com/
12/7Carahttp://carasmusings.blogspot.com/Pattiehttp://www.freshbrewedwriter.blogspot.com/
12/8Janishttp://www.janisrodgers.blogspot.com/CherylWorlds-www.unseenworlds.blogspot.comJackiehttp://jjacklyns.greatestjournal.com/

Guest Blogger, Margie Lawson

STRETCH BREAKS
By Margie Lawson

A big THANK YOU to Rose McCauley for inviting me to guest blog!

Before we get started, you need to know you may be a WINNER today. If you post a comment, you have a chance to WIN one of my LECTURE PACKETS (a $20 value):

1. Empowering Characters' Emotions
2. Deep Editing: The EDITS System, Rhetorical Devices, and More
3. Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors

Each Lecture Packet is power-packed with over 200 pages of lectures. Please visit my web site, www.MargieLawson.com, and click on Lecture Packets to read the course descriptions. Thank you.


STRETCH BREAKS

This is one of those small things writers can do that has a HUGE IMPACT.

Taking several stretch breaks throughout your day is a simple way to keep yourself feeling good. YET – so few people do it.

When asked, most people say they know they’d feel better if they stretched. Then they confess that they rarely stretch. Or – they wait until they hurt, then stretch.

Why don’t they JUST DO IT?

They forget. Or they don’t want to take the time.

Do you STRETCH several times EVERY day?

Do you have stretching exercises that you do each time? Or is it more of a random bend-this-way, bend-that-way, kind of stretch?

Do you spend 3 to 5 minutes during each stretch break? Sometimes longer?

Do you make sure you’re stretching various areas of your body?

If you do ALL of the above, congratulate yourself. You’re smart! You’re stretching your body and your mind.

I bet you could each design at least 15 minutes of stretching to do during breaks. If you need a nudge – here’s a link that shows you how to do NECK, HAND, WRIST, FOREARM, SHOULDER, UPPER BACK AND ARM, and LOWER BACK STRETCHES.

HERE’S THE LINK: http://ehs.virginia.edu/ergo/stretch.html

If you need more instruction, you can research the web for free stretch demos (like the link above) or purchase software. You can buy DVD’s, connect with an exercise-buff friend, take an exercise class, or hire a personal trainer.

You can make up your own mini-stretch routine. We’re talking about 3 to 5 minutes of stretching. You have multiple options – and no excuses.

For those who have injuries (i.e., back, neck, shoulder), you can stretch your good parts. Still – no excuses. :-)))

STRETCHING is low-impact. Not intended to do more than give you a gentle stretch. Stretching will increase your circulation, increase your energy, and help reduce the incidence of a repetitive motion injury. Stretching also relieves tension and reduces stress.

Stretching is also a warm-up and cool-down for your exercise session. Create your stretching routine and use it for breaks and before and after you exercise.

If you chose to put more energy into stretching, you could sit on a yoga ball at your computer. You could pop in a DVD and do 5 to 10 minutes of yoga or pilates work during short breaks from writing. You could do Tai Chi or any number of movement-based, stretching, and stress-reducing activities. It’s all good.

Stretching stimulates your body. Stimulates your mind. Stimulates your creativity.

If you want to feel better physically and emotionally – and be more creative – you’ll stretch!

Are you ready to make the commitment? Take stretch breaks every day?

Chime in. Let us all know:

1. What you plan to do
2. How often
3. How you’ll remind yourself . . . use a timer?
4. How you’ll reward yourself when you stick with your plan!

Thank you for dropping by! Again, I appreciate Rose for inviting me to guest blog.

REMEMBER: CONTEST DRAWING will be tonight, 10PM Mountain Time. Post a comment, and you may win one of Margie’s Lecture Packets!
Margie merges her two worlds, psychology and writing, by analyzing writing craft as well as the psyche of the writer. She presents 1) Empowering Characters’ Emotions, 2) Deep Editing: The EDITS System, Rhetorical Devices, and More, and 3) Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors in one and two day master classes internationally. She also teaches these topics in month-long on-line courses and offers Lecture Packets through PayPal from her web site. www.MargieLawson.com

Upcoming Guest Blogger--Margie Lawson

I'm happy to announce that Margie Lawson, counseling psychologist and writing teacher extraordinaire, will be my guest blogger this next Tuesday, November 27th.

I first met Margie at the ACFW conference in Dallas this past September and learned so much from her Empowering Characters' Emotions workshop that I signed up for her online class last month on Deep Editing and am already planning on taking her January online class on writing productivity and creativity entitled "Defeat Self-defeating Behaviors."

Margie has graciously agreed to do a mini-lesson for us writers on the importance and how-to of taking stretch breaks, so be sure to come back on Tuesday to glean some wisdom from this dynamic teacher and also be eligible to win a great prize!

ACFW conference and pictures

In September, I (along with 500 others) attended the 6th annual national conference for American Christian Fiction Writers in Dallas, TX. I'm posting pics of some of the highlights of the conference for me.

My first highlight(this pic is third from the bottom) was traveling from KY to TX in the company of Ruth Seamands who is called Mama Ruth by most of our group. Ninety years young, she has been writing since before some of us were born! I took her book Cast A Long Shadow with me to read on the trip, and enjoyed her telling me how the book came to be written. She also shared many other stories and bits of wisdom with me.

Another highlight was rooming with Sharon Ball. (2nd from the bottom) We had met only once before at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers conference, so we enjoyed getting to know each other better and sharing some of our writing journey and family stories. Even though I am only a few years younger than her mother, she ended up taking care of me when I got sick one night. She prayed for me, went and got me a soda, and picked up the handouts from the class I missed the next morning and even kept an appointment for me with an editor and pitched my story! A true friend! Here we are with Janet Kobobel Grant, founder of Books & Such Agency, after we shared a meal at her table one day.

Although I am not presently writing a historical novel, I learned much from attending Tricia Goyer's class on historical writing. She is such a great writer, and had lots of info to share with us. I first connected with Tricia years ago thru email when we both were working with Teen MOPS, and it was such a joy to meet with her in person. (bottom picture)

(note: these pics appear at the top of the blog.)A big part of the conference is meeting with friends from previous conferences whom we haven't seen in awhile. I was happy to get to spend a little time with Connie Stevens and Kim Sawyer who both are precious friends and prayer partners. Also I enjoyed sitting with Nancy Jo Jenkins, another friend from past conferences, and her supportive husband at the awards banquet. Amid all the classes and late night chats and appointments, sometimes meals are the only time you have to connect with "old" friends.

My final highlight was taking a cab to the airport with Mama Ruth and her real-life daughter, Brandilyn Collins, who always does such a fine job of emceeing the ACFW conference. In this picture taken at the airport, be sure to notice Ruth's unusual necklace. The chain is from her husband, and the pin was a gift from a raja in India when they were missionaries there. Another unique story from this very unique lady!

If you are a fiction writer, you need to join ACFW and you need to pray about attending next year's conference which will be in Minneapolis, MN, September, 2008. The booksigning will be held at the Mall of America. Go to http://www.acfw.com/ to learn more about the conference and this wonderful organization that will help you learn to hone the gift of writing to God's glory.

Monthly Book Drawing

Congratulations to Jan Parrish, our winner of the Nov 1st drawing. If you like historicals and love Christmas stories like I do, then you will want to be sure to leave a post during this month for the December 1st drawing. I read Christmas books during the month of December, so decided the book for that month will be Prairie Christmas, a novella collection with stories by Elizabeth White, Catherine Palmer and Peggy Stoks. This book also contains recipes to go with each story, so enter often and be sure to leave your contact info. Everyone is eligible except Jan. Let's get in the Christmas spirit early this year!

Come on aboard the official blog tour for Miralee Ferrell's debut novel--The Other Daughter!

If you haven't read the basic premise of this book, scroll down to look at my post on Sunday. And for those of you who want to know more about Miralee, here's her bio in her own words:
I'm over 50, married for 35 years this July, and have two wonderful children, Marnee and Steven. I'm active at our small church, serving on staff with my ministerial license and working with women in a counseling/ministering capacity. My husband and I are looking forward to full retirement soon and taking off for a few months at a time on our 51' sailboat, where my writing will take on an entirely new creativity. We have a horse, a dog and three cats that my daughter and her husband will inherit while we're gone. Thankfully, they live on the adjoining property and are animals lovers.

RM: Welcome, Miralee. I love your lyrical name, and in reading your bio, I discovered that we have quite a few things in common--over 50, a son named Steve, and am also retired. I don't think I could get my hubby to take off on a sailboat, though! Hope to read of some of your adventures on your blog. Now for our first question:

RM: Authors are often told to "write what you know." How have you drawn on your life experiences to create this fictional story?

MF: I was brainstorming with a friend who suggested I use an experience from my life as the basis or theme for my first novel. I ran through several scenarios in my head, as we've had many interesting things happen in our marriage...some great, some not. This personal incident did indeed capture the essense of secrets, forgiveness and healing...not as much in my life as in our marriage and the life of an 18 yr old girl. About 17 yrs ago my husband received a letter stating a young woman believed him to be her biological father she'd never met. We agreed to meet and hear her story, and after some investigation came to believe he probably was her dad. The episode was similar to that of David in the book...a one night stand prior to his becoming a Christian, but that's where the similarity stops. He was not dating me at the time, and I had a strong relationship with the Lord and didn't have a problem accepting Trish into our lives.

RM: My daughter just adopted a son last year, so someday I imagine he will search out his biological parents, so this is a very interesting premise for me, and I'm sure many others. Any exciting things happening before or during the time period while the book is releasing?

MF: Yes! I’m so excited! I received a Four Star review from Romantic Times Review Magazine. I assumed that Five Stars would be the top rating, but I was so blessed when I found out Four and a half was the best you could get, making Four Stars quite good indeed. I’ve also gotten some very good reviews, including a glowing one from Novel Journey, one of the top Christian review blogs. The Other Daughter is also climbing it’s way up the best sellers list on CBD…at the two week mark prior to release (when this was written) it had hit #15 in women’s contemporary fiction and #103 in overall fiction (out of 9,584 books), very respectable for a book not yet released. I’d love to see it reach the top 75 in overall fiction, but am leaving that in the Lord’s hands.

RM: What else are you working on?

MF: I’m working on Past Shadows (might also be called “Sheltered”), the sequel to The Other Daughter, and hope to have it ready to turn in to my editor in early November. I’ve also started something new for me, an 1880’s novel set in Washington state…I’m hesitating to say it’s a romance, but it looks like it might be heading that direction. I’m playing around with another idea for a stand-alone women’s contemporary with an unusual twist. I’m hoping to start it as soon as Past Shadows is finished. There could also be a #3 in this series, and if so, we’ll return to Brianna, the 13 yr old girl who arrives at the Carson’s door…at the age of 23.

RM: Good! I love sequels that let us catch up on the lives of the characters we grow to love. As a writer myself, I'm always interested in writing tips. Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.

MF: I’m more of a seat-of-the-pants writer…I get an idea, decide who the main characters are and start writing. I don’t follow a lot of rules, and tend to get better acquainted with my characters as I go. I have a basic overview of the story line in very simple outline form…I’m talking, a few sentences that might fill one page, at most, with very few details.

It does make it a bit more time intensive, in that I probably have more revisions than an organized writer, but I’ve found I can be more creative if everything isn’t mapped out along the way. My characters have more room to grow, change, and make some of their own decisions…I’ve had things happen in my story line that weren’t planned, but that fit beautifully and strengthened the plot. After writing the rough draft, I’ll submit it to my crit group a few chapters at a time, as well as having an editor I trust review the first third to half of the book for plot holes and inconsistencies, then start revising and editing.

RM: What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

This is a hard one, as I’m still very early in my writing career, having only started writing seriously just over two years ago. I’m growing and learning constantly, and in all honesty, I haven’t had a lot of frustrating times since beginning this journey. I’d have to say that the issue of timing probably stands out more than most other things. I was in too big of a hurry, at first, to send my ‘baby’ out into the world when it wasn’t ready. Had I taken the advice of an author/editor friend on some of the changes she gave me that would have strengthened my book, and not been so sure it was fine the way it was, I probably wouldn’t have had some of my early rejections. Of course, rejections are part of the growing process, and I learned valuable lessons there, too.

RM: Do you have any parting words of advice?

Keep your priorities in order…God first, family next, ministry and others (including your writing) third. Write for the Lord, and yourself, rather than to be published. It will cut way down on the disappointment and frustration level, and bring a deep sense of joy and accomplishment.

RM: Great advice, Miralee. Thanks for visiting my blog and giving us this great inside scoop on your writing.

Attention all readers: Miralee has graciously offered to send a free book to one of the readers who leave a comment for this interview or any of the sites where her book is being featured for the next few weeks. So, one person who leaves a comment on this blog will win a book as well as one reader who comments on any of the blogs listed below. So, the more blogs you comment on, the better your chances!

Oct. 20th, Karen Phillips---Sky-High View
http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/

LaShaunda Hoffman—See Ya On The Net
http://lashaunda.blogspot.com/
http://sormagtours.blogspot.com/

21st Angie Arndt---The Road I'm Traveling
http://psmcmanus.blogspot.com/

22nd Deena Peterson---Deena's Books
http://deenasbooks.blogspot.com/

22nd Teresa Morgan---Teresa Morgan's Blog
http://www.teresamorgan.blogspot.com/

23rd Rose McCauley---Stories of Faith, Hope and Love
http://www.rosemccauley.blogspot.com/

23rd Pattie Reitz----Fresh Brewed Writer
www.xanga.com/pattierwrandhttp://freshbrewedwriter.blogspot.com/

24th Cecelia Dowdy---New Christian Fiction Reviews
http://www.ceceliadowdy.blogspot.com/

Tiffany Amber Stockton--A Fiction-Filled Life
http://www.ambermiller.com/

25th Bonnie Way---The Koala Bear Writer
http://thekoalabearwriter.blogspot.com/

Stormi Johnson---Write Thoughts
http://writesthoughts.blogspot.com/

26th Robin Grant---Queen Of Perseverance
http://queenofperseverance.blogspot.com/

27th Delia Latham---The Melody Within
http://themelodywithin.blogspot.com/

28th Jennie McGhan---Jen's Life Journey
http://www.shoutlife.com/cmpctjen
andhttp://jenslifejourney.blogspot.com/

29th Susan Lohrer ---Inspirational Editor
http://www.inspirationaleditor.blogspot.com/

30th Carla Stewart---Carla’s Writing Café
http://www.carlastewart.blogspot.com/

31st Christina Berry--- Posting with Purpose
http://www.authorchristinaberry.blogspot.com/

November

1st Bonnie Leon---Bonnie's Blog
http://www.bonnieleon.blogspot.com/

2nd Jan Parrish---Bold and Free
http://www.caregiverscorner.blogspot.com/

3rd Tina Helmuth---The Ink's Not Dry
http://tinahelmuth.blogspot.com/

4th Teresa Slack---ShoutLife Blog
http://www.shoutlife.com/teresaslack
http://www.teresaslack.blogspot.com/

5th Pam Meyers---A Writer’s Journey
http://pammeyerswrites.blogspot.com/

6th Betsy St. Amant---Betsy Ann's Blog
http://www.betsy-ann.blogspot.com/

7th Megan DiMaria---A Prisoner of Hope
http://www.megandimaria.blogspot.com/

8th Christa Allan---CBAllan WordPress
http://www.cballan.wordpress.com/

9th Susan Marlow---Suzy Scribbles---Homeschool Blogger
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SuzyScribbles/

10th Jamie Driggers---Surviving the Chaos
http://www.survivingthechaos.blogspot.com/

11th Cindy Bauer----Christian Fiction Author & Speaker
http://www.cindybauer.blogspot.com/

12th Angie Breidenbach---God Uses Broken Vessels
http://godusesbrokenvessels.blogspot.com/

13th Patricia Carroll---Patricia PacJac Carroll
http://patriciapacjaccarroll.blogspot.com/

14th Toni V. Lee---Spreading Truth Through Fiction
http://tonivlee.blogspot.com/

15th Camille Eide---Faith Inspiring Fiction
http://camillecannon.blogspot.com/

16th Lisa Jordan---Musings
http://lisadjordan.blogspot.com/

Preview of Blog Tour for Miralee Ferrell

I'm one of several bloggers who are taking part in a blog tour for new author Miralee Ferrell. Stop by on Tuesday for an interview with Miralee about her book, but here's a teaser below to pique your interest!

The girl standing at the door took a deep breath, pulling her suitcase a little closer to her trembling legs. "My mama's dead. He's my daddy."Susanne Carson knew that she could trust the love of her life—her husband, David—until she discovered a strange, unkempt young girl on their doorstep, claiming to be David's daughter.Not that their marriage had ever been perfect—David's decision to embrace the Christian faith had strained their relationship. Susanne may not have agreed with his beliefs, but at least she trusted him. Had David been hiding this not-so-little secret from his past? He wanted Susanne to believe in his God, but believing hadn't done much to keep David out of another woman's arms.As David confronts the truth of his past, Susanne must face her own moment of truth as her marriage is taken to the breaking point and the life of one young girl is left in her hands.

Read the entire opening scene at Miralee's web site:
http://www.miraleeferrell.com/

The Other Daughter just released, look for it in Christian bookstores near you, or order from http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.christianbook.com/ If you visit Miralee's website and sign the guest book, you'll be entered in a drawing for a free book.

Let's play Tag!

When we were children, we spent hours playing tag. As adults we often play "phone tag" with friends and family members. Now we are entering the world of"blog tag"! I have been tagged by one of my ACFW friends, Pat Gonzales (http://www.pattishene.blogspot.com/) to tell what I was doing 10, 20 and 30 years ago. So here goes:

Thirty years ago my husband and I were living in the white house on the farm where we still live. I had taught school for 6 years, but was now staying at home on maternity leave with our almost four year old daughter, expecting the birth of our second child. This was before the days of standard ultrasounds, so we didn't know the gender. I dreamed I would have a red-headed boy, and although the nurse predicted a girl by the heart rate, on October 30, 1977, I gave birth to our son--a boy with blond hair that still has reddish glints! My writing was nonexistent at that time although God had planted the idea in my head years before. My reading consisted of Cinderella and Bible stories.

Twenty years ago my husband and I were in the whirlwind of raising three kids--14, 10 and 5. Between band practice, soccer, baseball and basketball games, and church activities, we managed to sometimes make 6 trips to town a day and survive! (We live about 6 miles from a small town.) We ate most of our meals together, I taught school where the youngest two attended, and the kids and I helped my husband on the farm when possible, so we spent a lot of time together! Writing was still non-existent, but my reading level had risen to The Christy Miller series, and The Thorne Twins, and, of course, still Cinderella and Bible stories.

Ten years ago, our oldest daughter was married, our son was in college, and our youngest daughter was the lone chick at home. Since she still had one year to wait for a driver's license, we still made several trips to town most days, and I was still teaching school, but these ideas for stories kept clogging up my brain, so I actually wrote down some ideas and a few scenes and character sketches (although I didn't know that was what they were called at that time!) My reading had expanded to include several Christian authors like Janette Oke, Lori Wick and Brock and Bodie Thoene. I found out I was eligible for retirement in one more year, and my husband (and the stories in my head) were both encouraging me to retire so I would have time to write, so I did, and here I am with a blog and lots of unpubbed manuscripts, and lots of new friends and new authors to read!

So, I am blog-tagging the following people, and hope they will take time to play this new game:

Brandilyn Collins http://www.forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com/

Miralee Ferrell http://www.miraleesdesk.blogspot.com/

Tricia Goyer http://www.triciagoyeer.blogspot.com/

Rachel Hauck http://www.rachelhauck.com/blog.htm

Cara Putman http://carasmusings.blogspot.com/

Cindy Sproles http://mountainbreezewriter.blogspot.com/

Kristy Dykes http://www.christianlovestories.blogspot.com/

Camy Tang www.storysensei.blogspot.com

Maryann DiOrio www.maryanndiorio.com/blog

Robin Johns Grant www.queenofperseverance.blogspot.com

Check out their sites and learn something you didn't know about these authors.

We have a contest winner and we are all winners with notes from Tricia Goyer's historical writing class!

Congrats to Delia, and a copy of A Valley of Betrayal by Tricia Goyer will soon be on its way to her. Everyone (except Delia) who leaves a comment on my blogs during the month of October who also leaves or emails me their contact info will be entered into a drawing for DiAnn Mills' new book When the Nile Runs Red. You can read more about her book on my last blog.

I'm posting a picture of me with Tricia at the ACFW conference in Dallas last month. I took her very interesting and informative class on Historical Writing, and she has graciously given me permission to share some of the notes from that class on this blog.

Here are some of the steps from her "system":

à I read a general overview of the time in history to discover plot points. Then I put them in a PLOT document
à My plot is a BREAKDOWN OF SCENES.
à I color-coded the scenes by character.
à I work with through the Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, and the assignments lead to information about character (which I put in the character file) and plot points (plot file).
à THEN I research the information I’ll need for of plot and characters.
à I check important dates/events.
à I research specifics that will be in my scenes.

The details for the scenes that I research are:
à Who does what?
à Who goes where?
à Motivation?
à Conflict?
à Setting?

As you can tell the “factual research” usually happens later in the process. It’s important for me to get a general overview of the time in history, but the more novels I write the more I’ve disciplined myself to focus on exactly what I need for each scene. It helps me to focus where the information is needed the most. It saves time. And it saves me from running away on rabbit trails.

I love:
www.wikipedia.com
http://dmarie.com/timecap/step1.asp
Used books. (The closer to the time period I’m writing about the better!)
I do look for information on the Internet, but I’d rather have an old, musty book in my hand.

Anyone desiring more info can check out Tricia's sites at www.triciagoyer.com or
www.triciagoyer.blogspot.com or you can order the whole set of 4 CDs from her class or many other great classes by going to www.acfw.com/conference and at the bottom of the screen it will tell you where you can order all the sessions. Happy learning!

New Book--When the Nile Runs Red

I just got back late last night from the 6th annual American Christian Fiction Writers' Conference in Dallas, TX. (I'll post more about that later.) While there I had the privilege of taking a great class taught by DiAnn Mills. Today I want to encourage you to read her latest novel.

Although I haven't yet read it, I know from her many other books I have read that it will be a great read. Here are a few quotes from other reviewers:

The mix of romance, action, and history, is a perfect concoction to tie everything together in this book. DiAnn Mills allows you to become intimate with the characters and to feel as though you are right there with them suffering in the Sudan heat day after day as they fight to bring peace to the land. This book is based on real events that are going on in Sudan in 2005 between Southern Sudan and the Northern government in Khartoum...I highly recommend this novel. You get to take a look into the current events in Sudan, see the love grow and flourish between Larson and Paul, and see the fate of Ben that will have you wipe a tear from your cheek. This book is an emotional rollercoaster that is worth reading again and again. --Reviewed by Ashley Denis for Front Street Reviews

Mills has created a masterpiece in the inspirational fiction, When the Nile Runs Red...Plenty of action scenes as well as twists and turns in the plot keep the reader engaged with the story. With real characters, real struggles, life-and-death situations and a present but not overwhelming inspirational theme, Mills has created a wonderful read.
Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.--Reviewed by Lacy J. Williams

Best-selling author DiAnn Mills brings an international tragedy to life in her new book, “When theNile Runs Red.” Her novel weaves the real-life humanitarian crisis in the Sudan with the plight of her characters who have dedicated their lives to making a difference. Although the book is a work of fiction, it breathes a reality that so many innocent people cannot escape from...Absolutely fantastic!--Reviewed by Vicki Landes for Reader Views (6/07)

So hurry out and buy it or post on this blog next month (October) for a chance to win a copy!

Contest winner and new contest

Thanks to all who left a comment this past month. We had several new bloggers, and one of them won the book Remember Me by Maureen Lang. Ann Johnson is our latest winner and the book will soon be on its way to her. She is the only person disqualified from winning the book for September which is...A Valley of Betrayal by Tricia Goyer. The drawing will be on October 1st.
Tricia has written several fascinating historical fiction books set during the WWII era. Her new book is set during an earlier period we don't hear or read as much about--the Spanish Civil War. Travel to war-torn Spain with the heroine Sophie Grace as she searches for her beloved Michael. Secrets abound. Who can she trust? Leave a comment and perhaps you will win this new book by Tricia Goyer. I also hope you will check out her website and other books, both fiction and non-fiction at http://www.triciagoyer.com/

The rules for the contest are the same as posted before. You are not eligible the month right after winning and you must leave a blogpost and send me an email addy to contact you for mailing info. Happy reading, everyone!