Erin R. Howard's Blog, page 4
September 11, 2019
Wisdom Wednesday: Jennifer Hallmark
Hello everyone! The last time we had Wisdom Wednesday, I was writing to you from St. Jude for my son’s last chemo treatment. Life’s been a whirlwind since then, and when we got home, it was time to start Kindergarten and find our “new normal.”
Gabe is doing well and seems to enjoy school so far. Now things are settled more, (I’m finishing up my third book so deadlines are looming) I’m looking for guest authors for Wisdom Wednesday, and Fantasy Reads. If you are a Christian or clean fiction author, and interested in being featured, please send me an email.
Now, on to our guest today. I’m happy to have author Jennifer Hallmark with us. I had the pleasure of being on her blog for The Soul Searcher blog tour earlier this year, and I can’t wait to see what she is sharing with us for #WisdomWednesday.
Welcome, Jennifer!
Name: Jennifer Hallmark
Genre: Southern Fiction (contemporary)
Latest Novel: Jessie’s Hope
Writing Tip:
My favorite writing tip is don’t edit while you write your first draft of a story or novel. You want to get the story on paper in a raw form much like putting a lump of clay on a potter’s wheel. Craft it into the shape you desire after your words are on paper.
I couldn’t agree more! I can’t edit as I’m writing the rough draft or I never go anywhere with the story.
Favorite Writing Tip for New Writers:
To be a writer, you need time, patience, and perseverance. Time to learn the craft. Patience when things don’t go your way. Perseverance when the odds are against you. If you do this, you’ll eventually reach some of your goals.
Great advice. Patience seems to be something I lack quite often. It’s hard to persevere when you are waiting and waiting. But learn and study. Keep trying. It will happen!
[image error]Years ago, an accident robbed Jessie Smith’s mobility. It also stole her mom and alienated her from her father. When Jessie’s high school sweetheart Matt Jansen proposes, her parents’ absence intensifies her worry that she cannot hold on to those she loves.
With a wedding fast approaching, Jessie’s grandfather Homer Smith, has a goal to find the perfect dress for “his Jessie,” one that would allow her to forget, even if for a moment, the boundaries of her wheelchair. But financial setbacks and unexpected sabotage hinder his plans.
Determined to heal from her past, Jessie initiates a search for her father. Can a sliver of hope lead to everlasting love when additional obstacles–including a spurned woman and unpredictable weather–highjack Jessie’s dream wedding?
[image error]Jennifer Hallmark writes Southern fiction and has published 200+ internet articles and interviews, short stories in several magazines, and has co-authored three book compilations. Her debut novel, Jessie’s Hope, released on June 17th, 2019.
When she isn’t babysitting or gardening, you can find her at her desk writing fiction or working on her two blogs. She also loves reading detective fiction from the Golden Age and viewing movies like LOTR or Star Wars. Sometimes you can even catch her watching American Ninja Warrior. She blogs at www.jenniferhallmark.com and www.inspiredprompt.com
Social Media Links:
Are you a patient writer? Can you wait to finish an entire rough draft before you edit? Are you taking the time to learn and hone your craft? Join in the conservation and let us know.
Before you go, take a moment to connect with Jennifer on social media and check her novel, Jessie’s Hope.
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August 26, 2019
Chapter
Dear Reader,
Sometimes life is hard. And it’s not easy to see the whole picture when you’re living out a chapter or season at a time.
I don’t know where you are this point of your story. I don’t know the things you’ve had to walk through. [image error]
But I do know it’s not the end.
It’s only a chapter.
And you’re not alone.
Hugs,
Erin
August 13, 2019
Even When
It’s been a while since we’ve had a #BeStillTuesday. I have no excuse other than I’ve been too busy to Be Still.
I know, I know. That’s the whole point of Being Still. It’s why I started these Be Still blog posts. To let God renew my spirit.
[image error]Somewhere along the way, I’ve let the business of life squeeze me dry.
Maybe you feel the same. Maybe you have anxiety-filled days. Maybe, just maybe, you are running non-stop. Maybe you’re a mama trying to keep everyone in your house healthy, happy, and fulfilled.
Or perhaps you’re working. Pushing and climbing you’re way to your goals.
Maybe you’re in-between seasons. Oh, those are the hardest — the in-between stages of change.
Wherever you are, we need these on purpose moments where we quiet everything around us and take a moment to let God recharge us. We need to slow down and take a moment to breathe.
I pray you’ll join me today. Get rid of the excuse that you don’t have time. Even if it’s only two minutes you have to spare, use those two minutes on purpose. Quiet your soul and let God love on you.
Hugs,
Erin
July 24, 2019
Wisdom Wednesday: June Foster
Today, I’m writing to you all from St. Jude. This is my son’s last week of treatment! He had his very last chemo treatment on Monday and will have surgery later this week to remove his port.
I’m glad to have back author June Foster on Wisdom Wednesday. Welcome back, June!
Name: June Foster
Genre: Contemporary romance
Latest Novel: Dreams Deferred
Writing Tip:
I’m a visual learner so this writing practice is perfect for me. When I begin thinking about my characters, I go on line and google, for example, handsome blond actors in their late twenties. Then I scowl through until one of the pictures “jumps out” at me. And it usually does! I do the same for the heroine and any secondary characters. I make a copy of each and write their names (in the novel) at the bottom. Then I do the same for any major scenes. I usually use Google images for that. If you’re on Pinterest, you can pin them to a board with the name of your novel. I also like to sketch out or make a map of the surrounding area where the story takes place. For example, for my book Misty Hollow, I made a map of every store and house in Misty Hollow, marked the directions, and labeled the main characters’ houses. I placed the surrounding countryside where I imaged it would be. When I’m writing a scene or describing a character, it’s much easier. I even look at the picture of the hero, for example, when the heroine is thinking about him or his features in her POV. I keep all my pictures and drawings in a folder and label it the title of the novel. I have a folder for each of the 20 novels I’ve written so far.
I love making character boards on Pinterest! It helps me as well to have a visual while I’m writing.
Favorite Writing Tip for New Writers:
Develop tough skin. You will likely get many rejections from editors and publishers before you get that first contract. A rejection is not a reflection on your ability to write or God’s calling. Keep seeking the Lord. Ask Him to lead. Continue to learn more about the craft and don’t give up.
Great advice!
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Frances Matthew Hall is obedient to family tradition: all firstborn sons will serve as a priest. Now Matt officiates at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. But when on Easter Sunday, he notices a beautiful young woman who takes his breath away, he must fight against his attraction to her or leave the priesthood and alienate his entire family.
Mary Louise Graham is a middle school teacher and devout catholic. Yet no amount of service to the community can ease the heavy load of guilt she carries. God can never forgive her unspeakable mistake. But when Father Matt tells her about a forgiving God through His son Jesus Christ, she’s free. Only thing, the Godly priest now means more to her than he should.
Can two people find their way to each other amidst insurmountable obstacles? Dreams Deferred is inspired by the author’s great grandfather and great grandmother’s story.
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June Foster is an award-winning author who began her writing career in an RV roaming around the USA with her husband, Joe. She brags about visiting a location before it becomes the setting in her next contemporary romance or romantic suspense. June’s characters find themselves in precarious circumstances where only God can offer redemption and ultimately freedom. To date June has seen publication of 20 novels and 1 devotional. Find June at junefoster.com.
Social Media Links:
junefoster.com
https://www.amazon.com/author/junefoster
https://www.facebook.com/authorjunefoster
How do you approach coming up with your characters? Do you find a picture that inspires you, or do you search for an image that matches what you already have planned?
Before you go, take a moment to connect with June on social media and check her novel, Dreams Deferred.
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July 19, 2019
Fantasy Reads: Ariel Paiement
Today, I’m happy to have author, Ariel Paiement on Fantasy Reads. World-building is one of my favorite parts of fantasy writing, and Ariel is here to give us the inside scoop on her novel, Bane of Ashkarith.
Welcome, Ariel!
Behind the Scenes of Bane of Ashkarith
By: Ariel Paiement
Bane of Ashkarith was conceived in a rather roundabout way. The world where it takes place—Alcardia—had already been built for Pathway of the Moon. I’d been playing around with the idea of creating some sort of a prequel for the series that gave some insight into the pantheon and the prophecies that feature in Pathway of the Moon.
Back in January of 2019, I’d begun working on a short story about some of the events that led to Banach’s becoming Queen at Ashkarith. I wanted to go further, but I had two other novels going at the time, however, so I kind of pushed the idea off. Then I was asked about joining Wattpad’s Open Novella Contest. One of the prompt choices to write with revolved around truth and untruth switching places. The idea fit perfectly with the mythology and history of Alcardia’s pantheon, and so Bane of Ashkarith was born.
As I wrote, it became clear that the novella was becoming more than just a prequel meant to give readers a richer understanding of the main series. It took on a life of its own and began to add to the extensive world-building I’d already done. Bane of Ashkarith really took me deep into the cultures and the politics of Alcardia, something I’d only touched on at surface level when planning for Pathway of the Moon. It was rewarding to watch as the world came to life in ways I hadn’t planned for or anticipated when building it. I mean, I had all the groundwork laid for it to go in a lot of directions, but the one it took was better than I’d anticipated.
The best part about Bane of Ashkarith is that it opened the door for more books about famous historical figures in Alcardia’s past. It became more about telling the stories of renowned or infamous individuals in Alcardian history than it was about sharing things that Pathway of the Moon just couldn’t include. From that, I already have a plethora of ideas for novels and short stories within the world. The one for Dhiabhan’s story is already in the planning and drafting stages.
The story follows the two main characters, Kaidan and Zerua, through various locations in Alcardia as they hunt for the truth about the legends told of Bane of Ashkarith and Sedra Valmurith. The theme of the story centers around the idea that truth is a priceless treasure in a world of uncertainty and lies, and as such, it should be sought after and protected no matter the cost.
I’m excited about the opportunity to share the world of Alcardia with readers through Bane of Ashkarith and the following Alcardian novels. It’s very different from what I’ve done with other novels where the world was just the backdrop for the characters. Here, the characters’ stories would never have existed without the world.
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Kaidan Tadegan is working on a new site trying to prove the myth that two armies of the gods clashed there. While on the dig site, he discovers the evidence he’s looking for, but he gets more than he bargained for when he discovers a woman’s bones in a section of the dig site where no other remains have been found.
As he digs the bones out, he discovers a journal with the woman’s body, which tells a story that, if true, will turn the myths of the old world and the established concepts of good and evil on their heads. Startled by the find, Kaidan sets out to discover whether the diary’s claims have any validity.
But when the diary leads to a city that’s supposedly long gone, Kaidan’s journey becomes more difficult than expected. Things become even more tangled when he discovers that the city isn’t gone, but it’s no place for the living.
Unable to give up on his quest, he forges ahead. What lies ahead is uncertain, and even more uncertain is whether Kaidan will survive this quest. He has only two questions in his mind. Will he find the truth in this city of the dead? And will the world accept the truth?
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Ariel Paiement is a fantasy author who writes the occasional historical fiction or science fiction novel. She enjoys all ranges of books and writing when it comes to reading, though fantasy and science fiction are her favorites. She likes to spend time coming up with new ideas or in wild flights of imagination. If asked what she spends most of her time doing, she’d tell you that she spends most of it reading or writing one thing or another. She is the author of On the Narrow Way in the anthology Above and Beneath: The World of Angels and Demons and has also written and published In Darkness Lost, a stand-alone fantasy adventure novel. Her novel, Bane of Ashkarith, is coming out on July 31st and is the first in the Legends of Alcardia series.
Before you go, take a moment and connect with Ariel on social media and check out her upcoming release, Bane of Ashkarith.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arielpaiement1/
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/ariel_paiement1
Inkitt: https://www.inkitt.com/ariel_paiement1
Website: https://arielpaiement.wordpress.com
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/arielpaiement
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ArielPaiement
July 5, 2019
Fantasy Reads: Allen Steadham
Today’s Fantasy Reads is from author Allen Steadham as he gives a behind the scenes look at his novel, Jordan’s World.
Welcome, Allen!
Genre: Christian Science-Fantasy
Book title: Jordan’s World
Behind the Scenes of Jordan’s World
By: Allen Steadham
I began Jordan’s World in 2015 from scratch. While I had written comics for decades and my first novel was based on some of them, this was my second novel and brand-new territory. I started Jordan’s World on Wattpad as a fantasy serial novel at about 1500 words per chapter. However, I wasn’t getting much reader response and I was equally dissatisfied with having such short chapters. So, I took twenty-one chapters of material off ofWattpad and revised it to normal novel standards.
It didn’t take long for me to realize two things: Jordan’s World was Science-Fantasy instead of just Fantasy (as it mostly occurs on an alien world) and it was going to be a trilogy.
As the story developed, I learned so much about Jordan and the world of Algoran. The lead protagonist, Jordan Lewis, developed into a young woman coming of age. She had been a fairly normal teenager on Earth. But on this world, she’d had to grow up early and adapt quickly to living in literally a colder, more harsh environment. She learned how to become a huntress, working in a pack of three or four others, gathering meat for their village.
The Mokta are the friendly tribe that take in Jordan and her mother when they are marooned on Algoran. They are storytellers and have no written language. But they have naturally eidetic memories. The Mokta are shorter than humans but stronger and faster. The tribe is governed by a Chieftess who consults a group of elders. The only advanced technology belongs to the extraterrestrials who abducted Jordan.
And most importantly, in the midst of all this unfamiliar terrain and people, there is God. Despite Jordan being so far from Earth, He is able to reach her. Jordan is not a Christian, but God has a plan for her life. God gives her a choice. And once she makes her decision, her life begins to change drastically. The theme in Jordan’s World is that God reigns over the entire universe.
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Allen Steadham created comic books and webcomics before he started writing novels. He has been married to his wife, Angel, since 1995 and they have two sons and a daughter. When not writing stories, Allen and his wife are singers, songwriters and musicians. They have been in a Christian band together since 1997. They live in Central Texas.
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Jordan Lewis and her mother have been abducted and marooned on an alien world.
Taken in by a friendly tribe of natives, Jordan tries her best to adapt to living on this strange planet called Algoran. Jordan becomes a respectable huntress, but she still longs for the life she once knew on Earth.
When she learns the beings who took her may be on the other side of Algoran, she sets out for answers. Joined by three of her fellow hunters, Jordan crosses dangerous terrain, facing perilous creatures and people.
Will Jordan risk death for a chance to return to Earth?
What is God’s will for her life on Algoran?
Exploring the life of an ordinary young woman torn from all she’s ever known, Jordan’s World shows that God reigns over the whole universe, and that consequences can sometimes span solar systems.
LINKS
Website: https://allensteadham.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/jaspecfiction
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mindfirenovel
Instagram: https://instagram.com/allensteadham
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15283142.Allen_Steadham
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July 3, 2019
Wisdom Wednesday: Joanna White
I love it when we have brand new releases on Wisdom Wednesday. I had the privilege to be a part of Joanna White’s launch team and Facebook party yesterday with over twenty fantasy authors!
Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday, Joanna and congratulations on your new release!
Name: Joanna White
Genre: Fantasy/Christian Fantasy
Latest Novel: Shifter
Writing Tip:
Gosh, this is hard because I’m torn between two: 1) Write. It may sound simple, but you’ll never get anything written if you don’t sit down and write sometimes. That’s also the best way to hone your craft is to just sit down and start writing. Make it a habit to write at least once everyday and then you’ll be surprised at how much you accomplish. 2) This is the most important one for my life, but write for God and let Him be your inspiration. I wouldn’t have a talent or passion for writing without Him and none of my books would be written without Him either.
I’m not sure why it’s so hard to sit down and write, but it is!
Favorite Writing Tip for New Writers:
You may feel like giving up or like your dreams are too far away to achieve, or that you can’t write that story, or finish anything you start, or that no one will ever read or like your work, or that you’ll never be published but never give up! Keep trying, keep writing, keep submitting, no matter how hard it gets. You’ll get there someday; just be patient!
Yes!
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Beroan is a shapeshifter, part of the dragon clan. His clan’s Alpha, Sirath, wants to watch the world burn.
For ten long years Sirath has attacked villages, killing thousands of humans and burning towns to the ground. Beroan has had enough, but his resistance will only end in suffering.
Nsi is a human living in a small village with her grandmother and cousin. Her ignorance about the existence of shifters won’t protect her for long. Her family was killed in a dragon attack when she was younger, and now dragons have come again. Now she will stop at nothing until the dragon shifters are stopped, to save humans from suffering the same fate as her family.
Together, Nsi and Beroan will risk everything to save humanity from Sirath.
Darkness is spreading through the galaxy, Corrupting one world after another, and now it has come for theirs. Sirath already belongs to the Corruption of darkness.
He will not stop until he burns down the world and leaves it covered in fire and ash.
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Joanna White earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing for Entertainment at Full Sail University. The Valiant series is her first published work, which first started off being updated on a website called Wattpad. She lives in the countryside of Missouri with her husband, where she continues to work on her other upcoming books. Writing has been a passion since she was ten, when she wrote her first book. Ever since then, writing has become her life outside of her family, God, and being a nerd.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: facebook.com/joannamariewhite
Twitter: twitter.com/joannamwhite
Website: https://www.joannamariewhite.wixsite.com/mywebsite
Do you find it hard to sit down and write? What tips/tricks do you use to get the words on the screen/paper?
Before you go, take a moment to connect with Joanna on social media and check her brand new release, Shifter.
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June 26, 2019
Wisdom Wednesday: M. L. Little
If I were to do a developmental edit of your manuscript, you could find remarks about the emotional connection the reader has with your characters. I may even say that the character needs to show more emotion in a particular scene, so the reader feels that emotional pull to root for the character. Emotions are powerful, and you could have a fantastic plot, but if the characters are bland, readers will not want to keep reading.
Today, author M. L. Little is here to give us a great writing tip on writing what we know.
Welcome, M. L.!
Name: M. L. Little
Genre: Fantasy
Latest Novel: The Book of Secrets
Writing Tip:
Write what you know! This puzzled me for years. Write what I know? Write a character who wakes up, eats toast, sits in traffic, goes to school, and repeats? I don’t know about you, but the ins and outs of my daily life grow rather mundane. So why do writing classes teach us to write what we know? How can there ever be stories of revolution and victory and long-lost worlds if so few of us will ever experience anything great?
This confusion exists because “write what you know” is the most ill-interpreted piece of advice in the whole catalog of writing instruction. Write what your heart has known. If you are alive, you have experienced every emotion on the human spectrum, regardless of the depth of severity. You have been nervous. You have known anger. You have felt joy. Have you lost a relationship, a job, a pet? Then remember your anguish and spin it into the fall of great empires or the destruction of the world. If you have held your newborn child or watched your favorite team claw its way to a championship, then you can write the victory of battle or the joy of reunion. Take your emotions and place them in the biggest, wildest worlds of your imagination.
Your heart already knows everything. Write from it.
I love your explanation! We all have unique situations and feelings and should draw on those emotions to make a deeper connection with our characters.
Favorite Writing Tip for New Writers:
Set yourself a writing goal, be it five lines or five pages, and meet it daily. Do not allow yourself to go to bed until you have reached your goal. Is your writing terrible? Good, you’ve still put something on paper. And it will probably look better in the morning. The only reason I have a book coming out into the world was because for three months straight, I couldn’t go to bed until I had hand-written two pages. You want a good night’s sleep instead? Don’t become an author. You’ll never sleep again.
Who needs to sleep? 
June 19, 2019
Wisdom Wednesday: Daniel J. Peyton
Last week, I spent a few days at a writing retreat. I came back with lots of information, new friends, more connections, and a new collaboration for a novella collection. But I also received inspiration. Writing retreats or conferences are perfect for boosting your motivation, but what happens when that runs out? Do you have the discipline to sit down and write anyway?
Today, we have author Daniel J. Peyton with us for Wisdom Wednesday. Thanks for joining us, Daniel!
Name: Daniel J. Peyton
Genre: Sci-Fi
Latest Novel: Remnant
Writing Tip:
Write everyday. This has pushed me through some rough times in writing. People often tell me that they’ve been working on a book for years, but still haven’t finished it yet. That means they have let themselves fall in the trap of needing “inspiration” to write the next paragraph. The reality is that inspiration plays only a minor role in producing a good book. You need dedication, perseverance, focus, and butt-in-seat.
Very true! I think this is something that every writer must face before they start to get serious about writing. Inspiration is wonderful, but you can’t count on it to always be there.
Favorite Writing Tip for New Writers:
Learn the valuable art of patience. Don’t rush through any of the parts of producing a good book. Don’t rush the writing, forcing yourself to go too hard. Write every day, but know when you have written enough for that day. Don’t forget to edit it yourself. Don’t let your personal edit be the only one, let others help. Don’t query the book to agents/publishers until you have cleaned it up so that it looks like a book and not a mess. If you are self-publishing, don’t let the cover be an after-thought. Formatting is critical for a self-published book. All these parts of this are cogs in the machine. Each depend on the other for a good final product.
Patience isn’t always easy, but it’s required to be a writer! Don’t rush the process and don’t overlook all the steps. This is so important.
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The year is 2522. Anna is a Remnant—a secret Christian in a world that has banned any form of religion.
She is also an astro-geologist working with her Robot, named Z, for the Planetary Science Commission.
The PSC has worked for 200 years to find alien life on another planet, and finally, after two centuries, a primitive lifeform has been discovered. Faced with the reality of evolved primitives on a forested moon, Anna begins to question all she has ever believed.
Anna and Z travel to the newly-discovered moon in search of answers, but a terrible accident leaves them stranded. Faced with dangerous natives and unfamiliar surroundings, Anna and Z stumble upon a conspiracy that has universal implications.
Will Anna discover the truth about the moon and its inhabitants?
Can God still move within a culture that has abandoned Him?
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Daniel enjoys writers’ conventions as well as genre conventions. Connecting with avid readers is a joy that he never passes up. He has been invited multiple times to speak at local schools about writing and his work. He has been a featured author for several radio and blogtalk programs, and is a returning guest and sometime substitute co-host for the Brian and Sherri radio program, where he helps interview other authors. Outside of writing and promoting his work, Daniel enjoys reading, dancing, music, drawing, cooking, and embroidery. He is a long time member of the Embroiderers Guild of America where he has taught classes in stitching. He plays four different instruments and has sung with the Oklahoma State Universities Presidents Masterworks. He has years of stage work behind him in tap, jazz, and ballet as well as Okinawan traditional and modern dance and music. Each week you can find him teaching classes at his church in Sunday school as well as the Life Development Institute of First Baptist Church of Morristown, Tennessee.
What about you? Do you lean on inspiration or do you sit down and write anyway? Give us your tip for having the motivation to write even if you don’t feel like it.
Before you go, take a moment to connect with Daniel on social media, and check out his latest release, Remnant.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanielPeytonAuthor/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Peyton/e/B006C986D6
Twitter: @DanPeytonAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danpeyton_author/?hl=en
Link to newest book: https://www.amazon.com/Remnant-Daniel-Peyton/dp/1620209845
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June 12, 2019
Wisdom Wednesday: Ada Brownell
Hello everyone! I’m posting from the KenTen Writers Retreat this week, and we are having a great time. If you haven’t had the chance to attend a writing retreat, I would highly recommend going. Beautiful settings, useful classes, and great networking with other authors.
Today, we have author Ada Brownell with us for Wisdom Wednesday. Welcome, Ada!
Name: Ada Brownell
Genre: Historical Romantic Suspense
Latest Novel: Love’s Delicate Blossom
Writing Tip:
Whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction use: ACTIVE VOICE; DETAILS; MOTION. Those three things are like a video camera picking up a scene. It’s happening now. Faces, hands, even feet have distinctive details. The camera always follows whatever moves.
ACTIVE VOICE uses action verbs:
“Henry Hunter, his bad eye shut, pointed (not was pointing) his gun, and a bullet zinged (not ‘was zinging’) through the wall beside her, splintering wood. (This would be better if this was a short sentence by itself and WOOD as the subject like this: “Wood splintered.”) She froze where she stood (not she was standing still). Her legs trembled (not her legs were trembling). Her heart ca-thumped (not her heart was beating wildly) against her ribs.”
DETAILS
The barn door widened. His shadow crept across the straw-littered floor.
The tip of the gun barrel came through the door first. His head followed slowly, like the moon rising at night. His eyes stared ahead. She raised the shovel and then came down on the man’s head like she’d done with a hoe many times to kill a rattlesnake. Metal rang like she’d hit a rock, jolting her body.
MOTION
Henry landed at her feet, lids open, eyes glassy. His gun flew up and crashed in a fresh cow pie.
An excellent example of using active voice! And I love how you reminded us to think of writing like a video playing a scene.
Favorite Writing Tip for New Writers:
Read what you hope to write. Look at the first paragraph, often called the “lead” or “hook.” Use your own idea and story, and start it in a similar way as your pattern. Continue analyzing the article or book, writing from your own storehouse of ideas and knowledge, creating characters through description, mannerisms, actions,dialogue, reactions. Include physical reactions such as pain, muscle response, and the five senses—like your model writer probably does.
I can’t echo enough how important it is to read the genre that you want to write. Don’t stop reading!
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Edmund Pritchett III wants to marry Ritah Irene O’Casey, but his intended has just begun her fight for the future. The beautiful redhead stands between Henry Hunter and Tulip, the orphan girl he kidnapped to work in his brothel, and he’s not giving up.
Excited about being one of the few women to go to college in 1917, Ritah hopes to become a teacher who can help widows keep their children when tragedy strikes. She also wants to enable mothers to know more about prevention and treatment of disease, in an era when few have access to a doctor. Instead, she ends up fighting for the lives of injured soldiers in a World War I Army health clinic, and finds her own life threatened by illness as well as sorrow.
When Ritah takes a teaching job, Joe Nichols, a handsome farmer edges his way into her heart. But Edmund Pritchett III isn’t giving up, and neither is Henry Hunter.
Will Ritah be able to continue to fight for women and families, understand enduring love, decide on the man she loves, and defend herself and her students when Henry Hunter bursts into the school shooting a pistol?
COMMENT FROM A READER: Your book set a tone and world from your grandmother’s time, the historical elements are what readers read the genre for.
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A redhead and the eighth child in her family, Ada Brownell looks at things from a different angle. Ever thought about what’s in a fertilized egg? She knows when she eats her breakfast egg, there’s the DNA for feathers, the rooster’s crow, the scratchy feet, the capacity to grow, walk, peck, fly short distances, digest food, and even create eggs and other chickens. So when Ada wrote Love’s Delicate Blossom, she took a good look at peach flowers and noticed they’re as amazing as an egg. The most important thing in a blossom is life, if it’s still attached to the tree. That’s just the beginning of the awesome blossom. Love also is a living substance, born, nurtured, and sometimes everlasting.
Ada is the author of nine books, fiction and non-fiction that reflect her brand: Stick-to-Your-Soul Encouragement. She has written hundreds of articles and stories for Christian publications, and even more news articles when she worked as a journalist at The Pueblo Chieftain, the last seven years as a medical writer.
She’s been married sixty-five years, has five children (one in heaven), nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Ada has played the piano or organ for churches, sang in choirs, trios, as a soloist; plus taught church youth about twenty-five years.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/AdaBrownellWritingMinistries
Twitter: @adabrownell
Amazon Ada Brownell author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06
Google https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AdaBrownell/posts
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1654534.Ada_Brownell
Blog: http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com
Before you go, make sure to connect with Ada on social media and check out her newest release, Love’s Delicate Blossom.
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