Dan Walsh's Blog, page 36

Writing for an Audience of One

I'm aware that a number of people who read my blog are writers, some published, some who are not. I share the following hopefully to encourage fellow writers, especially those struggling through a season of discouragement.

I'd like to offer a reminder that there is One who sees all we do and all that we write, and this One has a different way of measuring its value. I remember a worship song a few years back titled, "Audience of One." I loved it immediately because it reminded me of what Jesus said was the first and greatest commandment.

"And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:28-30)

The idea here is to also love the Lord our God "with all we write."

I've been a published novelist for two years now (under contract for four). I've seen a snag in writing that can sometimes trip us up, cause us to lose sight about writing for that "Audience of One." Once this shift occurs, we can become prone to discouragement. If it goes on long enough, we may be tempted to give up altogether.

The snag is our target audience. Unless you're writing a worship song or a devotional prayer, it's likely your target audience is people, not God. You may even be writing about God, but not to God. So your mindset as you write is connecting well with people, hopefully having your work reach them in some published format.

Over the past week, I attended two Word Weaver groups. The first was my local chapter. At the second I was a guest speaker. If you haven't heard of Word Weavers, they're a wonderful group of Christian writers who gather together in various chapters to support each other, primarily in critique groups. Here's a link if you'd like to find out more about them: Word Weavers Online. At the beginning of each meeting, they go around the room and share any bit of encouraging news or progress they have made in their writing over the past month.

For me, this is often a challenging moment (probably should explain why).

Many of the writers I've talked with in these groups have two things in common: a) they hope to one day become a published author of a full-length book (fiction or non-fiction), and b) so far that hasn't happened. Certainly, some attending these groups don't share that goal, but it seems fair to say the majority do.

The things typically shared during this part of the meeting are more often things like an article someone had published in a small magazine or local newspaper, something they had written on someone else's blog, or perhaps a rejection letter from an agent that offered a ray of hope (vs a standard form letter).

After hearing these things, I'm hesitant to share my updates.

The reason? For some unexplained reason, God has poured out a great measure of success in my writing life in a fairly short time. In the last two years, I've had 3 novels published by a major publisher (Revell). All 3 books have received rave reviews. A 4th novel is coming out in September and a 5th in the spring. This past month, Revell signed me to write 7 more novels over the next three-and-a-half years. Oh, I almost forgot, they emailed me this week because a major Christian television show wants to fly me out to tape a series of interviews.

But as I listened to what others shared at these meetings, I was struck by how meaningful and important these "smaller" success stories were, especially when you consider God's perspective. I've talked with some of these writers; they have important things to say, and I'm glad others are getting to read their work in these "lesser" formats (meaning less than a full-length book). My desire is to encourage them not to view these other writing opportunities as small or insignificant. It can be an easy snare to fall into, especially if our eyes are locked onto that over-arching goal of getting our dream book published.

God doesn't see or measure things that way.

Jesus saw a lone woman at a well. He saw a much-hated tax collector named Zacchaeus sitting alone in a tree. He felt the touch of a single woman in a large crowd, afflicted for years by a terrible disease.

He sees you there, writing alone. Every time you write.

He sees the people on the other end, who need to read what you've written. He is glorified and pleased when others are encouraged and stirred by things you've written. Whether that audience is large or small, whether you've been paid much or little, or nothing at all.

I'm reminded of these encouraging words from Paul: "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Cor. 15:58)

It is not in vain because the One who matters most is always watching and always ready to commend and encourage. Allow your hearts to be refreshed as you write by God's assessment of things.

Reset your gaze and write once again for that Audience of One.

June Updates

Sorry I've had so few updates lately. Been a very busy month. I've just sent in my final rewrites for my Guidepost book, so I'll take a little breather before I jump back in to my new book for Revell. Here's what's been going on.

The BIGGEST thing happened at the beginning of June, my son Isaac got marr ied. We love our new daughter-in-law, Stephanie. She already feels like a part of the family, and she and my wife Cindi are good friends. Isaac and Steph are high school sweethearts and have been going together since they were 16 years old (he just turned 21 last month). He works fulltime as a medical coder for the county's ambulance service and Steph just received her bachelor's degree in May (she's hoping to become a school teacher this Fall).

I love this pic someone sent us, looks kind of old-timey. They were just leaving the reception to go on their honeymoon. If you click on it, it gets a little bigger (those are bubbles floating around).

Next, we did a little traveling. Had the best time visiting the Christian Ladies Book Club in Perry, FL on Thursday, June 9th. Drove all the way across the state to a part of Florida neither my wife or I had ever seen. Pretty area, not far from the famous Suwanee River. Most of the ladies had read all 3 of my books, but we spent the most time discussing my latest novel, The Deepest Waters. They even asked me to bring all the books I'd used in my research.

Talk about Southern hospitality...they put us up for 2 nights on a beautiful house that sits right on the Steinhatchee River. We ate some great food, took some wonderful walks, got a lot of pictures (do not be surprised if this area doesn't show up as a setting in a future book). That's Beverly Parker on the left, who leads the group and her good friend Juliet Horner (Juliet's 13-year-old son came, too; a promising young writer). And the 2nd picture is a view off the deck during my quiet time the morning after (click on them to see a bigger view).

There's one more significant thing I'd like to mention. I've already mentioned I just finished my rewrites for my Guidepost book. It's Book #5 in a series called Miracles of Marble Cove. My book should come out around November of this year (called "Morning Glory"). But Book #1 is hot off the press and set to rel ease sometime in early July (that's a few weeks away). You can only get these books through Guideposts website (they come in the mail, one about every 4-6 weeks). If you'd like to check it out, click here. On the website, you can get a preview of the first couple of books, and order book #1 if you'd like.

It was a wonderful and somewhat challenging experience writing a novel as part of a team, with each book moving the story further, developing the friendships between the main characters, as well as the unfolding mysterious goings-on at the lighthouse.

This coming week, I jump back into my 6th novel for Revell, which I'll be writing throughout the rest of the summer.

3 Big Things as the Month of May begins

I've got 3 pretty big things to blog about. They're big enough that they almost deserve their own blog entry. In fact, this time last year, I'm sure that's how I'd have presented them. But so much more is happening now, and happening faster than I can keep up with.

I'll just share them in the order they came to my attention.

Big Thing # 1 - Feature interview in Family Fiction's May/June issue.

I don't know how many of you have discovered this gem, but if you love fiction, especially Christian fiction, you need to be reading this magazine. It's available for free online, and actually reads like a print issue magazine, with lots of articles, reviews, book news and interviews. And of course, lots of pictures. Chris Well, the editor, asked me to do an interview about my new book, The Deepest Waters, and it appears on page 54, near the end. My advice would be not to skip to page 54 but read all the good things on the way there.

Click here to see the new issue (then you can navigate to page 54 from there).

Big Thing # 2 - The Deepest Waters received a great review from Crosswalk.com

I've had many wonderful reviews for The Deepest Waters already, including a Blo g Tour with over 55 bloggers reading and reviewing the book (posted twice about this below). What makes this review a "Big Thing" is its location...Crosswalk.com. It's the largest Christian website on the internet. And it was a really good review. It was obvious, Kelley Matthews, the woman who wrote it, put a lot of thought into her words, citing in specific ways the things she liked and why. Although mostly very positive, not all of it was. She compared me to bestselling author Nicholas Sparks and said,"Walsh has not perfected the art of romantic fiction like Sparks has, but he holds definite promise." Her last line in the review was nice: "Yes, men really can write romance...."

Here's a larger excerpt of her review:

Dan Walsh takes readers through a tense, suspenseful series of events, asking us to consider more than "Will John survive?" He requires us to consider deeper issues than mere life and death—such as, how does a survivor move on? Or, what roles do forgiveness and hope play in our relationships? What about honor and honesty? The character of believers becomes a central theme.

Due to the plotline—in which John is lost at sea almost from the beginning—Laura becomes the main character for the majority of the story. We learn about their relationship and recent marriage through a series of flashbacks. Punctuating the present action—Laura's rescue and subsequent journey to New York—these flashbacks also serve to prolong the drama and increase tension. An effective technique...the national tension over slavery plays out on a personal level, with Laura befriending Micah, the slave on her rescue ship who cares for the survivors. The prickly issue of Christians owning fellow Christians becomes an interesting and fulfilling subplot. In fact, Micah's role increases steadily until readers care as much about his welfare as they do about Laura's future.--Crosswalk.com,
Kelley Matthews, reviewer

Click here to read the full review.

Big Thing # 3 - The Cover for my 4th Novel has just been Released!

The Deepest Waters released 5 weeks ago and Revell has already made my 4th novel available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It's called Remembering Christmas. Obviously, it's a Christmas story. And like my first novel, The Unfinished Gift, it will be released as a hardback (I love hardbacks).

Releasing the cover for Remembering Christmas now is a good thing, a great thing even. It's partly due to the fact I'm writing fulltime now. My new contract with Revell calls for two books a year, and that thrills me. Click on the cover to the right, and it will open much larger in a new window (tell me you wouldn't like to be sitting in that chair...well, when it gets cold again). Click here to head over to Amazon. If you scroll down a bit, you can read a little about the storyline.

The Deepest Waters - Blog Tour Part 2

As last week ended, the blog tour for The Deepest Waters wrapped up, as well. My publisher sent me a list of all the bloggers who participated. They said 5 or 6 more might come in a little late. I realized as I looked over the list, I hadn't seen many of them before. I'm guessing something is amiss with Google Alerts.

For my first 2 books, I'd set a Google Alert to flag me any time someone wrote about the books, mainly so I could visit these blogs in a timely way. With the other two blog tours, I was getting sometimes 5 or 10 alerts a day. This time, maybe 1 or 2 (and some of those were about scuba diving off "the deepest waters" near some reef). But I was able to visit them over the last few days and, once again, was overwhelmed by the responses to the book.

Here are a number of excerpts. Click on the blog name, if you'd like to read the full review:

"I loved everything about this book. It has so much packed within its pages from historical fiction and romance to suspense and some action…If you have not had the chance to read any of Dan's books, I would suggest reading them ALL. They are that good!"

-- Café Lily

"This week MiscMayzee is featuring a blog tour for an absolutely wonderful volume, The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh. This Christian fiction novel features so many solid plot elements that it is difficult to pick one place to start."

-- MiscMayzee

"This was a captivating epic love story! It's an honest story that touches your heart and soul…This was a moving, larger-than-life story. I was inspired as I read about these characters holding out for God's best for them, whatever that may be. This novel would make a great movie."

-- Nora St. Laurent – Finding Hope Through Fiction

"I read this book in two days. If it weren't for the fact I had to sleep, it would have been done in one! I just could not put it down. I had to know what happened."

-- Passionate Perseverance Blog

"I've not had the pleasure of reading Dan Walsh's previous books, but that's about to change. Thank you, Dan Walsh and Revell Books, for providing such a riveting, hold-your-breath read."

-- Peg Phifer's Blog

"Dan Walsh knew a good story when he heard about this particular bit of history and he was right. But for him to take that and turn it into an absolutely amazing tale that kept me glued to the book - fantastic! I totally loved this book. Probably my favorite of the year as of right now."

-- Cornhusker Academy Blog

"The Deepest Waters is an inspiring and uplifting story that has left me feeling so happy and satisfied. This is a delightful story that has enough action and adventure to appeal to a male audience, but at the same time there is enough tenderness and love to appeal to any woman reading this book. Dan is very good at having that warm and tender quality in his books that makes me as a reader really happy to have invested my time. I highly recommend The Deepest Waters. I guarantee no reader will be disappointed."

-- Carlybird's Home

These are just a few of the dozens of reviews I read, and only a few sentences from each one. Thanks to all the others who participated that I didn't mention here. And a special thanks to Donna Hausler at Revell, for all her hard work putting this blog tour together.

The Deepest Waters Goes On Tour

Starting this past Sunday, my 3rd novel, The Deepest Waters, has been on tour. A blog tour, that is. My publisher, Revell, launched the tour with fifty-five bloggers throughout the country. Each received review copies of The Deepest Waters several weeks ago, giving them time to read it before the tour began. Some will also be doing interviews with me and giving away free copies of the book.

I'm writing this on Thursday. Already dozens of bloggers have responded, and I've been overwhelmed by their reaction. I couldn't cite them all, but here's a sampling of what I've been reading this week. I've put the links after the quotes, if you'd like to read the entire review.

"This is Dan Walsh's third book, and I have been fortunate to have reviewed all three. And like the other two he wrote, this is an excellent piece of fiction...I started reading this book this evening, and as often with a great book, got pulled into it and could not put it down."

-- Thoughts of a Sojourner Blog

"Dan Walsh has become one of those authors that whatever he writes I will read. This is a great book!"

--Lori's Book Reviews (Rating: 5 Stars)


"This is the third book Dan Walsh has written and in my opinion it is his best yet… I highly recommend this book and will keep it for my private collection."
--Trinity's Rose Garden

"In my opinion, Dan can officially be dubbed, 'The Nicholas Sparks of Christian fiction.' If you love romance―particularly historical romance―you won't want to miss out on this book."
-- Lynda Schab – On the Write Track

"This is one of those books that will grab you at the first page and not let you go until the last… I am writing this review with droopy eyes since I could not put the story down and read all night from cover to cover!"
--Lulu – Knits and Reads

"I loved the writing style, the tone of the story, the setting. I loved all of it. The spiritual thread was well done, too...This book is making my favorites list!"

-- Michelle Sutton, Edgy Inspirational Author Blog


"Ever since I read The Homecoming by Dan Walsh I have been a huge fan of his. His books instantly capture my interest and attention, which was the case with this book as well...His book made me cry, but in the best possible way. I cannot wait to read Dan Walsh's next novel in the Fall!"

-- Melinda Joy Blogspot


I wish I had the time and space to include excerpts from all of them. Thanks to each of you for taking the time to read my book and let others know about it. It's a humbling thing to read such things, makes me want to get right back to my keyboard and start hammering away.

More Great Reviews for The Deepest Waters In

This week my 3rd novel, The Deepest Waters, officially released. I say "officially" because it began showing up in online stores, and even some retail outlets a week ago. Some wonderful reviews have come in this past week. Some are too long to re-post here, so I'll share some excerpts.

Except this first one, from 3-time Christy-award winning author, Athol Dickson (author of books such as River Rising and Lost Mission). Click on his name to view his website. This is the entire quote:

"I stayed up all night to finish The Deepest Waters, which is something I have not done in years. It has everything: action, romance, tearful partings, desperate situations, beautiful and terrifying natural settings, history, characters I hated and characters I loved, and plenty of unexpected twists, all wrapped up in eloquent and straightforward prose. It's a wonderful read, with a compelling message about the healing power of faith."

--Athol Dickson

"The depths of characterization and the emotions evoked make this powerful st ory a true winner. Dan Walsh's detailed account takes readers onboard and keeps them eagerly sailing throughout the journey, despite the uncertain outcome. I appreciate his style and writing ability and want to read every book he pens. Don't miss the adventure in The Deepest Waters! (The title forms a parallel between the ocean setting and the abiding love explored within the novel's pages). This book was inspired by an actual event and some of the extraordinary happenings 150 years ago."

--Mary Hake, President,
Oregon Christian Writers

"Usually not a big fan of historical fiction, I find myself enjoying reading it when Walsh writes. His ability to take the reader back in time is magical, while simultaneously teaching us about that particular time and place in history...The Deepest Waters, like his first two novels, is first-rate. Walsh is a new author who transcends many genres and will appeal to both men and women. He writes books that refresh our spirit and give us hope that all is not lost in a world filled with danger and threats of destruction. His ability to weave romance throughout his work will attract many readers who enjoy wholesome stories with a redeeming theme. His stories will bring tears to your eyes as he reaches into the hearts of his characters, allowing them to emote passion and sincerity. He had me searching for a tissue on more than one occasion..."

--NY Journal of Books,
John M. Wills, reviewer

It does wonderful things for my soul reading things like this. I loved every part of researching and writing this book. So satisfying to see it affecting others the same way. And I'm so grateful for the things God did back in 1857, the true events that inspired it (apologize for all the italics, can't shut them off for some reason).

Great Magazine Reviews for The Deepest Waters

Not sure why this is so (though I'll take it happily) but a number of national magazines, some who passed on my first two novels, are reviewing my 3rd book, The Deepest Waters, which releases in less than 2 weeks on April 1st. The reviews have been very positive.

Here's an excerpt from several I've received in the last week or so (this first one actually did give great reviews to my other novels):

4 Stars - "Walsh provides a story inspired by real events that reveals hope, true love, and faith in God. But it will also keep readers on the edge of their seats as they learn the fate of John and Laura. The story grabs you and carries you all the way through to the end..."

-- RT Book Reviews Magazine (has millions of subscribers and in bookstores everywhere)

"...Fans of faith-based historical fiction will find Walsh's latest novel to be a compelling tale of hope and fortitude, while inspirational-romance readers are certain to go through a box of Kleenex waiting to see if Laura and John really do get their richly deserved happily-ever-after ending."

--Booklist Magazine (goes out to 90,000 librarians across the US)

"Inspired by real life events from 1857, where God did bring about one miracle after another, The Deepest Waters reminds the reader that even in hopeless situations, God is still at work. Walsh's emotional work matches the compelling storytelling of bestselling romance author Nicholas Sparks."

-- Christian Retailing Magazine (distributes monthly magazine to every retailer in the US who sells Christian material, over 10,000).

Needless to say, I'm very grateful that a book I labored on for almost a year is off to such an encouraging start.

Excerpts from Publisher's Weekly

If you've been following my blog, you know we've been expecting a writeup in Publisher's Weekly (PW), regarding my upcoming novel, The Deepest Waters. A few weeks ago, they contacted me for a phone interview and said they'd be reviewing the book, as well. For those who don't about PW, it is to publishing what the Wall Street Journal is to finance. It's been running continuously for 138 years and read by almost everyone in the publishing industry.

Well they ran both the interview and review today. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

"I'm a writer who became a pastor; back in 11th grade I got bit by the bug," says Walsh, who dedicated his first book, The Unfinished Gift, to Mrs. Connie Longnecker, his high school English teacher. So after a 25-year pastorate at a church in Florida, Walsh is returning to a love of writing he developed when Mrs. Longnecker took him aside and inspired him.

As a pastor, he wrote 6,000–8,000 words a week for his sermons, so he had plenty of practice before 2010, when he stepped down as a full-time pastor and became a full-time writer. "My blood pressure is doing much better as a writer. Writing has been really a relaxing thing for me, very calming," Walsh says.

The Unfinished Gift (2009) and The Homecoming (2010) were both set during WWII, but The Deepest Waters is set in the 19th century. "The first two are more like Hallmark movies, but The Deepest Waters is more like Masterpiece Theater," Walsh says. [Note from me here...didn't mean they deserve to be on Hallmark and Masterpiece Theater; he'd asked me how this book differed from the first two].

With The Deepest Waters, Walsh establishes himself as the writer he started out to be before taking a 25-year detour into ministry: a writer of character-driven historical fiction, crafted by a man who's been telling stories to a live audience for a quarter of a century.

Here's an excerpt from the PW review of The Deepest Waters:

"Walsh, a pastor turned full-time writer, surprises with a swashbuckling tale of a sunken pre–Civil War era steamship and its cargo of gold--and a newlywed couple who must make a harrowing decision. When a steamship heads directly into a hurricane on the Atlantic coast, John and Laura Foster must choose to stay together or be separated when women and children are evacuated to another ship. What makes the story more than romantic fluff is its basis in a true event, the sinking of the SS Central America and its payload of gold, and a dramatic subplot of Micah, a slave who longs to be free along with his family...With this novel Walsh establishes himself as a Christian historical fiction writer who crafts credible character-driven stories." -- Publishers Weekly

I can't wait for the book's release, now just one month away.

A Major Book Club picks The Deepest Waters

My publisher just informed me of some exciting news. Crossings Book Club has decided to make The Deepest Waters (my 3rd novel releasing April 1st) available to their book club members. Crossings is one of the largest book clubs and the largest Christian book club in the country, with 400,000 members.

One of the nicest aspects of this deal for me (and for the Crossings club members), is having this beautiful cover available in a hardback edition. I love all kinds of books, even ebooks, but hardbacks are still my favorites.

When the art department first sent me this cover, I was so taken with it. It is by far, my favorite one yet. I remember thinking as soon as I saw it, this is a cover that deserves to be a hardback (click on the cover to see it bigger). I hope thousands of Crossings club members are drawn to it, buy it, and love reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The Wonder of Looking at Him

There are certain things in life that catch us by surprise. Wonders. Things that we see that are so captivating they possess the power to instantly stop us from giving our attention to whatever had preoccupied us so thoroughly just a moment before. When we see such wonders, we can't help but stare. Seeing them is enough, it becomes a thing to do all by itself.

An amazing sunrise, a breathtaking sunset. A ferocious thunderstorm. Roaring waterfalls. A full moon. You turn a corner traveling through some treacherous mountain pass and it opens to a majestic mountain scene, a panoramic vista that not only takes your fears away, but your breath as well. We must pull over and take it in.

I remember my wife and I once drove through Sedona, Arizona at sunset. For us, it was just a place on a map, a route to get us from Flagstaff to Phoenix. We had no idea we would be traveling through one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are no words to describe the scenes we saw that day, no pictures could ever do justice to the pictures in our minds, created by our own eyes that day.

Wonders.

I've been having moments like these over the past several days holding my first grandchild. I can't stop staring at him. I held him and rocked him for almost two hours the other day. Went by like five minutes. Staring at wonders will do that, alter the space/time continuum. He makes me smile. He doesn't have to do a thing to earn it. It just happens. He produces joy in me simply by being there. That's the affect wonders have on us.

They transcend the fixed boundaries of our lives, interrupt the schedule, compel us to take notice. They are, as someone eloquently said, the "fingerprints of God." He is the author of these moments, delighting to give us brief foretastes of glory divine. The Creator, revealing aspects of His nature and personality through wonders, big and small. These aren't times for analysis or debate. Words are poor judges in moments like these. The thing is…to just sit or stand there and take it in.

Thank you God, for allowing me to gaze at Your wonders. For allowing them to exist in this dark and difficult age, reminding me of a time yet to come, when I will need a brand new body to behold even more amazing things than these.