Cindy A. Christiansen's Blog, page 24

Secret Cravings Blog Hop

WARNING! I'M A SWEET ROMANCE AUTHOR!
You'll find my books on the SWEET Cravings site.
Looking for an emotional connection with the hero and heroine? Looking for a fast paced, suspenseful read with a little humor?And WAIT! You better plan on a dog showing up in my books.
Just for reading this far, I'm giving away the prequel novella to my new series - A Merchant Street Mystery. You'll find Worth the Wait on Smashwords for FREE right now.



Time Will Tell - the first full-length book of the series will be out next month through Sweet Cravings!



STORYLINE:Being paranoid, Holly Waterbury just can’t handle all the suspicious behavior centered on Merchant Street in Salt Lake City. Being volunteered to help her hoarding Uncle Kipp recover after a fall and finding out he has a dog is not helping to calm her excitable nature either. But it’s really the good-looking, take-charge homeless man her uncle hired to help clean up his clock shop that has Holly baffled.  Just why are his teeth so white? Throw in a not-so-valuable clock everyone is willing to kill for and Holly’s imagination runs wild. Only time will tell just how long it takes before Holly will figure out the mysteries of Merchant Street, including the sexy homeless man.


You won't want to miss the cute little Scottish Terrier, McTavish!
EXCERPT: Movement on the street caught Zach’s attention. He turned for a closer look. A stunning, curvaceous woman with ivory skin and a bouncy, red ponytail struggled with a Scottish terrier on a leash, old man Waterbury’s Scottish terrier to be exact. Who was she? Why was she out walking Waterbury’s dog? If you could call it walking. She serpentined her way all over the sidewalk, as if trying to keep the little dog at arm’s length.“What? What’s going on?” Zeke asked, moving to the window.The woman continued to struggle with McTavish, stopping and starting and fussing at the dog. A frown creased her face but did little to fade her beauty. Maybe McTavish had escaped from the old man, and she’d rescued the dog from getting run over. She shook her finger at McTavish when he tried to get close to her. Maybe she was a cat person.


To celebrate, I’m giving away a $10.00 egift to Sweet Cravings.  All you have to do is answer the question below.  Make sure you include your email address so I can notify you if you win.  Do you feel you have enough time?
Enjoy the rest of the hop: Secret Cravings Blog.Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs!Fly into a good book at:  http://www.dragonflyromance.com
Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Writing a Review the Right Way

I’m writing, but if readers are not reading…And reviewers are not reviewing…Then my words will never be heard.  That’s because almost 30% of people choose their next book by the recommendation of fellow readers on online message forums, blogs and message boards. Interestingly, only 4% of readers take the word of close personal friends or family. 1
The problem is that most readers who love a book will not write a review. Michael Alvear in his book,  Make a Killing on Kindle , demonstrates the percentage of reviews with  Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix , one of the most reviewed books on Amazon. It has received around 6,000 reviews! But, when you take into account that there has been millions and millions of copies sold, the percentage comes to around .0002% of readers who left reviews.2
The best way you can show your appreciation of an author's work is to leave a review. It doesn’t have to be long or detailed. Just let other readers know how it made you feel. That alone will indicate to other potential readers that the book is worth their time and money.
If you are feeling insecure about writing a book review, follow this format:·         Write a brief synopsis·         Suggest the basic theme·         Give your opinion about their writing style·         Give your recommendation on who should read the book·         Express how the book made you feel·         Summarize your view

Too much? That's okay. Just include one or two of the suggestions. Pick out what is easiest for you to write. It doesn't have to be difficult.
Amazon is trying to make reviews easier for their customers. They now have an option at the end of the book called—Before You Go. This gives readers the option of rating the book right when you finish. The review can then be shared on social sites instantly. The problem is, it is on the very last page. The reader will have to page through all the author information, other author samples, book club pages, etc. to get to that last page. Still, it is a helpful if the reader is aware that it’s there.

So here's a couple of examples of a well written review:

Love on Laird Avenue: Entertaining and Heart-warmingI very much enjoyed reading this humorous tale of a couple bringing their own challenges together to become the source of frustration, problem solution, caring, and love for each other in the face of seemingly unending adversity. [BASIC THEME]  The characters are so well developed that I was certain I knew people just like them all.  That personal identification seemed to bring me into the story. [WRITING STYLE]  I found myself craving more each time I had to put it down to tend to other matters at hand. [HOW MADE YOU FEEL]  The research also brought validity to the setting and the circumstances involved.  It is a very entertaining, heartwarming story. [SUMMARIZE]
5 Star Review - Gary F.
Caskets and Corruptions:  Don't Miss This StoryFun, fresh and exciting, Caskets and Corruptions was a delightful read. It has a great blend of both suspense and comedic elements that keeps the story upbeat and fast paced. [HOW IT MADE YOU FEEL] 

The heroine Lizzie, gets caught up in a mess when she storms in to confront her sister's ex boss. I bet she's sorry about that, at least at first, when she comes in at a time things start to get a little strange around there.

Phillip is mysterious, and intriguing, even despite his grumpy personality in the beginning. But his demeanor changes during the book. Throwing him in an adventure with the beautiful Lizzie is bound to do that. [SUGGEST BASIC THEME/STORY]

This was a great book to read, and I enjoyed it. I love the witty and great dialogue the author throws in and the plot is filled with excitement, and plenty of twists. [OPINION OF WRITING STYLE.] If you're a fan of contemporary suspense that has potential to leave a smile on your face, then don't miss this story! [RECOMMEND WHO SHOULD READ]4 Star Review - Seriously Reviewed
Hope this has helped you feel more comfortable with writing reviews the right way.
Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs!Fly into a good book at:  http://www.dragonflyromance.com
Photo:  http://www.123rf.comCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Sweet Authors Blog Hop

I've tried to spread the word to tell everyone what my books are about:
I write sweet romance with humor, suspense...and dogs!My books are suitable for YA and up, men and women.Here's a more detailed description:
A clean read with no bedroom scenes or offensive language.A tantalizing, fast-paced plot.Down-to-earth heroes and heroines with everyday jobs.A rollercoaster ride of emotions you face right along with the characters.A special dog to steal your heart.A few added facts, a good message, and that important happily-ever-after ending.

Sweet pretty much says it all, though, and I'm very proud to be with the Sweet Cravings division at Secret Cravings Publishing.  We have some fabulous authors.  Make sure you check out their blogs by clicking on the Sweet Cravings Hop link at the bottom.
Meanwhile, I'd like to share my latest release with you: Legacy of Lies


Storyline: Katelynn swore she would never return to the small mining town of Comstock, Utah where she’d grown up. Only bad memories remain there of her estranged father, the gossipy townsfolk, and her teen sweetheart Walt Jeffries who broke her heart. But after receiving a letter from her father, she grudgingly returns only to find he died over a year ago and the past may not be all she’s been told.
Walt Jeffries is trying to bring new business to his dying town when Kate returns.  Her digging up the past may risk everything he’s working toward.  As Kate determinedly delves into the past, Walt finds himself between a rock and a hard place concerning his feeling for her and his duty to the town.  Can the two learn their real legacies, save Walt’s Rottweiler, Festus, and avoid getting killed themselves?  Will the truth set them free to fall in love?


BUY LINKS:Sweet Cravings Publishing: http://bit.ly/WdkOU0Amazon:  http://amzn.to/19zCss8Barnes and Noble:  http://bit.ly/16uw0OOSmashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/325601 

Before my dad passed away, he was set on adopting a Rottweiler. That's why I featured one in this book. To receive a $5.00 eGift Certificate to Sweet Cravings, please leave a comment telling me your favorite breed of dog. Thanks for taking the time to participate and please consider purchasing Legacy of Lies .
Sweet Cravings Hop
Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs!Fly into a good book at:  http://www.dragonflyromance.com
Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

On The Writing Road: Publishers and Contracts

A writer’s dream is to finally get a contract offer from a publisher. The validation that comes with someone else saying, “Your writing is good,” just can’t be expressed in words. And, hey…I’m a writer.

But as with anything else, you have to be careful and protect yourself from companies that are out to deceive you. Below, I’ve listed a few heartaches I hope you will be able to avoid.

Vanity publishers. They publish books but at the author's expense. This can be anything from financing the whole cost yourself to a printing fee. Some publishers will tell you they don’t consider themselves a vanity publisher if they only charge an nominal fee, but they still are, and some professional organizations like Romance Writers of America will not recognize them.

Self-publishers. If they say they will help you get published and promise the moon, be leery. You can publish on your own with minimal expenses through Kindle Direct Publishing (ebook) and Createspace (print). Your greatest expense would be the ISBN number for the print book (provided through Smashwords for free for ebooks) and if you need to pay an artist or for photos for your cover.

Contract negotiations. Yeah, not gonna happen. Publishers offer a standard contract and rarely make changes. Does that mean you should just sign it? No. Writers are so tucked away in their writing caves and usually have received rejection after rejection that they are ready to jump at that first offer. Consider talking with a contract attorney.

Ebook/print contract. I was offered a contract written with ebook publishing in mind. At the end of the contract you could choose whether you wanted the book to go to print. My assumption was that I would be paid the 30%-40% royalty for the print coy the same as for the ebook. Instead, they were only offering the ebook royalty on the print version. When you realize an ebook sells for $3.99 and the print copy for $12.99, you are losing a great deal of money. The old rule applies—never ass∙u∙me.

Royalty rights. Make sure you understand what media rights (like print, electronic, audio, etc.) the publisher will hold and whether they will have foreign rights as well.

Contract length. When a publisher says they will retain the rights for X number of years, make sure you understand what they will do after that period of time. One publisher continued to sell their author’s books and not pay them anything after the contract period ended.Gaining rights. Understand the contract so that if you have conflict with the publisher, you won’t have to pay them to get your rights back. Most publishers have a clause that your rights revert back to you after the contract date ends and is renewable on a monthly basis thereafter.

Promotion rights. Publishers want to know your marketing plan, but you should find out what they are willing to do for you. One editor I met at a conference stated that they were unable to offer any form of promotion to an author unless the author asked for it first. Don’t be afraid to ask what your publisher is willing to do for you.

Editing rights. Talk to other authors who have signed with the publisher. It’s easy to look up the publisher’s authors, and then Google and email them from their website contact page. Ask them how the editing process has gone for them. Find out if they are happy with their decision. It should state in the contract how much time you will be given to do edits. I know publishers that wait until the last minute before the release date, send you the edits, and even if you get them back on time, say they don’t have time to make the changes. You look bad and so do they. Don’t let this happen to your hard work.

Editing practices. During the editing process, understand that editors can make suggestions but should never change your work without your approval. On one of my books, an editor changed “hells” and “damns” to other hardcore language. Fight for your rights.

Questioning rights. If you have questions about your contract, royalties, or how the publisher conducts business—ask. Don’t wait until you’ve signed the contract to interact with them. If they don’t respond in a professional manner, attack you openly for asking, or try to soft-soap you, be wary. This is not the publisher for you. You have a right to know exactly what you are making in sales and from which book. If the authors you talk to or the publisher can’t give you a direct answer, think about going with another publisher.Also consider researching publishers on Preditors and Editors, an on-line guide to publishers and publishing services for serious writers, and also check with the Better Business Bureau.

I hope you’ve found this helpful. If you’ve experienced a nightmare publisher or contract difficulties, please feel free to add your knowledge in the comments section for others to learn from. Remember, we are all in this together.

Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense…and Dogs!
Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com
Preditors and Editors: http://pred-ed.com/
Better Business Bureau: http://www.bbb.org/

Image credit: damedeeso / 123RF Stock PhotoCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Kindle Fire Giveaway!

This is a joint AUTHOR BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT!
Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HD 7".

Kindle Fire HD 7" GiveawayThe winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)
  Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)
  Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)
 
Sponsoring Bloggers AuthorsI Am A Reader, Not A WriterFeed Your ReaderNew Adult AddictionJessabella ReadsThe (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Somthing Year Old GirlBooks Unhinged by StacyHggS.A. Larsen - Writer's AllyAuthor Inger IversonThe Geeky GamersannakyssEveryday Word MagicCandance's Book BlogPage FlipperzSMI Book ClubLaurie HereFeed Your Fiction AddictionPhantasmic ReadsThe Book BellasPlease Don't Remove MarGreat's GlassesAuthor Jennifer LaurensJ.C. ValentineHolly HoodYoung Adult Novel ReaderAuthor Heather BixlerLiterary MeanderingsSuspense Author Kim CresswellMother Daughter & Son Book ReviewMeredith's MusingsAuggie TalkAuthor Camelia Miron SkibaAuthor Lena SledgeLoriTheAuthorAuthor Dianne VenettaCurling Up with A Good BookMyLadyWebFae BooksBea's Book NookGirls with BooksKetch's Book NookTurning PagesBookhoundsKarey WhiteMy Devotional ThoughtsAuthor Talia JagerAuthor Helen SmithSher A Hart: Written ArtAuthor MK McClintockWord to DreamsBuku-Buku DidiTasty Book ToursReaderliciousRomance Bookworm's Reviews  Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire. Sponsor a future Kindle Fire Giveaway by signing up HERE. Ends 8/15/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   a Rafflecopter giveawayCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Craving Cowboys Blog Hop: Nothing I Love More…

Having grown up on a farm with horses, there’s nothing I love more than a good western romance.  Put a cowboy on the cover and I’m bound to do a double-take.
I remember going to rodeos with my family, drinking homemade root beer out of brown beer bottles and having everyone stare at us.  Bet the spectators thought my parents were a good influence. (lol)  And, you'd probably never guess that I fell off a horse when I was two and broke my arm. Ouch!
Although my lifestyle has changed, I still love country music, a good rodeo, and a man with a cowboy heart.  My books are (sweet, proper, clean) romances with humor, suspense…and dogs!  Your teen daughter, grandmother and husband will all enjoy these books.  I’m featuring three of my western-flavored books this weekend:

Hazardous Hideaway:  Riding a bucking bronco would be easier than the ride Dallas Mae Jenkins is on. While escaping an abusive relationship, she ends up in a wreck and stranded at a remote dairy in Utah. Worse yet, the presence of her horse whips up memories of an old town murder, and Dallas finds herself in serious danger.

The last thing Tom Allred needs is a wily female working at his dairy, especially one dragging up a murder he was accused of committing.  Will Tom’s antacids hold out until he can get rid of Dallas?  Or, will she lasso his heart?
Buy Link: Sweet Cravings:  http://bit.ly/WdkOU0Amazon: http://amzn.to/IGCr8iB&N: http://bit.ly/VCr3P4



Stolen Horses, Stolen Hearts:  (Novella) Ambitious former rodeo queen Harlee Jo Holiday must fix Oak Whitlock’s broken heart if she’s ever going to get him to help rescue her stolen horses. The only trouble is even Oak’s dog and horse can’t stand to be around him. 
Brooding Oak Whitlock can’t get his life on track. That is, until Harlee Jo comes riding in with her hopes and dreams. Between her and her stolen horses, will Oak learn you have to climb right back in the saddle?
Available for 99 cents!Buy Links:Amazon: http://amzn.to/TDmjvESmashwords: http://bit.ly/11nTJ4KBarnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/VEWEUs

Seeds of Survival:   (Novella) Sadie Jean Dixon loves her new laid-back lifestyle working for the Utah Forest Service. That is, until someone sets a haystack on fire and sends the fire burning up the canyon toward her.
Colton Masterson has given up the ranch lifestyle for a college degree in Accounting. When his little brother breaks his arm and can’t help their crippled pa manage the ranch, Colton comes back to town to lend a hand. He takes on a part-time job at Samson Seed Company handling their taxes but soon learns the books aren’t in order. Unfortunately, the company is owned by his father’s best friend.
When Colton’s pa is accused of setting the fire and thrown in jail, Sadie and Colton must take risks in order to find out the truth, which not only includes their safety but matters of the heart.
Release Date:  July 2013 – Watch for it!

Are you willing to write a short review?  Leave your email address in the comment field and I’ll send you a copy of Hazardous Hideaway and Stolen Horses, Stolen Hearts for FREE. 

Enjoy the blog hop.  We have some great western authors.http://secretcravingspublishing.blogspot.com/

Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs!Fly into a good book at:  http://www.dragonflyromance.comCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

On The Writing Road: Rejections and Professional Reviews

After a couple of years, I finished my first book—my baby, my work of art—but I was still uncertain of my writing abilities.  It didn’t matter.  At some point I had to stick my neck out and submit it to an editor.  I followed all the submission rules to the letter, mailed it off and waited, and waited, and waited…Finally that self-addressed, stamped envelope returned:  “Thanks but no thanks” the basic rejection letter stated.  I squared my shoulders.  “Fine, fine.  I can handle this.”The problem was, I had no idea why my book had been rejected.  What had I done wrong?  What had I done right?I took a few more classes, got a few more opinions, and made a few more changes. This process repeated over and over again until I felt guilty spending the money on postage.  Just like fishing, I finally got a nibble from a Harlequin editor: “I liked your writing style and your story but we cannot accept it at this time.”At this time? Why? Why couldn’t they accept it at this time?  I took a bold move, telephoned a florist and had flowers delivered to the editor in New York.  When she telephoned to thank me… (I almost dropped dead), I questioned her about the whys.  Her answer was they weren’t taking stories about journaling.  That was last year’s news.  Journaling? That’s not what my story was about. I desperately searched my brain, realizing I had mentioned journals in the query.  I did a quick re-pitch, but I couldn’t reel her in—the fish was off the hook.  But I realized one valuable lesson: how important a top-notch, well written query letter is.After numerous other rejections, advice from others that had me yo-yoing back and forth with changes, I decided to pay to have my book professionally edited.  Yes, I felt terribly guilty.  So far my writing endeavor had only been costing us money.  I so desperately wanted to contribute to our financial situation (laugh, laugh, but that’s another blog).I found a company ran by the creator of the 1995 movie, Waterworld, starring Kevin Costner. How could I go wrong?  Well, trust me. If I can screw something up, I do.  The biggest suggestion made by the editor was that my book was anticlimactic. I needed to end the story at the place of the last action-packed scene.  I immediately cut the ending scene—the wrap-up, if you will—and modified the ending.   There were only two other writing mistakes, according to the editor, that I had made throughout the book.  I felt so relieved.  Finally, after all those years, all those rejections, I’d gotten to the bottom of my writing mistakes. (By the way, this company soon after became defunct, but I knew what I needed to know.)  Yippee!With my newly revised book, I started out again searching for that publishing house that wanted my fabulous book. The rejections poured in until I got another nibble:  “We like your story but cannot accept it as written.  If you would consider making revisions to the ending and include a wrap-up scene, we would consider looking at your book again.”Are you kidding me?  I already had one written.  All I had to do was add it back in. I fired off an email submission and the book was accepted within two days.  I couldn’t believe my luck.  Or, was I all that lucky?
The story doesn’t end there.  Next time:  On The Writing Road:  Publishers and Contracts.

Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs!
Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.comCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Doggone Blog Hop

Welcome. We love our dogs and we've come together to support our favorite animal charity!  Thanks for joining us. FYI, June 21st is Take Your Dog to Work Day and National Dog Party Day.

I'll donate to the Friends In Need Animal Sanctuary in Eagle Mountain, Utah $1.00 for each person who leaves a comment on my blog. If you would like to know more about Friends In Need or would like to donate to them directly, here is there website:  http://friends-in-need.org/


As you know, I love dogs!  I feature them on my covers and donate to organizations that help abused and abandoned dogs.  My latest book features a wonderful Rottweiler named Festus.  Take a look:


Storyline: Katelynn swore she’d never return to the small mining town where she’d grown up. Only bad memories remain there of her estranged father, the gossipy townsfolk, and her teen sweetheart Walt Jefferies. But after receiving a letter from her father, she grudgingly returns only to find he died over a year ago. Now she must face Walt for all the answers. Can she find out the truth about the past without getting killed or falling in love all over again?
Please order from Sweet Cravings Publishing: http://bit.ly/WdkOU0

So here is my beautiful Callie.  She's a long-haired Jack Russell terrier.  I featured her on and in my nonfiction book, Words That Drive Us Wacko: A Cheat Sheet to Emotion Words, Sounds Words and Misused Words. It's available on Amazon for $2.99: http://amzn.to/15XzgFk
So our family loves to go camping.  We had gathered wood, made a campfire, and cooked hot dogs. I was in the trailer washing dishes and the kids feed the leftover hot dogs to our two dogs.  Callie stumbled and fell down in the trailer.  I couldn't figure out what was going on.  I was wiping the soapy water off my hands when she got up and stumbled out the trailer door.  I screamed for my husband and he rushed over.  He ended up doing the Heimlich maneuver on Callie.  A piece of hot dog flew out of her mouth and rolled under the trailer.  Our other dog, Smokey, crawled under the trailer and ate it.  Ewwww.  Callie doesn't like hot dogs anymore.


So please vote for Callie for the Top Dog Award.  Just leave a comment with the words TOP DOG.  
Thanks for joining us.
Participating Authors:
Author Cindy A. Christiansen The writings and ramblings of Colette SaucierLindsay Downs Love is a Many Flavored ThingLayla Hunter A Writer's LifeAuthor Jane McBride
Thanks to Jean Joachim for the Blog Hop and Top Dog images.Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

On The Writing Road: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Writing Classes

            All writing classes are not created equal and I’ve been through them all.  When you’re a beginning writer, as I was some (cough) years ago, it can really be confusing.  Here’s what I went through and why I like to help new authors.  We have to start with the ugly. 
THE UGLYI took a community education class taught by a professor from the University of Utah.  We’ll call him Professor Oddball or O for short.  He showed up for class late, sat on the desk and swung his leg over the edge. In his late twenties, curly brown hair, tweed jacket, cowboy boots, jeans with manufactured holes, and manicured hands, he was quite the walking contradiction.  But despite that, I was giddy about this class and expected to learn a great deal about the process of writing.  My word!  He was a professor from the U. My pencil was sharp and ready to go.
We started with the usual introductions, introducing ourselves and sharing what genre we wrote.  His smirk told me he was not impressed with romance authors, but I didn’t let it curb my enthusiasm.  Professor O finally regaled us with his introduction which took the rest of the class.  Oh well, maybe next week.
But the instructions on how to plot a book, develop characters, etc. never came.  He wanted us to experience different types of writing.  We wrote poetry, haikus, short stories, etc. without any instruction, and he edited them diligently with his red pen he used so well as his way of teaching.  Any form of lessons was given through humorous stories of past students and their blunders or unusual stories they wrote.  Everyone listened intently and laughed when appropriate.
I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever learn anything to help get my book published, and then it happened.  Professor O asked to review my first chapter.  I left it proudly on his desk and anxiously awaited next week’s class.
I still remember that day.  Professor O handed me my first chapter back highly decorated in red pen.  No sentence had been left untouched.  I’m sure he must have used up a whole package of red pens in order to write that excessively.  He must have spent the whole week marking my first chapter. I’d be surprised if he’d had time to teach his other classes.  He even wrote on the back.  I wasn’t quite sure whether to be honored by the attention or insulted that there didn’t seem to be one word he hadn’t crossed out.  I stared at my hard work with disbelief.  Hadn’t I even gotten my name correct?
I took a deep breath and realized I might not be cut out to be a writer.  Professor O dedicated the entire class to my writing, a humiliating and humbling experience.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I need to toughen up, but you haven’t heard what harangue he went off on.
There’s need for a little explanation.  My first book was Hazardous Hideaway.  A woman is on the run from her abusive husband and hits a deer in the middle of highway with her truck and horse trailer.  She runs a man in his truck off the road when it happens, and he ends up taking her and her horse to the dairy he manages.  Her horse stirs up memories and conflict of a past death in the town.  The horse is very important to the heroine because it is the last tie to her father who recently died.
Professor O, in front of everyone, stated and debated that I had an atypical sexual relationship between the heroine and her horse and that the heroine is compulsively fixated and fanatically infatuated with her male horse.  The rest of the time was spent on this subject and that there was a book market or niche, if you will, for human/animal sexual intimacy.  I could have died.
Need I continue that this class left me more confused than ever about my abilities as a writer.  I decided another class was in order.
THE BAD
The next class I signed up for was instructed by a local female author.  She wrote crime stories with romantic elements.  Our first assignment was to buy her book and read it.  I rushed to the bookstore, purchased the book and began learning by reading from a published author.  The first sentence contained the F-bomb as well as the second, the third, the fourth...  I tried to get through it.  I told myself it was just for dramatic affect to start the book.  The profanity and the moral of the protagonist never got better.
We met the next week and the class started with the discussion of profanity in writing.  The author stood her ground that it wasn’t her using that language, it was her character. I walked out of the class.  I couldn’t read this author’s book, and I wasn’t looking for class on morals of a writer’s characters.
THE GOODSo I shied away from writing classes and joined a writer’s support group.  I got to know the authors and found a published romance author who taught classes in her home.  After a time, I finally got brave enough to take her class.  It was exactly what I had been looking for:  classes on conflict, goals, plotting, characterization, emotion, dialogue, narration, point of view, scenes and sequels.  I absorbed it all.  The author/teacher told me I had a natural talent and just needed to learn the skills to put it all together.  It was the foundation I needed to become a published author.

So there you have my first writing class experiences.  Many more were to follow but these started me on my path.  I can’t say they were a mistake.  You learn just as much about yourself as a writer by learning what you don’t want than what you do.  That’s why I tell wannabe writers to take what makes sense and feels right to you and throw away the rest.Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

On the Writing Road: The Very Beginning

I started my first novel while bedridden with something the doctors couldn’t figure out. I’d ended up in the ER with an enlarged liver and spleen and mononucleosis and was told I had to go on total bed rest. I never dreamed I would never be well again. I had to quit my job and thought I’d go insane until one day when I picked up pen and paper and started to write. I was hooked.
I had no idea what I was doing. I began in first person (I’m not sure why). I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t write for very long periods, and I couldn’t take any classes. Although I was a programmer/analyst, I didn’t own a home computer. (They weren’t common back then.)  I doubt I could have sat up in a chair anyway.
But writing saved my life…seriously. Well that and a dog.
I hadn’t been married all that long. My husband was at work all day and involved with projects at night. The doctors told me I’d never have children so that left…a dog…a companion…someone to be with me each and every long boring sick day.
I asked my husband if we could adopt a dog, and the answer was emphatically no, which was strange coming from a farm boy. I myself had grown up on a farm, and we’d always had dogs. He never explained his reasoning and the answer continued to be no.
I continued to write and struggled with plot, characterizations, sentence structure and, really, with every word. Some of the struggle was because of cognitive issues due to my illness but most of it was just plain not knowing what I was doing. My biggest challenge, however, was loneliness.

One day I made up my mind. I opened the newspaper and searched the pet column. There was an ad for a litter of Wire Fox terriers and I quickly called the number. The mother had been dropped off at an animal shelter and a foster family had taken her in to help with the pregnancy. The mother, Ladybug, and all the puppies would be returning to the shelter once the pups were weaned.


I couldn’t help myself, I made all the arrangements through the shelter and adopted Jiffy-the runt of the litter. And yes, my husband was pretty ticked when he came home from work and found a puppy, a crate, a bed, some toys and a bag of dog food in the kitchen. My words were, “You’re not my father.”  It didn’t take my husband long to fall in love with the little guy too.
Jiffy became my constant companion. He stayed at my side relentlessly. If I was up in the night, he was there. If I was in bed during the day, he was there. If I made it outside into a lawn chair, he was there. I’ve never had a more loyal friend.
Jiffy and writing kept me alive through that very difficult period of my life. I guess that’s why dogs are in my books and on the covers. That’s why I donate proceeds to help abused and abandoned dogs.


Jiffy died September 16, 1999 at the age of nine due to a tumor, blindness, diabetes, and Cushing’s disease. I think of him often and use many of his antics in my books. I’ve had other marvelous dog children since, but there will never be another Jiffy. He will always hold a special place in my heart.
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Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Humor, Suspense…and Dogs!Fly into a good book at:  http://www.dragonflyromance.com



First Image credit: rusty426 / 123RF Stock PhotoCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author